A novel which is absurd!

It was in 1996. I was part of a coffee curing plant erection in my erstwhile company. My boss used to visit once a week and I was looking after the day-to-day operations.  It was fun in a way because the work was in full progress. There was a 6 feet pit in which elevators were to be erected. The elevator bottoms were kept there.

I was my exuberant self. I was going up the erected elevators, the scaffoldings giving instructions, handing over tools to my colleagues. I was also getting down the 6 feet pit using elevator bottom as my ‘stool’ to get down.

It was a day in March 1996. I was, like any other day, jumping on the elevator bottom to reach the pit’s bottom. This time there was a problem. My ‘baggy’ pant got caught to the edge of an elevator bottom and to my horror, that elevator bottom fell on my left foot. I lost balance and fell forward and to save myself I held on to the scaffolding in front of me.  I think within about 6 seconds, my colleague Muniraju removed the elevator bottom. And the work started as it is.

By evening I found that my left foot has been swollen. I asked my colleague Ramnivas Lahoti to take me to the nearest medical store.

Now, I have to explain about the place I was in. it is called Haandi. It is about 6 km from the main road inside a coffee estate. Chikmagalore was 18 km on the right and Mudigere was about the same distance on the left side or may be a little less. So, Lahoti took me on his scooter to Mudigere. I purchased an Iodex balm and a Brufen pill sheet.

I came back and medicated myself! The place of our stay was the front portion of the estate owner’s big bungalow.  Food was in a hut about half a km away. I started limping to the hut for food.

My boss came that Saturday and saw my walk and gave me piece of his mind and forced me to come to Bangalore for checking my foot.

My friend Dr. Rajendra banged me for ignoring it for so long. The X-Ray was taken and found that there was no fracture, but a ligament tear.

I had to wear a crepe bandage and stay at home. It was the time of Hero Cup. So, I enjoyed the matches!

But the fate had decided something else. I went back to the office and sat on my metal chair. As luck would have it, I banged my foot against the metal bottom of the chair and the Ortho clamped a plaster from left knee to foot.

I again was on leave.  It was so painful to sleep. So, I had to sit most of the times. Instead of idly sitting I started my third novel.

The mind was a devil’s workshop and a lovely idea came up.

I became the hero of the novel. I was an author in the novel.  When I was alone at home 3 characters from my previous novel come home and kidnap me. They take me to Tippu Drop in Nandi Hills to throw me down. But the plan is foiled. So they take me to Kushalnagar and from there to Visveswaraya canal and throw me in the turbulent waters. I lose my consciousness.  End of first chapter.

When I wake up I am in some place. Now I am 60 year old. Somehow I have a feeling that I am younger than that and I have been dressed up like that. With lot of difficulty I found that I am in Mount Abu and in the middle of a big conspiracy. Here again the villains throw me down the Sunset Point.  I lose my consciousness. End of second chapter.

When I wake up I am in some place. I am not old now. I am in a cave in Himalayas. A monk will try to cure me. I try to remember my name. I would have forgotten my name.  My left foot is in plaster.  There is an assistant to the monk. He would help my leg becoming ok. But monk goes somewhere. The assistant kidnaps me after hitting me. I lose my consciousness. End of chapter three.

I am in a lab. I have become dumb. There is a hypnotist. He and a doctor operate me on my left arm and insert a transmitter. It is the enemy country. I am sent to India to spy on atomic scientists in a conference. I would be supplying beeda, coffee etc., to the scientists. I have been hypnotised to a voice which is in a mini tape recorder. Finally there will be murders committed by me. I break the tape recorder and escape the voice. I fall unconscious. End of chapter four.

I roam across the North India. I become a wanderer. Finally I am pulled to the Himalayas. I meet the monk. He just touches my head and I start speaking. I lose consciousness. End of chapter five.

The monk gives me money and sends me home. My wife Usha is angry with me because I would have written in a note book of my daughter during first chapter that I am going to Simla and shall take Usha the next time.

I would have forgotten about all the incidents in the five chapters. But a small gash on my left arm smiles at me.

The novel ends with my  grandson sending the diary to a magazine after 60 years saying that a stupid novel, but interesting.

My mind was in turmoil due to the leg pain. So, the story was born. I have not visited Mount Abu. But I had vividly explained about it. Someone asked me when did you go to Mount Abu. I believe he had seen and it is exactly how I had explained.

I sent the novel to two magazines. Both rejected it saying that it is not possible to break it and read. It is best to read it in one sitting. One of my advisers said it is too early to write an absurd novel in my career.

A publisher wanted to reprint my novel. I did not have even a single copy of the printed version. After a long search and after giving up hopes, I found the diary in which I had written the original script! I took Usha to Shimla this February after promising her long ago!

Well, the writing was done. I was a publisher. So I published it myself with the name ‘Gaathe’ meaning saga. Though the novel is about 160 pages, one feels they have read a very big novel. The script is tight. Lot of science (Implosion), occult, history, geography were thrown in. Real incidents were interspersed.

The story looks real but with a thin line of lies.

Ooh, I have crossed the daily limit of 600+ words. What an absurd way to write a blogJ