Tunnel 10

Image reference - Google 

Appu was different from other kids. When others played cricket and hide and seek, he used to sit at a distance and observe them.He noticed how they spoke, what they were wearing and how they reacted to what they were doing. He started this because of his grandmother’s stories. She told him about mythological and mystical stories of gods and celestial beings. That made him look everywhere and everyone in search of god. This thought of his became an idea, that idea nurtured a nature of curiosity in him. That curiosity turned into passion and passion turned into an obsession.

As he grew up, he started to experiment different things. He widened his spectrum and tried everything and became the best in what he did. That’s because his sole purpose was to find the one through all senses - sight, sound, smell touch and taste. He added his complete essence in everything and went on. Though the journey had different varieties, he always felt empty.

One evening he had quit what he was doing and started to travel to mountains. That was one of the main destinations for him. As per grandmother’s stories, all the enlightened ones met the holy one inside caves. So, he packed his bags and went up and down on several hill trails. On the way, he found several caves and pavements which were just a tourist attraction and nothing more than that.
Finally, he reached a mountain which was not placed on the radars of tourism and habitat. There was no one. Away from the human buzz, he found his solace. The quest he had was never-ending. There is no answer to it. Slowly he ran out of supplies and got exhausted. When he planned to head back he slipped and started sliding over a huge pavement. With nothing to hold, he fell way deep inside a tunnel. He tried crawling back, but nothing helped.

And that’s where his grandmother’s three easy steps came in. Like e-commerce website and retail products, God comes with three easy steps. Step one – he will never approach you, you have to reach him. Following step one, Appu tried to climb and crawl his way up. He fell back and it never worked. Step two – pray and reach out to him and make god realize that you are worthy to be saved. Following step two, he started shouting for help. His form of prayer was to reach out to the nearest for help. No one was around the vicinity and an ominous breeze howled when it traveled through the tunnel. The sun started to sink into darkness and the wilderness started to buzz. Step 3 – Never give up and believe in God, he will give you hope and he will save you. Though Appu was tired and completely exhausted, he did not give up; he continued his shouts for help and started throwing stones above. After several hours, the miracle happened.

On that moonlit night, a shepherd heard his voice and peeked into the tunnel. He screamed to know if there was someone inside the tunnel. That was the voice of GOD for Appu, finally, a tear of enlightenment and realization trickled down his cheek. The realization was simple. God is within us and we become Gods when we believe. The more we reach out to others needs, the more divine we emerge.

Tunnel 9

Image source - Google

Lisa walked into her bedroom. After a strenuous double shift, her eyelids were shutting down with drowsiness. She dropped over her bed and started staring at the stars through the glass window of her ceiling.

“Heavy noise is a kind of silence. After too much of anything, we get used to it. Our senses go numb and things around us go subtle. Without a direction, I have been living in this new place with four years of silence. Though there were many inner callings, nothing lasted long just like a distorted song. The same old routine continues on loop. I guess there is something else out there with a different form and a different tone that will break this heavy silence.”

Thinking about her life she dozed off.

After few minutes a subtle racket arose around her. Gradually the volume increased. Her phone rang and alarmed her. She calmly woke up and saw her phone; there were several missed calls and messages. She ignored them and stepped outside to check what was happening.

People were running rampant. Families nearby packed their bag and drove away. Teenagers broke into stores and took supplies. Everyone was evacuated from the area. They signaled Lisa to run away.

But, she stood there still and observed them calmly. Neither panic nor fear, nothing affected her. She stood there till the entire crowd vanished. With curiosity, she opened the TV and checked the news. The headlines said a giant meteor is going to hit the city. Soon after few seconds, the power was gone. The temperature rose. She saw the sky again from the ceiling window, it turned red. A huge streak of light and a heavy mass passed through and hit the nearby ground.

Lisa was enjoying this. She was fascinated by the miracle happening in front. She was thrilled and hoping more to happen. Maybe, this was something that going to break the silence in her life and make it more interesting.

She quickly picked her car keys and drove towards the impact area. Once she arrived, she saw a huge tunnel in front of her. It was formed by the meteor attack. It was as huge as a crater. Everything was covered with ash. Lisa was anticipating many things. Maybe it could be a piece of mars or moon, maybe it could be a fragment of a dying star, a space pod from another dimension or it could even be an alien. She couldn’t resist her curiosity. She stepped down and started walking. Every layer of inner feelings like inhibition, insecurity, and confusion broke as she walked into the tunnel.

It was hard, still she walked in. This was something she was waiting for a long time. Something unusual and something alien was happening in her life. The more close she moved the more thrilling and different was the experience became.  She came to an open space and found another tunnel. This repeated for several times. She kept walking into each and every space she found. Finally, she came to a dead end and found a huge pit. It was pointless and the last layer of inner feeling started to react. It was fear. She can go back or she can jump in and check what is inside the hole.

She summoned up her courage and jumped inside. The last layer fear was broke. A gust of wind passed her face and she hit the bottom with the crash.

The hit was heavy and she finally opened her eyes with pain. Her vision was disoriented and it was completely blurred. He strained to focus and found the same old ceiling window. It was all a dream. She quickly took her phone, there were no notifications. She checked the TV, the headlines was about some new pop song.

Lisa laughed to herself and dozed off to sleep with silence. 

Ashwin Muralidharan  

Tunnel 8

Source - Google

We cross across different spots in our life. We don’t notice them often but there are some intriguing spots that make us stop and spot the difference. They might look familiar and an unknown comfort seeps into our senses. Perhaps we would have lived there or died there on some other lifetime.

When I pass this lake every day, something attracts me here.  Those tiny glossy sparkles lit up by the moon, aged algae with wet impressions, rusty broken train tracks that lead to a tunnel and the symphony of crickets gives me a powerful familiarity every day.   

Just when the mood was set, the weather decided to be a spoilsport. It started to rain. Ripples of concentric circles started to emerge all over the surface. It was mesmerizing. Though I loved the rain, I did not want to get wet. I hopped on the tracks and ran towards the tunnel. Those trippy concentric circles took me on a trip. A roadside retreat to be precise.

Suddenly, everything turned black and white. I felt like an antique vase waiting to be garnished with fragrant flowers. The anticipation ended and the action began. The tracks came alive, the lake water raised and a bridge connected itself to the other end of the tunnel.

Must be a dream – I said to myself. But, things were happening right in front of me.

A rhythmic footstep broke the silence. From the depth of the dark alley, a hooded figure walked in. Like a curious child waiting for his candy, my eyes got glued to that mysterious figure. I was sure it was a girl.

She came and stood beside me. We did not speak with each other. We just stared the silver blue lake like a narcissist. Finally, when she removed her hood, things became different. Of course, adjectives started flowing in. She was stupendous, fantabulous and fantastic. The other syndrome that kicks in when a beautiful woman stands next to you is self-doubt. Am I even worth to stand next to her?

I started focusing on my reflection now. What I actually saw was not me; it was my younger self from another time. I felt as if, I have time traveled.

Every five minutes she stared at her watch. I was hoping that the person she was waiting for never comes. But, it came. It was the train. It broke the ice between us.

Are you waiting for the train? I asked…

Yeah.

Where are you traveling?

Upwards…

Oh. Countryside?

She replied with a smile.

Soon ..when the train came, it was empty. I boarded fast to make some space for her, for us. But she did not get in. The horns were alarming, and the wheels started to move. Soon after that, she started moving towards the front. I got down and followed her. I did not care about the departure. I was curious to find out where was she headed. She went to the edge of the platform and stood before the train. What in this world would convince her to have a seat with me? I was still thinking.

Gradually the speed increased and suddenly she gave a smile to me and jumped in front of the train. In a fraction of a second, she was dead. The black and white ambiance turned red and the moon turned crimson. I was totally terrified by what I saw.

Several WH questions popped into my mind. A few minutes back I saw the prettiest women in my life. Now I see a pulp of blood and flesh. In shock, I collapsed and got unconscious.

Drip, drip, drop.

Drip, drip, drop.

Water was dripping on my face. I finally woke up. The rusty tracks, bridge and everything disappeared. I got up and saw the reflection. My old self came back.

The connection between the spot and my life got clear. Though the rain kept my past memories closer to my current life, the train gave me a closure.

I believe this incomplete memory comes with lifetime validity.  

Ashwin Muralidharan....

Tunnel 7

The speaker announced – Minions are despatched. Echo watched over them from the stars. Every day he makes several things and passes it on to his minions. They carefully carry them to different space and time.

The speaker crackled again – Echo, it’s time to attend the holy summit. Echo was disappointed with the management. He neither got recognition, nor credits for what he does. But, still, he conjured himself to the summit. The cows, horses and even messengers were holy there except Echo.

He gradually dozed off. He forgot that it was his duty to raise an alarm and call others. When he woke up, everyone was staring at him. He got embarrassed and took a back seat.

The stage was set. All the gods arrived. On one side, the god of love, wisdom and all five elements were sitting. On the other side, the god of destruction, war, chaos and even calamities were sitting. In the Centre, the creator was sitting.

A question arrived from the crowd – Why are we here?

The creator said: It’s time for an announcement!

Today, I promote sugar as the god of sweets.

Other gods started cheering and applauding for sugar. With a holy shine, sugar sat on her holy seat.

Creator: I have one more announcement to make.

Echo was excited and curious now. Echo, you will be assisting sugar and the god of knowledge to spread sweetness. The meeting is over now. Indulge yourself in with the divine nectar

All the gods started enjoying.

Echo got frustrated and disappeared. He took all his materials and vanished. The speakers did not work. No one was able to hear anything and no one was able to say anything. There was no sound.

Echo descended down to earth and started drifting around.

Echo was unheard. He as invisible and no one knew he existed. All he could do was hop from one element to other. Surprisingly, he found few life forms roaming around. He shrunk himself and entered a tunnel. He summoned his minions and added few of his elements inside the tunnel. Slowly, the tunnel started reciprocation by reverbing. He added more elements and created new forms. Every time there were different responses.   

That’s when he realized the creators trick. He has to find his way to godship. He learned that the tunnel he experimented was actually ears. Gradually, his elements evolved to music and language.

He was heard by everyone and he was felt by everyone through sound.

He went back to his fellow god and retrieved their communication with an apology. And that’s where he earned his holiness.

The creator conjured all the other gods and made Echo the god of sound. 

Ashwin Muralidharan.....

TUNNEL 6:

Day 1:

The 25^th king of the titan tribe arrived in an unconventional manner. He was not dressed properly; he didn’t hold his royal stag and he had huge dark circles on his eyes. As the drum roll hit its maximum tempo, royalties from stage cheered for his arrival. The king was zoned out. At his third step, he fell down. Some thought he was drunk, few thought he was sick and many thought he was clumsy.

Day 2:

The drum rolled. The dais was set, King appeared on time. He tried his best to be perfect. With a majestic smile, he crossed the alley and sat on his throne. Suddenly he got worried looking at the expressions on people’s face. They were shocked. Everyone looked at him. He followed their looks and found out that he has forgotten to wear his pants. In a jiffy, he ran out to his room.

Day 3:

Soldiers were waiting. This time the king had to demonstrate his skills. As the king stretched his arm and threw the sphere, an unusual sound came out. It was a cow from the nearby farm. Instead of hitting the mark, he has killed a cow nearby. King let out an embarrassing smile.

Day 4:

This time it was a meeting. Important people from other nations had arrived to visit the king and discuss trade. The king directly went in and hugged one of his maids instead of the guest.  The maid got scared and ran away.

A sense of panic ran through the crowd. Is he even suitable for the position? What was his intention? Will he carry his duty for this country? He is acting strange, he must be a foreigner or is he an imposter?  Does he deserve our respect and loyalty?

All these questions popped up.

Calm down people, there is nothing to worry. The king is perfectly all right. There is no reason to be tense, the king actually sleep deprived, the minister said.

From that moment doctors from the different corners of the kingdom tried to cure him. Sorceress tried magical incantations too. Nothing helped. No one understood what the problem was. Everyone tried to convince the king. But, he never got convinced. He was just not able to sleep.

Finally the day arrived where the king had to disguise himself and patrol the kingdom.  He disguised himself as a trash collector. Somehow, whatever happening around him was very normal. There were no special treatment, no attention and no crowd around him. Everyone was busy with their own life.

When the track ended, he found a tunnel where all the trash was dumped. First he saw few kids who were scavenging the trash heap. They found few broken toys and they were happily playing with it. Then he found an old couple who had their cosy tent made of old bedsheets and dirty rags. Looking at them gave him a sense of satisfaction.

Kingdom, royalty, righteousness, grace, people, leadership etc. all these labels vanished from his thoughts. Gradually he found a spot and dozed off to sleep.

From the next day, the king stayed as a trash collector forever. He made a small tent for him inside the tunnel and had a peaceful sleep for the rest of his life. He never returned to his royal life.

Ashwin Muralidharan...

The tunnel 5

Like light, darkness can add taste to your life. It’s an acquired taste. It’s more tempting and tantalizing. Any kind of art form needs inspiration for evolution. I the base form it’s just showcased as a normal performance or an eye-catching element. Once in a lifetime, of one in a million chance, it transcends it’s base form and gets a signature. If we brush upon history, we can count the number of people who became famous.

Everyone had a single moment in their life that added inspiration to their art. They say it’s a feeling that strikes you for few seconds.  

So, here I am on a culinary trip to find the perfect experience. I am a cook. Well, I was one. Now I am no more than an oven. What I serve are hot piping delicacies with the usual taste that holds peoples taste. I always wanted to change this thing. I wanted them to experience food that not just fills their stomach. I wanted them to taste food that fulfills their desires.

En route several adventures, I landed upon an unusual spot. It was a tunnel adjacent to a coastal area. The beach added a little salt to my curiosity. With more anticipation as seasoning, I went inside a dark void. There was no one and nothing around me. It was just me. And when I was alone I was myself. The darkness brought out the desire inside me. As I kept walking, all my other four senses were at its peak. The smell, the air around my skin, the dry ambiance and the sound of the backwaters opened my mind. In the darkness, you give in or give up. I completely surrendered my will to it and it lingered longer than I expected.

After few minutes my moment occurred there. A small spec of light fell on a crystal blue spot. Amongst the dark void, this puddle was in the spotlight. This was a nature’s spectacle that was adorned to enlighten me. I bent down and had a sip of that water. And that’s where I got my moment of inspiration. The water had a blend of salt, sweetness, and sourness. It was mixed with several minerals that flowed inside the tunnel. I got my secret ingredient.

All my dishes from that day had a tinge of darkness and refreshing taste of that spring water. The blend not only changed peoples taste, it changed their mood and expression.

Sometimes we need a tunnel view to improve our art form.

Ashwin Muralidharan...

The Tunnel 4

99% of the tunnels in the world are manmade. Remaining one percent is made from time and nature itself. One of such place is the Soda Pub. Though it’s natural; it turned out to be a manmade attraction spot. It’s famous for its pulpy sodas. 

With special organic soil, rich minerals and medicinal values, this place was home to many fruits and herbs. In early 80’s, this tunnel lost its natural virginity to one of the biggest Cafe chains in the world – The Star Ducks. After global warming and pollution, they are the next big threat to nature. When money flowed from all directions, they grew like creepers.

Soon after unveiling the tunnel, they bought it from the government and started a side business called the soda Pub. They turned all the special fruits, herbs and all edible materials into a pulp and mixed it with soda. Gradually they got addicted to its taste and became brand loyal to them.

But, one thing remained unique, untouched and universal inside the tunnel. It was its natural properties.  They tried to recreate the same soil and set up in many places around the world. Everything was a failure. They started digging more. They went towards a point where they could not return.

Well, even though every human being is different, one thing remains common for everyone, that makes them humans. It’s their curiosity. When the line of curiosity becomes an obsession, nature has her own way of balancing it.

The tunnel collapsed and soda pub got shut. Soon after that, the entire chain of Star Duck got shut one by one.

Ashwin Muralidharan...