A look at the sunscreened window glass and he was vaguely aware of the sun setting behind the gray jungle of concrete. The half open door beside his bed let in golden rays of the setting sun creating fantastic shapes and shadows. He looked at his watch. He had been asleep for more than two hours.
Far away somewhere, a song was playing. He strained his ears and listened intently. Sound of music that was as haunting as it was evocative -
"Tummmmmmmm. Pukar Lo. Khwab chun rahi hai raat bekaraar hai...."
Bekaraar ? That's precisely the word. He felt strangely restless. And terribly sad and lonely all of a sudden. He wondered why he should be feeling this way. Wasnt sleep supposed to rejuvenate ? And he wasnt particularly unhappy. Maybe just as much as the guy next door. But definitely not unhappy enough to feel this way.
His mind felt numb by the sleep induced stupor. His throat parched. But his senses were unusually alert. The place was eerily quiet and he could hear the sounds of birds chirping in a distant foliage. Even the flapping of their wings as they flew against the horizon. It was as if this foretold of the impending cessation of all activity. Nature was slowly coming to a standstill.
He was still not out of the stupor. Almost in a state of semi-consciousness. And he had been dreaming too. He dreamt of a 2 year old kid crawling on a bed. A bed that was too large for the kid. He would slither on his knees, slowly from one side to the other, taking care to shy away from the edges. But the room was otherwise empty. Time of day, the same. The evening - just as surreal. An old wooden radio was playing in the nearby room. A tune quaintly familiar.
"Hoth pe liye hue dil ki baat hum, jaagte rahenge aur kitni raat hum..." "...Mukhtasar si baat hai, tumse pyaar hai...tumhara intezaar hai....tummmmmmmm pukar lo."
The kid wasnt scared. But he was restless. He groped around. From end to end. As if trying to find something where there was none. The song played on -
"...Phir bhi tootati nahin, yeh jo aas hai. Tumharaaaa intezaar hai. Tummmmmmm pukar lo...."
He woke up again. Almost with a violent start. There was a pall of darkness around the room, pierced only by the last rays of the setting sun. But what was that - "....Phir bhi tootati nahin, yeh jo aas hai..." ? He couldnt recall these lines in the original soundtrack. Where did they come from ? Did he really hear this or was it just a figment of imagination ?
Or was it just his mind playing games with him ? The human mind is a funny thing. It can soak up a lot and yet give nothing away. He became even more restless. Still drowsy, he dragged himself to the computer table and typed a url. Soon the song was playing once again.
"...tummmmmmmm pukar lo..."
He closed his eyes and allowed himself to be gently engulfed in the dull stupor of sleep. And soon he was back to dreaming again.
"....Umr bhar kiya kiye jise talaash hum, mil ke bhi mil na paaye, they itne paas hum....." "...Phir bhi tootati nahin, yeh jo aas hai. Tumharaaaa intezaar hai. Tummmmmmm pukar lo...."
Maybe dusk wasnt a particularly good time to be sleeping.
