Phon(e)y Karma!

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.




I believe in Karma, until now. I believed in sowing and reaping theory. I also believed in every deed, whether good or bad once done comes back as a boomerang, well until now.

I have never stolen anything, from anyone. Rewinding my life tape, I never stole sweets for I never liked them. I never stole money because my money bank was always full and I never needed money for everything I desired was fulfilled. I never stole pencils, pens, erasers because their presence would have ruined my pencil box’s stylish look. I never tried to take anyone’s make up as I found it extremely unhygienic.

So, I was under the misconception that since I have never committed the sin thou shalt be blessed. But it was not the case. Sigh!

I placed my black phone on the stark white counter trusting it to be a safe place. While I looked in my purse for the exact change something happened that I didn't realize till I as a reflex tried to get hold of my phone. And Voila! It was gone. I looked at every possible corner but how could I ever find it.

Yet without losing my hope borrowed a phone from the sympathetic onlooker and called up my number. I frantically roamed around hoping to hear a faint sound of my ‘country roads take me home’. The ring was persistently buzzing - So close yet so far. After waiting patiently for 10 odd minutes, the phone owner asked for his phone.

I knew it was gone. I came home. There is a slight problem with ‘B+’ people. They are hopelessly positive. So I tried calling the number from my other number. It was still alive and ringing. Finally I heard a voice.

“Your phone is with me” It was a typical accent, very distinguished.

My mind repulsed like Liam Neeson ‘If you want ransom, I don’t have money but what I do have is a particular set of skills and I will find you and I will take my phone back from you’

But instead I blurted out “Bhaiya please aap paise le lo, mera phone de do. Mere phone mein bahut saare numbers hain, bachchon ki photos hain, aur bhi mere kaam ki cheezein hai. Please mera phone wapas kar do” (Brother, please take the ransom but return my phone. My phone has numbers, photographs of my kids and many more valuable things)

“Yeah sure” came the cold reply. Then he instructed me to come ten kilometers away from my place in a dense market where I stood for two hours feeling like Aditya Pancholi of Yes boss while he danced like Shahrukh Khan with my phone.

I finally shared my grief with my near and dear ones, my neighbours, my friends, my relatives even my maid and everyone I was faintly acquainted with. Even shared it with the guy I went to check the substitute. And everyone told me that they could perfectly understand how I feel. Everyone had lost one or more, I was not an exception or a rare case. It was a universal feeling. That was not consoling at all.

I have filed FIR but I know it is futile.

Coming back to Karma, when he stole my phone, was he thinking of Karma? Probably he is digging his well everyday. So he has nothing to lose. Selling it or getting caught - his three meals a day problem would have solved; nothing to lose. Name registered in crime book; well chances could be it is already there. Its presence or absence wouldn’t make much difference in his career graph. Someone will steal his phone someday, well big deal! So what is his Karma?

Losing is a very bad feeling. Everyone hates it including me. Everyone loses something, someone or somewhere. But it happens and that helpless feeling creeps up the mind. So, now I cannot do anything so I blame. I blame it on the hopeless mean society, I blame it on my stars and I blame myself. I finally blame my subconscious Karma where I unknowingly stole something somewhere without knowing and now it has paid off with interest!