Samaranand
got down from the car in his fleece jacket , his favourite cap on for his
morning walk at the lake. The night temperature has already dived to 13 degrees.
Monkey caps are out but still there were those who were brave enough to defy
the winter breeze in their shorts. Samaranand thought that the winter is the
time to show off the latest woolens procured during European trips by the
business community or those nouveau rich Bengalis. With all colour and shades
on the morning walkers the lake wears a different look. As usual at the left
side ground some youngsters were playing India’s favorite game cricket. He
speeded up his walk on the walking track near the lake, two youngsters who were
watching cricket broke away from the group and started walking behind him. It
was nothing usual,Samaranad did not bother much. Slowly he started overtaking
the other walkers, those two young men sat down on a bench which of course
Samaranand did not notice. After his usual round he was walking out of the gate
and those two youngsters followed him and watched him go out. As per his daily
routing he gave alms to three fixed beggars near the gate and got in his car,
Gopal his driver dove him back to his flat in Golf Green. In the car he was
immersed in his thought about Babulal who had not met him for the last two
months, he had tried to contact him in his mobile but it was switched off.Next
day morning again like every day he came for his morning walk, those two young
men again started following him upto the cannon and back, but this time he
noticed them by chance, his shoe lace had come out so he bent down to tie when
those two too stopped abruptly, though he noticed them but did not bother much.
But the third day he became alert about those two as they would start shadowing
him from the cricket field keeping a constant distance. To check whether he was
being followed he suddenly sat down on one of the benches when those two
stopped and looked up at the trees as though trying to locate migratory birds
which come from Siberia in winter,they took a few snaps with their mobile,
Samaranad immediately knew that they had included him in their snap. He wanted
to confront them but then thought of observing their movements instead. He was
missing Babulal, he would have used Babulal to find information about those two
rascals. His mobile started ringing, it was unknown number, he generally did
not attend unknown number but on an impulse he pulled out his mobile from his
jacket pocket and pressed the green button. He was startled to hear the voice,
it was Babulal.
“Hello
uncle, you must be wondering about me and my this new number. There is some
development with Soumeya, he is programming video game and has been able to
create some simple games.!”
“Ok,so,why
are you missing? I know every computer geek is fond of video games, no big
deal.”
“No uncle he
had found out a way to produce CGI (computer generated image) and mix it with
existing videos. Right now he is on it and then would switch to game. I like a
fool shared this information in that English medium school where we generate
guess paper for examination, one of the boys started showing interest and
started pressurizing Soumaya to sell the programme as they wanted to put that
in commercial use. Then one day that boy with his elder brother visited my room
in Tollygaunge slum and started
pestering me. We refused because Soumaya is not yet ready and we don’t know the
real value of that software. These guys offered one lakh. I told them to give us
some time to decide. They left, we vacated that room and moved to a slum near
Sealdah station and kept my mobile off. This is my new number,please store this
number.’
Samaranad
felt as though he was getting pulled in some kind of cloak and dagger game.
“So you guys
are in a jam, where are you now?”’
“I am in the
lake a few benches away from you, I am in disguise. I have been coming to the
lake to warn you but somehow those two rascals have come to know about you so
they have started following you lest I come and meet you.”
“Ok, now I know
why those two are shadowing me, now I will go back and will like to meet you to
understand about that software.’
“Ok,uncle, I
will meet you with Soumaya by tomorrow.”
Babulal
disconnected the mobile but Samaranand pretending the talk was continuing held
the mobile by his ear and kept talking. He suddenly got up and loudly said in
the mobile “Ok,I am coming to the hospital!’
He walked
fast crossing those two startled young man and went out of lake the lake.
Then he
started making plan for meeting Babulal and Soumaya, he rang up Babulal and
asked him to come to the golf club next day morning.
Samaranand
generally plays solo golf. Babula and Soumaya got down from a taxi and met
Samaranand near the course. Sankar,the caddy took the bag all four started
walking to the course. He took them to the shack near 6th hole. He
ordered daab and asked Soumaya to tell him about the software.
Soumaya
asked him whether he had seen the movie Forest Gump.Samaranand nodded his head.
“Do you
remember in that movie Tom Hanks who acts as Forrest Gump is congratulated by the president Robert
Kennedy ,that movie was made in 1994 whereas Kennedy was killed in 1963.So how
was that made possible? Of course the programme which was used then is obsolete
now, CGI has become like real. I am able to put any person in any 3 to 4
minutes shot of some film. Now supposing I ask you with which favorite film
actor you want to be seen in a sequence then I will put your image in that
sequence.”
“Is that
possible? Ok, put me in a sequence with Devanand.”
“Ok, tell me
some songs of Devanand in YouTube, then I will see where I can put you. I have
your images in YouTube.”
“Mein
Zindagi ka sath nivaataa, Mana janaab ne pukara nahin,Dil kaa bhramar karey pukaar….choose
any from these three.’
“I will send
it to your email address by tomorrow.’
They finished
their daab and got up to go.
Babulal
said, “I will not be able to meet you for some time, those boys will also stop following
you when they will find that you are not meeting me.”
Babulal and
Soumaya left, Samaranand played a few holes and wound up golf for the day.
Samaranand
could not concentrate in his work that day, he was eager to receive the mail
from Soumaya.
As usual
next day he went out for his morning walk around the lake and those two young
men as usual followed him, he did not bother much about those.
After
returning home he accessed his mail in his mobile and found the mail from Soumaya
with attachment of a video.
He excitedly
like a child with a new toy downloaded the video and then played it.
Soumaya had
chosen Mein Zindagi ke sath and Samaranad was thrilled to find his image as
driver driving the jeep for Devanand during the song sequence. He played the
clip a few times more to absorb the feel good emotion. Then he realized that
this itself has a big market potential, who would not like to have himself seen
with his or her favorite celebrity in a video clip for a tiddy sum also it can
be expanded to many other use like say in ad films or in wave series which has
become latest craze.
He rang up
Babulal and said, “It’s amazing. Soumaya is a genius but ask him to work on
variations. Let me think about its market potential but in the meanwhile you
remain invisible, if you want you guys can go and stay in my Delhi flat.
Babulal said,
“ ok,I will come back to you soon on that.”
