Oct 29, 2006 12:31 PM
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Forget the review and just go with the flow….
For review just read the lines formatted with italics
On a hot Wednesday morning, I started my journey from home to the Regional Passport office, Chennai. (My passport story could be made as a great docu-drama and may even win an Oscar if done by someone like Paul Greengrass who made United 93. I applied for my passport 2.5 years before and I am yet to receive it. You may ask Why with a ‘?’, No. With an ‘!!!’. But the answer is a very big story, will reserve it for a novel.) After 15 minutes, I realized that the bus I took is the wrong one. But as I was too lazy to get down for catching the right bus, I let the journey continue and started to explore the ever confusing and complex Chennai city. And when I realized that it went past my destination, I got down in a strange area. But thanks to Share autos in Chennai, they took me to my destination, Regional Passport Office, Chennai. Reached the RPO and searched my pant pockets for a comb, I sensed that my hair doesn’t look well combed, the price one has to pay for being adamant to sit in the window seat of Chennai metropolitan bus. I had lost my little comb almost one month before and I was yet to buy another one. Whenever I go out I would repeat in my mind that I should return with a comb but I had always forgotten to buy it. It always happens with these little things.
The amount of relaxation one gets by seeing a short queue in passport inquiry section, one cannot get even after meditating continuously for many hours. I was so relaxed and went to give the letter which I had to submit to the passport officer. The man at the inquiry section took my letter, saw it and understood the content even before reading a single word in it and then threw it inside his runner and without even looking at me, he asked me to come back at 2 in the noon. It was 10 in the morning and I had 4 hours left. I know that this would happen and I had brought my I-pod, but while listening to songs for few minutes, I realized that some of them are starring at me as though I am an alien. It is quite understandable because, passport office is the oddest place for I-pod where everyone looks much tensed and is in a hurry to get their job done. Then thought for few seconds about what to do and where to go and decided to go to Spencer Plaza which is just a few minutes away if we take an auto.
I took a share auto and in 10 minutes I was at Spencers. As usual entered the Music world first, glanced through the new releases (Umrao Jaan was there) but didn’t buy anything and went to the next most happening place, Land Mark. Here I decided to buy the Umrao Jaan audio CD, and there were lot of posters for a new Tamil Pop album called She.16 by a new band called Shenanigans. Sa re ga ma is doing a good job in encouraging new talents. I was in a dilemma whether to buy the album or not but finally I picked it. In the books section, I found ‘Like the flowing River’ the latest book of Paulo Coelho and immediately picked it. After roaming around for another 30 minutes, I had my lunch and went back to the passport office. It was 1.30 noon and there was huge crowd waiting outside the PRO’s room (while PROs were taking their lunch). I was happy to find an empty chair. Sat in the chair and opened the book.
I started to read the book. Within first few minutes, I felt this book as a great page turner with a nice compilation of short stories and articles of Paulo Coelho that got published in various news papers and magazines. Like his novels, all his short stories leave a thought in our mind. Again the simplicity and the length of the stories is what that makes the book very interesting. And one advantage with this kind of compilation books is that it is very much putdownable not because it is uninteresting but because even if you open the book after few days you need not remember anything that you read so far. First I thought I would read just the first chapter and have a glance through the rest and close the book but after I started I couldn’t put it down, I found every story and article interesting and started to read it deeply (and also was aware about the awkward look of others sitting with me, but didn’t care much this time). The book is full of stuffs about God, Santigo, life’s philosophy, love, peace, war, nature, incidents and accidents in his life and his revelations from them and not to forget Warriors of light. It has stories much smaller than what I am narrating to you guys now and each leaves a thought behind, though I don’t know whether this story of mine will leave any.
While I was waiting for my turn to meet the PRO, I completed almost half of the book in 2 hours. Then I closed the book for few minutes. It was getting late, the office will close at 5.30 and it was 5.00 and I wasn’t called yet. Went directly to the PRO and inquired about my application status. She said my application didn’t come her table and asked me to meet someone inside the office. I went to him and asked the same again, he said that the guy at the inquiry section has lost my application and my last hope of getting my passport had gone with that word because I had attached an important letter (original) with my application without which I can’t proceed further. Having seen the irresponsibility of officers at Passport office zillion times before, I was least shocked or sad about what happened, infact I was happy that finally I can leave the office and go back to home and above all I felt very happy that I bought the book and I couldn’t think of my time waiting out there for so many hours without the book.
Took a share auto to LIC and unintentionally I got down at the sub way a few meters before LIC and decided to go through the sub way to cross the road, which I have always avoided to. Typical of any subways, there were few beggars, and as I walked fast I crossed an old man sitting at the corner selling combs, leather wallets, belt and many more items. I walked past his shop but suddenly something struck my mind, went back to the shop and asked about the price of the comb. He said 3 comb cost Rs.10. I knew the quality of the comb was not at par and with my hair it may break anytime, but the kind of reception and innocent smile that I saw on old man’s face made me to go for it. The old man was so happy and when I was about to leave, he called me again and said, “If you want anything else, please come again”. After all the problems that I faced all the day that old man’s smile made my day and my heart was filled with joy. I took one of the combs, corrected my hair and left home. At home, when I was searching for something else in my folder, I fortunately found a photocopy of the important letter, the original of which the officers at passport office had lost.
The next day, I got time to read the next half of the book, but it was not as interesting as the first half. May be because Paulo Coelho has nothing new to say, it became repetitive like his novels where he has same point to make with different stories.
