Fall and Rise - Part III

Continued

II <<<<<<<<<< II  >

No! Pain is a lonely place, no Nightingale could bear it with me Florence or elsewhere. Black is a beautiful colour. Actually it is all colors. II >

Buddha agreed with me. 

“You should not eat spoilt meat you know. That was a mistake. You could have attended more meetings like late Mr. Abdul Kalam” I told B.

He smiled King’s don’t take to barbs well. He did. Well he renounced it.  He was a king of kings like his famous younger friend from Galilee, that one had the head for Barbs. B took my barbs sportively or did he? 

“You should not have fallen from 18 feet. That my friend was a mistake. Correct your mistakes before you correct others” The Bodhi after all did not kill all the hubris. Guy can’t even take friendly advice. How did he know the exact height I fell?

My Manager Moorthy must have told him. Must ask Mr. Moorthy to remember the need to know principle. Can’t keep telling other stars about our weak moments. Buddha had grown his hair. He looked a bit like Toshiro Mifune and my schoolmate from Sir. M.C.T Mutthaiah Chettiar high school, Ivan Marshal. A Jap and a Chin Combi? My dear Bud had small eyes. The old boy Saakhyamuni had oriental features!!! 

What? So many voices in chorus, expressed disbelief. 

So what? Don’t blame it on me!  Study History. Better still anthropology. I am not from the west to change a Middle Eastern Jewish gentleman into a blue-eyed Caucasian. I liked the legitimate son of Joseph carpenter of Bethlehem as he was. Good man that.  

“Bud if I dream of you they are going to say I have fallen of my rationalist wagon”. 

“Don’t worry I was one myself. Left to me I would still be one. But none left me alone. Bad meat is better than misinterpretation Kamal” Bud said. Did I sense melancholy in his voice? 

“Left to you, It would have been the rationalists? Hmmm. The right has been getting its lucky breaks right from the beginning. God helps in propaganda and argument. That is why Rationalists are marginal in the demographic chart Bud”.

  

Buddha smiled. Kalam turned in his resting place. Peace be upon him. Kalam Sahab was also my friend. He is from my native province.

“I have had a long conversation with Mr. Kalam on a flight. I called him Sir during the flight and Honourable President when he was in office. Though I always wanted to be on first name basis with you Bud. Have you tried Bolex? You should try epidural. None of the suffering you had Bud.

“I knew better meds. Be careful Opioids could be addictive. Sleep now” Seemed like Bud was preparing to leave

“One last thing Buddy. Can I call you that Buddy? 

“Whatever” he said. If he had worn a watch, he would have looked at it.

“Make it snappy Kamal”. I bit my tongue. Concise and susinct are watchwords.

“Buddy, your lighting is all wrong. My subject. So no hubris here”.

“Don’t backlight yourself with that halo. It is such a cliche’. But Buddy, you should know by now. Ask Bolex to do the lighting. Look at mine. I am enlightened by Bolex and co. how do you like it”

Wow! Where do you get that?  Buddy was really curious. I had his attention now.

“From Kodambakkam and Hollywood it is a mix”. I said profoundly. He was impressed.

“I like it” Buddy slowly started to disintegrate.

“Nice CG” I thought. “Thank you Buddy”. “See you later alligator” I thought. He thought the same and became smoky and dark.