NATURE CALLING

He was sitting in his air-conditioned office in his safari suit, the office laced with perfectly designed
furniture, state of the art technology and the walls decorated with wood and glasswork. His
secretary was just a button away; his employees a call away and the helipad just a few meters away -
with a chopper ready all the time to move him to any part of the country. He had it all what a young
man could desire. He had built it all by himself in such a young age that had not only amazed the
whole country but more importantly the corporate world. The trio of power, fame and money was in
his firm grip. He had built his empire by working his heart off – like a machine - day and night. He had
kept himself distant from the path of romance and feelings which in other case had always attracted
the youth of his age. He had his set of principles, which he kept uncompromised in any case. In a
young age, he had achieved emotional intelligence that had helped him control and manage such
vast man power. His organization had topped all the rankings in production, growth, services and
sales. His shares grew with each new day.
A shelf lined with trophies and portraits of his achievements stood at one side of his office. He
looked at his picture with the president and a grim rose over his tough face. Something was
bothering him. He stood and walked to the glass window to have a look at the magnificent view of
his corporate office surrounded by the factories – which were full of gigantic machinery and
motivated labor. Huge buildings of glass and metal rose in the skyline with the most sleek and
slender architecture. He stood there for a few minutes and observed the sky which had turned grey
with the dense clouds. Still a few strips of blue and purple were visible from where the sun marked its
presence. He walked backed to the desk and rang his secretory. She was instructed to get the
chopper ready and in a few minutes he was flying right below the thundering clouds. The rage could
be heard. It was a visit from the nature to his empire.
As the chopper flew among the strong winds, the set of thoughts that had been bothering him for a
few months consumed him once again. He was viewing the green rocky plains from his side of the
window but his attention was somewhere else. He was trying to figure out what was bothering him
the most. Was it the deal with the government that set his integrity on question which involved toxic
experimentation on a huge population? Or the dream of his end in which he saw himself in his
fortress built house with needles clinging to his body and no one beside him except his servants
who would serve him food and medication. A noise that was he unsure of echoed in his head. He had
never faced mental trauma in his life before. He had perfectly organized his thoughts and filtered all
the harmful and unwanted ones. He needed to know what was failing him this time. “Will canceling
the deal help me?” He thought to himself. “Or is it the time for me to quit and go party?”
He turned to face his secretary sitting beside him.
“Surie dear! Listen very carefully. There is a file in my locker which I have signed myself. You know the
password. Once you go back, take it out and call my lawyer Mr. Rosevelt. He will take it from you. It
contains all necessary papers that define the deals we have made with the government about the
Project Balance.”
“Won't you be coming back sir?” Surie asked hesitantly.
“No, I have some business to take care of.” He smiled. “Can you land us on the nearest cliff captain?”
“Sure sir!”
He was standing at the edge of the cliff with a forest behind him and the most scenic view at front,
with mountains surrounding the valley and the river flowing beneath. Little pieces of clouds
scattered in the deep blue sky floated as if someone was pushing them with the air blown from his
mouth. Was it the God of weather? The noise that echoed in his head was fainting slowly. For the first
time in his life, he had not planned his future. He took off his coat, his vest and all his clothing and
threw it over the cliff. He could hear a new music in his ears. A voice that was unheard in his world
before. It was as if the birds, the river, the insects, the mountains, the trees and the clouds were
calling him altogether. It was something more than just spiritual and ritualistic attainment.
“Come as you were born to this earth. Come without your man made technology. Come without
your anger and egos. Come to the land where the life exists. Come and see the plateaus, the
riverbeds, the snow peaks and the caves. Come and see what God made and what you destroy.
Come and drink the fresh water from the stream. Come and meet the village folks who live with their
sheep. They are the ones who have seen God on the earth whom you seemed to have forgotten. Run
in the mighty forest when it calls you. See the beauty in the smallest of insects and vastest of deserts.
There is peace. There is serenity. There is love. Humanity is grief stricken dear friend. It is asking for
more blood. It needs to turn back to the world of God.”
For a moment, the success he had achieved in his life felt like a shallow ending, a black hole. There
was much more to life that he was missing. The joy he was having overwhelmed him. He had not
decided anything for himself this time but let the nature do it for him. And the nature was calling him
aloud. He shut his eyes and jumped from the cliff waiting for the river to accept him. The dream
about his end was worrying him no more.
And he was thinking, “If I live, this will be the most wonderful experience ever. If I don't, what could
be more perfect way of dying?”