The Musters Revenge

Sandeep's hands were sweaty, he was restless, this was the last hour in college today and his mind was galloping to get out as he wanted to be at the spot few minutes early for the 'wait'. He looked across the classroom and saw Andy looking right at him. He knew exactly what Sandeep was thinking it was humiliating, 5 against 3 and the 3 had stomped them all. It was a mind killer.

Sandeep looked at his watch and it was the last 5 minutes of the hour.  The crescent shaped scar ending right under his watch rekindled the defeat in his head. He gritted his teeth and put his hand in his pocket, he slowly pulled out his hand along with a gleaming brand new cycle chain which he had kept coiled. He gave it a glance and put it right back in. The bell rang.

Andy was the first to walk out; he went to end of the corridor and waited. Sandeep came out keeping long strides but wasn’t walking fast he was gathering himself in the process in his mind preparing his moves. He tightened the leather bracelet in his hand and wrapped is bandanna around it and tied the ends around his fist and clasped his hand. He joined Andy and both of them walked out toward the bike stand.

Andy rode and Sandeep checked his mobile in the pillion, the light of the mobile screen flashed on his helmet vizer, he had received 3 sms, he saw the names, it was from Pundit, Guru and Adi and all said the same thing “Rdy & waiting, b there in 30”. Sandeep had a smug smile coming across his face he gripped Andy’s shoulder, Andy got the message and revved the engine, the bike did a slight wheelie and jumped into the front traffic, they were gone weaving through the gaps like water on rapids.

The mall was buzzing with activity as it was a long weekend Friday evening. Every shop was full and the shoppers were walking all over the aisles, the escalators were full and some were even taking the stairs to reach their favorite shops. There was big open space in the middle of the mall were some random music was getting played with a big stage arranged as there was a movie roadshow planned later. The lead actors were expected around 6 in the evening. Many TV crew with their cameras on tripods had assembled around the stage waiting for the event to start.

Sandeep and Andy stood at the corner of a coffee shop waiting for the others right in front of the big open space; the music was reverberating across the mall. Sandeep’s phone buzzed again and the 3 sms followed one after the other in succession “I’m here”. He replied back to them all saying “Be ready, anytime now”.

Sandeep looked at Andy and said, “you know why this is happening, it wasn’t easy but this is the only chance to get back for everything they said and did, I can see the other gang is already here, they are right at the far end of the open space and we have to strike, yes it’s in front of everyone but we don’t have any choice. I want you to know that anything can happen, anything goes wrong just don’t worry about me and split. We will meet at Chikki’s and then decide what next”.  Andy gave a hug to Sandeep in acknowledgement and then he sat down and opened his bag. Passed on a baseball cap, a skull faced balaclava and a t-shirt to Sandeep; took one pair each for himself. They didn’t want anybody to know at that time.

It was around 6, there was a hustle bustle at the entrance and the event team around the stage ran towards the entrance as the actors had arrived. At the same time someone wearing a baseball cap walked by the DJ console which was unmanned and slipped a new disc in one of the DJ pods and increased the volume to full and walked away.

The actors got on stage and greeted and waved at all the people in the mall and cameras were capturing every moment. The DJ from the event team came back and was waiting for his cue from the stage director. The actors screamed a caption of the movie in the mike and which was the cue for the DJ and dancers who came along with the actors to start a routine. The DJ clicked on the play button.

Sandeep pulled out the cycle chain from his pocket and the next 3 minutes the entire mall stood stunned. Sandeep, Andy, Pundit, Guru and Adi jumped on the stage from nowhere and danced their best street mix flash mob right in front of the entire mall and through the TV cameras, the world. Nobody wanted to stop them and the entire mall reverberated with the claps. Most thought it was part of the event. All the people in the mall were trying to do the moves, it was inspiring. The routine ended and Guru pulled out a scroll from the back of his head and ended the routine by showing it to the cameras. It read;

 “This is for you

We Got Talent

From the Musters”

…and then they all scrambled away into the crowd.

WGT was a reality television where they had participated 2 months ago after practicing for a year. During the routine, Sandeep was to flip over Andy and he missed the timing crashing on the edge of the stage and injuring his wrist with a crescent scar. The time was only 3 minutes and they couldn’t gather themselves back to finish the routine and even with many pleadings for one more chance the judges rejected them. It was a year’s practice which went down. The dance group in the mall who were to perform in the roadshow had also participated on the same day and they had been selected. They had even mocked at Sandeep and his team for the poor performance.

Sandeep called themselves ‘the musters’, as a group of peacocks are called a muster, it’s very rare to see a group of peacocks dance and it can happen only when it rains or when they bring the rains.

These musters didn’t want their second chance, they didn’t wait for the rain, they created it they created the rain. They had danced, they had got their revenge.

It was drizzling outside chikki’s, their favorite chai shop as they sat sipping their tea. They all looked at each other and smiled. Sandeep was satisfied, but was worried, as he had put them all in a situation; he was worried about the actions from various authorities as it was an illegal performance in a public place. Sandeep’s phone buzzed, he looked at the phone and it was blinking “Director WGT”. He picked up and said “Hello”.

They not only went on to win WGT that year but also got a special song sequence in the movie too with the lead actors.

The Musters 

Sandeep ~ Sandy 

Andy ~ Anand

Pundit ~ Rishi

Guru ~ Guru

Adi ~ Aditi

Music from the Yonder

Car keys – check 

Badge – check

Documents – check

Laptop...charger...watch...purse – check, check, check

Dev’s mind was racing fast to ensure that he took all the items as he was getting ready to leave for work. The clock was ticking and he had a good 45 minutes’ drive to reach his office on time, a daily routine.

The morning time is chaotic; you never know what’s happening around you especially in a 200 apartment society where Dev stayed on the ground floor. It had its shown share of noise pollution every day. You have the cable guys arguing in a house about why the latter will not switch to DTH, you have the milk man arguing with a typical lady who still can’t believe that the milk man cannot get the cow along to the apartment while coming. The ghar ka bhai’s, some of them can win the guiness under a new category called speaking with a shriek, “Yaaeee, devakiiii, ruk mein bhi aa rahiiiiinnn hoonn” the vowels ‘e’ and ‘i’ would almost meet the decibel levels of a FIFA whistle.

You cannot control all of them, but for Dev there was this one noise which was on top of all of them, this absolutely tempo less, raga less, ‘music’ less rendition of “Ek Dho Theen...” which echoed in the corridors. Dev always thought it was a maybe a car reverse sound where the batteries were down. But this noise sounded like it was being punched on a keyboard by somebody, with every note coming in at different intervals. It’s been 6 months since Dev has been listening to this jarring noise and that too right when he is at his peak of urgency to leave for office.

It always broke his concentration, irritated him and he has been thinking for 6 months to confront this neighbour. Part of a 200 apartment society it wasn’t easy to find this house and more intrigued was he to find why it would take anybody to learn one song for 6 months. He was very sure this couldn’t be a kid, as kids were like fire they learn things in a jiffy.

The worst part was, the jarring noise played the entire day in Dev’s head along with his office tasks and he hated it. He left for work and just wanted to forget about it for one more day. But he made it a point to find this neighbour and talk to him. He did not have the intention to stop him but maybe tell him to practice it at a different time, maybe weekends as Dev loved his weekends as he gets to forget office and just chill out with his friends going out or partying.

The same scenario continued for more days and Dev kept postponing his meet with this irritating neighbour. The music also stayed at ‘theen’ and not added one more number of the song.  

Then it was a TGIF feel Friday, scenario repeats, Dev decides right then and there that he is going to take care of this. He calls up his office and informs that he is going to be late or even may take off as he was readying himself for a showdown. Well why not, nobody is going to accept it when some stranger walks into the house and says “hey listen, your music sucks”, “can you take it somewhere else, to the moon, may be”. That’s the kind of snide comments were running in Dev’s mind but he was telling himself he won’t be that rude, but curt.

He followed the noise, it wasn’t too far, maybe the next block building 2^nd floor maybe, he thought. Dev reached the house, prepared himself on his facial expressions of how he is going to explain why he is standing in front of their door. The door opened, the jarring music hit Dev’s ears, and he absorbed it and looked at the person who opened the door. It was a very pleasant face with a smile, the lady maybe was in her late 40s but looked a little young as she had a smiling glow on her face. She calmly said “yes”.

“Good morning Mam, my name is Dev and I stay in the ground floor apartment in the next block”. The lady didn’t wait further but started introducing herself “Hello, Im Sangeetha and I have been here for almost 2 years, it’s a pleasure, what can I do for you?”, the jarring music was coming from the second door of the hall, Dev was holding his urge to take a good look at the person and maybe stare him down. He looked at the lady and said “Mam, I’m very sorry but I have come to discuss about a concern I have been having being your neighbour all this while”.

The lady was astonished, but instead of a confronting expression she had the most genuine look in her eye to listen to what Dev is going to say and take full responsibility to rectify, if need be. Dev relaxed and said “Mam, this music coming from your house has been a singular factor affecting my mornings and I was wondering if you could inform the person to practice at a time when most of us are not around. I don’t mean to intrude but it has been tough mornings since the time I have started hearing this”. The lady was genuinely concerned and said “I’m so sorry; I didn’t know Sanju’s game was affecting you, why don’t you come in and I will speak with Sanju along with you”. Dev’s started thinking, God, it’s a kid?... Game? …Why the same song?

He was sceptical to meet now and was almost going to tell the lady that he just wanted to tell her and she can take it up with the kid. But the lady just took Dev to the room. Dev saw inside the room and his legs froze, there he saw Sanju in a state of the art wheelchair sitting in front of the comp and staring at 3 boxes, Red, Blue, and Green. The Red got highlighted and Sanju pressed a key, the computer speakers blared “Ek”, the Green glowed and and then Sanju pressed the key, the computer speakers blared “Dho”. The lady said, “Sanju” and he just moved a pencil like lever in his chair and it turned like BMW car would, looked at both of us with the biggest smile that Dev had ever seen.

The lady said “Sanju this is Dev uncle and he is asking you to play something else today as your game is disturbing him”. Sanju’s smile reduced immediately and his small eyes became even smaller craving for a few more minutes of the game, it was his favourite. Dev felt his whole body melt like a candle. Dev turned around and just stepped out of the room, Sangeetha followed, Dev turned around and looked at Sangeetha, his eyes welled up, he said chokingly “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know”. Sangeetha said, “oh please don’t be, Sanju is like any other kid, I have a 14 year old daughter and I treat both of them the same way, if you have been affected by a kid playing in your garden you would take the concern to the parent, similarly you have come here which is absolutely fine, I will tell him you don’t worry”. Sangeetha and Dev spoke for some time where Dev came to know about Sanju.

Sanju was a 10 year old autistic kid who was learning the concept of colour by playing ek, dho, theen, it was his favourite song so his therapist had designed that simple software for him to learn it.

While leaving Dev said, “Please let Sanju play his game all he wants, do not stop him, also if you would be ok I would like to spend some time with Sanju during my free time would that be ok with you?”, Sangeetha said “it would be a pleasure”.  Dev walked out looked up at the sky from the corridor balcony and smiled.

The various sound, noise or music that we listen from the yonder may have some face like Sanju behind it. I guess that’s why sometime even noises become music to our ears, from the yonder of course.