Strange

Life is a journey that is full of twists and turns.Some of the incidents may bring us happiness and some may be the other way round. Everyone of us do experience a mixture of these throughout our life. With time we tend to forget incidents that might have caused agony. This may happen by chance and by intention as well.We do learn lessons because of the incidents that give us an array of experiences. If we try to narrate these experiences many may not believe them at all however hard we try to.But, one who undergoes these will vouch the after effects of them.   As the saying goes 'truth is stranger than fiction ', let us get into the history of this narrative which is entirely based on true and real life happenings which the protoganist is still trying to figure out what they really are?         .               

   Experiences which are strange and weird make us puzzled. We wonder what they really are. Over time we may start believing in tarot reading, chanting mantras, becoming obsessed with the same thoughts and so on and so forth.Ofcourse the responses may differ and are entirely subjective and personal.      Let us get into the matter quickly with this introduction in the background.                  

       Drushti a young girl was sitting in the drawing room of her beautiful modest home. It was evening time and she was doing her school work. She had to complete it before rushing to her dance class. Suddenly the door bell rings and her neighbour aunty Nimmi enters. Her mother keeps talking to her about the expenses and how the vegetables are being sold at high rates. Casual talk you Suddenly the conversation becomes interesting as it was about astrology and predictions. Drishti's mother was a keen follower of astrology and predictions. She attributed almost everything to planets and their movements. She was deeply religious and a firm believer in God.So, now we know why she came to Drishti's house.Nimmi started by saying she had lost her new pair of gold bangles recently. Drishti's mother Saroj was shocked to hear that.She was not able to understand how she had lost them when she had securely kept them in the cupboard under lock.Drishti had done her school home work and the conversation between her mother and her neighbour nimmi excited her. After all she was a young 13 year old teenager who was a great follower of Secret seven and Famous Five novels. She hurriedly came to the Drawing room and sat beside her mother with all ears to what her neighbourhood Nimmi aunty would continue to say.Now, Nimmi said something very interesting.

She wanted Drishti to help her in finding out how the bangles were lost. No nothing of any kind of investigation etc. She wanted Drishti to accompany her to a near by Village where a very noble lady with super natural Powers would reveal the culprits name.oh wow amazing thought Drishti.What an exciting opportunity.After all she was a young girl who liked adventures and was a great admirer of mystery novels and movies. Why Drishti was to accompany Nimmi aunty? The reason too was interesting. It was because only a teenager under 15 years would be able to know the truth revealed by the noble lady. So, Nimmi and drishti headed to the village. It was not so far away. They reached within an hours time.They were asked to be seated until their turn to meet the woman came. Finally they were called inside. Once inside a man in his mid forties came near them and asked some preliminary questions like what the issue was and then he gave drishti a small cup with kajal in it. He asked her what was their colour she was able to see.She was like duh!! Ofcourse she saw it as black.Then the man declared after consulting the elderly lady who seemed to be doing some kind of a meditation that the robbery happened in the night.Drishti felt What's happening? She felt the man was giving her a dumb answer.     

  The man continued asking her to tell whatever she saw in the cup..Frankly drishti saw only a blob of a black substance. But, she felt mischievous and wanted to play it out.She immediately made up a story that she was able to see a masked man stole the bangles and sold it in a nearby city that was not too far away from their place., hell she even named the jewellery shop where the jewellery was sold by the thief(courtesy to all the mystery novels drishti had read so far sic!!)On hearing this the man again went near the lady who sat meditating and whispered something in her ears to which the woman nodded her head.He took out a small packet that was kept near the idol where the lady was meditating and handed it over to Nimmi saying that whatever this young girl is saying is true and you will get back your bangles in another week's time. Drishti was astonished how people get fooled so easily as she saw Nimmi aunty thanking the lady profusely and offering some money in a box kept near the lady.Drishti was sure Nimmi was getting fooled and the whole visit was a waste of time. Actually drishti herself tried fool Nimmi aunty by telling the person whom they were consulting that the thief had sold the bangles in a particular shop in a nearby city and she even gave a false name of the jewellery shop. Nimmi aunty thanked drishti for all the help she had done by giving valid information. They both came back and drishti got busy with her studies etc. She infact laughed at the entire scenario and brushed it off.          

 After a couple of days or so Nimmi aunty came to Drishti's home. She seemed to be happy and relieved. She had a few packs that looked like gifts of sorts. She gave the packs to drishti and extended her regards to her mother for the help they had done for her sake. Drishti was so confused at what was happening as she had done everything for fun. She least bit believed what the lady whom Nimmi aunty had contacted and visited had told.But, in reality Nimmi aunty had visited the said city and had gone to that particular shop along with lady cops and had got the bangles back by getting the jeweller confess that he had bought those bangles from an elderly lady who needed money very urgently. He even confessed that the bangles were sold for lesser price than the original market rate Even though he suspected that it might have been stolen jewellery he preferred to buy it as it was profitable and he confirmed that he used to buy such jewellery as and when he got a chance to do Drishti was and is still wondering how this happened and what a strange incident it was !!!!!     

  Now this was a story when drishti was a teenager.As she entered her 20's she had another strange experience which haunts her even today when she is well into her forties. As a young lady or post her teens drishti had weird exercises which were beyond any explanation or reasoning. Due to these experiences she developed ocd and other behavioural problems. She became highly religious (praying repeatedly, fasting without food) etc. During those days she was tied up with college studies and extra curricular activities as well. Ofcourse it was a battle of sorts where she had to combat her mind issues as well as other activities.In the midst of this turmoil she got obsessed with one movie actor whose name began with the letter 'S'.He was a very popular actor of those bygone times. Ofcourse he was a good actor but not very well built or masculine ( heros are visualised as so). She never missed even a single movie of his and would buy magazines and newspapers to read about her favourite hero as and when anything was published about him, which was quite often as he was popular those times.One day her grandmother gave her an old jewellery box that was made out of team wood and looked beautiful. The box would open upwards just like any suitcase opens up. Drishti was extremely happy needless to say. She picked up a sketch pen and wrote down the letter 'S' on the upper backside of the box and his the box in her cup board.As and when she remembered her favourite hero she used to open the box and kiss the letter.

This became a regular habit with her. Her mother used to wonder what the hell she was upto. Once when questioned drishti explained the whole matter to her mother Saroj and she had a good laugh at it. So, the matter was forgotten in a lighter mode. And what a coincidence it was drishti completed her studies and when her parents started looking for a match for her, they got a suggestion from one of their close relative about a young man who was highly educated and was working in a big Government organization, drishti's parents spared no second thought and got the match fixed for her without any delay and guess what the groom's name started with the letter 'S' yes the same letter which she had embedded in her wooden jewellery box, her mind and her heart too. Now what do we call this a strange co-incidence and a beautiful one too right?