Sunday, October 28, 2012

The Sword of Hephaestus: Chapter One











   It had been quite a few days since I had been on this crusade with Clyde. I failed to see why he would want to assist me in my quest with his heart and soul, but I was surely safe with Clyde around, especially with rumours of the snake monster ‘Anguis’ out on the loose. We had been walking in this grassland for quite some time now, and our food supplies were over, and there wasn’t a sign of civilization. Sometimes it made me doubt my pursuit; and filled me with anguish having dragged Clyde into this, though I had the feeling that Clyde had his own interest in this mission.
Clyde was staunch and muscular. The same age my father would’ve been if he were alive. The scars on his face and body told what kind of a life he must’ve led so far. Ironically, when you spoke to him, you found him courteous, thoughtful and humble.
“Ariana, look!” said Clyde pointing at the horizon, “I see a village.” I narrowed my eyes to see it better, through the thick tress that surround it. We walked for a while before reaching the bunch of huts. The sun was up above our heads, but there was a chilly wind that was blowing through the village, as hardly any sunlight reached down with the dense trees around. “Hello! Is there anyone here?” I cried out, but in vain. Though there was no one to answer to us, the houses looked as though there were people living there.
We are almost about to give up looking for people in the village, when a little girl came out of a small house at the far end of the village. Her eyes looked lifeless, and pale. She came to us. Surprisingly, she was not terrified of Clyde, who looked like a scarred giant next to me.
"Have you come to see the priest of the village?" she asked us, in her tiny yet strong tone. “We’re on our way to the great mountain to the north, we stopped here for our food. Can you show us a place where we can buy some food and fresh water?” I asked. Clyde looked in a very displeased way at the child. “There are no shops in the village,” the child replied, “Father and Mother always go to another village to the far east to buy things, and we get food from the crops that we grow.”
“The harvest this time is hardly enough, even for the twenty-three families in the village,” the girl continued, “we couldn’t pay up to the Great Emperor. That is why, he took away everyone from the village as his slaves, yesterday.” The girl burst into tears as she was speaking. I kneeled down to pacify the girl, while Clyde still shot a stern look towards the girl. After I managed to get her to speak again, I asked her “What’s your name?” and gave her a chocolate – the last chocolate that I had in my bag. “Valerie.”, she said and ate it, still sobbing. “It’ll be all fine! My friend Clyde is strong and will fight all the king’s men and defeat them to get your parents back!” I said, and she beamed a smile at me.
We thought of resting that afternoon in the village, and leaving later, though I had no idea what to do with the girl. Clyde went to the nearby river to get fresh, as I was still lying down in the little girl’s hut. It had been a while since Clyde had been gone when Valerie woke me up from my nap. “Come here,” she said in her sweet voice, so uncannily stern, “I want to show you something.” She held my hand as I rose up, still half asleep, to see where she was taking me. I followed her the next few minutes as she took me outside the village, in the opposite way where Clyde had gone.
We went through the woods, deeper into the woods. I asked her where we were going as my curiosity escalated every second because of the ambience. “We’re almost there,” “Just a little more”, were her remarks each time I asked. In a short while, we reached a small well. Still holding my hand, she asked me to look into the well. I walked slowly to the well. Valerie clenched my palm harder than before. I looked into the well.
            I saw a heap of dead bodies in the well. They looked like they were residents from the same village. I was hit by shock. I could hardly speak. There must have been at least sixty of them. I looked at Valerie. She was smiling at me, and would not let go of my hand. My eyes gazed back at the well. Each of the dead bodies had an expression of terror on their faces. Among the bodies, there was one of a child, which was skinned. Valerie’s grip suddenly got stronger. Stronger than any ten-year-old’s grip. I looked at her, and shrieked at the sight of what I saw! She shed her own skin, Valerie’s skin, and what stood at the place of a sweet 10 year old girl was none other than fifteen feet tall serpent monster – Anguis!
Anguis had the torso of a human female, and the rest was the body of a huge scaly snake. Anguis entangled me in it’s grip. I was shouting at the top of my lungs as the monster was drawing me closer to it’s mouth. I was going to die. I was so sure of that as I saw Anguis’ fangs, getting closer to me every instant. It was here. The end of it all. I was never going to be able to finish my mission. I was inside Anguis’ mouth. It closed it shut. Darkness all around. It was over.
Suddenly, I heard unsheathing of sword and a slash to my right, and sunlight flooding in through it. I saw a strong arm barge in through the slashed snake-flesh, and the arm pulled me outside. It was Clyde! “Are you okay?” he asked me, still gripping the sword, with burning eyes fixated at the monster. I couldn’t believe that I was. “Yes,” I replied feebly. The monster threw it’s tail at Clyde. Clyde jumped up high in the air to avoid the monster’s tail and wielded his sword at Anguis’ head. Anguis jumped back and Clyde’s slash was rendered useless. It was a fierce battle. I was watching from a distance. Anguis’ tail whips sent Clyde hurling and crashing on trees. Barely able to stand, Clyde rested himself on his sword that dug itself a few inches deep in the ground. Bleeding profusely, but not defeated, Clyde gathered all what he had and jumped in the air, ready to slash the monster. His slash managed to cut Anguis’ right hand out. Shrilling and trembling in pain, the heavy mass fell to the ground. Clyde didn’t wait for it to get up, and jumped on the monster’s torso and stabbed into it’s heart. The monster’s last blare faded into the air, and Clyde sheathed his sword.
We spent the night in the village. I fixed up Clyde with whatever little potions and bandages I had left. I asked him next morning, “You knew that it wasn’t a child all along? Why didn’t you tell me earlier then?”
“I did not,” Clyde replied, “I just got bad vibes from her.” We started walking again, walking towards the north, with no more clue to get to our goal than we had one day before.
                                                                                                                        


Friday, October 26, 2012

For the technologically challenged,like yours truly


Hello my fellow retards!!! The world has slipped effortlessly into the abyss of technology…where five year olds have figured out how to work an iPod…where my 16 year old cousin works with a gigantic Korg Kronos,whose name and exact function I wasn't aware of till he bought it. And whilst most of us are keeping pace with this gadget craze, I beg to differ. In fact, I beg to be excluded, without a derisive snort or a “you don’t know this???”
            Yes, I am technologically challenged, for want of a better word. I know the basics of a mobile phone; I know how to make PowerPoint presentations. Hell, I figured out how to post this article on the blog, didn't I??? But no, I’m not equipped to deal with Movie maker Picasa,photofunia and all the new softwares that basically let you snip, color,polish and whip out pictures,documentaries,edited songs and animations. I suck at such stuff. So this article is dedicated to all those, like me, who are blissfully unaware of all that we are unaware of!
                Most of my friends know gadgets like the back of their hand. They throw words like ‘wireless fidelity’, ‘IPv4’ and ‘proxy settings’ like they were ‘thank you’ and ‘ssup?’  I am sorry, but I do not speak gadget. I wish they had a subtitle to every technological term used, for illiterates like me, who could decipher what such terms meant. With all the new gizmos coming up, it is really difficult to know the difference between iPhone 4S and 5, and why android and java differ, and why computers are just so evil. Just recently my sister bought a Dell laptop, whose display conked off within 6 months of purchase. A frantic visit to the Dell store informed her that the entire new batch of Dell laptops was faulty and would be giving this exact problem. Gadgets, gadgets, gadgets.
            Everyday I vow to learn a new and useful fact about technology, so that I can sound intelligent whenever someone asks my opinion on the same. I use Google as my secret weapon to find out stuff that is considered ‘general knowledge’. How else am I supposed to know and compare the prices of the various models of blackberry? The new and improved iPad? The apps that android offers? The reasons why Nokia lumia is over hyped and why the debate about whether apple is better or Samsung never ends???
            I often find myself bearing the consequences of being technologically backward when I buy a new gadget, like a laptop. The series of questions that follow make me feel like I’m a nasty girl who murdered a harmless old couple next door for money.
What’s the model? Oh well, that’s easy, I think.
Memory? Easy peasy.
Windows edition? Xp or 7 or vista? I think it was windows 7…but then again…
Hang on, the worst isn't over yet.
Then comes the “operating system? How many bits is it?”
“Which connection have you set up?? Dial up or bsnl or VPN or ad hoc???”
 I think I will just drop the wretched laptop into the sea.
           People who are gadget freaks, at peace with their play stations and tablets, look down upon us and think “When did this happen to them?” They find it astounding that a peer from their very own generation has difficulty grasping the intricacies of Photoshop and LAN. But our parents feel comforted, knowing that their sons and daughters don’t look down upon them as “technologically handicapped”. Hell, my mother and I figured out many apps and softwares together! What was atrocious for many became amusing for us.
           Then again, I know many successful people, who make up for what they lack in the virtual world, by their knowledge in the real one. Many doctors who are gods in the O.T., and can’t figure out the difference between a jpeg file and a pdf one. Many writers, who are extremely well versed with MS Word, but ask them about creating a website, and they will blanch. Many lawyers who don’t know what twitter exactly is. We don’t need to be gizmo addicts to keep pace with the world. What we need is an open mind and plenty of imagination.
      I encounter many handicapped souls like me everyday, who are mocked by their lack of understanding about TCP/IP and encryption type and access point. No matter what, we all will survive, provided we learn to laugh at ourselves. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. Man wasn't born with technology. He invented it. Granted, these inventions are extremely useful. Granted, they make life fun and add novelty to simple tasks. Get acquainted with these inventions to the best of your abilities, but don’t forget that the best communications will still be verbal, the best visuals will still be those existent and the best friends will still be those in body and flesh, not virtual!
          Till next time, my fellow sluggers!!!


Life Mein Kabhi Kabhi


            As the title goes sometimes in life we meet people and forget it but some encounters remain with us and change us and our lives. It’s amazing how a few moments can leave a deep impact on our mind.

Before I met this guy on a running train life was so complicated we were in trouble, helpless, and in an unknown city but simply simplified everything. And he changed me and my perception and also cleared the haze we had in our minds.

Four girls trying hard to reach home, who wouldn't help them but no, everything was working against us. Boarding this train was our last hope that morning but we had lost even that to the waiting list. It was our last chance (you see we had no money left!). Taking help from all the dead relatives to die once again and all the living once serious enough in hospitals we tried to convince the big fat T.C. but like the stubborn fat of his body he wouldn't budge.

He was so ‘duh’ that he didn’t even notice us sneaking into train behind him, imagine 4 girls (and the noise they make) with their enormous luggage trying to push their heavy bags into the train any moron would have noticed it but to our luck and his dung-headedness he didn't .

We knew the moment he would find us inside the train he would throw us out of the train the very next station. We had mutually decided that we would spent the rest of the money on bribing him to let us travel. (You see, in India such things are possible!)
The bogey we had jumped into was the 2nd A/C completely packed with over-sized rich people occupying more space than 10 lean poor people would have. I don’t know what’s up with these so called rich people they never seem to want to share anything. So before we even tried to collect sympathy and help and off course some space this arrogant rude lady was ready to create a big scene.

It was easier to bribe the T.C. than convince her so I felt my friends to the mercy of that rude lady and went to look for the T.C. in case he saw the unrest would not help us.

The train had started and the T.C. miraculously vanished I hoped the train left him behind. And as I returned to the rescue of my friends they too had evaporated in thin air (yes with the enormous luggage girls carry!) Before I could go ask what the lady had done to them a soothing voice called me “And what’s your name?” What the hell did somebody want to do with my name right now?

When I turned right to snap back at who-ever it was what I see is all three of my friends comfortably seated all of the luggage gone in its place and a middle aged man smiling at me and offering me a seat.

He had already started conversation with my friends; he kept us engaged in the conversation so well that we actually forgot that we had a problem in life called the T.C. He said “You are design students, so tell me about your field. While telling him about our courses and projects we found a guide and mentor in him. His knowledge in this field was so deep that he cleared our doubts regarding out design and also questioned us so that we released the hidden strengths of our projects. Normally people don’t understand the word product design, it’s new and they have heard of only fashion design so one has to actually make people understand that fashion is completely different. But out of blue we had met a man who knew a lot about this field and we could openly discuss with him like we did with our faculty.

Out of doubt that he must be either from a renowned college of design or at least professionally related to it I asked him what he did.

And pat the answer came “Let’s talk about you first!”

While we were talking the other passengers also became interested and were listening to us and we hardly released that even the T.C. was standing behind me and silently listening to our conversation.

This guy told the T.C. that these girls are with me they are my distant relatives, and the T.C. didn't even check our tickets! One word of his and the T.C. was out of there and never returned, we travelled without a confirm ticked that day and we didn't even bribe him.

We kept staring blankly after him just a while ago he was not ready to listen to us and now it was enough for him to know that we were related to somebody to let us travel! Weird. Very weird.

Mr. Vishwanath, yes that’s what his name was and apparently his profession was to create and produce, he said he was an engineer and had his own set up.

He introduced to us the future of design and took us on ride of our future telling us the scope and the possibilities that could be there. He very firmly said solar is the future you must design products for energy conservation and using solar energy. (Frankly speaking I gave a damn to solar then!) He gave us a lot of insight into this technology and I must say inspired us to work for the better and design responsibly only that we realized it when we came back to college and introduced to solar energy. This guy had given us enough information to drive us through this project smoothly.

We have no idea how he know so much about us and our profession,

Nor do we know who exactly he was but he change us for the good we came with wonderful solutions for our project and somewhere he is responsible it, for giving us the right knowledge at the right time.

One of our friends travelled further after our destination but when Mr. Vishwanath got off she doesn't know or maybe she didn’t even realize until late that he was missing.

In that span of 4 hour he taught you a lot. Thinking back I realize that he got us home safely, he worked the T.C. for us, he mentored us individually and still we didn't know him at all.

Who was he?

Spiritually – God

Practically – A learned person from the same field and interest backgrounds

Factually- A coincidence

But I believe coincidences are the best planned surprises,

So if any of you know about this guy or if Mr. Vishwanath you are reading this please contact us.

Till then in search…



Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Hello There :)

     They say life is like a boat, there are ups downs all the time. (They say many things to show that they're all high and mighty and wise, don't they?) You meet all kinds of people: mean, nice, tall, short, fat, very fat. Some stay with you, the others leave. There are a few you rediscover. And with them, comes flooding a sea of memories from lost times.
     The Grey Matter Quartet kicked ass in school 7 years ago, and is back again to kick some more.

     We're here to mock the world.
     We're here to praise the awesome people that inhabit it, and condemn the worst.
     We're here to laugh with it, at the silliest jokes.
     We're here to sympathise with those trampled upon, and help them up.
     We're here to salute the world in it's smallest and largest pictures.
     But most importantly, we're here because we like to be here.

     The Grey Matter Quartet is on a joyride to celebrate life. And you are invited to come and experience the best and the worst with us. :)