Recently, while going thru my facebook account, I hit on a quiz - 'What would you be in your next birth?'... not been able to get the sense of this whole quiz... I quizzed myself - What am I in my this birth... to be frank, I have been struggling for an answer all these years, this question though is still unanswered... I didn't give a damn to the quiz... sometimes, the things you try to avoid, kind of roam more all over the mind... a whole variety of thoughts started coimng to my idle mind... what if...?, what if I become.....?
After a lot of 'what ifs?'... my idle mind sparked - why only for next birth... why not for next-to-next... and further next etc! As Dr. Amartya Sen has titled one of his works 'The Argumentative Indian'... my mind argued, instead of 'What would you be?' can't it be 'What you want to be in your next birth?'... In any case, both the options cannot be verified. Then why not 'select' your next birth instead of carrying what's been 'imposed'... like I wanted to be Sir Edmund Hillary in my present birth or may be Sir Richard Branson or may be Mickey Mouse or may be a Jackfruit etc etc... but God made me what I am!... may be I didn't put in my request in advance...
... being undecided on what I want to be in my next birth... I started thinking about next birth...and then next... further next... to accommodate all the options. I zeroed-in on a few things that have fascinated me all along, by virtue of their looks, utility and various other features... being a decent cook myself, 'Food' was the first category that flashed in my mind... and... I almost screamed - Wowww!... I wanna be a Batata-Vada!!!
I just loved the thought... In a Vada-paav, how I would lie encushioned in a split fresh paav...wowww!... Some gorgeous girls taking large bites out of me and requesting the chaat-wala "भैय्या इस पर ज़रा हरी चटनी डालना"... I am simply thrilled imagining the freshly ground mint/ dhaniya flavoured 'hari chatni' flowing all over me... Can it get more cool??. How the top executives will stop mid-way to their homes for a bite..."चल यार, एक एक Vada-Paav मार के चलते हैं"... even their bosses don't get such a preferential treatment. I am ecstatic, just imagining how I'll be a part of get-togethers, friends' reunions or even small parties... people trying to snatch- grab-hold-bite me .... suddenly realising (and murmuring)... ऊपर से ठंडा लग रहा था ... पर अन्दर से आलू साला बहुत गरम है .... what a feeling it is to get noticed even in such parties & get togethers - what more can you ask for?
Like IMG, Globosport, Nimbus, Percept D'Mark, PMG etc vie for Sachin Tendulkar, Sania Mirza... how all the famous brands will vie for a share of mine - be it Jumbo King, Goli, the local 'Ganesh cha Vada-paav' or a politically motivated 'Shiv Vada-Paav (launched by Shiv Sena to counter north Indian chaat-waalas)'. Finding life-long friendships in 'लसून ठेचा (A very hot dry Garlic-Red Chilli-Lime mixture)' is already giving me goosebumps!!!... I am already feeling honored, how people won't mind taking me home to their wives... लाजवंती, ... छज्जू हलवाई के यहाँ गरम गरम निकल रहे थे ... मैं चार पैक करवा लाया ...
... I firmly believe, being a Batata-Vada is not an ordinary deal, it lets you - grab a lot of attention, be relished by others, being tasteful, find life-long friends and bring a lot of joy to every life you touch. What more can you ask for in a life-time?
... Given a chance, I would love to be a Batata-Vada in my next birth... is there anybody now who wouldn't??
