“Captain! Captain!! We have an enemy submarine approaching. The radar shows signs of a submarine moving, and moving fast, towards us. What do you want me to do?” I spoke hastily and waited for a reply in my earphone. We were in the last phase of the war. I was there in the control room of INS-VIRAT executing every impediment that came in between us and victory. “Obliterate it!!!” was the reply. I adjusted my aim, locked it on the submarine, and opened a flap on a tiny red button and pushed it. The next moment, the dot on the radar disappeared. “Yes!!!” I shouted and raised both my hands with fists clenched. And then…
My friend beside me brought me back to my senses. I was there in the classroom, standing with a broad grin on my face and with everyone in the classroom staring at me. The grin disappeared and my expression was replaced by embarrassment. “Have you been dreaming in my class?” the physics teacher scowled at me. I looked at the floor. The teacher started his usual tirade. “…Do you know how much money your parents…? …You idiot… No wonder you show such poor performance…” I was untouched, and unconcerned. “…Get out and ask HOD’s permission before entering my next class!!” And then it ended. I collected my bag, walked out, and made my way to the canteen after being sent out of the very first hour of the day. I was trudging, wondering if this day too was going to be as dreary as others had proved to be, lately. The heat was scorching. I looked up and there was an airplane flying at a high altitude leaving its trail and then…
“May I interest you in something to eat, sir?” asked the airhostess to me. “No thanks”, I said. “Perhaps a beverage or something?” “I am full. Thank you so much”, I dismissed her. I looked outside the window to see the gleaming midday sun. The clouds below me were white. I received a call from my secretary. “Sir, we have clinched the deal. The company has agreed to be bought at $30 per share”, he said. “That is exquisite. I’ll call the bank and ask them to make the necessary arrangements. Arrange a meeting with the Board of Directors. This is definitely a day our company’s name would be written in golden letters. Also arrange a press conference. The moment I land, I want everything to be ready.” After having said that, I hung up. Calls of appreciation started pouring in. I was deep in thought of what this takeover means to me personally and to the company…
“… Hello, what can I get you?” My reverie was broken by the sharp tone of the waiter waiting at my table. It dawned on me that I was very hungry, having missed my breakfast- a penalty for getting up late. “A Dosa and one special tea”, I ordered. It came after some time; I ate, and went back to the next class. I decided to be a little cautious and attentive. The class wasn’t so bad. I mean, I only got chided again for not having my notes up-to-date, but that was better than being sent out of the class! Time passed, rather dully. Thankfully the rest of the day at the college went by smoothly, without any more trouble. But then I had gleaned trouble for the next day- I had to meet the HOD before I could attend the next physics class- but it wasn’t so abrupt, so I gave that thought some rest. After having wasted another of my day at the college, (the day I could happily have spent in my room, dreaming of course) it was now the time to go back to my hostel, which was quite some distance away.
The drive from the college to the hostel is awful. The seemingly unending wait for the right bus to arrive, the struggle to find a place to stand in the crowd amidst constant pushing and pulling, the one-and-a-half hour bumpy ride in that bone-shaker, and then another fifteen-minute walk to my room after alighting at the stop- these sap even the last ounce of energy left in me. Thus, after reaching my room I whirled my bag to some corner in the room and fell on my bed and found myself floating into dreamland…
“…and the award for the best lead-actor goes to”, I held my breath, “Sachin R Kulkarni!!!” The hall erupted with plaudit and in that din I sat still as a stone when my name was called. For a moment I couldn’t even believe. Was it indeed me? And then I realized that it was my name indeed when people started looking at me, and when cameras focused at me. I got a tight hug from my director cum producer, then my parents, then my sister. I went to the stage and collected the lady. It was amazing! It was my debut film and I was being conferred the best lead-actor. “Thank you everyone: the team, my co-actors, the jury and every human being that was behind the success of this project. Special thanks to my parents, my sister for their love, their unending support and their words of encouragement. Thank you very much; my elation knows no bounds…”
“… Sachin, Sachin, open the door.” My roommate had arrived and was banging the door. “So what were you dreaming about?” he enquired. “How did you know I was dreaming?” I asked, rubbing my eyes. “Come on. I have been waiting outside the door for half-an-hour now, and you in such deep thought means only one thing. “Alright! Alright!” I said. “I was awarded the best lead-actor for my debut film”. “What!! Tell me more.” And I told him everything I recollected. “So who was your heroine?” he started pulling my leg. “Was it the girl who sits in the first bench in your class you said has a crush on you” “Stop it!” “How did you kill the villain?” “Shut up!” “So how many songs were in the movie?” His nagging went on for some more time.
This is how it is. I dream a lot. Dream of success, dream that I am at the top of the world, dream that there is all the adulation for me, and dream that I am big, I am famous. I live in two worlds. One is fantastic yet evanescent, in which I can dare to be everything that I can be, everything that I want to be. And there is this world that I live, in between my living in the world of dreams, in which I find myself grappling with everything that comes to me, and with a faint hope that one fine day the two coalesce and become one and I get the best of both worlds.
My friend beside me brought me back to my senses. I was there in the classroom, standing with a broad grin on my face and with everyone in the classroom staring at me. The grin disappeared and my expression was replaced by embarrassment. “Have you been dreaming in my class?” the physics teacher scowled at me. I looked at the floor. The teacher started his usual tirade. “…Do you know how much money your parents…? …You idiot… No wonder you show such poor performance…” I was untouched, and unconcerned. “…Get out and ask HOD’s permission before entering my next class!!” And then it ended. I collected my bag, walked out, and made my way to the canteen after being sent out of the very first hour of the day. I was trudging, wondering if this day too was going to be as dreary as others had proved to be, lately. The heat was scorching. I looked up and there was an airplane flying at a high altitude leaving its trail and then…
“May I interest you in something to eat, sir?” asked the airhostess to me. “No thanks”, I said. “Perhaps a beverage or something?” “I am full. Thank you so much”, I dismissed her. I looked outside the window to see the gleaming midday sun. The clouds below me were white. I received a call from my secretary. “Sir, we have clinched the deal. The company has agreed to be bought at $30 per share”, he said. “That is exquisite. I’ll call the bank and ask them to make the necessary arrangements. Arrange a meeting with the Board of Directors. This is definitely a day our company’s name would be written in golden letters. Also arrange a press conference. The moment I land, I want everything to be ready.” After having said that, I hung up. Calls of appreciation started pouring in. I was deep in thought of what this takeover means to me personally and to the company…
“… Hello, what can I get you?” My reverie was broken by the sharp tone of the waiter waiting at my table. It dawned on me that I was very hungry, having missed my breakfast- a penalty for getting up late. “A Dosa and one special tea”, I ordered. It came after some time; I ate, and went back to the next class. I decided to be a little cautious and attentive. The class wasn’t so bad. I mean, I only got chided again for not having my notes up-to-date, but that was better than being sent out of the class! Time passed, rather dully. Thankfully the rest of the day at the college went by smoothly, without any more trouble. But then I had gleaned trouble for the next day- I had to meet the HOD before I could attend the next physics class- but it wasn’t so abrupt, so I gave that thought some rest. After having wasted another of my day at the college, (the day I could happily have spent in my room, dreaming of course) it was now the time to go back to my hostel, which was quite some distance away.
The drive from the college to the hostel is awful. The seemingly unending wait for the right bus to arrive, the struggle to find a place to stand in the crowd amidst constant pushing and pulling, the one-and-a-half hour bumpy ride in that bone-shaker, and then another fifteen-minute walk to my room after alighting at the stop- these sap even the last ounce of energy left in me. Thus, after reaching my room I whirled my bag to some corner in the room and fell on my bed and found myself floating into dreamland…
“…and the award for the best lead-actor goes to”, I held my breath, “Sachin R Kulkarni!!!” The hall erupted with plaudit and in that din I sat still as a stone when my name was called. For a moment I couldn’t even believe. Was it indeed me? And then I realized that it was my name indeed when people started looking at me, and when cameras focused at me. I got a tight hug from my director cum producer, then my parents, then my sister. I went to the stage and collected the lady. It was amazing! It was my debut film and I was being conferred the best lead-actor. “Thank you everyone: the team, my co-actors, the jury and every human being that was behind the success of this project. Special thanks to my parents, my sister for their love, their unending support and their words of encouragement. Thank you very much; my elation knows no bounds…”
“… Sachin, Sachin, open the door.” My roommate had arrived and was banging the door. “So what were you dreaming about?” he enquired. “How did you know I was dreaming?” I asked, rubbing my eyes. “Come on. I have been waiting outside the door for half-an-hour now, and you in such deep thought means only one thing. “Alright! Alright!” I said. “I was awarded the best lead-actor for my debut film”. “What!! Tell me more.” And I told him everything I recollected. “So who was your heroine?” he started pulling my leg. “Was it the girl who sits in the first bench in your class you said has a crush on you” “Stop it!” “How did you kill the villain?” “Shut up!” “So how many songs were in the movie?” His nagging went on for some more time.
This is how it is. I dream a lot. Dream of success, dream that I am at the top of the world, dream that there is all the adulation for me, and dream that I am big, I am famous. I live in two worlds. One is fantastic yet evanescent, in which I can dare to be everything that I can be, everything that I want to be. And there is this world that I live, in between my living in the world of dreams, in which I find myself grappling with everything that comes to me, and with a faint hope that one fine day the two coalesce and become one and I get the best of both worlds.
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