Good Spirit, please come..

            In our hostel days, we used to talk about anything in the world. It was just like another day, busy with chatting. We were in our room. There were some other friends from the nearby room. We neighbours are having a group chat.. the topics were vast and wide, no limits..Then, somebody told about a new thing, that we have seen in a movie, but neither discussed about it, nor experienced..

It was “OJOBOARD”.. The game with the spirits...!!!

            In that movie named ‘ Aparichithan’ ,the heroine and friends got an ojoboard, from a witch’s place. They had seen her calling spirits of dead persons and talking to them . One night, they had stolen the ojoboard and tried to play the game in their place. The only light was provided by a candle.Placing the ojoboard coin at the centre of the board, they called out a spirit. To be safe, they called out a good spirit ,who won’t make any harm. “Good spirit please come.. Good spirit please come.. Good spirit please come.. Good spirit please come.. Good spirit please come............”  They felt a change in the surroundings .But, they continued,..they continued, till the coin started moving itself. Yes!! The spirit had come. They asked it whether it is dead or alive, and man or a woman, and name.. The spirit’s name was said as ‘Ram’. Then one of the girls got scared and disturbed all the arrangements. And the surroundings got changed in to normal. But, they didn’t know, the spirit they called couldn’t return from where he came. He was with them, till  the end, having a purpose..rest the story of movie..

            So, coming back to our chatting in the hostel room... When we started discussing about the movie, the topic changed to ojoboard only. “is it a real thing” was our doubt. To my surprise, the girls in the next room had more knowledge about this. They had told us many real stories (they claimed them as real) regarding this, and two of them told, they had experienced that. And, told us, how to try this in our way, as we don’t have the real ojoboard.

            At last, came the idea of trying it.. “just try it”..said some, who considered themselves brave and like to do risky adventures [they think themselves like that! It’s their first adventure any way ): ], “yeah, let’s try it”, said some who don’t believe in such things, and need to prove that, that was a fake idea and won’t work. But, there are the rest of the girls..” Oh no..Please don’t do this, we don’t have to try this. What if the spirit really came? What if it is not a good spirit? We don’t have to risk our lives”. There were some other people who don’t have any particular opinion. They think “let it be”, whether the decision is ‘to go for a try’ or ‘the deal is over(“we can stop this nonsense)”.

            And, finally it is decided that, its a “No Deal”. We don’t have to risk other’s life, though we are ready to put risk to our lives. And the meeting ( chatting), dispersed as it was time for the dinner.

            Everything was normal, from then. We all had our dinner, our usual things before going to bed. Some have assignments to do, two of them reading some novels or something, some were in the study hall, as they have a test on the next day. And, among the rest, one went to bed already, and a group of four was discussing something. ‘Ojoboard’?? Hey, no.. Me  went back to my assignment. It was almost 12.00 am , when everything  got settled and everybody on their beds.

            Me always have some problem with sleep. The sleep won’t bless me as soon as I get  my bed. I need to wait, sometimes with some books, or some music.. but, as the lights were already switched off by our hostel warden, no more deal with books. So, I closed my eyes and waited for sleep......

            “Hey, make your sound low, they will wake up”- a husky sound heard. And that followed some other sounds also. “bring that candle, oh..and the steel glass too..” the conversation was between more than two “yeah, everything is ready” some other’s voice. ‘what is happening’ I couldn’t figure out first, whether I was seeing a dream. But, it was sure, I was not blessed then..

            Okay, then some thing is there. I just turned the other side slowly and , watched out..There were 4 of my roommates, they are doing something in the dark, in candle light. “Oh..No!!” they were trying to play ojoboard!!.. ‘What should I do? Shall I stop them?  Or silently watch this? And if the spirit come, what if it caught me first?” .. “ Oh, what am I thinking? There is no such spirits or something. We are engineers, believe in science and technology. Don’t be stupid”,  I scolded myself.

            I wake up, making them notice . They all got startled, seeing me. But, when I neared them, I was also in the group, trying to arrange the settings. A small candle, a steel cup, a sheet of paper, on which all the alphabets and numerals are written on periphery and at the centre there was a circle, to place the coin, and on two sides, written ‘YES’ and ‘NO’ . The ojoboard got ready to play. It was like, we play this every night. Everybody seemed so confident and brave (what about me..? ). Then, one of us explained the rules on ‘how to call a spirit’. That was Sari, the bravest one among us. So, everything was ready..it was set..and we went for it..

            We sat down on the floor making a circle.  Then we lighted the candle,  a small candle as  we have to cover the candle using the steel cup, as per the rules. The candle was placed on a coin . These all, the coin, candle, the s teel cup, all on the sheet of paper , which we have converted in to an ojoboard not any less than the real one.

            12.30 am. The silence of night..we have done everything as per the plan. Now, its time for calling the spirit. Remember, ‘ Good spirit’..   We have hold our hands stretched, with the forefinger pointing to the steel cup. We repeated the words from the movie “Good spirit please come.. Good spirit please come.. Good spirit please come..”...And........

            We were reciting those words with full concentration...suddenly....” Stop this nonsense..” somebody screamed..and put down the cup, tore the paper..the candle was already turned off. One of us switched on the lights. Thank God, nobody wake up from sleep. And, we were looking each other ,’what happened’ ‘who screamed?’  ..you know, who was that? It was Sari, the bravest girl among us.  She looked so frightened, looking on something on the floor. We couldn’t find anything there. We were still sitting on the floor. We called her ,shaking her body? We all were scared..then she said “ Something is rotten somewhere....”  .... “WHAT??????”  We all asked in unison and burst in to a laughter.. What does it mean..? .

            After we settled from the laugh, we asked her, what actually happened to our ‘Brave little woman’? . As we laughed, on her that strange wordings, the situation got loosened. She was feeling a little shame, and said that, she felt something strange that time, felt the steel cup moving itself and don’t know how that words came to her mind...

            We told her, there was nothing like that, and we didn’t feel anything strange.. and assured her that, may be someone among us had touched the cup, and made it move.. We finally managed to get in to the normal. And, it was already late, and we went to sleep....

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The next day, the girls in the other room had asked us whether we tried ojoboard ,last night. And told us that, they expected that. But, we told them..” No, and never..”..and we looked for Sari..She was there , busy in something..

Flash of Memories

 Memories are part of our lives...Good or bad ones. Sometimes, a flash of some incidents in the past will reach us without any intimation....and we loose in thoughts.....

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   It was a day during my project... I was very busy all day the day, reading papers, research journals, come to my own conclusions, new ideas, trying new designs, and a lot more..There was not a single time left for any entertainment, as it was the peak time of the project. The thing, I do to relax was talking to jasna, my friend, my class mate, who is doing project at the same centre..We used to talk about anything around us, thus get relaxed from the work, and these little conversations make our mind fresh and clear, and we ready for doing the work that left to do. We both think in the same way. I wonder, how can we agree in everything, with the same mind..But, it was true...

     One day, she was not there, and I missed our daily talk, and was fully engaged in work. When I felt a bit tired, I put the head phone, and started playing some music in my mobile phone. I was listening to that, trying to relax, stretched my body and lay on my cushioned seat...Then came that...a sudden but gentle flash of something.......

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            It was during my college days, my graduation..I was staying in a hostel. There were 10 inmates in my room. I got a mobile phone for me in the 2^nd year. It was not a difficult task to get one from my parents, as I am away from home, and they can call me, anytime they wish to, most importantly, during the weekend journey’s between home and hostel. It was an ordinary colour handset, not having an MP3 player or camera. But, we listened to the radio daily..

            It was during the next year, some of my friends got mobiles having camera, video and mp3 players. One of my room mates, Sree also got one. She considered me as a kid sometimes, some feeling she didn’t show for other inmates.Our beds were near, and we managed to place them close and used as a double bed.  In our free time, in  holidays, after breakfast or lunch or the evening snacks, She used to play music, sometimes in the loudspeaker, if  everyone wants to hear, otherwise using head phone...

            She may be taking a rest on our bed, when she call me for a company. Then me too lie by her side, and she will put one earplug in to mine, and we enjoy the music. She was so cared about, and check whether I enjoy the music, and like the song, which was playing. I liked her loving ways, and always liked the songs, she played. We enjoyed our company...

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            I was in the lab, taking a rest in between my work..I missed her..I felt to call her, and tell her, how I remembered those days. I have decided to make the call or write to her, after reaching home. Two reasons for making it at home. She may be not available at that time, or busy with her work. Me too don’t make personal calls at my work place.

            I was thinking, why had this happened only then? It is not the first time, I am listening to music. Yeah, it is the first time at work place, but I used to do it during my long travels between the research centre and my home. Then why that time only..?

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      Things come to happen in our lives, creating memories, sweet or sour.. We don’t know, when they are created and when they come back to make us remember something...

A rare visit to hospital

   I was waiting outside the doctor’s room. A homeopathic clinic ,very near to my home. There were some other people wating, to see the doctor for their kids. You hear that?! For their kids, those may have a small fever,cold or something like that. And there I am, a 23 year old, just came for myself. Reason: a headache...

            Actually, I am not at all a homeopathic person, but he is. And, its because of him, I try it sometimes. I was feeling a little bit drowsy, as I came just after my afternoon nap which took longer than usual, and I had to hurried to the clinic. Then there is a long queue..(They are not lined up in a queue, everybody sitting here and there in chairs and in the cement benches on the verandha. There is a silent decision and agreement of ‘who goes next?’. The one came first, go first. No problems, no haste, everything was calm and normal.

            Me having a headache for a week. Not feeling all the day, but when it comes, my head felt so heavy for me. And, for a few moments, all the thing  I can see is darkness..complete darkness. I just neglected it for some weeks, and hided it from him. But, when he got to know this, insisted constantaly, to consult a doctor. He didn’t said, homeopathy. He need me to have a scanning or something  like that. (I think it made him scared a little). But, you know what...? Me don’t like to go any hospitals. The hospital atmosphere, the medicines, the needles, the smell of dettol , everything make me feel drowsy. I usually got a headache, when I  come back from hospital, even it is just for visiting a friend or relative admitted there. So, I kept on escaping from him, on the thought of having consult a doctor. I strongly believe, my headache is just because of my over work and stress, personal and official.. Or it may be because of my low B.P. So, it is not necessary to go to hospital.

            But, atlast I had to do this. Now, me in a clinic..(Thank God, I don’t have to go for a scanning or injection here. Thanks for ‘Haniman’ – the father of homeopathy). Something forced me to do so. Guess who??...You are right. Its him. Two of my college friends, (they were my roommates too..) called me to say that, they were planning to have an outing the next day for we three. Me, Anita and Salini. They have booked tickets for a new released movie, then a book fair, a grand lunch and some shopping.. I got thrilled to here this. It was a long time, when such an outing happened. We couldn’t meet a long time like this. I started preparations for the program, after getting permissions from him.( Ya, I ask him permission for everything! Good girl na?!!) .But, the things got a change last evening .

            It was when I had the headache again. This time a strong one..(Oh! What a timing afterall!!).

Then he told me, I have to consult a doctor, and only after that, he can let me go for my outing with friends. And, that too if the doctor say that, I am perfectly okay. So,..Thats why I was in a group of little patients and their parents then..

            But, I had a good evening there. watching them all, speaking to those kids, carrying a 8 month old baby, meeting some persons I  know..I need to explain in detail. Only this for now...