Off The Mask

Shirish was an actor and a director too. Theatre was his workplace. Though he was a second line actor, director it was easy for him to be in a leading position. He had an established drama company at his disposal. The owner of the company had both wealth and wish. Above all the owner was an exception to his creed, he was generous. Today Shirish was at a definite position in his career but achieving this was not at all an easy job. He had to struggle a lot. What not he did for the current status? Up to mid thirties he was trying to establish himself in the experimental theatre and related drama competitions. He had a lower middle class background. Two times meal was a bonanza for him and the crazy game of theatre entered his life. Once it enters there is no exit. Shirish had ordinary looks with a flabby tummy which came out in his mid twenties. He was fat, short, and his face suited well for the comic characters. But he was sincere and more over was hypnotized by the art. After mid thirties he realized that it was futile to continue with the experimental theatre. Competitions, awards were all humbug, he realized. If one has to pursue theatre on and whole one has to be professional and that was not so easy. He had no such background, no godfather, no extraordinary looks and skills. But he was sincere enough, hardworking, totally charged by the medium of theatre; he had the organization skills required for a director of a play. Above all he had the vision and he was quite aware of it well in time. He was quite sure about his goals. He was apt with the channels for achieving the goals. He was shrewd enough to prioritize the channels. In case of emergency his wit would arrange and rearrange various permutations, combinations of the order of these channels within no time. Many a times he would be blessed by the luck. Gradually by way of flexing and bending diplomatically he gained his current position in this field. Off course he had to face insults, many a times medicating the insults by going on the booze. The drama company he was working for was almost the number one company. He had to compete with a single director running ahead of him. In the current play his position by his role could be numbered at three or four. But was one of the main characters, typical but extracting each and every laughter from the audience. He had a perfect sense of timing. Over 300-350 shows would definitely mean good money, good amount of fame etc. He had become familiar with the common audience now. The journey must have taught him many lessons. He was devoid of involvements in any kind of relationships. There was a dim possibility of any opposite sex involving in him. By his point of view it was up to the entrant who would decide his way, whether to enter Shirish’s life, stay or quit. He was least bothered and would manage himself without any relationship. For a person like Shirish this post forty platform was not only a better state but a boon. One who is willing to give, surrender gets. And if the luck shines one definitely gets what one craves for. It depends upon you up to what extent you give, surrender. Shirish was quite comfortable in his present state of affairs. The routine was definitely hectic, he had to travel a lot, work a lot. He had to be on his toes for the haunches coming from his subconscious vision. But the returns were plentiful and those were not marked by the luck factor alone. Shirish was proud of that. He normally had a weekly tour out of the city for his shows. Currently he had finished such a tour comprising of three to four shows and had come back. He was much disciplined with performing the shows as well as with the encounter with booze thereafter. He returned in the morning. While unlocking the door he had sensed the milk bag inserted by the milkman in a pouch tied to the door outside. But Shirish was just not able to take it out. He entered the house, tied a lungi around his waist and went to bed. In the soothing numbness of his hangover he was riding on the pleasant glimpses of his recent tour. The spirit of the successful performance, the timed as well as un timed laughter, funny incidents in the wings during the performances, discussions, boozing, dinners, jokes, the journey by the company’s bus, spying, gossiping… all these things were making a collage… with the receding feeling of soothing numbness… which was getting replaced by the harsh hangover now… as usual. And his cell phone rang. The ring tone of wedding bells was reverberating in his rented flat. It took some time for him to come out of sleep, his present state. He woke up and started searching his cell phone. After getting it he was furious. Somebody had deliberately adjusted the ring tone of wedding bells to tease this forty odd year’s old bachelor and the mobile screen was showing totally unknown number! What do I do with the wedding bells? And what should one do with such unknown numbers? He intensely abused the unknown person calling him and cut off the call. Switching off the mobile and missing important calls was not affordable. He went to sleep floating on the good old voyage again, experiencing another collage. The mobile rang again, with the same wedding bells, with the same unknown number…

सवय

गंधर्वं-किन्नर नामशेष झाले!

राजे-महाराजे बरबाद झाले!

कधी ती दोघं स्वत:ही मरून गेली!

त्याची महती कित्येक शायरांनी सांगितली-आणि-

स्वत:ला पेल्यात बुडवून घेतलं!

नाटक-सिनेमे भरमसाठ गर्दीत चालले!!!...

व्यवहारात ज्यानी ते केलं त्यानाच माहीत

साजऱ्या दिसणाऱ्या डोंगरांबद्दल आपण काय बोलणार?...

ती होते-सहज जडते

नंतर कळतं

ती झालीए म्हणून

असली सवय वाईट असं म्हणालो की म्हणतात

याला अधिकापेक्षा उण्याचंच जास्तं कौतुक!

पण चांगली सवय नेहेमी करून घ्यावी लागते

ती विनासायास जडत नाही

तसं कुठे हीचं होतं?

सवयीचाच भाग आणि सवयीचेच दुर्गुण

ती सुटता सुटत नाही

सोडली की

सैरभैर व्हायला होतं

अवघड जागी दुखणं आणि जावई वैद्यं अशी परिस्थिती

शेवटी दृष्टीआड सृष्टी

आणि काळ हेच औषध!

अधून मधून

आठवणींचा साप डोकं वर काढायला लागला की

भलते सलते प्रकार करायचे

त्याचं डोकं ठेचल्याच्या आनंदात रहायचं

की पुन्हा

दुसऱ्या एकमेकांची सवय

एकमेकांना!

असं रहाटगाडगं!!

माणूस हा

समाजप्रिय

प्राणी

आहे!!!

Deadline

Mr.Itkyal, a journalist entered Annasaheb’s residence. He handed over a letter to Annasaheb. This was the letter of the news agency for which Itkyal was working. He didn’t utter a word, searched a point for his CD recorder, switched on the recorder and said, “Shoot!”

Annasaheb remained staring at him. Folding the letter in his hand he kept it on the table before him. Then he pointed towards a mahogany chair on the other side of the table and said, “Please be seated!” Mr. Itkyal sat on the chair in a dumb like manner. Annasaheb looked behind him inside the house at the entrance of the drawing room. His wife Mrs. Radhabai was standing at the door. Radhabai looked at Annasaheb and went inside. Anna drew another mahogany chair near him and silently sat in it. He stretched his hand over the table kept in the middle of the two mahogany chairs and switched of the recorder. Mr. Itkyal looked at Annasaheb.

“Sorry to say this, you have come to interview me but you are looking bit disinterested, isn’t it?”

“Just…not like that!” Itkyal said and sighed.

“Your surname is Itkyal! Do I pronounce it correctly?”

“Yes Sir!”

“That reminds me… some time back… a telephone booth distribution scandal took place in our country… you had probed it… am I right?” 

Mr. Itkyal just nodded. But Anna was staring at him and it compelled Itkyal to deliver a formal and typical press style smile.

“That’s it! Then you must not be interested in interacting with an ordinary freedom fighter like me, isn’t it?”

“No… Not just like that…”

“How would that be? An uninteresting and totally non interactive stuff to décor your cheap and colorful supplements! Tricolor flag as the background of the matter! Offset printing! A new freedom fighter per year! Have coffee! Please!”

“You know Sir! To work in this field on has to…” Itkyal had to deliver the ‘same’ smile again. Radhabai had come with a tray of coffee mugs and Itkyal took one of it. Radhabai offered another mug to Annasaheb and sat on a near by chair. Annasaheb drank his coffee at his usual speed and kept the mug in the tray on the table. He was first to finish the coffee. Radhabai looked at him for that and a faint smile mounted on her face as usual. Annasaheb cleared the cough in his throat by making certain voice out of it and started again, “Do I tell you another reason Itkyal… for your disinterest in this assignment?”

Itkyal had to say yes as he had to finish off the matter quickly. But the old man was looking smart, was not at all looking exhausted, not at all enthusiastic to talk about himself like his other old counterparts. Anna was staring at him.

“Mr. Itkyal… you were through probing the telephone booth distribution scandal… but not only your colleagues, your employers were not happy for that… you become an entity! Some what like a phenomenon compared to them! Ha! Ha! Ha... Then they transferred you to the general interview section… to interact with the mummies like us…Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha...

Radhabai shuddered and looked sharply at Itkyal. This was the beginning and it was Radhabai who would have came to rescue Itkyal. Itkyal was not at all a layman. In fraction of a second his face became expressionless. He pressed the eject key of the recorder, took out the CD and started inspecting it. Annasaheb sensed it…                 

“केवड्याचं बन”_कथा_दिवाळी “रामटेकच्या गडावरून”_२००७

तो संदेश आला आणि राघवचं टाळकंच सटकलं.उंटाच्या पाठीवर शेवटची काडी पडावी तसं.उद्या महोत्सवातला प्रयोग.त्या आधीची ही संध्याकाळ.जरावेळानं छान मद्यपानाला बसता येईल.उद्याच्या प्रयोगाची तयारी.टेन्शन आणि…

राघवनं सगळा ग्रुप परत आल्याची खात्री करून घेतली.जरा वेळ जाऊ दिला आणि मग बाणासारखा सणसणत तो त्या खोलीत शिरला.उघडा.खाली जीन्स.आत शिरल्यावर काही न बोलता त्याने सर्वप्रथम मधोमध खाली बसलेल्या त्या तरूणाच्या कानाखाली काड्कन आवाज काढला.एकदा.दोनदा.

असं काही त्या तरूणाला अपेक्षितच नव्हतं.पहिल्या फटक्याने तो भेलकांडला.भांबावला.हातांनी मार चुकवण्याचा प्रयत्न करू लागला.तोपर्यंत राघवच्या मागोमाग नेहमी त्याच्याबरोबर असलेली चौकडी धावत आली.ते राघवला आवरताहेत आणि राघव त्याना जुमानत नाही असं काही वेळ चाललं.समूहाला कुठल्याही गोष्टीची खबर लगेच लागते.दाराबाहेर गर्दी जमा होतेय हे पाहून चौकडीपैकी कुणीतरी दार आतून बंद केलं.बहुदा तो राघवचा पित्त्याच असावा.इतके दिवस राघव प्रत्यक्ष काहीच बोलला नव्हता.आता त्याची रसवंती ऊतू जाऊ लागली.हे बघ,तुला किती वेळा सूचना दिल्या होत्या?त्या…×××…तिच्याबरोबर दिसू नकोस म्हणून?तू आता कायमचा बाहेर झालास.उद्याचा महोत्सवाचा प्रयोग करायचा असेल तर माफी माग!...×××!...माझी!

राघवचं हे सगळं अंदाज घेत घेत चाललं होतं.सव्वीस-एक वर्षाच्या विराजने काहीही प्रतिकार केला नाही.फक्त मार चुकवण्याचा प्रयत्न केला.प्रसंगाची सूत्रं पूर्णपणे आपल्याच हातात आहेत हे जाणवून राघव त्याला दम देत राहिला.

विराज चांगल्या घरातला.आज्ञाधारक.राघवला गुरू मानणारा.सगळी सूत्रं आपल्या हातात ठेवायची राघवची वृत्ती.ती हातातून सुटताहेत असं नुसतं राघवला स्वत:ला जरी वाटलं तरी लगेच आक्रमक होऊन ती घट्टं हातात धरून ठेवायचा राघवचा बाणा.गेले काही दिवस, महिनाभरही झाला असेल, तो विराजला सतत आडून आडून सूचना देत होता.मालविकाबरोबर दिसू नकोस म्हणून.अश्या गोष्टी थेट कश्या सांगायच्या? असं काही सांगितलं आणि “त्यात काय झालं?” असं म्हणून विराजनं ते टोलवलं तर राघवच्या दृष्टीनं तो राघवच्या इज्जतीचा प्रश्नं.त्या दोघांवर थेट काही आरोप करायचे म्हणजे अडचण.त्यांचं काही आहेच आहे असं सिध्दं करणं कठीण.मुळात ग्रुपच पन्नास जणांचा.दौऱ्यावर सगळ्या ठिकाणी सगळंच सगळ्यांच्या समोर.राघवनं आक्षेप घेतला आणि समूह विरोधात गेला तर.

थेट काही न सांगण्या-विचारण्याचं आणखी एक कारण म्हणजे राघव संस्थेचा सर्वेसर्वा.तो नवोदिताला प्रत्यक्ष काही का सांगे-विचारेल?कुणाकरवी ते सांगणं जास्तं योग्यं.प्रशस्तं.जास्त परिणामकारक.शिवाय कदाचित आरोपीला अशील होऊन अपीलात जाण्याची एक संधी.

नवोदिताला असे धोक्याचे संदेश तिसऱ्याकडून मिळणं हे प्रत्येक वेळी धक्का होता.बरोबर भूमिका करणाऱ्या मालविकाबरोबर आपले निर्माण झालेले संबंध हे नक्की काय आहे, हे विराजला, त्याचं त्यालाच समजत नव्हतं.ती बालिश आहे, आपला खेळ करू पहातेय, तिची आपली मैत्री आहे, की आणखी पुढचंच काही? हे न समजल्यामुळे विराज आधीच संभ्रमात होता.विराज भिडस्तं.मुलींपासून लांब.त्यात आयुष्यात पहिल्यांदा नायक-नायिकेचे प्रसंग.प्रणयाचे.तालीम चालू असतानाच विराजची मजा बघणाऱ्या एकदोघांनी मालविकाला विश्वासात घेतलं.विराज भूमिका करताना त्याला खुलता येऊ दे अशी तिला विनंती वजा सूचना केली.यात अर्थात केवळ विराजचं भलं करण्याचा हेतू नव्हता.मजा बघण्याचाही होता.मजा क्रिएट करण्याचाही होता.

आस्ते आस्ते विराज खुलला.मालविका विशेष प्रयत्नं करतेय हे ही त्याला जाणवलं.पण त्या मागचं कारण त्याच्या दृष्टीनं गुलदस्त्यातच राहिलं.दोघांचेच प्रसंग, वाक्यं बोलणं, तालीम करणं यासाठी दोघेही सर्वांसमक्षच एकत्रंही येऊ लागले.सबंधं वाढले.ते नक्की काय प्रकारचे आहेत या विचारात विराज होता.तो सभ्यं होता, साधा होता, उथळ नव्हता.प्रेमसुलभ भावना त्याच्याही मनात येणं स्वाभाविक होतं.त्याचवेळी संबंधं वाढताहेत हे जाणवूनही असेल, आपला एक जवळचा मित्रं आहे, त्याचं आपलं जवळजवळ ठरलेलंच आहे, असं मालविकानं विराजला सांगितलं.

दोघेही पूर्ववत समुहामधे वावरू लागले…          

           

Her Excursions

At the age of thirty nine she came across an urgent need of her higher secondary passing certificate. The primary eligibility criterion for a diploma she had enrolled for was higher secondary certificate. She had earned a degree afterwards. Still higher secondary certificate criterion was must. The university had certain compulsory guidelines for the diploma. She had completed two years of the diploma; next year was the concluding one. The institution where she had enrolled for the diploma had informed about all this now and further warned that it would be a major problem if anybody does not submit the higher secondary certificate at the earliest. She had all the passing certificates of all the exams up to the degree but… she searched for the higher secondary passing certificate everywhere. She had the photocopies of the same but university had asked for the original and she was not able to find exactly that! Further she would remember the file in which the certificate was kept. She would remember the colour, the texture of the file. She would remember why it was kept in that particular file. The other papers she would perfectly remember which she had kept along with the certificate in the same file. The thought started making everlasting drill in her brain, in her memory. The same everlasting drill which starts many a times in one’s brain. It starts, develops and finally ends to make a way for another drilling thought. This was just like that. What to do? To make a request for a duplicate saying that the original is lost. Where to make the request? Should I request the college? Well! College doesn’t have it then? Should I request the higher secondary board? Would the board will able to deliver the twenty odd years old certificate? How much fees would they charge? - Fees don’t matter in fact but- where is the board office? It would be at the same place where it was previously? Else where would it be? Would I get the same in the college easily? Do I remember any body through whom I would reach the college office? Any contact I remember? If Baba would have been there he would have suggested number of contacts. If he would have been there… the journey of the thought used to end here and then would start the unavoidable, cumbersome, unwanted excursions of wayward glimpses of the past life...                                 

“अनावृत्त”_कथा_दिवाळी “मुक्तसंवाद”_२००७

उपनगरातल्या एका सहकारी गृहनिर्माण संस्थेचा परिसर.बहुसंख्येने अर्थातच मध्यमवर्ग.तांबडं फुटायची वेळ म्हणतात तशी वेळ.रखवालदार डोळे तांबरलेला.मुख्य प्रवेशद्वारावर.पोटापासून ओढ देत जोरदार जांभया देऊन झोप उडवायचा प्रयत्न करणारा.तीन-चार इमारतींची सोसायटी.इतर प्रवेशद्वारांवर साधारण असंच दृष्य असेल.कदाचित रखवालदारच नसेल.

रखवालदार रामदेव रजकने पुन्हा एकदा तंबाखू मळायला घेतला.हातावर बोट घासता-घासता त्याला पुन्हा पेंग यायला लागली.अचानक काहीतरी हालचाल झाली आणि तो दचकला.त्याचा आपल्या डोळ्यांवर विश्वास बसेना.धसक्याने हातातला तंबाखूही सांडला.सोसायटीतले आरोग्य जागरूक प्रभातफेरीसाठी बाहेर पडून वेळ लोटला होता.कचेरीत जाणारे बाहेर पडायला अवधी होता.एखाद् दुसराच तसा बाहेर पडत होता.शाळांच्या बसेस पश्चिमेच्या गेटजवळ गर्दी करत.हे मुख्य प्रवेशद्वार असलं तरी गल्लीत होतं.मेन रोड संकुलाच्या पश्चिमेला.तिथे बसेस वगैरे.

झालेली हालचाल रामदेव रजकला अस्वस्थ करून गेली होती.आपण खरंच ते पाहिलंय का…डोळ्यांनी…सर्वात मागच्या, तिसऱ्या आणि चौथ्या इमारतीच्या बेचक्यात एक अतिशय छोटं गार्डन केलं होतं.सुशोभित बगीचा.तिथल्या झाडांत ती हालचाल दिसली.रजकला रहावेना.खात्री करून घेण्यासाठी तो प्रवेशद्वारातून बाहेर रस्त्यावर बघत, कुठे काही इतर हालचाल नाही ना ते बघत बगीच्याकडे निघाला.अनेक झुडपं आणि दोन-चार बऱ्यापैकी वाढलेली झाडं.फूट-दीड फूट गच्चं पानं असलेला, फांद्या असलेला झाडांचा विस्तार.त्यातल्या दोन झाडांच्या मधे आडोश्याला त्याला जे दिसलं ते बघून त्याचे डोळे दिपल्यासारखेच झाले.ती एक अनावृत्त स्त्री होती.होय!अनावृत्त, पांढरंशुभ्र स्फटिकासारखं शरीर.ते शरीर बघतानाच लक्क्न वीज चमकावी तशी त्याच्या पायातली हवाच निघून गेली.डोक्यातून जोरदार प्रवाह.धक्का बसल्यासारखा.त्या शरीराकडे बघतच तो डोकं गच्चं धरून मटकन् खाली बसला.आश्चर्य म्हणजे त्याचे डोळे मात्र त्या धक्क्याने मिटले नाहीत.ते ताठरल्यासारखे झाले.पापणी मिटली तरी समोरचं दृष्यं क्षणार्धात नाहीसं होईल या भीतीनंही असेल.तो मटकन् खाली बसला हे मात्र त्याच्या दृष्टीनं सोयीचंच झालं.तो आपोआप लपला गेला आणि त्याच वेळी झुडपाच्या बेचक्यातून त्याला समोर दोन-चार फुटांवर उभं असलेलं ते शरीर न्याहाळताना कसलीही अडचण येत न्हवती.अर्थात हे सगळं रजकला जाणवत असण्याची सुतराम शक्यता नव्हती.त्याच्या सताड डोळ्यांना जाणवत होतं ते समोरचं स्त्री-शरीर.त्याच्या तांबरलेल्या डोळ्यांत आणखी आणखी रक्त साकळत होतं आणि ते शरीर, मुरमात पाणी मुरावं तसं त्याच्या मेंदूत मुरायला सुरवात होत असावी.

ते काही कुणा नाजूक नवयौवनेचं अनाघ्रात शरीर नव्हतं…  

Guru Resorts

It was just because of the united 5's that this complex came in to existence. The united 5's were Bhau, Bapu, Nana, Anna and Virendra. Any body of them would have easily erected the complex. Every body of them had the capacity and vision to do the same but then the term organization would have been senseless. Even after getting organized the same should reach out just not to each other's minds or to the minds of few people. It should be conveyed largely, widely. In today's world one has to obey certain rules. Hence a right scheme was planned. Perfect discipline was observed and one can surely say that the Guru resort was planned meticulously. That was enough. To manage labour, money etc. was not at all difficult. Off all the 5's Virendra was representing the rural area and was off course rough and dashing. Anna was representing the semi urban area. Nana was from the other state who was a native of this state and representing the people of this state staying in the other state. Bhau was representing the white collars salaried strata in the city and Bapu was educating the elites in the metropolitan city. These elites were from upper middle class, newly rich, those who had advanced themselves from middle class to upper middle etc. but were craving vary much for the Adhyatma. Nana who was a native but was from the other state was very old, almost approaching his limits. ‘White collar' Bapu was quite old but was not to be termed as very old. Semi urban Anna was aged but not old. ‘Elite' Bapu was an adult and the rural Virendra was quiet young. These stalwarts of various groups have not just distributed the masses among themselves but the respective strata have bestowed its guru to its fullest extent. Every Guru had distinguishing charismatic element and every Guru had hypnotized a different strata. But this thing only has caused the fame to each of the 5's.The everlasting fame. To create a mass hysteria or hysterias like this is unique in its own way! To get bestowed by even the most ignorant person is not everybody's or for that matter every Guru's cup of tea. Here one should not at all think that the term ignorant is used only for the illiterates. To conclude, erecting the Guru Resorts designed by these united 5's was the most sensational event. The opening ceremony was the climax of this event. To choose the day of Gurupornima (full moon day celebrated to worship the Gurus) as the ceremonial day was the height of their shrewdness and exactly the same can be said about the main criteria of restricting their followers to attend the opening ceremony! This was definitely understandable and was the illustrative example of every Guru’s openness towards their followers that after the opening ceremony the followers were the owners of the complex in a way! There was a definite risk in allowing all the followers to attend the opening ceremony. The function would be unnecessarily glamorous. To maintain peace, discipline etc. was equally important. And above all no one could predict (including the united 5's) as how the followers of various Gurus’ would react after gathering together. They would collide on each other or they would obstruct each other or there would be a war like atmosphere or the spurge of globalization will lead them all in a totally unknown direction. It was all unpredictable…