He never knew till then! It had taken him a long time to get where he was. He had spoken to many, discussed with his near and dear ones! Most thought he was loony, some felt he was going senile but he kept searching. His quest had borne fruit at last! Voila! There it was. He had at last sourced the power of a ‘Jumper’ – a Time Traveller. He had found the Transporter, right next to him. It had been handed over to him without anyone realizing it. Why had I gone searching for it all over, he wondered?
He decided to jump, there and then… and he jumped!!!
There he was next to a turbulent rivulet close to its source, bouncing over rocks, prancing like a pretty girl in love going to meet her lover, gushing through a valley. The hillsides green with fresh grass and the upper reaches of the hills snow clad with pine trees laid out in natural rows. Clouds drifting lazily, a turquoise blue sky…
Jump!!!
Oh! A lonely boat ride on a river. The water lapping on the sides of the boat. He stuck his hand out to reach for the cold water of the river. The dark sky above was twinkling as if diamonds had been stuck on a grayish black carpet. The boatman was humming a mournful tune!!!
Jump!!!
Bells clanging! Deep chants! The sounds of Om reverberating – now he was inside an old temple. Pilgrims all around him devotedly gazing and calling out to the Almighty. He was invisible to them but he was right there. The whole space was so serene and peaceful. He sat back and closed his eyes. A few moments…
Jump!!!
Wow! Where was he now? Inside a pub with a live band playing. And what does he see? There was this young guy. An Indian! In a foreign land! Dancing and singing an Indian song in tune with the live band. Everyone dancing with him. This was really crazy. He realized he could not stop clapping his hands in rhythm.
Jump!!!
Right now he is on top of the mountain, the crystal clear sky, not a speck of a cloud. It looked like a light blue veil had been draped over a beautiful woman, the horizon where the earth and sky seemingly seamless…
Jump!!!
He was now in an old convertible in an open flat straight road. He could see for miles ahead. Wind ruffling through his thick black hair, he with his Aviator sunglasses on and his girlfriend with him. Where was he going???
Jump!!!
How did he land here? A family party. Pre-wedding celebrations were on. Drinks were flowing, men cheering loudly, women and children in colourful clothes dancing to the beats of the ‘Dhol’. Dancing and merriment and happiness all around him. Smell of sweets!! Strobe lights! Flowers strewn all over.
Jump!!!
What’s with these footsteps on the sand? He was walking right behind another human being who was humming a sad tune. Was the guy crying? Yes, tears were rolling down as he remembered his long lost love. The man had black patches under his eyes and seemed quite sick. Tears welled up in the eyes of the Jumper.
Jump!!!
He was in the midst of a rock show! Oh my God! The noise, the lights, the crowd roaring and cheering and jumping to the beats of the band. Not the right place for him.
Jump!!!
Yay! He was where he liked to be. Riding a superbike at 220 kmph. Zooming past other vehicles. The road was twisting and turning, the thrill of speed! There were some guys shooting at him. He ducked. Throttled up further!! 230, 240 kmph. There was that railway crossing and he could see a train rushing towards it. Should he brake and ride straight through? Yes, he would be able to make it before the train reached the crossing. Engine! Crossing! Speed! Faster, faster! Would he able to make it? Yessss… he clears the crossing and feels the blast of the horn of the engine and the rush of wind and the engine passes centimeters behind him. He applies the brakes and the bike screeches and skids to a smooth halt and he looks back victoriously at his chasers through the gaps between the coaches of the train.
“Come on Dadaji, time for dinner” called out his grand daughter. The old man was jolted back to the present. He smiled to himself and removed the brand new Bose headphones gifted to him for his 80th birthday by his son. The music, lyrics, beats, the feelings, encased in each of the songs that he had been hearing still remain etched in his mind. He always loved the Mission Impossible title track!!! Slow Motion Angreza from Bhag Milkha Bhag was another of his favourites and so was Suhaana Safar sung by Mukesh!!
He had at last sourced the power of a ‘Jumper’ – a Time Traveller. He had found his Transporter!!!
....To a make believe world.. A world where you have the freedom to LIVE the way YOU want. A world that thrills you, a world that soothes your frayed nerves .. A world that gives you the freedom to do.. To behave.. To think the way YOU want... Just you and your little world.. A, world that gives you you joyful moments..gives you the space to contemplate.. To introspect.. Where you can Enter and from where you can emerge.. At will... Refreshed.. Renewed..rejuvenated.. .
ReplyDeleteThank you Vidya. Yes. That would be the way I see music transporting us to different worlds
DeleteVery nice expression of the dreams coming true through series of time travelling... yeah.. really wish , we were able to do time travelling. we all heard and read our saints are " tri-kala jnani". that is nothing but time travelling. it might be a reality once upon time in the annals of the history. I wish .. may be we could see some one from other pan of time... Great Sir.
ReplyDeleteThe idea behind it was too use Music as a way to travel across time. Imagine closing your eyes and reliving the scenes which I mentioned. I wanted to convey just that. Thanks for your inputs Krish
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