A beginning!

Saturday, April 30, 2005

To Beduk ... Mee Beduk

Meaning – “That is frog, I am frog”. Bizarre title! Aroused my interest to read the story. That was over a decade ago!

When I was still in primary school, we had subscribed to a Marathi magazine: ‘Kishor’ [Anybody heard of it of late? Is it still in circulation?]. First sunday of every month, my sister and I used to eagerly wait for the paper boy to deliver it. What followed was not too unfamiliar tussle (you can even call it altercation!) as to who gets to read it first :-).

‘To Beduk, Mee Beduk” was one of the stories from this magazine. I won’t say I liked it; but it appealed to me in some strange way, I didn’t know why then. It is not mystery, neither a comedy. Oh, why stretch it further, here goes the story (in my words, the pages of that magazine are long lost…) :-

Late in the evening, a little boy was paddling on his way back home from school. Looking for little adventure, he decided to take different route. On the deserted street, he paddled monotonously. There was a pond by the roadside. Gazing at the motionless liquid, the boy stopped. He noticed a little frog wandering merrily, hopping in and out of water. Staring at the frog, the boy was lost in thoughts, he seemed oblivious of everything.

Suddenly, a queer sound screamed passed his ears. Unable to move, he stood their helplessly. A circular disc zoomed over the pond. Was it UFO? The world went dimmer. Impalpable claws of darkness clutched him. He lost consciousness.

The boy opened his eyes. He could not move. All limbs strapped! He felt like specimen lying on laboratory table. On a table next to him, was a frog, completely dissected. The boy recognized it; it was the same frog he had seen by the pond, now lying vivisected. Almost dumb by shock and unable to scream, the boy managed a shriek. It seemed to cause panic around him. Two strange creatures, which he now noticed, uttered queer sounds. Swiftly and quikcly they operated the strange machinery in that grotesque lab. Before the boy could realize, he sank back to unconsciousness.

The boy opened his eyes. He got up quickly and looked around. He was standing by the pond. There was nothing … except the frog hopping around merrily... He murmured to himself, “To Beduk, Mee Beduk”.

The story still appeals… and I still don’t know why.

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

The boy on the roof

Waking up early morning has always been out of compulsion rather than choice. Thankfully, we had lectures in the noon and I could afford the luxury of getting up at 8.30 even in college days!

Post college (read after joining professional company), there isn’t much change on that front. Irregular timings and late night work culture are not alien in software industry. Try coming at 7 in the morning and security guards are staring at you in disbelief! But leave at 1.30 in night and nobody will think your behavior is aberrant!


It has always been ...as if the whole world has modeled itself to allow me to get up as late as I want to! However, I don’t always think of world that fondly. And when I don't, I wonder if the world has in fact conspired to keep me asleep till late. When such whim takes me over, which I must confess, is not too frequent, I get up early.

Although feeling giddy and drowsy, I engage myself in the ordeal of brushing my teeth. A glance out from window and I can see huge cement mass till the vision permits. I see a boy, a 10-12 year old kid. He is there, always there, studying on the slanting roof top of a small tin shade. He inspires.