An Unusual Dream

Yesterday I had a dream. An unusual dream. Unusual 'coz I don't get dreams in my sleep. I don't remember having a dream, not because I don't remember, but simply because I have a very sound sleep - a dreamless sleep. But this was a welcome change. I got a dream and I remembered it too.

Now coming to the dream. Lets start with a flashback.

After a hectic day's work, as I rested myself on the bed, I turned on the TV. Nothing interesting being aired on the idiot box. So flipped on to what I like the most - the news channels - to get updated on what's going on in the world. I stuck to one channel (won't name it, nahi to free ki publicity ho jaayegi....) which showed a news byte regarding swine flu deaths. I was keenly watching the statistics of the deaths caused due to swine flu. I don't remember when I slept.

I woke up and found myself in a different world. Although it was quite familiar place, but it definitely wasn't my bed room. I was lying on a footpath. I had no idea how I was there. I had no idea what I was doing in the middle of some odd place in my night wear. And to add to my woes, I had no cell phone and no wallet, not even some change.

I regained my senses and saw a shop's signboard. I dug my eyes into the last few words on that board. It read "PUNE-2". Now, it was yet another shocker. How the hell was I in Pune? Although I had my relatives in the city, I had no distant plan of visiting Pune. But then, I had to call up at home and give them my whereabouts and tell them that I was safe and then go back home. But going back home and calling up were another distant dreams as I had no money in my pockets and no cell phone too.

I tried to recollect the numbers of my relatives in Pune. But all in vain. I started cursing the modern day inventions, to be specific the mobile phone. Mobile phones have made our life miserable. I used to remember the phone numbers of all my close relatives before I got my cell. And mobile phones gave us the ease of having a phonebook, so that we need not remember the numbers. I had a faint idea where my relatives lived, so I proceeded in a random direction. I decided to ask someone the way to the nearest relative's house.

As it was early morning, only a few people were visible. And ninety-nine percent of the people I saw, had masks on their faces. Then I realised that I was in the city where the effect of the dangerous 'swine flu' is maximum. I asked a few people the address, but people stayed away from me. I guess it was 'coz I was walking without any mask. People were hesitating in talkin to me. I didn't even have any handkerchief to cover my mouth and/or nose (even a hankie can be used, as the various TV channels claim). I tore off a piece of cloth from my shirt and tied it around my face. A make-shift face mask.

Moving ahead, I saw a beggar. He wasn't wearing a mask. This time I was scared. I decided to ask him the directions. As I knew only a li'l bit of Marathi and English was out of option as he was a beggar, I stuck to Hindi, which fortunately he also knew. After asking the directions, I continued talking with him so as to make him aware of the deadly flu in the city.

Me : Tumko swine flu ke baare mein pata hai. Poona mein kitne log mar rahe hai. Poore desh mein fail gaya hai ye.

Beggar : Pata hai saahab... pata hai.

M : Pata hai to mask lagana chahiye na. Marna hai kya tumko bhi?

B : Saahab. Swine flu se to nahi, bhookh se zarur mar jaaunga.

M : Bhookh se marne pe koi media wala nahi aayega. Government ko bhi bhookh se marne walo ki parwah nahi hai. Bas swine flu se mat marna, warna faltu mein bawaal ho jayega. Mask laga le yaar.

B : Saahab. Yahaan khaane ke paise nahi hai, mask kya lagau? Chaar din se bhookha hoon, do rupaye de do. Chaai pi ke thoda jaan aa jayegi.

M : Do rupaye??? Mehengai sach mein bahut badh gayi hai... Ab to bheekh ke rate bhi badh gayi hai.

B : Saahab. Dene ho to do, kam se kam mazaak to mat udaao.

As I was talking, someone came (a masked man, of course) and dropped a two-rupee coin in his bheekh-ka-katora. I was amazed that people have accepted the new begging rates. He continued talking.

B : Saahab, is swine flu ki bimari ne to hum logo ko duvidha mein daal diya hai. Ab jo paise de ke jaata hai, usko dua kaise doon? Chehra to dikhta nahi.

M : Ek raasta hai. Sab mask waalo ko swine flu se bachane ki dua maango.

B : Sirf mask waale hi kyun? Hum bina mask wale mar jaaye kya? Is se achha to sab ke liye hi na maang lu dua?

M : Ye bhi theek baat hai. Sab ke liye hi maang lo.

B : Saahab. Sab ke liye maang lu, to fir mujhe bheekh dene wale ka kya? Fir to dene wala aur na dene wala sab baraabar ho gaye.

M : Ye baat bhi sahi hai. Lekin mask laga le yaar.

B : Mask lagane se kya aadmi ko ye bimari nahi hogi?

M : Kehte to hain. Apne ko lagane mein kya jaata hai?

B : Kitne log mar gaye honge ab tak is bimari se?

M : Poore desh mein yehi koi 60-70.

B : Itne to har mahine mar jaate honge bhookh se. Sarkaar ko unki koi chinta nahi hai.

M : Wo alag baat hai yaar.

B : Alag baat kyun? Maut to maut hai. Bhookh se ho ya swine flu se. Swine flu se marne waalo ke liye itna shor sharaba. Aur bhookh se marne waalo ke liye koi media nahi, koi sarkaar nahi.

M : Tum bilkul sach keh rahe ho, par aam aadmi kya kar sakta hai?

While having this conversation, I heard some words followed by some music. It was getting louder and louder. I can now hear the words clearly, "Jaago Mohan Pyaare....". It sounds something familiar. It was my alarm tone. I shook my head and got up suddenly. And I was back in my bedroom. Everything intact. My cellphone was loudly playing the song. I could not believe what I had just experienced in my dream.

It was a bitter truth. I had mixed emotions, happy that I was back home and not in Pune, and a li'l gloomy 'coz of that conversation in the dream.