THE UNFORGETTABLE
My dream is not a dream
By GOPI KRISHNA
Copyright 2011 GOPI KRISHNA
Dedicated to my dearest grandpa, my parents, my mates and my dearest s(ch)weet*……..
*first time in the history of books dedicating to a person, who does not even know to the writer…….
Acknowledgements
My readers, you that is, to whom I owe all my success and motivation. I want to share something with you. I am very ambitious in my writing goals. However I don’t want to be India’s most admired writer. I just want to be India’s most loved writer. Admiration passes, love endures……….
Well, to say this is my book would be totally untrue. At best, this was my dream. There are people in this world, some of them so wonderful, that made this dream become a product that you are holding in your hand. I would thank them all of them and in particular:
Gopal Rao – grandpa, mentor, guru and friend, who taught me the basics of telling a story and stayed with me right till the end.If he hadn’t encouraged me and supported me all the way, I would have given up in the middle…….
Abhimithra,Revanth, Anuroop, Nikesh, Aashish, Nithin, Sandeep, Sreemaan, Uday, Nagarjuna, Amer, Bhavana, Ramya, Tejaswi,Keerthi,……….(well….this is a never ending list as it consists of all my friends) – amazing friends who always stayed with me in the process. I love them all so much that I could write a book on some of them. Hey wait, Can I?
Bhanu- cousin who always guides me, when I am at cross- roads….
My family for their constant support…..
God, for His love and blessings……..
Mounica – an amazing friend with an irrational, unbreakable belief in me, who always encouraged (encourages) me and stayed with me and handled me and my sometimes out-of-control emotions so well. She (any time) gave me wonderful suggestions and comments on the literary aspect I ever do ….
And lastly, it is only when one writes a book that one realizes the true power of MSWord, from grammar checks to replace-alls. It is simple – without this software, this book would not be written. Thank you Mr. Bill Gates and Microsoft Corp!
I also want to make a couple of disclaimers. One, this story is inspired by my own experiences. However, this book should be seen as a work of fiction. Also, for authenticity, I have used names of some real places, people and institutions as they represent cultural icons of today and aid in storytelling. There is no intention to imply anything else. I have taken the liberty to have some fun with some one - only because I see you as my own. You only make digs at people you care for…..
With that, I’d like to welcome you to The Unforgettable…….
That was in the overdue summer of 2022, where the date extrapolated on my desk as 22 July 2022.I woke up at dawn and went to a temple nearby to carry out a ritual and returned back home.
Albeit I was 28, I didn’t felt that going to temple is only the job of aged. The moment I returned my dwelling my mother said “What is the forte of today for you to go to the temple early this cock-crow?”
“Nothing” I answered as I wanted no body to know about the epistle which I would receive.
After that, my daily activities continued and I was awaiting the epistle to reach me as soon as it can be physically possible and I think that, I was the most ebullient person at that point of time.
Finally the occasion had arrived; perhaps the epistle is not at all an epistle from a girl, instead it’s from postman!!!!!
The siren of the postman’s cycle and siren of other citizens’ riding on the road sounded in unison but as I was quite fervent, I could discern the signal of the postman.
I ran to the postman with exhilaration.
”Sir, you have received a registered post, sign at this point and take it“ the post man said. I signed and said “Thank you”.
As soon as I left the postman I ran hastily into my room so that I should not get discerned with my epistle by anyone of my family members and closed the wicket of my room.
After closing the wicket I turned on the air conditioner present in my room as my carcass warmth had risen up with intense evolution of heat from it.
If a pyrometer is kept beside me at that time it would definitely show the temperature of my body although it is used in case of radiation type.
I once again prayed to the Almighty before opening the epistle. Here I may be seen to be more spiritual but it is undeniably needed at that point of time.
Finally I dared to open the epistle and it showed me some grandiloquent words that read as, ”You are selected”, which had paved a way for me to rise to cloud nine.
After that I opened the wicket of my room and as I raised my line of sight I was perplexed to see my grandpa just before the door. As I saw his visage, the expression was so that he was waiting for me.
“What my dear grandpa?”I questioned. “What are you doing in the room for so long time?” he questioned me in overturn.
”Nothing grandpa” I said, not honest under pressure.”Ok” he said and went into my space and sat on my chair and began to explore for something as I peeped behind the curtain.
“What are you searching for grandpa?”
“Nothing my dear!” he said but I knew that he was not honest as under pressure!!!
I took the letter with one hand from my back pocket and his eyeglasses with the other hand and handed them to him.
As he went on to read the letter I went into the room where the Almighty is placed in my domicile and took some grains of rice (well-known in south India) as called ‘Akshanthalu’ in telugu whose use is to put them on the head of younger one’s by the elder one’s to bless the former.
I reached my space with them and gave them to my grandpa and took his blessings, which I think is the most interesting, orthodox and traditional way to take blessings and also for sure I am not an iconoclast.
“Congratulations! My dear boy you have made it as I anticipated” he just shouted with intense contentment.
“See my dear son your son has made it into one of the most esteemed and pantheon offices of India” he said to my father.
“Congratulations my dear son!” My parents added and I also took their blessings .As of that night this information has passed to all my relatives.
On the next morning I was made busy by an outbreak of phone calls from all my relatives who were wishing me at last in spite of first. Despite of their wishing at last all started their phone call by uttering a five letter word.
The five letters word was certainly not a ‘hello’. Expect it what it would might be………..yes it’s that five letter word ‘