Travel Diaries #1
I was travelling by train the other day from Rajamundry to Vizag. A newlywed couple boarded at Annavaram along with their family.
I was reading a sci-fi novel in which the conversation between protagonists goes like this:
"Maybe humans could pass on the information through the wink of eyes and facial expressions so that aliens will never be able to decipher it," says one character.
The other one puzzles out and asks, "yeah, but how about complex information or like a complete sentence".
"We can figure that out. Humans started as chimpanzee barks, and look where we are now".
After I read that conversation, it felt funny to me. I set my Kindle e-reader aside and reached for my water bottle. Then, I sneaked a glance at the couple who were being profoundly romantic with each other. He was standing at the door and she sat right in front of me, they had their eyes locked on each other.
C’mon even a kid could figure out this romantic exchange. She sighed and gestured for him to sit down next to her. Then, she laid her head on his shoulder and slipped into sleep.
Mr Sun, suddenly appearing from behind the clouds this week after a long break, shone his rays mercilessly onto the young lady, reflecting off the gold jewellery she wore.
She tried to adjust, but the light was all over her face, her man observed the discomfort, and he took a towel from his bag and made a makeshift curtain for his lady, blocking Mr Sun's light. The package of photons suddenly seemed de-energized by the wall erected by her lover.
I thought to myself, "Well done, boy. You've checkmated Mr. Sun." But I was wrong - that stable era didn't last long. Suddenly, it started raining, and the raindrops were like meteor bullets.
I haven't read Bhagavad Gita, but the events that just happened made it look like Surya Deva and Varun Deva are allies. Unfortunately, one of them sent his arsenal as UV rays and lost to this man. Now the latter wants to test his turn.
In normal conditions, this would have been an easy battle for Mr Romeo to defy the rain by just shutting the window. But you know how it works with faulty assemblies at our age-old train Boogies - they give an edge to Varuna Deva. Okay, Romeo, now how are you going to save your princess sleep, I wondered.
He tried to reinforce his wall of defense with one more towel, but it ended up futile, disappointed; he gasped heavily. On the other hand, I was watching him intrigued. I wanted to help him, but thanks to my introverted personality, I acted as if I was unaware of anything, and I returned to my Kindle.
I am currently reading a book on my Kindle that was written by a Chinese author. It's refreshing to see a new perspective in Science Fiction, as most works from a Western perspective are filled with advanced technology and VFX-heavy fight scenes. This book is more focused on the emotions of the characters and how they would behave if they were on the brink of an invasion. It's a new genre by itself and I'm thoroughly enjoying it.
So this book is at a plot point where humans now have 400 years until the Alien's arrival, and the world comes as one to build a space force on a grander scale.
Lieutenant asks his General, "General on this battlefield, terrestrial civilisation won't need to follow commonplace, ordinary military theory, basically any rules that we humans have created, do you still think we can beat them?"
General Responds "I don't know anything about space warfare, of course, but if you have read about all the glorious battles, then I think it's just a matter of having the courage to act and the confidence in a victory. Of course, this would be exceedingly difficult, but it's not impossible".
That's one hell of a Motivation capsule, enough to do a straight one-minute Planck, I thought. Okay, what are you up to Mr Romeo, I thought, and I looked at the guy.
Now, human aptitude works very differently under emotional constraints. The guy who was struggling until now suddenly showed this confident smile. Unaware of what was coming next, I watched him closely.
He slowly lifted her head leaning on his hand and reached out to her saree end, and wrapped it around her like a modern engineer building an Igloo with structural brilliance blending with the warmth of love.
That's a Bhramastra against all the odds, I thought. She woke up yawning and looked around. Seemingly understanding what her man was up to and his fascinating attempts, she smiled at him.
He smiled back and pulled her closer, kissing her forehead. They were both lost in their own world; perhaps the outside world is something like a quantum state that only exists when observed.
Come on, guys get a room, I thought. I was trying not to stare, but I couldn't help myself. It was like something out of a storybook. I gathered my things and left the boogie as my stop came up. I wished I could have stayed to watch them longer. I mean, who wouldn't want to?
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