How my passport lost its Virginity

“So you are going to Dubai”

“Yes sir”

“What is the purpose of your visit” (now that reminded me of all the English movies I have seen . Where the immigration officer asks the bad guy “What is the purpose of your visit , Business or pleasure” and he says “Pleasure”)

But then I thought pleasure would be too much of an answer for the Indian immigration grey haired uncle ..... so I said visiting friends and family. Now I don't know why but there was this pause between friends and family. Like I was thinking , or trying to cover something up (“Lie To Me” seems to be getting to me)

“So when are you coming back”

“7^th November sir”

Mr. Grey haired immigration officer somehow felt I was hiding something . So he asked with a doubting look “Visiting friends or going to look for a job”

I have no idea which expression on my face gave away my hidden wish to find another job but then he over exaggerated my wish by saying I was going to look for a job in Dubai.

So I said with a smiling face as if I am saying the most matter of fact thing “No sir nothing like that”

Next question he asks is how much do u earn . I had half the mind to tell him sir I am already married so no point in gauging me to get married to ur daughter... I swear man nice job to gauge prospective grooms ... how much do u earn , wonderful question... neways he was the boss so I gave him the answer ...

Next question “Where do u work” .... I said Hexaware... and then something unusual happened, something that very rarely happens to me ... he said ... hold your breath (Cymbals playing in the back ground)........ he said (rolling snare drum) “Yes I have heard of that company” I felt like jumping over the desk and giving him a hug and thanking him... he knew the name of my company and recognized it ... I mean how many of you knew it before I started working there :) ....

Then he hits me with another shot and snaps me out of the seventh heaven I had reached.... so are you getting a better salary in Dubai ... I am now getting pissed and still putting up a smiling face and telling him “No sir I am not going there to get a job”

“No its ok , u can tell me , its good to look for growth in life, thats what we all should do" .. Oh yes that piece of sweet enlightening words and I will just fall on my knees and tell him sorry sir but I am going there to look for a job ... if he is so good I guess they should put him at the security check and not immigration .... he would be such a great asset ..... “Are you carrying any arms or explosives today sir? You can tell me if you are , its ok we all are frustrated in life , but things can be sorted out” … goodness , he was just getting to my nerves with his “Job in Dubai” thing... man whenever I am going there for a job I will surely come to ur counter and do a full confession to you before I leave ... but then yet again I had to put up my smiling face and say “No sir I am not going there for a job”

Then he hit me with a shot that my whole group has been hitting me for ages.... he commented about the virginity of my passport ... I have been getting this for years... first it was the fact that I did not have a passport , so I got fed up and got one.. then days became months and months became years but my passport never came out of the drawer I had put it into ... it remained a virgin for over 2 years .. that became the topic of discussion later... Sajan's passport is virgin ... to a point where it got to my nerves and my gang knew that u never mention the virginity of Sajan's passport... ever..

Mr. Grey haired immigration officer had to do it one last time before taking away my passport's virginity for ever..... this was the last supper , the calm before the storm, the final nail in the coffin .... he scans through my passport “Traveling first time?” ... I gave him a “May you Burn in Hell” look and said “Yes” ..... he said “Ok , have a nice journey” and stamped my passport .... there.. thats how my passport lost its virginity .... Mr. Greyhaired Immigration Officer took it away ....

How could God have gone so wrong?

Promises of delivering from the evil
Striking down with vengeance on the devil
Let there be light He said, I see darkness crawl
How could God have gone so wrong?

In the beginning He messed it up with brothers
Now the hatred has spread to father and mother
They say He made man and women to be one
Now watches as families after families burn

Pray and you can move mountains in your way
Belief in Him can perform wonders they say
All this and I still can't achieve a damn
Hell, I can't even get out of a traffic jam

They say He gave us life and only He can take it away
Some kid with a messed up mind, blows it up one fine day
Good always wins on evil, I have heard in fairy tales
By the looks of it, it seems that only evil will prevail

Promises of delivering from the evil
Striking down with vengeance on the devil
Let there be light He said, I see darkness crawl
How could God have gone so wrong?

Why would they have cared for me

I look out and all I can see is clouds, no more trees and flowing rivers. I used to listen to birds sing and now I can hear the songs of Gabriel and Raphael. Paradise it might be, yes paradise it is. I look down and I can see the greens where my Mumtaz prowls alone. The human clan called it a reserved forest, a sanctuary for my family and kin. How was I to know that it was a place for them to gather us all as targets for their sport of death? If only I knew I would have taken Mumtaz and gone to the hills far away from this merciless clan.

I was walking by the river with Mumtaz at my side, looking at the moon and stars in the sky. The night was so beautiful and the cold breeze had a fragrance of the flowers nearby. I thought I will tell her my feelings tonight; I had fallen in love with her and wanted to spend my life with her. Her beauty I can't start to describe, her color was so full, and her touch was so warm. She walked with a grace that she would make the whole clan turn its heads. She had told me she liked being with me and I made her feel safe. Was it some kind of a sign for me? Did she feel the same way that I did? I would know now. I looked into her eyes and told her that I loved her. I told her that she takes my breath away and being with her feels like being in heaven. I saw her lips move but I could not hear anything. I felt a pain go through my heart. The stars stopped shining; I couldn't smell the breeze no more and the moon started to go dull. I saw tears in her eyes and they looked like tears of pain. I fell to the ground and gave the green grass a red stain. My spirit was leaving and Mumtaz was not safe. I begged her to leave me and hide in the bushes. She saw me die a slow death and the last sight I saw was the tears in her eyes. Did she love me, will she miss me? I would never know. The dreams I saw of a life with her all went up in smoke. I still had some life in me when my killers came looking for their prize. They dragged me along the ground and threw me into the back of a truck. I used to be the brave and powerful. Mumtaz felt safe with me and here I was helpless and weak. Insulted and humiliated as I crawl towards my death. She saw me being taken away and followed the truck to save me. Little did she know that I was already on my way to paradise. They pulled my body out and gave it to someone called "The Artist". The art he specialized in was pulling the skin off my body and making floor mats out of it. As Mumtaz saw, he pulled my skin off. She loved to cuddle up in my arms and feel the heat of my body. She loved the feel of my fur and my soft hair. The Artist stripped me off my skin and threw my flesh and bones aside. They would sell it all not even a strand of hair as memory for Mumtaz. She could not take it any longer and ran away. I saw her weep by the river as I flew up to the sky.

What did I do to you that I die such a death? I could have spent a life time with Mumtaz and now in paradise I rest. You teach your kids that Sher Khan was a villain. You tell them he hates your clan. I never raged a war against you, then for this hatred who should be blamed. Nature made me for the kill but I don't kill for greed. I live by the laws of the jungle and have a life like your clan. I look down again on your clan below and I see a stunning scene. You kill your own for money, power or plain pleasure. And I realize the impossibility of the situation. A clan that can't take care of its own brothers, why would they have cared for me? So here I am, Sher Khan waiting in paradise for Mumtaz who might come soon. I will wait for the day your eyes fall on her, so that I can listen to her answer and live with her in heaven. Sher Khan the king of Jungle, I wait in paradise to live again.

Story of a Humming bird

I flew high above looking down at the terrain below. I flew over gardens, forests and plains, setting my eyes on all that lies beneath. I was out looking for something to call mine. Like a shining star it caught my eyes, a flower that had all the right colors to brighten my nest. Folicia had nectar so sweet that it could make me fly higher. She hung from a tree I had seen so often, but never caught my eyes. I steered my wings and flew around Folicia, came to a stand still and kept gazing at her. Flew up to her and tasted her nectar. The sweetness took me to another world, as if I had unlocked the secret to the portion of life. I knew I wanted Folicia forever. I wanted to take her to my nest and keep her at the highest spot so that I could see her at all times. I pulled at Folicia but she won't come off the tree, I flew around and stooped over her to snatch her from the tree but Folicia won't come off. Folicia says she won't come off the tree. I might be the only humming bird that saw all her colors and tasted her nectar but the tree gave her all that she has. The tree made her what she is and took care of her at all times. She can't live without the tree and the tree can't live without her. The tree would be lonely and dull if she leaves it. She can't keep her fragrance and bright colors if she is away from the tree. I feel so depressed but I won't leave my flower out of my sight. I leave my nest and make a nest right next to Folicia so I can see her always. I smell her fragrance and taste her nectar while she draws all her colors, brightness and completeness from the tree. I wait for the day when she asks me to take her up in to the sky and away to my nest, or for the day when the tree drops her off from itself and I can carry her away to be mine. To keep her at the most beautiful part of my nest and take care of her till eternity. That's my story, the story of a hummingbird that waits for Folicia on the nest that he made on her tree.