It was a stormy night. And when I say night, it was actually 6 in the evening but it was almost pitch dark. He hurried across the road, the footpath, the sludge between the road and the footpath. Shoes getting soiled. Criss-cross between the pani-puri stalls, parked cars and puddles. There was a traffic jam. This didnt bother him as he was on foot. There was a lot of noise around. Not only from the rain hitting the hoods of the cars slap-slap, not only from all the frustrated drivers blaring horns, but also such random sounds such as a dog barking, or someone putting his bike on full throttle to remove the water that had entered the exhaust, aggregated to give the effect of a great kitchen orchestra. All these sounds didnt bother him either. He moved purposefully through the mayhem, unwavering. Surely he would have remained unwavered even if God had chosen to break anonymity at that moment. As if the rest of the world was in freeze-frame, he navigated his way around each person, each vehicle, each puddle and each lamp-post with utmost finesse. He was a man with a mission and that mission, whatever it was made him twice the man he was. He had already covered 300 yards thus and that was good progress. His movements were precise, calculated. His entire journey till now seemed like one fluid motion. Never hesitating, never changing course at the last moment, never jerky. Looking at him you would wager he could tell you exactly how he was going to cover the next 300 yards too - each step, each twist of the hip propelling him sideways to avoid pedestrians, each nimble little hop over the ubiquous puddles. It was as if he had precognition and indeed vehicles would dash into each other, people would collide and waste would fall from nearby windows merely split seconds after he was in the very same spot. He was the epitome of grace the pinnacle of speed, the quintessence of poise, the embodiment of stealth, the crest of purposefulness and the personification of perfection. But whats the use? He still got wet. In monsoons, carry a raincoat. Issued in public interest by the association of rain-wear manufacturers.


current song Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin