Time is passing by...

Blazing hot and humid weather of Saturday kept us indoor. August has approached, but rain is nowhere in the sight. It rained scantily a fortnight ago, but that created more trouble rather than bringing any respite. Venturing outside means getting severely burnt, so we kept ourselves indoor: my friends and I.

In India, people can discuss endlessly on any topic. And people can easily find ways to do that. Keshavji moved in the Kitchen and came back with 3 steamy cups of tea. And that was enough to create an atmosphere. With intense sips of the warm tea, Keshavji initiated the discussion telling about a prediction of world coming to an end in 2012, prediction made by some astrologers in a newschannel. Sanjayji's eyes popped out of his spectacles and he said "Acchaji!" And there was no stopping anybody after that. All past, present and future erupted: from Nostradomus to Hitler to present nuclear weapons.

I added, "Yes, Nostradomus said something like that...but I guess that was the year 2000, not 2012."

"Acchaji, Sanjayji's eyes came erupting out this time." "His predictions have been very accurate so far: from the rise of Hitler to the collapse of World Trade Centers," Kehavji added more spice to it.

"Do you know Hitler and his girlfriend were shot dead?" Keshavji added.

"But I heard he could never be found and got buried under one of his buildings."

"No, that's wrong...he and his girlfriend were shot in full public view," Keshavji flaunted his knowledge of history.

"By whom?"

"Some American soldier."

"Quite a lucky guy whoever got a chance to do that."

"Whatever...If world comes to an end, all must die at once. No discrimination. It shouldn't be that one place vanishes before another...everything should evaporate at once," I put my point. "Is there any way of escape?" Sanjayji asked quite seriously.

I added, "Perhaps, there is one way: we all collect a number of oxygen cylinders and jump into an ocean...we'll wait there until things are under control." And there was a loud cackling of sounds. "There is no escape in the ocean too. If the center of earth's gravity is disturbed, even oceans will not remain at one place," Sanjayji flaunted his knowledge of physics.

"This prediction can be a bluff, just to draw some public attention," Kehavji added. "Even if that is so, the world will end soon...Today, the nuclear nations have the nuclear capability to destroy the whole world 5000 times. The way Taliban and other militant organizations are operating, that dooms day can be any day." "Right," Sanjayji acknowledged pensively.

Chutku, who had remained silent so far, stood up and said, "Do you know Alexander Technique?"

"No," a unanimous reply.

"The technique is to help your life force flow uninterruptedly through your backbone." "You can do so by maintaining a good straight posture, by not bending your back...it helps one remain straight...at the present moment, no past and no future."

And there was silence after that.

Note: While accidentally coming across a magazine with an article on Hitler, I got to know that he wasn't shot dead. He commited suicide along with his wife. Keshavji's history knowledge lacked sharpness ;)