The Ghost walk

Shocks are of many types. Mental and physical with sub- divisions like mild, medium and heavy.The cultural shock belongs to the mental variety and the epicenter for which lies in language, custom and gen-gap. The shock from this epicenter could turn out to be a slip in the palette, rise in blood sugar or pressure level and rocks only those with rheological difference in flow of thoughts. The rheology is self made and the cause for this is the confusion existing in the mind between yesterdays and today.

This ghost, waiting to take a walk in the park decides to come out and enjoy a day out. Being a ghost niceties or etiquette did not apply to it ; also the concern about the wake of feelings its trawling would leave.It  has a past and is happy to relive the same on a perpetual re-run. During these re-runs logic and common sense are consigned to the back seat, in adjacent rows.

The first step the ghost took was in the direction of relaxation techniques. If it had left it at that, it would have been fine, but the ghost complicated the matter by comparing the meaning of relaxation as known to it and being planned by the present generation. It had a strong opinion – “those who had time to kill did it with others patience, without feeling guilt”. This stirred the anger even in its heart of stone.

The second step brought it to the doors of friendship, getting confused a little, with the past and the present day ambiance of friendship. The ghost had no time either to enjoy or imbibe the atmosphere, then or now! With that mind set it landed itself in a predicament: to understand what is going on in the name of friendship among the youngsters.

The third step was into a get-together. The far away travel, eating out of a printed menu under a soft light called ‘a good ambiance’, juxtaposing it with plates filled with variety objects, jostling for eating space with the accompaniment of non- stop chatter were all beyond its jaded brain. Though, it did not fail to experience the food and chatter – rank indigestible. For the revellers, it was comfortable as custom demanded it!

The fourth step led to functions. The event, arrangements and the invited gathering made the ghost to feel like an alien. Even the compulsion to attend such functions lacked conviction and it felt like a soul out of spirit world.

The fifth step came crashing on the lack of time sense, urgency or giving a feedback.  Somehow, the ghost was not comfortable with today’s euphemism that no information is itself a positive development. It started to wonder about the direction in which the present generation was travelling. Though outwardly appearing to live in a chaotic environment, how do they manage to remain nonplussed!

The sixth step fell on the tidiness in and around the living place called den. Ghost knew only about the lion's den and fearing for dear life never went anywhere near that animal’s living quarters. It got the same feeling, after one such close encounter at home, when in the vicinity of such a place (son &daughter's den).

The seventh step came down heavily on the over dependence on electronic gadgets and Google. The mere sight of these gadgets raised goose pimples on its non-existent physical form. It had not used anything as modern as a digital or a mariner’s watch in its life time.

The eighth step sounded weary in its ears as it was bringing it closer to the din called DJ music accompanied with psychedelic lighting and purposeless swaying of humanoids in the name of dance. Its footfalls never even left a whisper and ear drums never came in contact with bone jarring music.

The ninth step took the ghost brought it into a shopping mall. The fashion wears and the wearers frightened the day light out of it. Aesthetics have been remodeled and the new in-thing appeared to be anything goes with anybody - dress wise. The world has not only shrunk into a global village but while doing so it had spawned chic, ethnic and uni-dresses just large enough to include a brand label. In its heydays, Synthetic materials were expensive and given second preference. With abundant material availability today, why people go for tights on oddly shaped bodies. Don't they ever look at themselves in a mirror? These two doubts zoomed past its brainless head.

The tenth , tired step brought the ghost to an eatery in the mall, where the people it had met during its ninth step indulged in gluttonous spooning of fat-friendly fast-food. It wondered why hurry so much, to attack plates of fast-food? What happened to those traditional food varieties? Don't these eaters know that calorie rich food is going to make a medical practitioner rich, some time in the future? How they hope to get in to those body hugging dresses, they have just purchased?

Having seen it all, the ghost did not become in anyway wizened but rather aghast. Spending free time without thinking about another's pressing works, filing it away to only to forget commitments given and being selfish in the garb of apparent selflessness only made the ghost to twist and turn in agonising thoughts of what is righteousness and what is not? What is in and what is not?

These heavy thoughts made the ghost to sit on a bench under a tree. The leaves trying to filter the sunlight and the sun rays dodging to find the gaps to escape and the wind joining hands with the leaves – it was a power play of nature using the essential elements of life. Outwardly all of them appeared unconnected but intrinsically each one of them had a part of nature and were willing to come together to celebrate nature.

The ghost thought over the fact that not all the plants bearing exotic and fragrant flowers are themselves fragrant. May be there are exceptions!  With these inspirations bringing it closer to reality, the ghost retraced the ten steps, dismissing its agoraphobic and misanthropic tendencies and withdrew in to its own world.