Jor lagaa ke...

Strenuous physical labour is seldom encountered during the vacations and when a physical challenge of an unimaginable extent presents itself you are left dumbstruck calculating the efforts involved. After a tiring day of analytical acrobatics not enough energy is left to push yourself back home.
But Christmas eve was different for us. As we were preparing to leave our students' activities hub, we heard a series of whistles by the watchman at the main gate of the institute. It sent a chill down our spines (maybe the snowfall in Himachal Pradesh had some role to play). Usually the watchman's whistling is a bad omen. We exchanged quick glances reassuring each other that we have not trespassed the line of law. We also checked our watches and noticed that it wasn't late too. "Arre hub waale idhar aao", came a commanding bark. Some of us volunteered to approach the guard. But the watchman was not to be satiated. He singled out every person near the hub with his lathi and beckoned us. Finally four of us relented to listen to his fervent appeals and were stunned by his words. He informed us that a water tanker which was visiting the college campus to water the football grounds for our sports fest,Enthusia, had suffered from an unexpected (?) breakdown and we were required to use our potential energy to set a mammoth of a tanker in motion. Not much energy was left within us after swatting and slaying hordes of mosquitoes in the garden near the hub. But we encouraged each other by gathering every bit of energy from every Golgi body in every cell of our body. A determined quartet marched towards the 'white elephant' stuck on the football ground. We were confident that we would be bailed out of the situation by Aditya, the only one amongst us whose muscles were close to being capable enough to move the tanker by half a metre. It would have been a strange sight! Three electrical engineers and one mechanical engineer trying to explain the gravity of the situation to the watchman! He could not digest the pessimistic shaking of our necks. He thought that it was worth giving a shot. We took positions and prepared to push. The four of us, 'the whistleblower' and one of the tanker staff. Students on either flank of the tanker and the two commanders positioned at the engine end and the tank end. The commanders had no war experience and it was evident because during the first push the two flanks were seen pushing in opposite directions. The necessary corrections were made only when the two flanks reestablished communication. The tactics decided were easy to comprehend. Push once in the forward direction and then immediately in the reverse direction for reasons unknown. My driving lessons had taught me that the best way to crank a vehicle in motion is to immediately shift into second gear when a certain velocity is attained. But like a true loyal infantryman, I obeyed the orders until I was about to faint because of the strong whiff of diesel which I had to bear (No offence meant to the good man who has lent his name, Rudolf Diesel). There were several occassions when we had to scream "Brake!Brake" to prevent the cleaner from getting under the chassis. Reinforcements arrived after about half a dozen iterations but sadly those were of no use because the Kumbhakarna did not wish to growl and wake up. We were dejected when we surrendered and retreated to the main gate, still equipped with the back pack which was sans ammunition ante bellum. We were joined by the forces from the hub which had chickened out from the mission. There was no mention of a court martial. Latest reports confirm that another tanker was called in to nudge the comatose tanker. The backup which was summoned was reported to have ruined the football ground with tyre marks. I for one will surely be sued for leaking this confidential information but I am glad to have penned down my experiences when we were 'in the line of water'.

The Horizon

The Horizon

Snowy specks splattered,
Across the serene skies,
Like a soft quilt tattered,
Or lofty peaks in disguise.

Glowing halo around the moon,
Tranquil and cool rays ,
Long shadows over the dune,
Sprawling like a wide maze.

And over the labyrinth black,
Crawls a creature vicious,
Ready for an attack,
True to its nature nefarious.

The clouds above can only watch,
As the innocent desert suffers,
Invisible is the red splotch,
From the distant craters.

And when the clouds know it's their turn,
The seams threaten to burst,
The same serene skies burn,
And the clouds descend to assuage thirst.

The thirst for an end,
To meaningless deeds and insanity,
Sand dunes rise and bend,
Like a wave with ferocity.

Fury rules the sky,
And the sands below leap,
A last attempt,a last try,
To vanquish all reasons to weep.

At last the twain meet,
The earth and sky at the horizon,
Allied for a crushing defeat,
Of the obnoxious scorpion.

-Hardik Kothare