The truth is out, finally!!

Here is the truth (finally!!) on what happened in Jaipur on weird and wonderful day (and night ;-) of July 12, 2002. The day was discussed many times over the years and here comes truth about what really happened.

That was a hot summer Friday evening of 2002, I was an university student that time, we decided to watch the laugh drama 'Tajmahal ka Tender'. I could not recall whose crazy idea was that, but soon found all 7 of us agreeing to that thought. After all, who do not want to laugh? Posters of the drama were all around University claiming it to be ultimate fun.

After reaching famous 'Ravindra Manch' drama theatre, we realized tickets are bit too costly ;-) Naturally, a heated debate had to start; some anti-art people strongly opposed the idea of spending ‘rare cash’ on drama (they called it 'nautanki', sadly!!), though I was strongly in favour of it. Majority won and we had to drop the dramatic idea of drama.

Someone came out with compromise formula "let us go for movie, it is Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s movie and must be good". Interestingly, that was the day when 'Devdas' was released. Those days Bhansali used to make good movies - of course later he made ‘Sawariya’ and rest is history – we agreed that movie would be good.

Skeptics like me argued 'Today is Friday and we are not going to get tickets!’

'Let us try at least, trying does not harm', one Devdas guy of our group made me to shut up. Those days he was into ups and downs of complex, complicated and on-the-edge-of-break love story. He persuaded all of us by emotional blackmail and sympathy! Soon we were in tune that drama is bad idea and best thing to do now is to go and try for movie tickets. What a sudden surprise turn!

Well, we skipped the 'Tajmahal ka Tender' and directly went to 'Raj Mandir' cinema, one of the best cinema halls of India before these multiplexes came to life. As expected, there were big queues on ticket counters and it was almost impossible to get the tickets unless some miracle happens. A big disappointment! But then, Sanjeev had some top-secret weapon to save us. He straight went to manager's cabin and happily came with 7 tickets.

Surprised we were, asked with curiosity how he made the wonder happen. Sanjeev was hesitant to tell us, he would just smile and would not reply. Some got the fake impression that his smile did wonder ;-). Later we found out (with all our spying abilities), he was having a journalist I-card with him to use in these sorts of situations! All journalist out there, execuse him. Some I-cards can do big things, that day we came to know.

The movie was finished 12.30 or so in night, we decide to walk back to university hostel, a straight 6-7 km walk. The mid summer night walk was fun - a great many things are really discussed over walk only. We sang the songs on the way, discussed philosophies, life and big dreams of future on the way. At 2 p.m or so, reached to campus back and sit on the green lawn in from of VC office!! Here came the twist in story, someone (Sanjeev if my memory is any good and effect of almonds is still there), thrown the idea to go into university swimming pool. In hot summer night of Rajasthan, that was very tempting thought- but was risky also. The swimming pool walls were 16 feet high and then there were chances of getting caught by ‘chaukidar’ (the guard). There was also thought by someone that police roaming is also there in and around university at night-time.

A big debate again with pulls and pressures. Opponents of lovely idea compared the walls of pool with big wall of China, thrown impossibility of practical execution of idea. 4-5 of us liked the idea and thrill; we decided to give this a try. With full enthusiasm, reached the swimming pool and chalked out strategy on how and in which order to climb the high wall. All minor details were planned, like who would support from down, how not to fall of the wall etc. etc. There was a big tall guy among us, now an officer in paramilitary, who pushed most of us and using some support from wall (it was rough wall and bit broken also, so was easy to put the toe in and get above), we reached on top and pulled the tall buddy also. It was big swimming pool and coincidently none of us knew swimming. We reached to the less deep end of pool and dipped ourselves into it. Those were happy movement, going into pool at midnight with some kind of adventure and a bit of fear. Bathing never gave so much pleasure before. We stayed in pool for around an hour and came out as if have done some great thing.

That day was and is discussed many times, an experience that we cherish till now. By the way, none of us liked the thought to do that crazy mid-night gate crashing again, we never repeated.

Questioning Life

That was one beautiful evening, I was sitting with my friend Sravan, and our chit-chat shifted on life and what it is. Intricate topic, that provoked dormant thoughts and lead to exchange of ideas at different level.

Being poetic person, I feel and experience things. Sravan, being a logical person, reasons out everything. Sitting on a beach at midnight, I would just feel the magnificent mighty waves, the amazing beauty of nature - while Sravan would think about the energy of waves, the origin of sea, the chemical composition, how the sea can be purified to solve the drinking water problem of world and so on!! We had two different views on what life is, our instruments to understand it are different - his focus being on logic, my focus on experiencing the things. But basic quest was same, to make an attempt to understand life.

Life can be viewed in terms of what is it not. It is like saying - light is absence of darkness, Life is absence of death. But in simpler terms there is difference between a living body and a dead body - that difference is 'life'. In smallest measurable quantity of time, when there is transition from life to death - there is something that is no more. That something is life; call that 'life element'. What happens to that when that element is no more in body - after what is called death? . Is that element different in you and me? It that element permanent and above the relativity or is this pure biological aspect, that life element also degrades as body degrades?

There are views, philosophies, experiences and visions about that life element. That element may be energy, pure consciousness, or something that is pure biological phenomenon that is still unexplained.

Sravan, being analytic person reasons that things which are unexplained today including life element, would be common knowledge some day, may be after few hundred years down the line. In primitive times, people used to view rain, earthquake and other natural things as something super-natural and things which can only be 'experienced'. There was no explanation for them. Over hundreds of years, people having logical bend of mind discovered and explained these phenomenon. Now these are no more para-normal, we know them, we understand them - and even can create most of these natural things at will. So time would come, there would be no mystery about life element and what happens to that element after death. This ultimate research may take hundreds of years, but it is bound to happen.

I, on the other hand, believe there is something beyond science, something that can only be experienced but cannot be explained. Today medical science have advanced and reached peak point (or will reach in next few hundred years) where every part of body can be made in laboratories. But I am sure, that will never come, when life can be created in laboratories. Spirituality and yogic techniques have developed preciously for this reason - to experience because life force cannot be known, it can only be experienced.