The 'Yahoo' Surge.

The ‘Yahoo’ Surge.

Part one

Chandrashekhar Gupta , just ‘Chandu’ to his friends, had learned to recognise these small yet discernible signs which had unfailingly, over the years, preceded an imminent windfall gain for himself. Chandu had in fact named these signs collectively, as the “Yahoo surge.” He was of course aware that there already existed a well-researched and documented ‘Eureka effect,’ which attempted to define the common human experience, wherein literally in a flash, one stumbles upon a perfect solution for a previously incomprehensible problem. Wikipedia described this as the ‘Aha Moment.’ In Chandu’s case however, there was a difference. It was not the ‘Aha’ one experiences when a stubborn problem, quite unexpectedly, gets resolved in a jiffy but was like a premonition – an intuitive awareness of context specific pleasant tidings. The qualifying difference between his Yahoo surge and the commonly understood ‘premonition,’ was the addition of certain physical sensations to the intuitive awareness. Ever since Chandu had discovered this attribute about himself, he had tried to find an explanation capable of reducing this supernatural ability he possessed, to an identifiable psychological condition, or to some historical parallel in the world. Chandu did not like to think of himself as an abnormal person.

Who would ?

Endless surfing on the internet, the Wikipedia and on-line libraries of all descriptions, did not reveal a similar condition in recorded history, by anyone. The signs were so eerie and followed such a definite sequence, that he had come to accept their onset with trepidation. At the same time, he was thrilled with whatever followed the surge, because it heralded, as said, only the strikingly positive.

Other than this peculiarity about Chandu, there was nothing else in his personality which would suggest an aberration capable of instigating a consequence as strange as this surge. His intelligence had been put to test and was found to be significantly above average, when he qualified for an entrance examination which landed him his present job. Good looking to a fault, his 5 feet 10 inches placed him in the ‘tall’ category and his physique, which he had aggressively moulded by pumping iron and using the borrowed ‘Bull worker,’ was proportionate. Not a gifted sportsman, he nevertheless dabbled with a few indoor and outdoor games. Chandu was aware of his undeniable charisma which he exuded and had come to expect the silent adulation he always received, primarily because of his pleasant visage. He did not possess any talent for singing, though. This at times did sadden him since his siblings were remarkably well endowed with the ability to enthral audiences, belting out popular numbers. A definite hypochondriac ever since childhood when he was too young to even understand the condition as a psychological disorder, and a low level of self-worth persistently sending a strong negative feedback to his ego, completed his complex persona. Paradoxically, Chandu with an attractive and well-proportioned physique and matching mental faculties was beset with a crippling lack of self-confidence. Being tongue-tied and suffering from an insurmountable stage fright, severely restricted any ambition he may have nurtured for developing as a performer or a public speaker. The ‘Yahoo surge’ thus became the only redeeming aspect about himself in his own esteem.

Chandu had known about this strange aberration in his personality ever since his childhood. He had not put a structure to it back then, but had realised that he could depend on the surge with unfailing certainty. That it indicated some pleasant and positive happening was flagged by the surge before any other obvious and discernible contextual manifestation could present itself. As the years passed, Chandu started putting a shape to this unique ESP. He had discovered the pattern, the specific unvarying steps which constituted the beginning of a surge. It would start with a tingling on the nape as if a large insect was crawling up his spine. The sensation would be strong and real, which could not be ignored or go unnoticed. Immediately after that, he would be gripped by the unnerving feel of duality with his own physical self. Lobsang Rampa, the fabled Tibetan Dalai Lama has written about the “Astral” body as different from one’s physical body, in one of his books. Chandu felt like his astral form was de-linking and floating away to watch his physical body from a vantage point overhead - as if observing a play enacted by a third person. The chain of signals would be completed lastly, by a sharp buzzing sound in his ears, which would not last for more than a couple of seconds. Since these three links in that specific sequence, would occur in rapid succession whenever something good or positive was about to happen to him, Chandu had thought of calling the phenomenon as the Yahoo surge. The ‘Yahoo’ clearly signified ecstatic joy. 

The positive premonition flagged by the surge, did not necessarily foretell a windfall in terms of money only, though more often than not, this was the case. In the final M. Sc. examination for instance, Chandu glanced at the sealed packet obviously containing the day’s question paper and the first sign, which he had by then understood as the first link of the “Yahoo surge,” appeared. In a rapid succession, the other two links in the chain followed.  At the stroke of 10 a.m. the packet was opened and the two invigilators distributed the question papers to all examinees. Glancing at the questions – Chandu realised that the preparation he had done for this subject, viz. Organic Chemistry, was uncannily aligned with the questions set by the examiner ! He remembered having tackled the questions one after the other. Of course, he had done exceedingly well in that particular subject. 

Chandu’s first ever encounter with this ‘special power’ happened when, as a teenager, he was travelling from Mumbai (Bombay, back then) to Lucknow. The journey entailed a six-hour halt in New Delhi and onward travel by another train going east. He had reserved tickets for both the legs of the trip. Being a student Chandu had very limited money on himself when he reached New Delhi. He called up an old friend and they met somewhere in Connaught Place. Meeting each other after such a long time, they re-lived their memories of the great times spent together in college. A leisurely lunch and walk around CP took away time very fast, and it was with a shock that Chandu realised that he may miss the train to Lucknow.

And he did !

On New Delhi railway station, with only a meagre refund amount in his pocket, Chandu was in serious trouble. He did not want go back to his friend’s place as that would have meant exposing his own sloppy and careless ways. Lost in thought and worried – he went up to the enquiry window. Waiting for his turn in the small queue, he was considering various scenarios for the remainder of his botched up journey, one of which he must choose. He was mentally prepared for travelling without ticket in an unreserved compartment, and the only information he sought was timings for trains going towards Bihar or Bengal, via Kanpur. Kanpur was a busier junction and the distance from Kanpur to Lucknow was not a cause for worry.

Just then, the two persons before him finished their enquiries and made way for Chandu to approach the dealing clerk. He asked eagerly,

“Are there any trains to Kanpur leaving from here now?”

“Yes” said the clerk wearily, and added “there is Tinsukia Mail about to leave in an hour’s time.”

“Would there be any seat reservations available on that?” asked Chandu hopefully.

“You will have to enquire at the reservation counter.” he replied rather unhelpfully.

Chandu was desperately angling for some nuggets of information, some helpful tips – which would provide him a ray of hope, but none seemed to come his way from the sleepy and irritable window clerk. Having exhausted all avenues of eliciting a sympathetic response, Chandu at last stepped slightly backwards to pick up his VIP overnighter.

Then it struck. The crawling sensation on his nape, the feeling of floating away from his body looking at himself from an elevated position, and the sharp buzzing sound in his ears. He was perplexed by the irritating cumulative effect of these sensations, when his eyes spotted the Rs 100/- note lying creased four-fold against the wall under the counter. 45 years ago, Rs. 100 was a big amount. Making as if to tie his shoe-laces, Chandu quickly stooped and pushed the folded note under his shoes. He scooped the note and pocketed it after making sure that no one was taking any undue interest in his actions. Armed with this wealth, he travelled to Kanpur in a First Class compartment on Tinsukia Mail, with some money to spare for the next train ride to Lucknow and home. He was reflecting on the lucky break he had had at the enquiry counter and remembered the strange physical experience he had just before the saviour currency note made its blessed appearance. That being the first of his surges, he could not readily link up the two.     

The next time this happened, he was walking in the market. There was a huge crowd as it was the local ‘mandi’ day and people were jostling along to get further crammed in the central chowk like sardines. Chandu was making slow progress moving towards his house for lunch and was getting irritated by the sheer multitudes around. There was the sudden crawling, tingling sensation again on his nape and the other two symptoms also quickly followed. Chandu expected something good when these signals appeared, as his thoughts had repeatedly gone back many a times in the days and months which followed to that New Delhi railway station episode, a couple of years ago. Reliving those moments, he had felt certain that this physical sensation had a definite link to whatever followed immediately thereafter.

Eventually, he had linked the surge with the ‘windfall’ of that lifesaving hundred rupee note, albeit without certainty. But this was exactly similar to that prior experience, and he anticipated some good turn, some pleasant happening, or some monetary gain once again. And yes, he realised that he had stepped on something bulky. Bending down he managed to get hold of it after considerable squirming and pushing. It was a purse – a wallet – thickly jammed with currency notes of large denominations. Chandu looked around hoping to see someone distressed by the loss of such a large amount. There was no one he could spot with that unmistakeable expression of anxiety and distress, which such a person would wear on his face. He contemplated taking the wallet to the Police Patrol van parked in the Chowk, but decided against it for reasons we all know. 

After five years of service in his organisation, Chandu was eligible for a staff housing loan. Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) was constructing houses in areas on the periphery of the city, and since there was a large unfulfilled demand for housing, the system of allocation was designed on the ‘lottery pattern’ or a lucky dip. Chandu and his wife had applied for an MIG type house and had been invited to witness the allocations arranged in a Town Hall large enough to accommodate a huge anticipated turn out. They were seated in the hall with other hopefuls, awaiting results of the lucky draw arranged by LDA.

The lottery system was primitive, with a large drum which had chits containing names of all applicants folded twice and stirred up using a handle which rotated the drum on its long axis. After several turns the chits obviously mixed up well. The Commissioner of LDA and a few other public figures and politicians were seated on the dais. One by one members of the public who volunteered for the draws, were asked to come up on stage and pull out one chit. Considering the hugely adverse ratio of limited available houses and the disproportionately large number of applicants, Chandu harboured no hopes of getting a house allocated in his name. He anxiously whispered to his wife,

“We don’t stand a chance, Geeta,” and added, “the system looks fair but one in 25 is the ratio for getting a lucky allocation.”

Geeta, Chandu’s wife, was an incorrigible optimist. Her outlook was always positive. She whispered back, “Wait Chandu, why are you jumping to negative conclusions,” she muttered crossly and added, “The lottery has not even reached midway?”

“I know my luck; we will go back empty handed” whined Chandu.

But no sooner had he said that, a chill went up his spine, tingling his nape with the now familiar crawling sensation. Quickly on its heels followed the detachment of his ‘astral’ body and the sharp buzzing in his ears. He couldn’t believe his luck as the surge meant a windfall with a positive outcome for his immediate concern. Chandu immediately shifted his eyes to the person on the stage, who had just then pulled out a chit from the drum. He focused his attention to the announcement calling out names of lucky allotees.

It was not Chandrashekhar Gupta!

He was devastated. It felt as if he was disrobed publicly. He had come to depend on this God gift and had assumed that the ‘power’ will always be with him. Moved almost to tears by the sudden termination of his unique ESP, his immediate thought was to go away from the LDA auditorium. He turned to Geeta and said,

                “I am telling you, there is no hope for us. Let’s go !”

                “Why ?” she exclaimed “There are still about 30 allocations to be done.”  

“It’s not that, Geeta,” he looked at her with deepest anguish, “my Yahoo surge is not giving expected result.” Chandu had only confided in her about his unique ability to foresee certain things before they actually manifested themselves. 

“You had those signals just now?” Geeta asked incredulously and with wide-eyed glee.

“Yes,” “But my name was not announced !” he exclaimed, “Two more lots have since been pulled out!” Chandu was now almost hysterical.

“Shoo!” Geeta admonished him. “Wait for some more time.” The Yahoo surge has never failed you thus far. It will not fail you today too.”

He could only marvel at her confidence.

As if on cue, and giving Geeta’s pet theory of the power of positive thinking a huge boost, the LDA official bellowed on the microphone, “Chandrashekhar Gupta.” Sparse and ritual claps accompanied the announcement. Chandu literally jumped up with unrestrained joy. On their way out of the auditorium, Geeta again drove her point home.

“You give up too easily, Chandu,” “have some faith – if not in yourself then at least in the Yahoo surge !”  She chirped.

“Agreed, begum sahiba !” Chandu piped in, beaming ear to ear. 

He later realised that the time gap between his beloved Yahoo surge that day and the announcement was caused by the pile of chits pulled out by the volunteers who were trooping up to the stage and performing the mechanical part assigned to them. The process thereafter entailed recording the name in a register against the lot arranged seriatim and obtaining signatures of the LDA officials on the same. This created a backlog and though the surge must have got triggered when his name was picked up by a volunteer, the actual announcement followed a good ten minutes thereafter.   

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Part two

Prakash Shrivastava, “PS” to his friends – was Chandu’s fastest chum. Malcolm Gladwell in the “The Tipping Point,” describes persons like PS as the ‘Connectors.’ A connector is a gregarious and outgoing person, having a large sphere of acquaintances with people across social, cultural, professional and economic circles. In fact, Chandu’s own friend circle was almost entirely introduced to him by PS.

Although they were together since school it was much later – in college – that they became thicker friends. In many ways, PS was diametrically opposite to Chandu. Much taller at 6 feet 2 inches, long legged and scrawny without an iota of useless flab, he was a sportsman through and through. Excelling in Badminton, Table Tennis and Cricket, he could also outperform experienced and well heeled Carrom players. A keen theatre enthusiast, his experience on stage had driven all vestiges of ‘stage fright’ (if he ever had any) away. PS may not have been as good looking as Chandu, but he had made up for this small single shortcoming in comparison – by his exalted and indefatigable self confidence. Domineering and aggressive, PS would emerge on top of any situation whereas Chandu did not even attempt challenging decisions taken by him. Small ‘victories’ scored by PS were resented by Chandu. To watch which particular movie  – for instance – was a decision taken by PS even in a group of friends as large as ten or twelve, none of who would differ.  Chandu sulked inwardly but tagged along reluctantly. PS, on the other hand, took his own leadership for granted. A challenge from any quarter was systematically demolished through reason and logic. He always had the force of sound rationality for proposing any specific choice and if ever he was countered with another – he would convincingly prove how and why his decision was the best.

Chandu genuinely appreciated PS’s qualities and was happy to play second fiddle. His sub-conscious however kept accumulating the perceived insults and slight he faced repeatedly – when smallest of his suggestions were overruled by PS’s well evaluated and deeply examined alternatives. Of course, it is not to suggest that there was never any concurrence on any issue between the two. When Chandu made a suggestion which matched PS’s – there would obviously be an immediate agreement. Clearly, PS was not interested in deliberately running down Chandu as would perhaps be evident if he would assume a stand in opposition, regardless of merits in the issue.   It was, on the other hand, only when Chandu felt the need to go for a confrontation; with the intention of ramming his own choice down other’s throats for the sake of establishing his clout on the group of their common friends, and when he was put down on the strength of stronger arguments and better logic by PS, that the feeling of strong resentment took a deeper hold.

PS’s popularity soared as time went by. It so happened that PS and Chandu were both selected by the same Company as management trainees. Adding to the peer group competition of school and college days, now there was professional competition too. Here also, PS scored better consistently and was soon promoted to yet higher echelons while Chandu dragged. Outwardly, there was no friction between the two friends. Even by himself in his own mind; Chandu would not have accepted the insinuation that he harboured ill-will towards PS. He was not even aware how the deep unknown recesses of his sub-conscious were capturing each defeat, each slight and insult and clouding his judgement. He gradually started believing in his own warped theory which identified PS as his enemy number one. PS to his credit, never by design pulled anyone down. His was a game of one is to one transaction which followed one simple rule, that of winning the argument at any cost. Annihilating the opponent decisively was the end of game and all that transpired while the game was being played – was erased completely. He carried no baggage. Chandu’s baggage, on the other hand, was growing heavier by the day.

The next day after the LDA house allocation, Chandu entered the office in a very happy frame of mind. Humming under his breath, he sat at his desk and commenced sorting out papers and files for yet another day of drudgery, albeit with a cheerful countenance.  PS was quick to notice this and ambled over to his desk, and raising his eyebrows questioningly, asked;

                “Looking very pleased with yourself Chandu, what’s the good news?” 

Chandu was expecting this, and answered gushingly, “Yaar, yesterday’s lottery for house allocations went off well and I have been lucky to get it.”

“Oh ! Congratulations, Chandu” and added, “Party !!?”

“Sure thing boss !” “Let’s inform the gang for a get together someplace.”

“I will do that.” PS offered, and added as an afterthought, “But is that the real reason or is there something more to it ?”

“Not really” said Chandu. Unable to restrain his excitement, he blurted out, “There is something I have been wanting to share with you since long !”

“I know” said PS, “You are so transparent !” “So what is it ?”

Chandu knew he would take a long time to explain his Yahoo Surge to a pucca rationalist like PS, and said, “Yaar, we can talk in the lunch recess without being hauled up for gossiping in the office ?”

“Roger” said PS and returned to his desk.

Later that day Chandu and PS polished off their lunch boxes extra quick and settled down for the secret sharing deferred earlier that day. Chandu briefly outlined the mysterious ‘surge’ which gave out signals, heralding good tidings. He detailed the latest experience in the LDA auditorium.

PS was silent for some time with a slight smirk on his face. Breaking his silence after a while, he asked,

                “So, this ‘surge’ – does it happen always or is it once in a while ?”

                “No” said Chandu, “it happens invariably, without fail !”

“I see” smiled PS, making no effort at concealing his disbelief. But quickly wiped off the smirk lest he antagonises Chandu and blocks off more of the juicy stuff. “OK, but tell me, have you tested the efficacy of your Yahoo surge on some kind of contrived situation ?”

“Like what ?” countered Chandu, immediately assuming a defensive stance.

“Like, say, going to a lottery vendor and looking at the unsold ticket booklets ?” and added to make his point clear, “If you get the surge, you are sure to be within easy reach of untold riches !”  

“No it does not work that way, PS” Chandu replied condescendingly. “It is only a premonition. I get it only when something destined to come my way, is before me.” He added after a pause, “So far – monetary or otherwise, whatever I have landed as a windfall gain, has actually been in store for me. I only have the ability of getting prior signals about them.”

“How can you be sure that the gains you talk about, are actually destined to come your way ?” PS wanted to know.

“See,” clarified Chandu, “I had worked very hard for my Organic Chemistry paper. It would seem natural for me to do well in that subject.” Chandu avoided any mention of divine justice and added, “The surge merely gave me a prior indication.”

“That is interesting, Chandu” agreed PS. “Anyway, let us not talk about this to others” his hyperactive brain was obviously going into top gear.

“Alright, done !” Said Chandu.

“But I still have some doubts” PS pressed on.

“Yes ?” Chandu said, “shoot !”

“If you stumble upon a purse as you described earlier, WITHOUT the surge and its sequential signs, would it be wrong to pocket it ?”

“Yes....” “that is also tested” Chandu clarified. He described how once while travelling in an auto rickshaw, he saw a cell phone on the seat. It was a new cell phone. Obviously, the earlier passenger had forgotten it there. Unmindful of the lack of his faithful Yahoo surge on this occasion, he reached for it. The rickshaw driver saw him in the rear view mirror and immediately pre-empted any unsavoury designs by informing him loudly that it was his phone and that he may kindly pass it to him.

“I was too ashamed of myself” confided Chandu. “Had the driver been a bit late in forestalling my sleazy move – that of stealthily pocketing it, I would have felt so embarrassed and ashamed of myself.”

“Right,” PS moved ahead with his next question, “If there is a time-gap, as you just told me about the LDA lottery allocations, and you move away,” the shrewd brain of PS wedged on, “will the ‘destined’ windfall be lost ?”

“I have never experimented on those lines so far. But I had come close to it when I wanted myself and Geeta to leave the LDA auditorium yesterday.” He added after some thought on the aspect, “I should try doing that when the stakes are not very high !” and smiled.

Typical of PS to evaluate issues so thoroughly, Chandu thought reflecting on the questions posed by him.

“Well then, lastly,” PS pressed on, “there is clearly no scope of putting your ‘Surge’ theory to test. Correct ?” “I mean, it is just a few moments before the good tidings break upon you or a short time gap after you get the surge, that reason for experiencing it becomes apparent ?”

“Precisely” agreed Chandu with palpable relief. 

“Dumbo,” PS went on, “What is so great about this ‘power’ then ?” “You cannot put it to any strategized use for making money, you cannot bend the ‘destined’ course of events and you cannot willingly summon the surge when you would like to test whether to go ahead with a choice or to abandon it altogether, right ?” PS asked with that derisive smirk which Chandu so detested.

This was yet another insult which Chandu had to swallow.

“Not really,” he stuck to his ground and added, “at least I know what to expect when the surge holds out a promise.”

Chandu himself realised with growing disdain that the discussion with PS had laid bare the hollowness of his Yahoo surge. He felt like a clown. He regretted having confided in PS about his special God given gift. As usual, PS had analysed the issue with the precision of a surgeon. He had not only ridiculed Chandu, he had also made him look downright stupid.  The last layer of utter dislike for PS was thus firmly spread over the accumulated grime. He now wanted to inflict bodily harm on him and inwardly resolved to somehow use the surge for achieving that.     

It so happened, however, that a few days after their discussion about Chandu’s strange ESP,  the two of them visited the famous Sahara Mall at Hazaratganj. In the parking lot, they were accosted by a Raffle Ticket Vendor. The mall had put up large hoardings at the entrance, announcing a daily draw with just one prize of Rs. 50,000/-

The ticket vendor thrust a booklet in Chandu’s face and started enticing him with the usual high pressure sales pitch. “It’s just Rs. 500 per ticket Sir” he informed. “Amazing odds – only 100 tickets are sold daily and the draw is in the evening.” He further let out the secret that he had the last two tickets which could win them the prize money. Chandu decided to cause some monetary loss to PS for starters, and feigned the onset of his Yahoo surge.  PS looked at him with alarm as Chandu shook with a discernible spasm.

“What’s happening Chandu ?” he asked with friendly concern.

“PS, I just had the surge” replied Chandu. “These tickets are going to win the prize definitely” he added, with all the conviction he could put in his little act.

“So buy them” advised PS.

“No.” Chandu retorted, “Since you had so many doubts about my ‘Yahoo surge’, you buy them !”

PS pulled out his wallet and handed over a thousand rupees to the vendor. He was intrigued by his friend’s confidence and mere thousand rupees were worth the risk to ascertain the truth in Chandu’s tall claims. Chandu, on the other hand, was gleeful at having bettered his arch rival and the chance which he had tactfully ‘strategized’ to make PS bite dust in the evening. What a laugh he would have in front of all the friends!   

Smugly satisfied with the little heist he had pulled off so easily against Mr. Know-all, Chandu patted himself mentally. The duo walked towards the entrance of the Mall. The usual security-check channel was queued up with shoppers and they had to file in one by one through the metal detector arch. PS passed through, had himself frisked and entered the mall. Chandu was about to step forward when the Yahoo surge, this time actually, overwhelmed him. The three distinct indications followed in the usual rapid succession. Chandu looked around, not sure what lay in store for him now. Somehow he felt that he must conceal this ‘second’ surge from PS for the time being. But his curiosity was aroused to its peak as he was not faced with any immediate reason for the surge to signal a windfall gain.

Chandu told PS hurriedly, “Hey, why don’t you go to Mc Donald’s and wait for me ?”

He indicated the universal pee sign raising his pinkie and pointed towards the rest rooms. Without waiting for any response from PS, he made a dash towards the loos. Once he was hidden from PS behind the crowd thronging the passages, he frantically looked around trying to spot some reason as to why the surge had appeared. Time was ticking, and he knew that there would be a certain window of opportunity within which he must act so as to get hold of the booty. This aspect was yet untested and yet PS had uncannily brought it up during their discussion. He raced ahead blindly hoping to see something which would fit the bill. His experiences thus far had been proximate. The wallet under his foot, the question papers on the invigilator’s desk... all easily linked up and obvious. This time he was rankled by the blind game the surge was playing with him.

As he turned towards a dimly lit passage – he realized that he had entered an under construction annexe. There were cement bags, bricks and steel rods etc. strewn all over. In those messy surroundings near a heap of cement bags there was a large sized bag, the likes of which Medical representatives usually carry. The bag gleamed like a jewel in the drab surroundings and seemed as discordant as a Porsche in the middle of Dharavi slums. Drawn towards it like a magnet, he felt certain that this was what the surge had foretold.

-()-

Part three.

Surprised by the hurried manner in which Chandu departed, PS strolled towards Mc Donalds. There was an unexpected momentary hush a few moments thereafter, as an announcer’s voice crackled on the television, hooked obviously to the CCTV system of the Mall. It flashed the face of Chandu as the voice declared the person seen entering the Mall as the 10 millionth visitor to their establishment. The voice gushed “This gentleman is our ten millionth customer since we established this Mall in Lucknow. Our system has been keeping a count of visitors and the ten millionth customer would be given a cash prize of ten million rupees!”

PS was overjoyed. He looked around for his friend. As he was contemplating calling him on the cell phone, there was another announcement on the public address system. The speaker advised people inside the Mall to maintain calm and to be on the lookout for suspicious objects or unaccompanied baggage. The speaker further cautioned that as per police information, a terrorist plan to plant a bomb in the Mall was intercepted. However, there was no need to panic and the advice went ahead with the usual do’s and don’ts, in such situations.

For PS putting two and two together was not difficult. The fact that Chandu had rushed away immediately on entering the Mall under the pretext of going to the rest room and the likelihood of unaccompanied baggage being there, somewhere in the Mall, did not require exceptional intelligence to link up. PS feared that Chandu might have had another of his Yahoo surges – and would perhaps stumble upon this baggage said to contain an explosive device. If he so much as touches it – thinking the surge implied this abandoned bag – the bomb would detonate. PS had felt that there was something amiss as soon as the two had entered the Mall. He was sharp enough to notice the sudden change of expression on Chandu’s face. The ten millionth count, recorded by the system wherever it was installed, must have been processed by the back office and a certain time lapse would obviously follow prior to making an announcement of this financial magnitude.

PS rushed madly in the general direction Chandu had headed. Luckily, he also turned into the passage where the annexe was under construction. He saw Chandu move towards the bag and screamed at the top of his voice, “Chandu, leave it alone – it is a bomb!” But Chandu was mesmerized by the prospect of getting enormous wealth on a platter.  He did not slow down. PS made a last ditch attempt and dived wrapping his arms around Chandu’s feet. The two of them sprawled in a heap a few feet away from the bag – completely winded. PS got up a second later than Chandu which was enough for Chandu to land a forceful kick in his stomach. PS went down crashing. Chandu knew his super smart friend had somehow got whiff of the windfall his surge had foretold and had come to claim it before he himself could place his hands on the booty. Unfortunately, the TV announcement and the Police announcement – both were missed in this ‘under construction’ section of the Mall. Chandu wanted to punish PS for all his sins against him. He took a stance and aimed another kick – this time on his chin. The force of his kick almost broke PS’s neck. Yet he kept going towards Chandu and yelling “There is a bomb, there is a bomb !!” Finally, with all the strength that he could muster and overcoming the seething pain inflicted by Chandu on him, PS managed to pin him down. He yelled again with all his lung power, in Chandu’s face,

“You idiot – there is a bomb planted by terrorists in that bag !”

“Wha..” spluttered Chandu.

“Yes.”

“Goodness !” exclaimed Chandu.

The gist of what had actually happened dawned upon Chandu and he realized the grave mistake he had made in judging his friend. Guilty of having put PS to a certain loss of Rs. 1000/- he started apologising and even offered to set off that loss by reimbursing the amount to PS.

“Whoa” cried PS, “Hold on you dumbo !” Beaming beatifically, he informed Chandu, “It is 6.30 p.m. yaar, and the Raffle result is out. Believe it or not, I am the lucky winner of Rs. 50 thousand !”

As an afterthought PS added, “It seems, your Yahoo surge does make exceptions.” “Else, why would this ‘destined’ gain not be heralded by it, this time?”  

Chandu decided to avoid contesting the point as apparently, what PS said made sense. He felt no regrets at the question mark raised on the infallibility of the surge. Deep down, Chandu wanted to get away from it himself.

The friends’ gang that day celebrated the house allocation and the drama which followed at the Mall.

A tale-ender.

Chandu weaned himself away from the enticing web of the surge. He would have those spells off and on, but as time passed by, his own disinterest in the phenomenon perhaps caused its frequency to reduce gradually and eventually to stop altogether.

Some wise guy has said it beautifully, “It all about Mind over Matter, if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”

Instead of dwelling overmuch on imagined insults and humiliations, instead of treating friendly banter as a game of one-up-man-ship, had Chandu learnt to accept his weaknesses and develop his core strengths and skills – he would have not seen drawn daggers and sharpened knives in the shadows.

But then, all’s well that ends well.

Sanjeev Bhakay