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haaathi-bombay-black-hotel · 5 months

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BOMBAY

BLACK

HOTEL

GOGI DUGGAL

It was a hot December morning and Nick needed to score his stash for the day.

He walked down to room 213 and he knocked at the door and waited. He heard a voice say “Fuck the hell out of here. It’s too early in the morning.”

It was Chandrakant, also known as Chandu; the resident dealer in this dilapidated hotel, known among the smokers of Bombay as “Bombay Black Hotel”.

The name on the front of the establishment was Shreeji Hotel – Come One, Come All (Established in 1950). It was the hub of all those who were not welcome anywhere. It was a cheap and clean establishment, and tolerant of the activities of the residents who were not exactly A- listers.

The residents were creative types and people with next to no money and shady types and rejects of society who had nowhere else to go. It had a modern reception and “community area” as the lounge was called and a kitchen that served vegetarian fare; Non vegetarian food was to be ordered from home delivery restaurants in the area and the containers were to be disposed off correctly.

The rooms were whitewashed and presentable but there was no sense of comfort in them. Everything was utilitarian. Few rooms had attached bathrooms and they were taken by the older residents and ninety percent of the residents had to use the common bathrooms at the end of each floor.

Nick knocked again and said “Chandu! It’s Nick. Please get up and open the door. I have places to be.”

After a few seconds the door opened with a man standing in his lungi sleepily rubbing his eyes. “Ah Nikhil, come in.”

Nick followed him in and asked for a tola of Black. Chandu reached out under his pillow and pulled out a pouch which contained the stash of hash. He took out a piece in a plastic baggie and handed over a T to Nick and said “That’s 2000 bucks.”

Nick pulled out two five hundred rupee notes and said “I will pay you the remaining when I get back tonight.”

Chandu took the 1000 bucks and said “OK” and went and lay on his bed, pulling his sheet over him and mumbled “Close the door on your way out”.

Nick slammed the door shut and walked down the stairs when he realised he had forgotten his waist pouch in his room. He turned around, walked up the stairs up to the third floor and went to room 306 which was his room. He opened the door and quickly picked up his pouch and wrapped it around his waist and ran down the stairs. Getting off his bike outside was his best friend Zia.

“When did you get back Zee?” Nick asked as he gave him a hug.

“Just last night,” he said. “It was a trip of a lifetime. It was too bad that you couldn't make it.”

“Yeah, too bad,” said Nick. “Let’s talk about the trip when I get back from work, my room? Around ten ok?”

“Kewl” said Zee and picked up his backpack and helmet and walked in. Nick waved to a rickshaw and got in and he was gone.

Sayli was just opening up the office when she saw Zia entering through the gate. She was the assistant manager there and signaled Zia to come in.

He walked in and said “Hi Sayli, I know that I am late, give me a week to come up with it. The road trip to Ladakh cost me all of my savings, so you’ll have to give me some time.”

She was a girl with a soft heart and always supported the boys when they ran late on their bills. She replied “No problem. Is a week from today ok?”

Zia gave her a thumbs up and bounded up the stairs to his room. He was in room 313 which was the room where another film editor, Derek had lived till he overdosed on Ketamine and died five years ago. It was a coincidence that Zee happened to have known him and had visited this very room while he was still alive. He had moved in a year after the incident and had got the same room. Zee unlocked the door and kept his things on the chair and got busy making a joint with the stash he had got down with him from the trip when he noticed that he was out of rolling papers and decided to make a chillum instead; but he needed another person with him or else it would be too much. He prepared the mix and filled the chillum as he walked out into the hallway and knocked on room 319.

The door opened and it was Sandy and just behind him was his wife Anu.

“What’s up?” said Sandy.

“Wanna smoke this gun with me? I ran out of papers. I used the whole damn carton on the trip to Ladakh and back.”

“Sure! Come on in” said Anu.

He walked into the room and sat himself on a ledge by the window. He offered the chillum to Sandy to shoot. Zee lit it and Sandy inhaled deeply and held it in for quite a while and exhaled, filling the tiny ten feet by ten feet room with smoke and that familiar smell they all loved so much. Anu took the chillum and took a small toke and passed it to Zee. Zee took his needful and passed it on to Sandy. In two rounds the chillum was canned. Zee took the chillum and emptied it into a dustbin and took some Safi and cleaned it.

“That was much needed,” said Anu.

“Feel like some breakfast Zee? We’ve got some Chinese leftovers from last night in the fridge.”

“Got any chicken lollipops?”

“Let me see,” said Anu.

Sandy lay down on the bed and stretched out and asked Zee “What are the deets of your trip?”

“Come by Nick’s room at ten. We will chat and make a night out of it” he said.

“Cool” replied Anu, “I will bring some wine that Sandy’s brother gifted us last night at dinner. It is our second anniversary today and we brought it in last night with his brother and his wife.”

Zee got up and hugged Anu and wished both of them a happy anniversary and high fived Sandy.

“This is fantastic! We will have a proper bash tonight. Who else would you like to call tonight” asked Zee.

“How about calling that cute photographer who just moved in last month? You remember her, Anu” said Sandy.

“Ya” said Anu, “The one with the big tits which you guys could not get your eyes off. I mean the size of those things man. They are like udders.”

Both Zee and Sandy started laughing and could not stop. Anu went to the fridge and got the food out and heated it in the microwave. They took plates and started helping themselves to fried rice, fish in Hunan sauce and some spring rolls.

“Sorry Zee, it looks like we canned the chicken lollipops last night” apologized Anu.

“No sweat my love, we will order lots of them for the bash tonight” he replied.

Sandy with a mouthful of rice said “And some pork dumplings.”

Anu hit him lightly on the side of his head, “Don’t speak with food in your mouth” and laughed.

They ate silently, the munchies kicking in. They finished eating in a while and Sandy said “How about some dessert? Any cake left from last night?” Anu checked the fridge and got half a cake out of the fridge. They wiped it out in no time.

Their munchies satisfied, Zee said “I’m gonna split. I gotta crash. See you at Nick’s at ten tonight.”

Sandy reached into his drawer and took out a couple of packs of Rizla rolling papers and gave them to Zee. “This should hold you for a while,” he said.

“Thanx man” said Zee and put them in his pocket and left the room. He ducked his head back in and said “Anu, be a dear and get some ice tonight. I have got two bottles of Channg from Ladakh. It says that no social activity is ever complete without it.”

“Sure” said Anu, “I wonder how we survived so long without it, hahahaha. Adios Zee, see you at Nick’s.”

Zee walked back to his room and saw that he had left the door open and Girish was sitting on his bed leafing through a magazine. He was an artist and jobless.

“Got any maal man?” was the first thing he asked Zee.

Zee went to his backpack and took out a large ball of hash and pulled a piece out of it and threw it to him. Girish or Gary as he was commonly known got busy rolling a joint. He lit it and passed it to Zee who was glad to replenish his buzz.

They sat about sharing the joint till it got canned and then Zee said “I gotta crash for a while now. Can we catch up later?”

“Sure,” replied Gary.

“We’re celebrating Anu and Sandy’s anniversary today at Nick’s place. You should come. Also please inform Nick that there is a party in his room at 10 pm tonight.”

Gary said “Sure” and left the room.

Zee shut the door and went and lay on his bed in the hope of getting some sleep. He looked at his watch and saw that it was almost 10 and put his head to the pillow and the next thing he heard was someone banging on his door. It was Sandy.

“Wake up you sleepyhead. It is time to party” he yelled as he continued banging on the door.

Zee got up and opened the door and asked “What time is it?”

“It is 10 pm, time to start the party” yelled Sandy in his face.

Zee was dazed and looked at his own watch and realised that he had slept for twelve hours straight. He had not realised that he had been so drained from the trip.

He said “Come in Sandy. Give me some time to get my act together.”

“Sure” said Sandy as he moved the backpack onto the floor and sat in the chair.

Zee took his towel out from his dresser and said “I will be right back. A quick shower will set me right. Is Anu ready?”

“Anu is at Nick’s along with Gary and Janis” replied Sandy.

Zee turned back and asked “Who is Janis?”

“The lady with the udders, my man,” Sandy said laughing.

“Oh that will be fun” said Zee and headed out to the common bathrooms at the end of the floor. He was back in ten minutes and he dressed real quick. Sandy picked the joint that he had rolled and passed it to Zee. They walked out, shutting the door. Just a few doors down was Nick’s room. A suite if you must, it had two rooms and an attached bathroom and was the ideal place to party. They reached the door and knocked persistently.

Nick was in good spirits as he had a great day at work where he was handling the production. He had to deal with six super hot models for a commercial that was being shot that day. And he had got paid in cash as he had requested. He opened the door and let Zee and Sandy in. The three of them hugged as though they had not met in ten years. Zee said Hi to Anu and was introduced to Janis. Gary was already on his fourth whiskey and umpteenth joint and was talking to himself. Sandy went to the writing desk where the booze was kept and made himself a drink. He turned to everybody and announced “We need music that will make the dead get up and dance.”

He got up and went to the laptop where Nick had hooked it up to speakers and started setting up a playlist. Back in Black came on and everybody in the room was wild with the opening riff. The energy in the song was infectious. Nick was grooving and so were Anu and Janis. Zee joined them and they were all lost dancing in the little space that there was. Sandy and Girish lit a chillum and they all sat together to partake of this ancient ritual.

Janis was a novice and asked “Why is it called Bombay Black?”

Nick took it upon himself to explain it to her. “Bombay Black is a specialty unique to Bombay '' he said “It is a mix of Hash and Opium. While Hash alone won’t do you in, this will.”

Janis was a little scared with this explanation and seemed apprehensive.

He said “Don’t worry. You can try it through a secondary delivery system.”

He took a deep toke of the chillum and held it in and Zee asked her to open her mouth a bit and suck in the smoke that Nick would blow into her mouth. She did exactly as she was told and held it in. When she exhaled she was smiling and was giggling. She felt it build up and soon she was stoned out of her wits.

The rest of the gang finished the chillum and Anu opened the wine she had got with her. Everybody took swigs from the bottle as there were not enough glasses around.

Janis was free of any inhibitions that she may have had and was yelling “This is the best time I have ever had.”

Everybody toasted her and she was as happy as she could have been.

There was a knock on the door and it was the food being delivered. Anu had ordered it when there was no sign of Zee when she reached Nick’s room. Nick who had cash in his pockets took the bill and said “It’s my treat people” and everybody cheered him on.

The snacks were opened and set on the table and the party continued. Janis was the first to hit the snacks as her munchies had kicked in. She was lost on her own trip and ate and ate and ate. She then pulled the wine bottle out of Gary’s hand and took a big gulp. She was ready to dance some more. Sandy joined her and somehow they reached the bed and started jumping on it. Anu too joined them.

While this was going on in the other room, Nick pulled out a vial of coke.” He ran a few lines of the coke on the table and the three of them snorted them. In no time the room was abuzz. Just then Anu and Sandy walked in and saw the coke on the table. They too snorted a few lines. Janis was in the bathroom and Anu went to check on her.

When she went in she saw that Janis was in the shower with all her clothes on. This cracked her up and she started laughing hysterically and so did Janis.

This party was getting weirder than they had expected.

There was a knock on the door and Nick opened it and saw that it was Shanti and Maya with two bottles of Vodka each in their hands. They were twins and Bharatnatyam dancers who lived on the fourth floor.

They said they wanted to party and Nick said “Come on in”.

They walked in with the four bottles of Vodka and placed them next to the booze kept on the writing table. Zee cleared away the food containers as most of them were empty courtesy of Janis and her munchies. Sandy put two bottles of the Vodka in the freezer for later when they would be absolutely chilled. All of them finished what was in their glasses and started on the Vodka. It was Polish Vodka and everyone enjoyed the first sip.

Janis came out of the bathroom in a towel and said “This is all I could find in the bathroom.”

She took a glass of the Vodka and enjoyed its soothing effect as it went down her throat.

“That was wonderful” said Janis and sat down on the sofa.

Anu, Sandy and Nick started talking to Zee about his trip to Ladakh and Zee was animatedly giving them the deets. The others joined in as well and soon everybody was asking questions. When Zee finished answering them, Sandy asked him about the Channg that he had got from Ladakh.

“Oh ya, that is still in my backpack. Let me get it” he said and headed towards his room.

He returned shortly and asked “Anu my dear, did you get the ice as I had asked?”

She went to the fridge and pulled out a big ziplock bag full of ice and gave it to Sandy. Zee poured the Channg into everyone’s glasses and a toast was made to Zee. The party was getting its second wind.

Gary decided that they should all do bucket bongs and everybody cheered him. Gary filled a bucket with water while Zee prepared the bottle and Nick prepared the chillum. This was going to be a fun evening. Everybody had their turns at the bucket bong and there was complete mayhem as far as the noise levels were concerned. The excitement with which everybody was getting high could lead one to believe it was the last party they were ever going to have.

Another chillum was being made courtesy of Zee who felt that he needed to mellow down a bit after the Coke. The chillum passed around and everybody had a hit.

“Good evening. Ladies and Gentlemen” they heard a voice and turned and saw that it was Chandu who was entering the room with two foreigners.

They were Jim and Andy who were Australians passing through Mumbai and had managed a room in the hotel. They had bumped into Chandu in the reception area who sold them some Hash.

They came in and said hello to everyone and Chandu put some vials of Coke on the table along with two bottles of whiskey. This was going to get insane. Everybody was loud and the music could hardly be heard and then Gary cranked up the music and the party was on its way again.

Nick was the first to hit the coke and pretty soon everyone followed. This went on for a while and the dancing was getting rowdier. Jim took a fancy towards Janis and pulled her up and they were dancing together. Her towel slipped a couple of times and Anu helped her out, but nobody was complaining. She did have a nice body. Chandu opened the whiskey and that went around pretty fast. There were now eleven people in the two rooms. Chandu excused himself for a moment and took a call and was giving instructions to someone in Marathi. Shortly two men arrived with bags of food in their hands. Chandu and Nick took the bags in and kept them on the floor near the booze.

Chandu told Nick “I am now a partner in a Malwani Restaurant in Parel. Food has come from there. Open the packets or it will get cold.”

Nick, Anu and Zee got on food duty and the spread was laid out wherever they could find the space. Everybody took a break from their insanities and started eating the fried fish and prawns and all sorts of Malwani seafood preparations. Janis still had an appetite even though she had literally wiped out the first dinner by herself. But now there was enough for all of them to partake in and the party would carry on. Zee looked at his watch and it was 3:30 am.

After all the food was eaten, everybody just held on to their places as they were too drunk, stoned, coked up and full to move. This could be a good place to end the party; but no! Sandy was just getting ready to have another go and there were two more bottles of Vodka left to be opened. He went to the fridge and got them out. They were chilled and delicious and refreshing. Everybody was soon moving around talking animatedly and little groups were forming for conversations that nobody knew anything about. It was like everybody was speaking in tongues simultaneously. All this energy was going to waste thought Gary and so he decided to pass out bumps of what was left of the coke and everybody had a little snort. The music went up and the dancing started again and the party was roaring in no time.

It was finally 5am and slowly, two by two, everybody started getting out the door and trying to get back to their rooms. Shanti and Maya had gone to their room on the fourth floor and the Australians had left with Janis. Anu and Sandy had left for their room and Gary was passed out under the bed. Now it was just Nick and Zee and Chandu left. They were still riding the high and were quite wired.

“I don’t think I will be able to fall asleep now,” said Zee.

“Me too,” said Nick.

Chandu reached into his pocket and pulled out a vial.

“This is Heroin. A bump will bring you down from the Coke high and set you up to sleep. Wanna try it” he asked.

Nick and Zee looked at each other and smiled as they had an appetite for getting high and said “Yes”.

Chandu gave them a bump each and they snorted it. It was a strange warm feeling, like being pulled into a warm bath.

Zee said “Hit me again.”

Chandu laid down four small lines on the table and Nick and Zee wiped them out.

They reclined back on the sofa and closed their eyes and slipped into nothingness. That was the end of the night and the party had finally ended.

It was about noon when Nick woke up to a lot of noise around him and wondered what the hell was happening. Gary was there and so was Chandu. He saw that Dr Chauhan who lived on the second floor was also there. He took a minute to register what was going on when he saw Dr Chauhan checking Zee’s pulse with his finger on his carotid artery.

“I am afraid he is dead,” said Dr Chauhan with a grim look in his eyes.

Nick looked at Gary and Chandu; they were stone faced.

Nick was slowly slipping into disbelief and looked at Zee lying on the floor with his eyes open and rolled upwards. It was shocking and at the same time surreal; it was only a few hours since they had spoken while sitting on the sofa and snorted the H. And now he was dead. Gary worked up the courage to speak with the doctor.

“Dr Chauhan, what was the cause of death?” he asked.

“It looks like heart failure to me but an autopsy might reveal more” the doctor said. “You boys were partying real hard last night. Were there any hard drugs?”

Nick nodded and looked down at his feet.

Then Dr Chauhan said “I suggest that we do not say that to the authorities. I will state the cause of death as a heart failure and that will arouse no suspicion. Heroin and Cocaine have been known to cause heart failure.”

They agreed and Gary left the room to inform Anu and Sandy.

Slowly the news spread and the other residents found out about it. The doctor wrote the death certificate and gave it to Chandu.

“You should take charge of the funeral arrangements, Chandu. The kids won’t be able to” he said and Chandu nodded in agreement.

Nick was slipping into delirium and was just saying “I don’t believe it. I just don’t believe it. How could this happen?” He was pacing the room and kept repeating it over and over to himself.

Gary entered the room accompanied by Anu and Sandy. They too were in shock. Sayli, the assistant manager came up and spoke with Chandu in Marathi and Chandu gave her some instructions and she left.

Chandu asked Sandy “How old was he?”

“He was twenty seven. Same as me” he replied. “Are there any relatives whom we can inform?”

Anu answered “His parents had passed away a long time ago. He was an only child. He does have a cousin working in Pune. I will try to find his number.” Anu left the room to go look for the number.

After about twenty minutes the police walked in. Sayli had made the call. The inspector knew Chandu and they spoke in Marathi and he was satisfied with what Chandu had to say. He told the constable to be with them and said there was nothing suspicious in this death. With that he told Chandu he would meet him later and left.

The hearse arrived and the attendants entered the room with a body bag. The other residents of the hotel helped the attendants carry the body down. He was not very heavy, but death makes the body gain a few kilos. They set the body down in the lounge area and the residents came one by one to pay respects to the departed. It turned out that Zee had gotten to know everybody in the Hotel during his stay there.

Chandu was on the phone looking for a Muslim priest in the area to help them get Zee buried. He managed to trace one and he said that he could be there in half an hour. In the meantime Sayli had organized for a flower cart to come to the hotel so that the residents could offer flowers as was the norm. The residents picked up flower petals and garlands and placed them on the body. Though this was primarily a Hindu custom, nobody objected. They would all have to make do with what they knew. Everybody just stood around talking to each other waiting for the priest to come.

Nick, Anu, Sandy and Gary were standing together in the corner and were conspicuously away from the body. They were his best friends and the shock of it was too much.

Shanti and Maya walked up to the group and stood with them solemnly. Nobody spoke or greeted anyone. The priest finally arrived and the prayers were recited. The body was carried into the hearse and taken to the burial ground. The others followed in cars, bikes and taxis. When the prayers were being said, all of them were quiet and the body was lowered into the ground. Then they started putting mud over the casket and when it was fully covered up, all of them began to howl. Nick was beside himself in pain as he clutched his chest and Anu held him as they walked out with the rest.

They came back to the hotel and headed up to Nick’s room. They sat or stood where they could and just stayed silent, trying to believe what had happened.

Chandu organized for helpers from his restaurant and they walked around offering water to everybody. It was much needed and they were thanked and blessed by everybody. Chandu knew that nobody would be able to eat, so he organized fruit juice to be served to everyone.

Nick went and lay down on his bed and just stared at the ceiling. He was feeling pain and loss and above all guilt. He just knew that his hard partying ways had seeped into Zee as they partied together all the time. He felt responsible for all the madness that he had encouraged in Zee. He remembered when Zee came to the hotel, he was a cool guy who had a few drinks and the occasional joint but he never did hard drugs. And now he was six feet under because of him.

Anu came and sat beside Nick on the bed and put her hand on his head. He smiled at her and without words their hearts had spoken to each other. There was nothing to be said at that moment.

Chandu was in a conference with Gary and Sandy and said “You guys have to be with Nikhil at all times. He is not to be left alone for even a minute.”

They nodded in agreement.

Janis walked into the room in tears as she had just found out about Zee. She had just got back to her room after leaving with Jim and Andy, the Australian boys, the night before. She hugged Gary and Sandy and Chandu. She held Sandy’s hand and was feeling at a loss for words. She had only met Zee the night before and now he was gone, never to be seen again. Death affected people in many ways.

Gary went to Nick and asked him if he would like to smoke a joint to take the edge off. Nick nodded and Gary got busy rolling. He lit it and passed it to Nick. Anu slid it from his hand into her own hand and took a deep drag. Then Sandy took a hit and Janis refused it. They all seemed to be returning from the edge and the colour was returning to their ashen cheeks.

Nick wanted to know what day of the week it was and Sandy said “Wednesday.”

“I think I should call my parents and tell them about Zee. They were fond of him” said Nick. He walked out to the hallway, took out his mobile and called his mum and told her about Zee’s demise. He was careful not to give anything away and hung up shortly.

He stood there and looked down and could see Zee’s bike parked downstairs. Tears started rolling down his face. He wiped them and just toked on the joint. He did not even realize when it had come back to him. Something was cooking at the back of his head and he had no idea what it was. He was having a premonition that something was going to change. He knew he needed to feel better and maybe this would lead him towards it. He looked out at the street for a long time and realised that the joint was burning his finger and stubbed it out with his foot.

“A change is gonna come, oh yes it is” he said to himself. He looked around for the others but they were all in his room.

He walked back to the room and asked Chandu if he could organize some food for all of them. Chandu got busy on the phone and took care of it.

Nick walked up to Sandy and Gary and put his hands on their shoulders. There was enough said in this gesture. They spoke in soft voices and felt the bonds of brotherhood between them.

Nick asked Gary if he had any idea when the food was getting here.

Gary said “I will go check with Chandu.”

Janis had been quiet this whole time and Nick had forgotten that she was even there.

He went up to her and said “You know Janis, you are one fortunate girl. You got to meet Zee, a most decent human being whom I corrupted. He will forgive me but I wonder if God will let me forgive myself.”

Gary came back and said the food had come and they all went to serve themselves. It was a light meal of Dosas and potato bhaji and chutney. They were famished and it was already four o clock. They finished eating and Nick said he was thirsty. Anu asked a helper to bring some more juice if there was any left.

He returned with a tray and they each took a glass and Nick toasted Zee “Zee is watching us all and I say Zee, we will never forget you. May you reach the Heavens and put in a good word for us sinners. May our depraved souls find absolution and meet you again in the afterworld to set the wrongs right.”

At this everyone got a sense of how Nick was feeling and they knew it was not fair for him to blame himself for everything that had happened. But that talk was for another day. Today, they were just going to hang around together and keep things mellow.

Nick woke up early and saw that Sandy was sleeping on the floor next to his bed. He quietly got up and went to the bathroom. He was in there for a good twenty minutes and when he came out Sandy was staring at him and yelled “What the fuck did you do Nick?”

Nick put his hand on his head and patted his scalp saying “I am getting ready for a new life.”

Sandy was confused “But why did you shave your head?”

Nick looked at him intently and said “I am giving up this world. I am going to become a monk.”

Sandy was shaken up. Nick had made such a huge decision and he had not spoken with any of them about it. He had to get the others in immediately.

He went to the other room and made a call to Anu and said “Nick’s lost it. He has shaved off his head and says he is going to become a monk. Come to his room immediately. Call Gary and Chandu as well” and he hung up.

He opened the door so that the gang could get in and waited. Anu arrived first followed by Gary.

They went in and looked at Nick and Anu said “What the hell are you doing? Why don’t you talk to us first before you go ahead and make these decisions?”

Chandu walked in and looked at Nick and said “It suits you. You should have done this before.”

“What!” Anu exclaimed.

“Ya, he looks good with the new look,” said Chandu.

“Oh you’re insane” said Anu.

She was seething with anger.

Chandu said “Ok? You said your bit? Now let us hear what Nick has to say.”

He turned to Nick and asked him “What is it that you are actually planning to do?”

Nick calmly sat down on the sofa and said “I am going to find my Guru.”

“And where will you find him?” asked Anu.

“I will have to travel this country to find him. And I will.”

“And what will you do then when you find him?” asked Gary.

“I will ask him to accept me as his disciple and show me the way to a more meaningful life. The lives we live are ludicrous. Nothing but indulgence after indulgence. When will this ever stop? I need to change the path I am on and I suggest that you guys take a good hard look at your lives too.”

Anu was quiet as she realised that this was true.

Chandu spoke calmly and said “There is no need to be alarmed my friends, he is doing what any inspired man would do. Let him seek and he shall surely find. In fact, I have a good starting point for you. Go to the ashram of Swami Sai Ananda just ahead of Ganeshpuri. The head trustee is known to my family. It is a holy place and has the Samadhi of Swami Sai Ananda there. He will guide you. It does not matter whether the Saint is in his body or not, their grace and blessings are everywhere. Live there for a while, learn to meditate, do worship, and get a feel for that life. You will have the space to meet holy men and ask your questions. Who knows it may even lead you to your salvation. In fact we will all take a trip and take you there. The only condition is that you have to keep your mobile phone charged at all times. Is that a deal?”

Chandu put out his hand and Nick smiled and shook it saying “It’s a deal.”

Anu, Sandy and Gary were stupefied. They were wondering what Chandu was up to.

“Ok so now everybody go pack your bags for the trip. We will be gone for two days. It will be cold so bring warm clothes” said Chandu “We will meet in the lobby in 40 minutes. I am going to rent a van. We will have breakfast on the way.”

He turned to Nick and said “Just take your toiletries and I will get you hooked up with your Sadhu outfit at the ashram” and he left the room.

Everybody was even more surprised with this turn of events than Nick saying he wanted to become a monk. They left Nick’s room to get their stuff ready for the trip. Chandu went to his room and made a call to the head trustee at the ashram and explained the situation to him. He also told him that there would be four more of them and asked if accommodation could be arranged for one night. The trustee said everything will be done. Chandu hung up and packed a bag for the trip. He went to his secret hiding place and took out two bundles of 500 rupee notes and put them in his bag. He then called a friend who ran a car rental service and asked him to send a van for a two day trip to Ganeshpuri. He picked up his bag and walked down to the lobby and waited for the others to join him.

While he was waiting for them, JJ, a musician who lived on the fourth floor came up to him and asked him “Where are you headed this early Chandu?”

“Just ahead of Ganeshpuri, to Swami Sai Ananda’s Ashram.”

“Oh that sounds like a fun trip,” he said.

“Would you like to come along JJ?” Chandu asked.

“Ya sure” JJ replied.

“Then go and pack a bag for a two day trip.” JJ ran to get packed.

“You had better be here in fifteen minutes” yelled Chandu after him.

After five minutes Anu and Sandy came down. Nick followed and finally Gary turned up. They waited for the van to arrive. JJ turned up with his bag and guitar.

“JJ will be joining us on the trip,” Chandu informed the others.

They liked JJ. He was a pleasant person and wrote good songs and sang well. The van pulled up and they loaded their bags on the roof and secured them with rope. They got into the van and Chandu got in the front seat. When all of them were seated, Chandu told the driver in Marathi where to go and what route to take. They were all feeling a little apprehensive at how this would turn out.

The driver started the car and they took off on a spiritual quest that none of them had envisioned 24 hours ago. The mood was light now and the air had a slight nip in it. This was something Mumbaikars enjoyed as it was rare. They drove out and the driver estimated that they would reach their destination in two hours.

Chandu turned around to look at everyone and said “JJ, sing us a spiritual song.”

JJ was right at the back with his guitar and he started playing My Sweet Lord by George Harrison. It was a catchy song and it was a great sing along especially in the chorus. Everyone joined in and it lifted spirits considerably. Chandu rolled a joint and started smoking it. He turned and offered it to Nick who was sitting right behind him.

“Prasad” he said and Nick smiled and took it and took a few drags and passed it to Anu who was sitting between him and Sandy.

Sandy was still trying to come to terms with what was going on, but he could not get to the bottom of it. Anu passed the joint to him and he was happy taking his first toke of the day. Chandu asked the driver to pull up near the Vada pav stand and ordered twenty Vada pavs.

JJ had started a song he had written called ‘God, listen to me.’ It was humorous and Nick was smiling at the words.

It went: “Oh Lord, I’ve been looking for you, I traveled all over the world to find you, but just when I gave up and came home, You showed me that my heart was your throne.”

Chandu took the parcel of Vada pavs and took one and offered the driver and passed the bag to Anu to pass around. They were hungry and they quickly wiped them out.

Gary really liked them. “Are there any more?” he asked.

Chandu ordered another dozen and they moved on. The van was headed towards Virar and everybody had made peace with the fact that Chandu, whether you believed it or not, was a man who took charge and delivered. They were stuck in traffic on the W.E. Highway and they just looked around bored.

Just then Nick asked Chandu if he should call his parents to inform them.

Chandu told him “No need to get them alarmed till you reach your final destination. Meaning till you find your Guru or your Guru finds you. Just tell them that you are traveling whenever they call.”

That was wise indeed. The van moved on. They had already passed Virar and the driver informed them that in another half an hour they would be at the ashram.

JJ was a quiet man at most times but he had something to tell his listeners.

He said “Every love song can be sung as an offering to God and that is why love songs have a special place in the hearts of devotees.”

And then he started singing a popular love song. They were getting closer to their destination and after five minutes they turned into a gate and had reached the Ashram.

The van pulled up outside the administrative office and they got out of the van. Chandu was stretching to straighten his back. The others were doing likewise. The driver started unloading the luggage and Gary and JJ helped him. Chandu walked into the office and started talking to a man who was dressed in a white kurta pajama.

Both of them came out and Chandu introduced the youngsters and said “This is Shastriji. He is the head trustee of the ashram.”

He called Nick and said, “Shastriji, this is Nikhil. He would like to stay here at the ashram for a while. Please take good care of him.”

“Namaste Shastriji” said Nick.

“Namaste” said Shastriji.

Anu, Sandy and Gary were snickering under their breath covering their mouths. Nick saying Namaste! What a hoot.

Shastriji told them that there was one big room with six beds that was free and could accommodate them easily. He called a young devotee and told him to show them to the room and help them get their bags.

Chandu said “You guys get settled in. I will join you in a while.”

The gang picked up their bags and headed to the room led by the devotee. They saw that it was a big room maybe 20 feet by 20 feet with three beds on each side of the room and it had an attached bathroom.

They thanked the devotee and Nick asked him how long he had been living at the ashram. He said it was his third year at the ashram. Nick had a lot more questions but he decided to ask them later.

The devotee said “It is now lunchtime so you should freshen up and head to the food hall. There is a nominal fee of ten rupees for guests for a meal.”

He took his leave and left them to get settled in.

Anu went and kept her bag next to a bed by the window and lay down on it. Sandy took the one next to it and Gary took the next one.

JJ put his guitar on the bed closest to him and said “Excuse me guys” and went to the bathroom.

Nick walked to the window and looked outside. He stood there silent and feeling a strange calm that he had not felt before. He spent a few minutes watching the devotees coming out of the Samadhi Mandir and felt a warm feeling in the center of his chest.

He turned and asked the gang “Should we go to the Samadhi Mandir now and then head for lunch?”

Sandy replied “Yeah that would be great. I am still stuffed from the Wada pavs.”

“Me too,” said Gary.

“That’s because you ate six of them, you moron,” laughed Anu.

JJ came out of the bathroom and they told him the plan.

They got up and left the room. They walked slowly with a respectful demeanor so as not to draw attention to themselves. They reached the steps of the Samadhi Mandir and they saw people prostrating at the entrance before entering. They did the same and walked in. They walked around the Mandir and came to the Samadhi. They bowed down respectfully and Nick prostrated right there. He was down on the floor for a while when Anu noticed that Nick was sobbing.

She nudged Sandy and pointed to Nick.

“Let him be,” he said.

“This temple has a very powerful energy. Can you feel it?”

“Yes” Anu replied.

Nick got up and was wiping his tears when Sandy put his arm around him and said “We have come to the right place.”

“I think so too,” said Nick.

Nick was feeling like his sorrows had been lifted out of his heavy heart.

“Let’s walk around a little and get to know the lay of the land. I might as well get familiar with it. Seems like I will be here for a while” he said.

“Okay” said Sandy and signaled the others to follow them out.

They came out of the Mandir and walked around till they came to a tree with an elderly Sanyasi sitting under it and a few people sitting by his feet listening to him. Nick was curious and went and sat down with the others. The rest of the gang followed and did the same.

The Sanyasi was speaking in Hindi and he was saying “There is nothing that we actually do in this world. All that we think we are doing is nothing but the working out of our individual karma. We are impelled by our past to do deeds and what we do is based on our past karma. There is nothing we can do about it. Surrendering our will to the will of God is the only ointment that can heal the wounds of our deeds. Karma from the past makes us create new karma for the future. It is an infinite cycle. The way out of this is to surrender to God’s will as He alone knows what is right for you. He is the law and he dispenses your karma in accordance with the progress of your faith in him. It is like being in school. In the lower classes the lessons are not that demanding; but in the higher classes they get very difficult. But in the end the student comes out having learned something and is ready to face the world. The difficulty is worth it in the end. Similarly, as one progresses on this path, his tests get more and more difficult. But the aspirant must keep his eye on his goal. The goal being union with God. This is the same as realizing the Self. He should not lose sight of it. The difficulties of life are worth it. The difficulties of life are worth it.”

The Sanyasi stopped here and told all those sitting to go have some food while it was still being served. They all got up and walked away. This motley crew from Bombay was still sitting there dumbstruck.

The Sanyasi looked at them and said “You have come from Bombay?”

“Yes, Swamiji” replied Anu.

Nick was hesitant to say anything and decided to wait for a better time.

The Sanyasi said “Good. Now go and have some food. I will be here after the evening Arti. We will talk then.”

It was almost like he had sensed Nick’s hesitance. They got up and went to the food hall.

They reached the food hall and paid Rs 10 per head for the meal. Gary was quite astonished that they could give people a whole meal at that price.

“Maybe I should come and live here too” he said “at least I will be able to afford food unlike back at the hotel where I live on maggi noodles.”

Everyone laughed. This was turning out to be a good trip after all. The Sanyasi’s sermon had got all of them thinking.

“This is not a boring place and has very wise people living here. Maybe it will do Nick some good to spend time with such people. It would get him out of his funk.” Sandy whispered to Anu and Gary.

They went into the large hall and saw that there were places set on the floor. The hall was crowded but they found a place to sit together. Devotees were walking up and down the aisles serving food to the visitors and residents from stainless steel buckets. They were served steaming hot dal and rice, chapati and vegetables. The food was simple but not bland and had less oil than most home cooked meals. They enjoyed the meal, occasionally looking out at the other devotees enjoying their meals. They finished and took their plates with them and gave them to the volunteers who were collecting them for washing.

They headed towards the room and saw Chandu waving at them.

“How did you like the place? And wasn’t the food great?” He asked as he walked towards them.

“This place is sensational,” said Sandy.

“The food too was superb” said Gary.

JJ, forever the carnivore, said “I need meat” and everyone laughed.

“Vegetarian food is good for you dummy. You can do without meat for a few days” quipped Anu.

They all laughed and continued walking towards the room. When they were back in the room, everybody lay on their beds and justly idly chatted and felt good for no particular reason. The ashram was the home of a divine Saint and his energy was everywhere. There was so much positivity in the air. Their everyday trivial problems just seemed to have vanished from their minds.

Chandu was smiling looking at the ceiling and said “Guys, I have a request to make.”

“What is it?” asked Anu.

“We will have to abstain from smoking dope while we are here. Two days. Can you do it” Chandu asked the group.

They all looked at each other except for Nick who was staring out the window.

“No problem” said Sandy “we will manage it”.

“Good” said Chandu “Now let’s nap for a couple of hours and go to evening Aarti.”

“Will do” replied Gary and Sandy.

They all took their time and in fifteen minutes all of them were napping soundly except for Nick. There was a healing that had begun and he was not even aware of it. All he knew was that he felt really alive and he wanted to meet the Sanyasi again in the evening. He was not tired but was feeling energized. He decided to sneak out of the room and walk around the ashram. He tiptoed out of the room and left the door slightly ajar. He walked towards the administrative building and looked around it. There was a rocking chair in the veranda and he decided to give it a go. He was rocking away on it and was going over the words of the Sanyasi. They made a lot of sense. He was quite at peace and closed his eyes and continued rocking the chair.

Shastriji was coming back from lunch at the food hall and saw Nick on the rocking chair.

“How did you like the ashram Nikhil” he asked.

Nick opened his eyes and got up suddenly.

“No no, please sit. I was just asking how you liked it here.”

Nick replied “It is wonderful here. I met a Sanyasi here who gave a wonderful sermon. It really made me think.”

“That’s great,” said Shastriji. “Why don’t you go around to the back and visit our bookshop. You might find something interesting to read. There is not a wide selection, but there are many good books.”

“Oh that’s wonderful. I will go and check it out right now” replied Nick and walked around to the back.

There was a sign that said ‘Bookshop’ and he walked in. He spent the next hour browsing books and reading passages and finally he had chosen six books that he wanted to buy. He went to the devotee running the bookshop and said he wanted to buy these books. The bill came to ninety rupees. Nick was shocked. This was just too little to pay for so many books. He smiled and gave a hundred rupee note and took his change.

He carried the books and walked back to the room. He crept in not wanting to wake anybody up. He reached his bed and sat down.

He was leafing through the books when Chandu opened his eyes and said “So you found the bookshop huh.”

Nick looked up and smiled an endless smile and nodded yes.

“I see you are going to like this place” said Chandu and turned over to continue napping.

Nick lay down and picked up one of the books whose title was ‘Your tomorrow begins today’. There was no name of any author. He was intrigued and started reading. He was engrossed in the book and did not realize the time till he heard the temple bells ring. He realised that it was time for the evening Arti and he put the book away and woke everybody up gently by going to each one and whispering in their ear. They all woke up and started getting ready for the Aarti. Chandu was up and was enjoying the happenings. Fifteen minutes later they were ready to leave.

They walked up to the Mandir and it was already full. They stood outside and heard the beginning strains of a hymn. More people turned up and the crowd grew behind them. The Aarti then started and everybody who knew it began to sing. They were uplifted by the fervor with which the devotees sang the Aarti and just listened with joined hands. Their lips moved occasionally but they were lost in the whole thing. It was so new to them and when it ended they were charged by the aura of devotion of the devotees around them. They looked at each other and walked towards the tree where they had met the Sanyasi earlier in the day. He was not yet there so they sat down on the ground and waited.

Gary saw the Sanyasi slowly walking towards them and brought it to the attention of the others.

He walked up and said “How are you children? It’s been a long time since I saw you Chandu. How are you?”

“I have been fine, Swamiji. I came with my friends as they wanted to see the ashram and experience this life” replied Chandu.

“Good good,” said the Sanyasi.

He looked at Nick and said “So what is on your mind?”

Nick was taken aback with his directness and said “Swamiji, we have lost a dear friend just yesterday and are very confused about the way we live our lives. Can you give us some advice?”

The Sanyasi cast a glance at all of them and said “Birth and Death are as natural as the Sun rising and setting. It is what we do in between that decides if our life has been fruitful or not. It is not death itself that is the end. The departed soul carries the individual karmas into another body and they are worked out in that body. It could be an animal body as well. This cycle goes on till all karmas are exhausted. But we add new karmas every moment while living and that adds to the total store of karmas. The wise thing to do is to surrender yourself to the will of God. Acceptance is the first step to surrender. Saints know this and they inspire the devotees to take up their spiritual practice sincerely. It is a multi pronged approach. One must also be aware that attachment is the greatest hurdle on the spiritual path. All of these have to be addressed to successfully live a life devoted to God. The day He becomes your priority, all obstacles will fall away. Make Him your priority. Devote yourself to earning His Grace. When that happens, you will have succeeded in making this birth a success.”

“What type of life should we live, Swamiji?” Nick asked.

“Do wholesome deeds and you will have a good life. Do the opposite and you will find yourself at the feet of a Swami asking for advice” he laughed.

Chandu started laughing and Anu was giggling and soon everybody was hysterical.

Each of them realised that a change had to be made and now was the time to do it. They thanked the Sanyasi and got up. They walked to the park and sat among themselves to compare notes on what they understood.

Gary was the first one to put his views across saying “So karma is a record of everything we think and do. And like the law of physics, it gives back in direct response to the deed done.”

“Yes” said Anu “but unfinished karma is carried forward to future lives. So there is no escaping it.”

“And we have no control over the experiences that karma puts us through. We have to smile and accept it. And surrender is the only key to it” piped in Sandy.

“What do you think Nick?” asked Chandu.

Nick smiled a weak smile and said “All of your explanations are correct. However you forget the one thing Swamiji said at the end. Do wholesome deeds and you will have a happy life. The past may catch up with you but don’t give up the agenda. Persist and you will be free.”

He felt relieved of many burdens now and could not help but wonder if he had good karma in store that had brought him here. It was close to 8pm and Chandu said let's finish dinner and continue this in the room.

They walked to the food hall and had a quick dinner and were back in their room before 9pm. The newly found knowledge was oozing its way out of all of them and the discussion went on till midnight at which time Chandu put the lights off and told everyone to sleep because they had to be up at 4am to go for the morning Aarti which was at 5am. They all said goodnight and tried to fall asleep. It was getting cold now and they pulled up the blankets that were provided. Nick was getting an idea of what things meant and for the first time he felt that he was open to receive new ideas. This is what he needed to use to get the best out of himself. Being receptive had its own rewards and he was beginning to see that. With that thought in his mind he drifted into sleep looking forward to the next day.

Chandu woke up first and he switched the light on. Everyone grumbled and cussed him. Slowly all of them got up and took turns using the bathroom. It was cold and they had all put on their sweaters and jackets. By 4:50am everybody was ready to leave.

They left the room to head to the Mandir and saw that it was full of the devotees who got up earlier than them. They stood outside and looked at the devotees coming to the temple. The Aarti started and they enjoyed it thoroughly. When it ended they decided to go in and prostrate at the Samadhi. They walked in, prostrated and walked out in a row. They then headed for breakfast. It was very comfortable now and they were totally at ease.

After breakfast Nick led them to the bookshop. They went in and browsed though the books. Each of them had picked at least four to six books and when it came to pay; they were totally stunned at how little they had to pay. Chandu suggested that they get back to the room to rest or shower. They agreed and when they got back to the room, all of them hit the beds with the exception of Nick. He just walked to the window and looked around. He saw two peacocks outside and decided to not disturb anyone. He took a picture with his phone and looked at it. He smiled and put the phone in his pocket. He went to his bed and picked up the book he was reading earlier and resumed reading it. He found himself a little tired and put the book away, looked at the time; it was 7:30am and lay down for a nap.

Nick woke up around 10am and saw that the others were still sleeping. He got up quietly and left the room. He walked around the ashram and saw that there were new incoming devotees and that the stream did not seem to end. He saw a sign saying ‘Hot springs’ and went ahead to investigate. He saw some people frolicking in the pools that were fed by the hot springs. He went ahead and put his hand in. The water was really quite hot. Satisfied with his investigation he went and sat on a bench nearby.

A devotee came and sat on the bench alongside him. Nick asked him if he lived at the ashram.

He said “I visit frequently, but I live in Virar. It is only a half hour away from here.”

“How long have you been coming to the ashram?” Nick asked.

“My family have been devotees for three generations. All of us were initiated into our Sadhana from a very young age.”

“Is meditation hard?” Nick asked.

“It does take practice but it is not hard” replied the devotee.

Nick extended his hand out and said “I am Nikhil but friends call me Nick.”

“I am Sanjay and friends call me Sanju.”

They smiled and Nick said “I will explore the ashram a little more now. Hope I see you around. Goodbye.”

“Ok bye” said Sanju.

It was 11am and Nick decided to go wake up the others. When he returned to the room, Sandy was sitting in his bed and the others were still asleep.

“Want to wake them up?” asked Nick.

Sandy shook his head and said “Let them sleep. They have nothing else to do here. I am turking for a cigarette. Want to step outside the ashram gates and get one?” he asked.

“Sure” said Nick and they walked towards the main gate.

Once outside they found a paanwala and bought two loose cigarettes. They lit them with the aid of a lit rope hanging in front of the shop. The first drag gave Nick a nicotine buzz and he was a little shaky on his feet. Sandy too felt a slight buzz. They decided to explore the street and walked along. This place may have once been remote, but now it was buzzing with activity.

Andy asked Nick “Are you sure you want to stay here at the ashram?”

“I want to, at least for a while. I like the vibe and I want to learn and understand so much more” replied Nick.

Sandy gave him a hug and said “I think you have made a good decision for all of us. We are depending on you to get us to cross over.”

Nick smiled feeling a little embarrassed and said “Let’s go back.”

They stubbed their cigarettes out and entered the ashram. They reached their room and Chandu was up.

He said to Sandy “We will leave immediately after lunch so keep your bags packed. We may beat the traffic into the city if we leave early enough.”

He turned to Nick and said “Nikhil, keep your spirits up. I see that you are already enjoying being here. Stay as long as you want to. And call us anytime you want; day or night. We are only two hours away.”

The others stirred and got up.

Chandu said “Come on guys, wake up. Pack your belongings and let’s go have lunch. We leave after lunch.”

“Ya we heard you” said Anu and she went to the bathroom to freshen up.

Gary and JJ were already putting their stuff together. When all the bags were packed, they left for lunch. After lunch Chandu called the driver to bring the van to where the rooms were.

He said to the gang “Go and get your bags out and wait for the van. I have to go and say goodbye to Shastriji” and he headed towards the office.

He knocked on the door and entered and Shastriji greeted him with a smile. He thanked Shastriji for the arrangements and handed him a bundle of notes containing fifty thousand rupees.

“Please keep this with you. Just in case Nikhil needs any help or anything at all. We will drop by from time to time. Please keep an eye on him” he said and thanked him once again.

He took his leave and headed towards the van where everybody was already in.

He hugged Nick and told him “Use this time. It will give you what you seek. We’ll stay in touch on the phone.”

He got into the van and they drove away.

Nick stood there watching them leave the gate and vanish from his sight. He turned and headed to Shastriji’s office to get a room allotted to him. He was now alone and did not need to be in such a big room.

The van left the ashram and was heading towards the city. Anu was already feeling sad about Nick being away.

“What was on your mind, Chandu, when you told Nick that it was a good idea that he wanted to be a monk?” she asked him.

Chandu turned to face her and said “Nick was in a very unstable state of mind. If I had not diffused it by agreeing with his decision, God only knows what he could have done. I suggested this ashram as it is only two hours away from us and we can stay in touch and make sure he is ok. I did not want him to be traveling all over the country in that state of mind. I knew that Shastriji would take care of him. He will get a taste of what he is searching for at this ashram. It will do him good.”

“That was very good thinking,” replied Anu.

“Yes, that was very good,” added Sandy.

The van drove on and Gary started rolling a joint. He lit it and passed it to JJ who had been silent for most of the trip.

JJ took a few drags and passed it to Anu and said “Man, losing Zee like that was a bummer. One never knows when one’s time comes.”

“Ya that it was” replied Sandy.

The van drove on and the journey was uneventful. They reached the hotel and took their bags and walked towards the reception.

Chandu said “You guys head on, I will just sort out the driver.” Chandu spoke with the driver in Marathi and paid him the fare and tipped him an extra 500 rupees. He picked up his bag and headed in.

Nick was in his allotted room. It was tiny but it served the purpose. There was a bed and a small bedside table and a cupboard. He did not have many possessions with him. He kept the books he had bought on the table and lay down on the bed. Shastriji had also given him three pairs of white kurtas and pajamas. He rested till it was time for the evening Arti. He went early so that he could be inside the temple for it. He sat on the marble floor and looked at the photo of Swami Sai Ananda. He was staring at it and got lost in it. It was almost like a trance. He did not realize how long he had been staring at it when the Aarti started. He stood up and joined in.

After the Arti he headed to the spot where they had met the Sanyasi yesterday. He hoped that he would be there. He reached the spot and the Sanyasi was not there. He sat down and waited. After about ten minutes he saw the Sanyasi walking briskly towards where he was sitting. He got up and greeted him.

The Sanyasi asked “Where are the others?”

Nick said “They have gone back to the city. I stayed back.”

The Sanyasi said “Good good. So what are your plans now?”

“I would like to learn meditation. Could you teach me?” Nick asked.

“Yes, I can teach you,” said the Sanyasi. “Let’s go to the meditation hall.”

They walked together in silence and entered the meditation hall where there were a few people sitting cross legged with their eyes closed. The Sanyasi sat down on the floor and asked Nick to do the same.

He gave Nick a two syllable mantra and showed Nick how to keep his legs crossed and instructed him on the method of meditation that all the devotees in the ashram practiced. The instruction was over in five minutes. The Sanyasi told Nick to do this practice twice a day for half an hour at each sitting. This was because he was a beginner. He told Nick to do it now and said he would meet him again and left.

Nick sat in the posture with his eyes closed and watched his breath, keeping his attention on the spot between his eyebrows while the mantra was going on with each breath going in and coming out. He sat there motionless and did the practice earnestly. After what felt like a few minutes he opened his eyes and saw that 40 minutes had passed by. He was very happy and he felt immensely relaxed. He got up and left the meditation hall.

He returned to his room and sat on the bed staring at the wall in front of him. There was a picture of Swami Sai Ananda on it. He looked at it and felt blessed for being there at the Ashram. He was still learning what spirituality was about and he was a diligent student.

His phone rang and he saw that it was Sandy. He answered and spoke with Sandy and Anu for half an hour telling them about learning meditation and how relaxed he felt after doing it. After the call was over he headed to the food hall for dinner. He saw devotees serving food and decided to help and went and started serving rice to the seated devotees. He helped for an hour and then sat down to eat. He was alone in a crowd of hundreds but he felt like he belonged here. He ate silently and finished in fifteen minutes. He washed his hands and decided to walk in the park for a while.

He met Sanju who he had met earlier that day and they walked together.

“So how are you enjoying your stay here at the ashram?” Sanju asked.

“It is a nice place and has a very relaxing vibe. The Samadhi Mandir has a very powerful energy in it” replied Nick.

“Yes, the Mandir is the final resting place of our Guru and he blesses us from there.”

“Is your family here with you?” asked Nick.

“No, my mother is very old and my brother lives in Pune so we can rarely coordinate our trips to the ashram. I come here for a few days whenever I can” replied Sanju.

“No wife, kids?” asked Nick.

“I was married for six years but she fell for another man who ditched her because his wife was pregnant with his child. She wanted out of our marriage so badly that she and her mother got black magic done on me and framed me for a very heinous act so that I would not be an obstacle to her leaving. I carried the weight of that frame up for fifteen years till one day by the Grace of our Guru I came to know what they had done to me. The revelation came while I was sitting in meditation and the whole sequence of events became clear to me. I was finally free. It was a very hard time learning the truth of what had happened, but I had to let it go. It must have been some unfinished karma that I had with them. You have to move on, you know. If you hold on to it, you will create karma that will bring them into your life again. That is something I never wanted.”

“Man that is seriously evil!” said Nick.

“It was just cruel. It took fifteen years of my life. But I have a better life now. Having a spouse is not the only stabilizing factor in a man’s life. My Guru and my family and friends are an essential part of my life and I am grateful to have their support” he continued.

“That’s true. I have a bunch of friends who would do anything for me. And they do” said Nick.

They walked in silence for a while and Sanju said “I think we should get back to our rooms and sleep. We have to get up early.”

“That is a good idea. See you tomorrow.” They walked in their individual directions and headed back to their rooms.

Meanwhile back at Bombay Black Hotel, Sandy and Anu were smoking a joint with Gary and Janis in their room. They were telling Janis about the trip to the ashram and she was very interested.

Just then Kartik, a friend of Anu's, came to see them. He sat down with them and Gary passed the joint to him.

“I hear Nick has gone to an ashram,” he said.

“Ya” replied Anu. “Zee’s death hit him real hard. The ashram is very nice and has a great energy. It will do him good to stay there for a while” she said.

“He learned meditation today from a bonafide Sanyasi and really enjoyed it,” added Sandy.

“Good for him,” said Kartik.

They smoked and chatted and listened to music and ate pizza and the evening gave way to the night.

Kartik took out a vial of Coke and Sandy immediately said “Put that away man, nobody here is going to do any blow. We are just recovering from a major calamity in our family and this is not the time to do it.”

Kartik nodded and put the vial back in his pocket. They opened some beers that were in the fridge and Gary started to drink one of them.

There was a knock on the door. Gary opened it and it was Shanti and Maya, the twins. They said they wanted to offer their condolences for Zee passing away. They walked in and were carrying two bottles of wine. They sat on the floor and opened the bottles.

Shanti passed one bottle to Anu and Maya started to take a huge gulp from the other wine bottle.

Wine connoisseurs they certainly were not. At getting loaded, they were second to none.

Kartik prepared a chillum while Gary prepared a playlist; it looked like it was gonna be a long night.

Sandy received a call from Chandu to find out if they were ok. Sandy told him to come over. Kartik offered the chillum to Shanti to shoot and he held the flame over it. The chillum was passed around and pretty soon the room was full of smoke. The wine was being passed around and Chandu was at the door. He came in with a few parcels of snacks. He took the chillum from Gary and took a deep toke. He saw that he had canned it but he was in no state to clean it. He gave it to Sandy to clean. He opened the parcels and offered Chicken lollipops to everyone.

“Zee’s favorite” said Anu and she had tears rolling down her face. Chandu consoled her and Maya offered her some wine. She took a sip from the bottle.

There was a knock at the door and Shanti opened it. It was JJ standing there with his guitar.

“May I come in?” he said.

“Of course” yelled everyone in unison.

This was going to be good. JJ could always read a room and his repertoire of songs was huge. He sat on the edge of the bed and Anu offered him the bottle of wine. He took a big sip and handed it back to her. He started tuning his guitar and started playing December by Collective Soul. When he reached the chorus it just uplifted everybody’s spirits in the room. Everyone was smiling and moving to the music. He went through songs without a break like a giant medley and the wine and joints kept moving from one to the other.

It was already past midnight and the party / condolence meet was just picking up steam. After 45 minutes of singing nonstop he took a break. His fingertips needed rest as did his voice. He took a glass and asked Sandy if there was any Whiskey or Brandy there. Sandy pointed him to some Whiskey on the microwave. JJ made himself a drink and sipped it neat, letting it coat his throat like some sort of antiseptic. He asked Gary to play Miley Cyrus’s Wrecking ball. It was one of his favorites at the moment and when it came on he started to move himself to her voice and said “That girl can belt it. Just like Christina.”

The music played and the food was eaten and drinks had without really talking about what was bothering them the most; the fact that Nick was not there with them.

Sandy drunkenly looked at the watch and said “It is 1am. It would be a bad time to call Nick. He has to get up at 4am. Let’s call him.”

He took his phone and called Nick. The phone rang for some time before being answered by Nick who was fast asleep at this time.

“Nicky buddy, we’re missing you” yelled Sandy into the phone and soon it was passed to everyone, one by one.

Anu was last on the line and broke down and said “We love you Nick, we love you. Don’t you ever forget that” and then she said “Go back to sleep. We’ll talk again soon” and she hung up.

The booze was running low so Chandu offered to get some from his room. He was back in ten minutes and the drinking resumed. Chandu prepared a chillum and that was passed around. Then JJ started singing Laid by the British band ‘James.’ They danced and they sang and everybody was having a great time. The night continued with JJ singing all through till they decided to go to bed at 4am.

Anu’s phone rang and it was Nick. She put the call on speakerphone. He had just woken up to start his day and decided to call them and now they were too wasted to speak.

Anu kept telling him “We love you, we love you. Don’t you forget that! We have to go to Spain someday. Remember?”

“Yesss, Spain” yelled Sandy and he told Nick that “We honored the memory of Zee, our brother tonight.”

“OK brother, I will talk soon. You go for your morning prayers” and he hung up.

They were wasted.

“We’ll meet again we’ll meet again” sang JJ as everyone left the room.

Chandu, Gary, Kartik, Janis, JJ, Shanti and Maya looked at each other and decided to go hang out in Chandu’s room. Chandu led the way and opened the door and everybody got in. They sat wherever they could and then Kartik took out the vial of Coke he had been holding all evening.

He looked at Chandu and Chandu said “You guys go ahead. I will not be joining you today.”

Gary said “Me neither.”

Kartik cut the lines of Coke on the table and everyone else had a snort. Chandu and Gary rolled a huge joint and smoked it between themselves. There was very little time before day break and Chandu suggested that they go out for breakfast. They got up and headed out towards Kartik’s vehicle to go to the airport where the eateries would be open at 5am. They got into Kartik’s SUV but all of them could not fit in. Chandu and Gary excused themselves and told the rest of the gang to go ahead as they would all not fit in. Anyway they were tired. Kartik drove away with the rest. It was the end of the wake for Zee and Chandu and Gary headed back to their rooms.

Nick was doing Sewa, sweeping the courtyard outside the Samadhi Mandir when he heard a woman with an accent ask him when the Aarti would begin.

He turned and looked at her and replied “At 5pm ma’am” and he stood there waiting for her to say something cuz it looked like she had something on her mind.

“If you don’t mind my asking, how long have you lived here at the ashram?”

“Three months ma’am” he said.

“Where are you from?” she asked him.

“From Bombay ma’am” he replied.

“Oh” she said.

“How do you like it here?” he asked her.

She said “It is very nice here. This land is holy and you can feel it by the peace in your heart.”

“That is very true,” Nick replied. “I am Nick,” he said.

“I am Catherine,” she replied.

He asked her, “Would you like to do Sewa?”

“What would you need me to do?” she asked.

“You could grab a broom and help sweep the other side of the courtyard.”

She smiled and went across and picked up a broom and started sweeping at the other end.

When they reached closer to each other, she asked him “Are you planning on living here permanently?”

“I haven’t given it much thought. I came here when I was in a very bad state of mind and thought that this place would help me get back to life. It certainly has. I am feeling fine now and I derive great pleasure from our daily routine. It is something I missed back in the city. I would like to meet more Holy men from this Holy land and learn from them the wisdom that only dawns on one who is on the path to Love.”

“Do you like to travel to places of pilgrimage?” she asked.

“I think they get very crowded. I prefer ashram life compared to that” he replied.

“I avoid crowded places too” she said “but there is this notion in the west that the spiritual life in India is all about Kumbh Melas and huge festivals.”

“That’s true,” he said.

“What I have seen is that it is truly in the ashrams and wherever the Sadguru is. They are very hard to find and if your time has not come, you will not meet the Sadguru. You could be sitting in front of Him but your heart will not respond to His Majestic presence. All search must end at the Master’s feet. Then one will truly have begun his or her spiritual journey. The journey is from the heart to the heart.” she concluded.

Nick was surprised with how much she knew. “I guess we better clean up for Aarti,” he said.

They kept the brooms and left for their rooms to clean up for the Aarti.

Nick attended Aarti but he could not see Catherine around after Aarti. He headed to the park to sit in silence. He saw the Sanyasi sitting at his usual place and bowed down and touched their feet.

“How are you Nikhil?” asked the Sanyasi.

“Very well Swamiji.”

“Are you regular in your practice?” he asked Nick.

“Yes Swamiji.”

“Meet any new people?” asked the Sanyasi.

“Yes Swamiji, a lady from abroad. I did not ask where she is from but we had a little chat”

“Good” said the Sanyasi “It is our duty to help others on the path, don’t you agree Nikhil?”

“Yes, Swamiji,” replied Nick.

“How long have you been here?” the Sanyasi asked.

“Three months, Swamiji” replied Nick.

“Good Good. Carry on.”

Nick bowed and walked towards the park. He went and sat on his usual bench and thought about what Swamiji had said. He saw a familiar face walk up to him and he recognised him.

“Hi Sanju, how are you?” he asked.

“All is well. I thought you might be here after Aarti. Are you still enjoying ashram life?”

“Yes,” replied Nick, “It has been good.”

“Have you read anything interesting lately?” asked Sanju.

“I have only been reading books from the ashram. I think I have read all the books in the bookshop. Haha” replied Nick.

“Let’s go and have dinner,” said Sanju.

“Ok” replied Nick and they walked towards the food hall.

As they were walking out after dinner, Nick bumped into Catherine.

“Hi Catherine, this is my friend Sanju. He comes and lives here from time to time.”

“Hi Sanju, nice to meet you” replied Catherine.

“Nice to meet you too Catherine” replied Sanju.

“Nick, I am planning to go to see the caves and temples of Hampi in a few days. Would you like to make the trip with me? I believe the caves are beautiful and it won’t be very crowded” she asked Nick.

Nick was taken aback as he had not yet thought about going away from the ashram.

“It will be a short trip. We will be back in a week or so.”

Nick said “It sounds good. Let me have a word with Shastriji before I give you my answer. If he thinks it is alright then we shall definitely go.”

“Ok. Let me know when you have spoken with him.” “Bye Sanju” she said and walked away.

Sanju and Nick walked in silence and then Sanju said “You know Nick, life has already made its plans for us. It is not any random plan though. It is specially designed to give us the experiences we need. We need to trust it. Man’s vanity prevents him from doing that and so he suffers. Surrender is the key, if you understand what I’m saying.”

“I understand what you are saying Sanju”.

He thanked him and they bid their goodbyes and headed to their respective rooms.

Nick entered his room and lay down on the bed and wondered what the hell was going on with him. Why was he entertaining the thought of going away from the ashram? But he knew that he was not an inmate but a guest of the ashram. The rules did not apply to him. A smile crossed his lips and he turned over and went to sleep.

The next morning he attended Aarti in good spirits and had breakfast and went to Shastriji’s office and waited for him. Shastriji arrived after about twenty minutes and greeted Nick. They went into Shastriji’s office and he asked Nick what he could help him with.

Nick explained the situation and Shastriji said “Wonderful. You must go. Enjoy the trip and protect our guest who has come from distant lands. When do you leave?”

“In a day or so” replied Nick.

Shastriji went to his locker and opened it and took out the bundle of fifty thousand rupees that Chandu had given him and handed it to Nick.

“This should take care of your expenses on your travels. Keep it safe.”

Nick was surprised and realised he had not considered the financial aspect of the trip at all. He thanked Shastriji and kept the money in his pocket and left the office. He went around looking for Catherine and could not find her. He decided to check the bookshop.

As he entered the bookshop, he saw Catherine browsing through a book in her hands. He walked up to her and said “Hi Catherine.”

She turned and said “Hi Nick. Did you have a talk with Shastriji?”

“Yes I did. We are ready to go.”

“Great,” said Catherine, “we should get our tickets booked for Hampi.”

“I will take care of that,” said Nick. “Train or plane?” asked Nick.

“Plane would be better” she replied “Train would be grueling.”

“Ok” said Nick and he left to make arrangements.

He made a call to Chandu and filled him in about everything.

Chandu said “I will organize your plane tickets to Hubli and from there you can take a cab. I will also book the hotel. Send me her full name and age and nationality. You will have to bring her to your place for a day so that you can catch your flight from Mumbai airport.”

“Ok, we will be getting in tomorrow and I will send you her details tonight” replied Nick.

Chandu asked “Should I send a car?”

“We will take a taxi, don't worry” Nick replied and hung up.

Nick headed back to his room and picked up the book that he had been reading and lay down on his bed. He read the lines in front of him. “Offer all the fruit of your labor to God. That will free you from the bondage of expectation. All is His doing, yet man perceives himself as the doer. And in that lies his bondage.”

He loved what it said. “All suffering comes from expectation and desire. The power these had on man had to be subverted if man wanted to free himself.”

It was quite a nice book but there was no name of the author. A nameless devotee had put down these words of wisdom and the reader would never know who he was. Nick thought about this. This was the spiritual path. It had no place for vanity. This is where many had failed. This is how one learned to efface himself to seek God. Without the destruction of the ego, man could not even hope to realize the Love that is God. The name God scared people and sometimes even annoyed them. They had no way of knowing that he was their very Self. The very “I” that existed in them was the same “I” that existed in everybody. It was a unitary, unchanging “I”. Nick was feeling happy after quite a while. The reason for this was not yet obvious to him. He just felt light and was looking forward to the trip.

After he had rested for a while, he went to lunch. He looked around for Catherine but she was nowhere to be found. He went to the food hall and had his meal quietly. He finished rather quickly and went to look for Catherine. He checked the bookshop and the administrative office; but to no avail. He was heading back to his room and he saw her coming out of the Samadhi Mandir. He waved at her and she waved back.

He walked towards her and said “We are all set to leave tomorrow for Mumbai and then the day after we will take a flight to Hubli. From there we will take a cab to Hampi.”

“Oh that is super efficient of you” and she lightly pecked him on the cheek.

“I will need your full name and age and nationality for the tickets to be booked” said Nick.

She gave him a piece of paper with the details already written on it. “Not my first time in India, you know,” she laughed.

“We should meet at the administrative office at 9am tomorrow and we will take a cab to Mumbai,” he said.

“That is perfect. See you then” she replied and walked away towards the food hall.

Nick walked back to his room and texted the details to Chandu. He lay down and picked up the book he was reading and just relaxed with a happy smile on his face.

The evening flew by with him going for Aarti and then dinner. After dinner he went to the park and saw Sanju walking there. He joined him and said “I am leaving with Catherine tomorrow morning. I don’t know when I shall be back.”

“Have a good trip” said Sanju and said “Let’s exchange numbers just in case we need to talk”.

They walked for a bit and then headed back to their rooms. Nick went to sleep as he hit the bed with no reading for the night.

The next morning Nick attended morning Aarti and had breakfast and he headed for the administrative office and waited for Catherine. It was a quarter to nine. He sent the security guard to get a taxi to go to Mumbai. Catherine turned up just on time and they had a chat waiting for the taxi to come. The taxi came and the driver loaded their bags..

“It is only a two hour drive,” Nick told Catherine.

She nodded. Nick told the driver the address where they had to go and the taxi drove off and in 20 minutes they had reached the highway heading back to Mumbai.

“For a German you speak English well and your German accent is not too thick.” Nick said.

“That is because I lived and studied for some time in the USA. Germans have their German accent no matter which language they speak in. It is part of who we are” she laughed.

“So what got you interested in spirituality and made you come to India seeking a Guru?” he asked.

“Oh that is simple. I was in college in the US and had a roommate from India. She was heavily into reading the life stories and teachings of all the great Saints from India. I read them all. From Sai Baba to Ramakrishna Paramhansa to Paramhansa Yogananda to Sri Ramana Maharshi, I read all of them. I had an intellectual understanding before I had even stepped foot in India. I came to Swami Sai Ananda’s ashram with a family of devotees with whom I stayed on my first trip to India. They were my roommate’s relatives. They were devotees of Swami Sai Ananda, and after that I just started coming back every year.”

“Wow! It seems like life laid out a red carpet for you and brought you to your destination” Nick said.

“Ya, it was a straight road. It may have been my samskaras, my predisposition towards spirituality from previous births” she laughed.

He smiled. He liked her laughter.

“You know a lot of the terms from Indian spirituality,” he said.

“I have picked up some from here and there, reading books, meeting people and from the Swamis I met on my travels. I have been coming to India for fifteen years.”

“Wow. Maybe I will learn something from you. Will you be my teacher?”

She laughed and said “Absolutely!”

Nick also laughed.

Catherine then asked Nick to tell her something about his life.

“I am an only child and my parents live in Jaipur. I handle production for the shooting of ad films. I am a freelancer. I live in a residential hotel called by many the Bombay Black Hotel. I recently lost my best friend to heart failure which may have been due to the drugs we were doing the night before. It tore me apart. My friends brought me to the ashram where I have spent three blissful months and I have really enjoyed learning about what spirituality means. It is much more than rituals. Most people don’t get past that. I enjoy meditation and I haven’t touched any intoxicants except for an occasional cigarette in three months.”

“I am so sorry to hear about your friend,” she said.

“Thank you,” he said. “

“So now we are taking a trip together. This is going to be fun” he said.

She looked at him with a new admiration and said “You are a survivor. Remember that. You now have a Guru and your life and spiritual growth is His responsibility. This is surrender. This is the path to tread and this itself is the goal to achieve. You are well equipped for this path. Be persistent. Be regular in your practice. Don’t fret if you miss a step. Just get back in stride where you got off. This life needs a commitment from you. You have to make a place for it in your life or you will lose the rare opportunity that you have been given.”

He looked at her and said “Thank you.”

They rode silently and the taxi headed closer to their destination, the infamous Bombay Black Hotel. In another half hour they were there.

Chandu yelled from the window of his room “They’re here!”

And Anu and Sandy came running out from the reception area where they were waiting with garlands and coconuts. Chandu was also down in a minute. Gary was hung over from a night of partying.

Nick and Catherine got out of the taxi and Nick hugged Anu and Sandy. Before he could introduce them to Catherine Anu had garlanded her and was giving her a tight hug. Sandy put a garland on Nick and hugged him. Chandu went to the driver and paid him with an extra 500 bucks as a tip and took their bags. They all walked in and up to Nick’s room which had been cleaned like he had never seen.

Sandy said “Anu did that.”

Nick looked at her and she winked at him. This was the day his friends were waiting for, for three months. And now it was here. Sandy got fresh juice out of the fridge which had been stocked by Anu and offered it to Nick and Catherine. They all sat down and relaxed.

“Nick is home” said Sandy “and he has got a friend. His friend is our friend.”

“Yes she is” said Anu and offered Catherine and Nick a cigarette.

Catherine declined and Nick took one. They were back for a day, but coming home was better than he had imagined. He felt calm in the familiar surroundings and the people he loved were with him. He had met this wonderful woman and the reason for his newfound happiness was now becoming clearer to him.

Chandu spoke for the first time since they had arrived and said “The food will be here in fifteen minutes. Why don’t you guys freshen up while we take care of it?”

Nick showed Catherine the bathroom and was totally shocked to see how clean it was. Catherine went in and Nick joined Anu.

He gave her a big tight hug and said “Thanks my love. You have made this a very special day for me.”

He let her go and hugged Chandu and said “Brother, you knew what I needed even before I knew what it was. Thank you.”

The food came and Anu and Sandy set it upon the table. A table Nick had bought to write his screenplay but used it for everything else but writing. They put plates and spoons and glasses out as well. This was a catered affair Nick thought. Catherine joined them. Nick excused himself and went to the bathroom.

Anu, nosy as ever, asked Catherine “How did you guys meet?”

“I wanted to know when the evening Aarti was to begin that day since they had changed the timing since the last time I had visited the ashram. I asked Nick and he told me and then he asked me to join him in Sewa which was sweeping the courtyard and that is how we got to know each other.”

“Wow! How lovely. That is a lovely story,” said Anu.

Catherine laughed and said “Yeah, it was quite cute.”

Nick came out of the bathroom and Chandu said “Let’s start eating. You guys must be hungry by now.”

They started serving themselves and Chandu warned Catherine that some of the food could be a little spicy.

Catherine said “I have been coming to India for fifteen years. I am no stranger to spicy food. Back in Germany we have sausages that will make smoke come out of your ears.”

They all laughed and sat to eat. Sandy had opened a few beers and Catherine took one and so did Nick. It was a pleasant afternoon and all was well.

After lunch they all decided to split so that Nick and Catherine could take a nap.

“Your friends really love you,” Catherine said.

“Yes. I am so grateful to have them in my life” said Nick.

“You know, they say that past life connections manifest in the present life for the karma they share with each other” said Catherine.

“I know that to be true,” said Nick. “What I don’t get is what is the reason behind Zee dying and my life changing.”

Catherine said “You two may have had deeply intertwined karma. Unfinished business as they say. He had a role to play in your life and you had one to play in his. The Great Saints say that man comes with a finite number of breaths when he is born. If he uses them in meditation and prayer, he accrues spiritual growth over his lifetime. If he wastes those valuable breaths, then they are lost, never to return. When the breaths run out, man leaves the body. No one can die until their allotted breaths run out. The scheme of things is such that everybody is given enough breaths to experience what they were born to experience and that is based on past karma. The life you get is because of the lives you lived in the past. There is no injustice in the world. Everybody has rightly earned the life they have got. God is not a sadist as much as people tend to believe. The purpose of life is to use it in search of the ultimate truth. The ultimate truth is that God is wholly my Self. This becomes apparent when the individual ego dies through surrender. To surrender to God is the highest duty of man. He is a blessed man who finds a Guru. Guru found, destination reached. Because after you have been taken in his fold, he is your whole and sole provider. Your salvation depends on your love and commitment towards Him. He will take you through fire and get your past karma incinerated. Pain and suffering is the lot of those who are very high in the spiritual life. Financial gain is insipid compared to the gains of a spiritual life. Saints don’t even value it as anything worthwhile. All that you need comes to you as per your past karma which has set the curriculum for your present life. The Guru diffuses the effect of your karma and you pass through situations that you thought you would not survive. Losing Zee must have made you feel that way, but you have come out of it with an understanding and now you are better equipped to deal with such situations. There is justice in the world. Material desires getting fulfilled are not a sign of a successful life. An evil man can have much wealth because of the laws of nature. Whatever you deeply desire will come to you in some lifetime. Choose God, or choose knowledge of God. They are indeed the same. Different paths exist for different temperaments. Learn to be flexible and not dogmatic. Life is truly a blessing and not a curse. You have had a taste of it. Don’t ever let go of this life. Do all other worldly work, but keep this as your number one priority.”

“That was incredible. These words will stay with me forever. Thank you. Thank you so much. There are no accidents or coincidences, I can now see that. All is as it is meant to be. We were meant to meet.” said Nick.

“Very true Nick.”

“Do you want to take a nap for some time Catherine? It will do you good” said Nick.

“Yes I think we should both rest a bit. The evening might get busy.”

With that they went to the bedroom and lay down to nap.

It was 6pm when Anu came knocking. Nick got up and opened the door for her.

“Did you rest well?” she asked.

“Yes,” replied Nick.

Catherine stirred and got out of bed. She said “Give me a minute, I have some beer to take care of” and went into the bathroom.

Nick and Anu went and sat on the sofa. She was smiling and was as happy as she had ever been.

She asked Nick “How are you feeling now?”

“Never been better Anu, never been better” he replied.

“Great” she said and gave his hand a squeeze.

She did not want to let go, but she did.

Catherine came and sat with them and said “Where can I get some Nivea cold cream?”

Anu said “Don’t worry. Just make a list of all the things you need and I’ll get them delivered to you here.”

Catherine went and wrote down a list of things she needed and Sandy walked in.

“Hey guys, feel like going to the terrace for some fresh air?”

“That sounds like a good idea,” said Catherine.

“Ya that sounds good” said Nick.

Catherine gave the list she had prepared to Anu and Anu dialed her local general store and chemist and placed the order and hung up. They got up and followed Sandy out to the terrace.

Sandy opened the door to the terrace and as they stepped on the terrace they heard “SURPRISE!!”

It was a huge group of friends who had gathered to have a surprise party to welcome Nick and Catherine. There were Chandu, Girish, Janis, Kartik, Shanti, Maya, JJ, Sayli and some more friends from the hotel.

“This is amazing,” said Nick.

Catherine was speechless. There was a bar set up and a DJ and there was a buffet table. This was totally organized.

“This is just a beautiful arrangement gang. This is so unexpected” said Nick as he walked towards the gang.

A lot of hugging and kisses followed. Gary told the DJ to start playing the music. The music started and they dragged Nick and Catherine to the bar and drinks were made.

Everyone cheered and a toast was made to Nick and Catherine by Anu.

“Thank you for being there Nick. And thank you for making everything right in our lives dear Catherine.”

Anu had tears welling up in her eyes and Sandy handed her a handkerchief.

“I came prepared this time,” he jested.

There was laughter all around. The party started and people hit the dance floor with their drinks in hand. There was not a chillum or joint in sight and Nick was quite surprised. He led Catherine to the dance floor and they danced together for the first time.

It was 10am when Nick woke up and he turned and looked at Catherine still sleeping. The party went on till 3am. Luckily all that he had had was two beers and Catherine had about the same. No hangover he thought.

He nudged her and softly said “Catherine, time to wake up. It's 10am. We need to be at the airport by 1pm.”

She opened her eyes and smiled at Nick. She got up and went to the bathroom. Nick got busy packing his bag. Catherine was already packed, he thought, so that was time saved.

When he was packed, he called Chandu.

Chandu answered the phone badly hung over “Ya Nick. What’s up?”

“What are the arrangements for us to get to the airport?” he asked.

“I have hired a van. It will be here by 11:30. Anu, Sandy and I will be coming to drop you guys off.”

“Ok see you soon” replied Nick and hung up.

He could hear the shower running and put a towel on the doorknob for Catherine.

He decided to call Anu to see if they were awake.

“Ya Nick” said Anu “What’s up?”

“Are you guys getting ready? We have to be at the airport by 1pm” he said.

“We will be in your room in half an hour,” she replied.

“Alright” said Nick.

He heard a knock and saw that it was Sayli at the door with a parcel for Catherine.

“These got delivered last night but as nobody was in the room, he left it at the office” she said.

“Thanx Sayli,” he said.

“Good to see you back Nick” she said and walked away.

He shut the door and saw that Catherine was out of the bathroom.

He said “I will head to the bathroom now while you get dressed” handing the parcel to her.

Catherine got dressed and packed her stuff. She was ready and sat on the sofa looking for something to read. There was a knock and saw it was Anu and Sandy. They came in and hugged Catherine.

“Anu, the party was the sweetest gesture I have ever seen. It was really special for Nick” said Catherine.

“Nick is special to us,” replied Anu. “We missed him so much and wanted to celebrate his coming home with all the people who loved him.”

Catherine reached over and gave Anu a hug.

“You are a very special person Anu” she said “I am lucky to have met you.”

Nick was out of the shower and was getting dressed when Chandu knocked at the door.

Sandy let him in and he had some packets in his hands. He handed them to Sandy and said “Breakfast for everyone.”

Anu got up and helped Sandy. They had sandwiches, fruit and orange juice.

Catherine thanked Chandu for thinking about everybody all the time.

“I bet nobody goes hungry on your watch, Chandu.”

He laughed and said “No they don’t.”

When they finished, Chandu got a call from the van driver saying that he had arrived and was waiting downstairs at the gate. Chandu told him they would be there shortly. It was 11:30. Bang on time. Chandu handed Nick the tickets and led them down to the van.

They all got in and the van left for the airport. It took them an hour and twenty minutes to reach the airport and by the time they were unloaded it was 1pm.

“Just in time,” said Chandu.

He gave Nick a hug and said “Stay in touch on all legs of your journey.”

Sandy had got the trolleys and loaded them. Nick and Catherine pushed their trolleys and entered the Terminal. They turned and waved and went out of sight. Chandu, Sandy and Anu got in the van and headed back.

When they reached the hotel they saw that Janis was at the reception speaking with Kartik. They stopped and greeted them.

“When are you guys getting married?” asked Anu.

The question caught her unexpectedly. She thought that no one knew that they were seeing each other.

“Not very soon” replied Janis, “How did you know?” she asked Anu.

“It is just a woman’s intuition. Besides, I saw you guys making out at the party last night” said Anu.

“How long has it been?” she asked Janis.

“Since the night we were at your place remembering Zee. After we left we went to Chandu’s and did some Coke and then we went to breakfast at a joint at the airport. When we returned, he came back to my room and that was it.”

“Congratulations to both of you,” said Sandy.

“It is a hot afternoon,” said Chandu. “Want to go have some beers?” he asked everyone.

“Why not?” said Kartik and all of them went and sat in the lounge area and Chandu organized for the liquor shop next door to deliver beers to them there.

They sat in the hot afternoon drinking beers and lazing around.

Janis asked “How did you guys end up living here?”

Anu replied “Chandu was the first one here. He has been living here for over twenty years. He was the resident dealer, troubleshooter and still is. Next to come was Derek about fifteen years ago. He overdosed and died about five years ago. Then came Nick. He came here twelve years ago. He came from Jaipur and was trying to get work as a writer which didn’t work out. He drifted into production and is doing very well at it. Then Zee came after Derek’s death and he was here for four years. He was an editor like Derek. Next came Sandy about three years ago. He was thrown out by his family for being a druggie. He was on smack and was terrible back then. He would steal for his habit and wound up in the lockup many times. And then he went to rehab and cleaned up. Then came Gary who lost all his money from the sale of his art at the racetrack. So he ended up here. And then I married Sandy and came here. Then came Shanti and Maya around the same time who are ultra rich girls but they like to hang out with us poor nobodies. And they are dancers. And then came JJ when he lost his job as singer in a band at a five star hotel. And then you came, Janis. So that is the chronological history of this gang coming to live at the Bombay Black Hotel.”

“Here’s to all of you crazy, insane lunatic geniuses” Janis drunkenly toasted and went bottoms up on her beer.

She burped real loud and everybody laughed. It was 6pm and they decided to go to the terrace and hang out and smoke some shit. They headed up the stairs to the terrace and saw Gary and JJ with a couple of girls smoking joints with wine bottles in their hands.

“Oh here it begins” said Sandy.

They met up with them and pretty soon everybody was talking simultaneously. All had a buzz going and it did not matter to any of them if they were being understood. There was utter chaos going on and nobody was ready to slow down. This went on for a long while.

Chandu got a call from Nick informing him that they were in a taxi on the way to Hampi. It would take them approximately four hours to get there. He would call when they reached the hotel.

Chandu passed on the information to Anu and Sandy. They were happy that Nick had found someone and the chemistry they shared was rare. The beers ran out and the wine ran out.

Gary started preparing a chillum and said “This is my last one for tonight. I gotta go eat. I haven’t eaten today.”

He passed it to JJ and he started it and passed it to Chandu. In one round it was canned.

Gary cleaned it and said “Guys, wanna get some food?” They all agreed and walked down from the terrace.

They went next door where there was a restaurant that served Chinese and Indian food. They had all ordered from there many times. They got a large table and sat down to enjoy their dinner. They had spent the afternoon drinking and had skipped lunch altogether. Drinks were ordered first. The drinks came and they were downed in no time. The dinner went on till 11pm when they decided to call it a night and head back to their respective rooms.

Kartik asked “Are you guys up for some Coke and he pulled out two vials out of his pocket. Being very drunk and wasted they all thought it to be a good idea. They all went to the hotel lounge which was empty and snorted Coke off the coffee table. They were celebrating and they needed no reason to. It was just another aimless night adding to their repertoire of wasted nights.

Chandu excused himself and said he was expecting someone and left for his room.

The rest of the gang just killed time smoking cigarettes and chit chatting.

Gary took his leave and went to his room.

Janis was quite pumped up and wanted to go out on the town. Kartik and Janis left to go clubbing.

JJ and the girls left to get a cab for the girls to go home.

JJ came back and was wasted and said “We gotta change something man! The booze and coke and hash are just not cutting it any more. We have gotta change. There is too much of the same shit happening here every day.”

Out of the corner of her eye Anu noticed a well dressed woman asking for Chandu’s room. She headed up the stairs.

“You are right JJ. Well at least it is not smack, but I get your point” said Anu.

Sandy was oblivious to the conversation. He was in his own thoughts. He knew that man needed a high. It could be anything; money, sex, power, or any of the perversions in the world; but something was needed. Even spirituality started as a high for most people. Now that was a good high he thought. Maybe I should go live in an ashram, he thought.

“Won’t make it” he said aloud and got up to go to his room.

Anu joined him. It was time for bed. Anu got a call. It was Nick.

“I can’t get Chandu on the line. Where is he?” he asked.

Anu smiled and said “He has got a lady visitor. I don't think he will be taking any calls tonight.”

“Well, we have reached Hampi and have checked in at the hotel. I will call you tomorrow.”

“Ok goodnight” said Anu and hung up. She said let's go to bed now guys and they all called it a night.

Nick woke up at 4am to meditate. Catherine was not in bed.

She came out of the bathroom and said “Up for meditation?”

“Yup” he replied.

When he came out he saw that Catherine was already sitting for her practice. He quietly sat down next to her and closed his eyes. They meditated for an hour and he heard Catherine get up as he opened his eyes. His eyes followed her as she reached into her bag and took out a framed image of their Guru.

She turned and said “Ready for Aarti?”

He got up and joined her and they sang the Arti which he now knew fully. After it ended Catherine offered rock sugar to her Guru’s image and put a piece in Nick’s mouth.

She said “Why don’t you go and sit on the balcony and I will join you in a minute.”

She went inside and opened her bag and took out a diary and came to the balcony.

She presented it to him and said “This is for you. I want you to write something in it every day; things that you think, things you see, the revelations you have, anything that you want to.”

He took it and said “Thank you Catherine.”

“You are welcome” she said and smiled a most tender smile and sat down next to him.

Nick opened the diary and flipped through the empty pages.

“This is just what I needed,” he said.

He turned and held her hand and gave her a kiss on the lips. She put her hand on his shoulder and held him.

“That was our first kiss, I shall put that down as the first entry in the diary” he said.

She laughed and asked him “Shall we order breakfast? It is 6am. We should be ready to leave for the tour by eight.”

“That would be good,” he said.

He got up and kissed her forehead and said “I will get ready while breakfast comes.”

He had a shower and came out and Catherine went in to shower.

There was a knock at the door and Nick opened it. The breakfast had come. He let him in and the room service guy rolled in the trolley. Nick tipped him as he left. Nick helped himself to some coffee which he had not had in ages. It was delicious. He looked at the sight seeing brochure on the writing desk and sat down to read.

Catherine came out in a robe and they started breakfast.

“There are many ruins, temples and market complexes in this brochure. He handed it to her.

She went through it and said “We’ll just take the tour and see whatever it covers.”

They finished breakfast and got dressed. It was exactly 7:45am. They left the room and went down to the lobby to wait for the tour to begin.

They waited in the lobby and saw a few other people sitting around.

Catherine struck up a conversation with a woman sitting opposite her and asked “Are you taking the tour too?

“Yes we are” replied the woman, “My husband is with me and after he retired we decided to travel through Asia. It has been enlightening to see parts of the world we did not know much about.”

“That can be quite an eye opener,” said Catherine.

“I am Susan and this is my husband Bill,” said the woman.

“I am Catherine and this is my soul mate Nick” replied Catherine.

Nick heard this and his heart was fluttering like a caged bird suddenly being set free to embrace the sky. This was more than an assessment of their relationship. It had taken their relationship into a spiritual dimension.

Catherine and Susan continued chatting when Nick noticed that Bill was awfully quiet.

He went up and sat next to him and asked him “Why so glum Bill?”

Bill said “We visited an astrologer in the market nearby yesterday. She was very accurate at telling us about ourselves and our past. I was pretty spooked. Her prediction was that I have a difficult period coming up for two years. It will be health related. I am already having health problems and I am imagining the worst” said Bill.

“But did she say that you would recover from it?” asked Nick.

“Yes she did but I would have to be very careful and my life will have to drastically change” replied Bill.

“That is not so bad” said Nick.

“Not so bad? Asking a Texan to give up meat is not so bad? Hahahaha” he laughed.

Nick was glad his mood had changed. The tour operator arrived and asked everybody to board the bus. Catherine sat with Susan and Nick sat with Bill.

The drive to the ruins was both beautiful and sad, thought Nick. The ruins that they were going to see were relics of the past, but here on the way to the ruins, people were living in subhuman conditions; and it was not poverty but greed of the people whose duty it was to protect and provide for them that kept them in this state. He sighed.

He looked at the brochure and the first site they would visit was the Virupaksha Temple and Market Complex. It was a complex of many small temples and a ruined stone marketplace. There was also a Shiva temple there. They reached the site and got off the bus. Everybody got their cameras and phones ready. This was the way it was.

Catherine walked up to Nick and said “How do you like this place? Doesn't beauty live amid destruction here?”

“It certainly does. But you must know that these ruins are the product of the defeat of the Vijayanagara Empire at the hands of the sultanate armies in 1565 and have been here in the same state for centuries. Man did not know how to live in peace back then and he certainly does not know it now” said Nick.

“My man knows his history,” she smiled.

“I just read the brochure” said Nick and laughed.

They walked around for about an hour trailing behind the tour guide who was explaining the history of this site. When they reached the Shiva temple, Nick was looking at it intently. It was a better preserved ruin than the others. He heard the tour guide say that people actively worshiped there through the centuries that had passed since the destruction.

They finished the tour of the site and went back to the bus and started for the next site which was to be the Krishna temple and market. The bus reached the next site in five minutes. They got off and looked around the ruins here. They were similar but this one had had restoration work done to it. They wandered around and were back at the bus. They were offered refreshments by the tour operator.

Catherine said “I hope you have the patience for a morning of checking out ruins. It seems monotonous. They all have the same look of destruction but yet they have a story to tell.”

“Yup” replied Nick. “We will get through it,” he promised.

They had some juice and got on the bus. They spent the afternoon touring site after site of ruins and temples and were exhausted when they got back to the hotel. They went straight to the room and ordered room service for coffee and sandwiches. The lunch that they had had on the tour was unpalatable. They sat in the armchairs in the room and tried to recover their lost energy.

“What now?” Catherine asked.

“We will take a nap and then we will go down to the local bazaar. I have a surprise for you.”

“What surprise is this?” she pleaded. “

You will know when we get there” said Nick.

There was a knock and it was room service. Nick let him in. Their hunger got the better of them and they finished the coffee and sandwiches in no time. Catherine went to the bathroom and Nick kicked his shoes off and lay down in bed. Catherine came out and joined him.

Catherine woke up first as she had set an alarm for one hour.

Nick opened his eyes and asked her “What time is it?”

“5 pm” she said “time for Aarti.”

Nick went and washed his face and joined Catherine.

When they finished he said “Let’s get ready quickly and leave.”

She got dressed and Nick changed his shirt. They left the room and headed to the bazaar. They were out on the street when they saw all sorts of local artifacts being sold by vendors.

Nick was constantly looking at all the signboards on the establishments on both sides of the street. He saw the one he was looking for. It said “Anandita Hegde – Astrologer.”

“Why are we going to an astrologer?” she asked.

“It will be fun and interesting to know what is in store for each of us” replied Nick.

He took Catherine inside and asked for the astrologer.

The receptionist asked them to take a seat. She gave them two cards to fill up. It had Name, Date of birth, Place of Birth (city and country) and Time of birth to be filled in. They filled them up and gave them back to the receptionist who went on to enter the details in her computer. She took a printout of their birth charts and went in.

She came out and said “Ma’am will see you now” and led them in.

She was a middle aged lady sitting behind a desk and had books on astrology and awards from various associations she belonged to on the shelves behind her.

She asked them to sit and said “Nick and Catherine. Are you married?”

“No,” replied Nick.

“Who wants to go first?” she asked.

Nick said “Catherine should go first.”

She looked at Catherine’s chart and made some additions to the chart while consulting an almanac.

“Ok. Catherine, you have been born under very good stars. You have had a comfortable life and have traveled the world. The strong stars in your chart are regarding your spiritual life. Do you have a Guru?” she asked.

Catherine said “Yes.”

“Good. You have made India your second home. You love coming here. You come every year?”

“Yes,” said Catherine.

You met Nick at a place of worship. You have become good friends and a relationship is developing. It will be good for both of you. You Catherine are especially lucky for Nick” she said.

“Do you have any questions now? You can ask three questions.”

Catherine smiled and said “I work at a bank as a PR Officer in Germany. How long will I do that?”

“Not for long. You will make India your home soon. You will come into some money and will be well off” said the astrologer.

“What about health issues?” she asked.

“You are going to have a healthy life for a long time. Health will dip a little in the beginning of your sixties.”

“What about marriage and children?” asked Catherine.

“Do you want to marry Nick?” asked the astrologer.

“Yes, he is a good man,” she replied.

“It will be a good union,” said the astrologer. “You are good for him. Trust yourself more than you do. You are a very pure soul. You only want good things to happen to others. You have no fear. You trust God. You could have up to three children.”

Catherine had a big smile on her face and was very happy with the reading. It was Nick’s turn next.

The astrologer looked at Nick’s chart and made some additions after consulting the almanac.

She said “You have some very favorable stars and some that are not helping you because of their position. You come from a loving home. Your father is a very educated man. Your mother is the one who keeps in touch with you. You have spent the better part of your adult life dealing with alcohol and drugs. You don’t womanize. You have lost a dear friend some time back. His death affected you very badly. You want to change your life and you have already started. Stay with it. Don’t get tempted back into that life again. You will lose all that you are working so hard to change. You have very good stars for a happy married life. Your spouse will be kind and loving. You will both be on the spiritual path. She will help you a lot on this path. She will be like your teacher in this respect. Respect her when she does. You will help your friends out of their problems later in life. They have helped you too.”

“My God, you are one hundred percent accurate,” said Nick.

“You can ask three questions,” the astrologer said to Nick.

“Will I ever be free of my insanities, my impulsive nature?” he asked.

“Impulsive nature is a part of who you are. It has to be channeled in the right direction. Don’t worry about that” she said.

“What about money? Will I be able to support Catherine and the family we will have.”

“Between the two of you, you will not have to worry about your survival. You should use this freedom to improve your habits and make your life a success in spiritual terms. This is what you seek and if you work at it consistently, you will get it” said the astrologer.

“What about my friends? They love me a lot. Will they ever be able to make up their minds to leave the lives of indulgence they lead?”

“Not all at once. One at a time will happen. They will learn from the two of you. Both of you will help them understand the purpose of life for each of them. There is no single purpose for everyone. Everybody finds purpose in the circumstances they are in and that is eventually based on their karma.”

“Continue your spiritual practice and live a wholesome life. You will benefit from it. Also, you will write a book that will be liked by many people” she said.

Nick was happy with the reading and thanked her. Catherine thanked her as well.

The astrologer gave them each a sheet of paper on which she had been jotting down her readings for both of them.

“How much do we pay?” Nick asked.

She said “One thousand rupees each.”

Nick paid her and thanked her once again. They left the place and headed back to the hotel.

Once back in the room, they sat in the armchairs opposite each other and just kept in their own space to ruminate over what they had been told that evening.

Catherine looked at Nick with great love and said “Thank you Nick. It was a wonderful experience for me. I owe you one.” She smiled her million dollar smile and closed her eyes and a tear rolled down her cheek.

Nick knew that she was overwhelmed with the whole experience and let her feel what she was feeling. He too was thinking about what he had to do with his life.

Nick asked Catherine “What would you like to eat for dinner?”

She said “Anything. I would like a beer with it.”

Nick ordered dinner and beers while Catherine was sitting in a trancelike state.

He said “How about we head to Goa tomorrow for a few days?”

Catherine said “I would like that.”

Nick called the travel desk and booked a car to take them to Goa at 9 am. They read their books for a while and then the food came.

They ate it and drank their beers and were quite at ease when Catherine said “How about we go for a stroll on the street.”

Nick said “Yes that sounds good. Let’s do that.”

It was slightly cool so he told her to carry a sweater with her. He picked up his jacket and they headed down. They walked past the narrow lobby and walked out on the street. They held hands and walked down past the bazaar. It was deserted. They passed a cigarette shop and Nick bought a packet. He asked her if she wanted anything but she said no. Nick lit the cigarette and smoked while he held her hand and walked with her.

“How does it feel to know about your future?” he asked her.

She smiled and said “It is reassuring to know that good things are going to happen. It is wonderful to know that we are good for each other. It is just that the inevitability seems to take something away from it.”

“It is what you picture as the inevitability that takes something away from it. And how you picture it is not how it unfolds. It may happen in a way you have not imagined. God is not a tyrant. Trust him. You know you are a good person. If not then somebody should have told you a long time ago. Only criminals fear the police. Of course in India, everybody fears them. But you know what I am trying to say. Don’t picture it in any particular way. You will be pleasantly surprised when it happens.”

Nick took a deep drag of his cigarette and dropped it, stubbing it out with his foot.

“You may be right,” she said.

The melancholy was leaving her as she was talking about other things. Soon she was back to normal and they decided to turn and head back to the hotel.

They reached the room and Catherine said “I will go and change.”

While she was changing, Nick called Chandu to inform him of their plans to go to Goa for a few days. He was happy to hear that.

He said “Very good. Keep her safe and stay out of trouble. Call me when you get there.”

Nick said “Will do” and hung up.

Catherine came out of the bathroom in silk lingerie. She walked up to him and held him close and gave him a big kiss. He held her and they kissed. Nick led her to the bed and they snuggled up and held each other close. They kissed and Nick turned the lights out. That was the first night they made love.

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