The clock in my room showed a bloody1:00 pm when I got up today. I was blind with hunger. Its almost 24 hours since my stomach found some food in it. After finishing my daily routines I drove my body directly to the kitchen with the hope of finding something to eat there. But there the empty utensils laughed at me. "Suffering in the midst of plenty", I thought. This is exactly what the English Poet William Blakes calls the "Mind Forged Manacles". Anyway, my life is like that...no regrets and no complaints.
Crestfallen, I Sat on the sofa. While pondering over the alternatives to solve the stomach's complaints, suddenly last night's (means today afternoon's!) dream knocked the doors of my memory. Normally I dont see dreams. Even if I see something, perhaps I will not remember it. But this one was different dream.
The dream goes like this:
Myself and my mother was in a taxi in Singapore. We were there to visit a zoo. The place was unfamiliar to me and also to my mom. So I mumbled to my mom
"Mom, I think this taxi driver will cheat us -- He will take us through the longest root to take more money. I dont believe any taxi driver in the world"
Mom: "Dont worry buddy, I already checked with the taxi driver how much will he charge. He said 6 Indian dollars (Indian currency is not dollar!) and it seems to me thats fine. Also, you cant tell all the taxi drivers are bad. Good and bad are there everywhere. Even within you and me it is there. So let alone the taxi driver"
Then the taxi stopped under a tree where so many other taxis were also parked and I guessed we reached the zoo. We got out of the taxi. I went to take the entrance ticket.But then returned to mom and said:
"Mom,my purse is empty. All the money I had I spent in a bar. Also you know that I am jobless"
Mom: "Oh, sorry I forgot that. Here is the money to buy ticket. And whatever amount you need to survive, you take from this bag"
I went and collected the ticket. First we went to the monkey section. So many monkeys big and small jumping here and there in their cages.
Mom: "Are you enjoying it?"
Me: "Yes, I am. Its fun to watch monkeys. See one monkey is looking at me" I shouted
Mom: "I am not enjoying it. My heart is sinking. You are a cruel man. There is only evil in you. Thats why you are enjoying this. You are deriving pleasure at the pain of a caged animal. This is cruelty. "My mom cried inconsolably
Me: "Mom, please keep cool. Apart from these monkeys Mr.Tiger and Mrs Peacock is also watching you. please stop.... " I tried to comfort her
"Afterall why do you need to cry? Its right that these animals are caged. But what about me? Your son is also caged. Only difference is that my cage is little bigger. But my life is no different from these animals. I am tied in all the directions.....by unseen ropes. There are people who are deriving pleasure out of my pain too. Probably these animals also are deriving pleasure on seeing the way I live. Its our fate to be caged. Nothing to worry"!!
Mom smiled as if she is happy with my animal life and then disappeared. That was the end and I opened the eyes.
I cant remember when I saw a dream last time. But such a strange dream I have never seen before. May be last night's beer did the trick. Tonight I have to check whether I was drinking "monkey" brand of beer yesterday!!
