Meeting with my Maker

Meeting with my Maker

I am prone to flu, like any other person. Mine tends to be more severe though. Over 4 decades of facing flu have convinced me that I may die at the evil hands of the flu. No cancer, no heart failure but plain and simple flu is what will kill me. 

Anyways, this blog is on the latest episode of the flu I was inflicted upon early this week. My last flu attack was about 18 months back. I was in Bhopal with my wife for a speaking engagement. I would have thought flu won't catch me at 30,000 feet flying over Raipur but it did exactly that. By the time we landed at Bhopal's Raja Bhoj airport, I was enveloped by the full-blown flu. I wonder how I fulfilled my speaking assignments and how we managed to actually see Bharat Bhavan, but we did all that. 

This time around, the flu located me near Mehboob studio in Bandra when I was returning from an errand. It struck me instantly and sapped my energy so suddenly that I had to call my driver to reach home. By afternoon, body ache, headache, fever, and nausea had racked my body. That evening we had invited some friends over. A debate ensued if we should call it off. Idea vas vetoed down as too much effort had gone in the preparation already. 

Friends who arrived were a bit amused seeing me wrapped in a shawl and a monkey cap but evening went well. However, it was the night that became a nightmare. All the symptoms progressively became worse. By 2 am, I was not able to sleep, sit, or stand-up. It dawned on me that perhaps this is how life ends. And perhaps its time for me to meet my Maker. 

In the delirious state of mind, I began preparing for a meeting with my Maker.  I began to wonder if really only my Maker will come himself to take me away? I am a proven anti-God, running a crusade against all kinds of religion and not having stepped into a temple in over 50 years. Even when I took my mother to a temple, I waited outside a la Amitabh Bachhan in the movie Deewar. 

I concluded that perhaps my Maker will depute one of his associates to lift me from the earth. I thought I will prepare my pitch even with him about giving me a few more years here on earth. Maybe to assure him of entering a temple once in a while and undertake other Godly things that I hated so far. Also, accept life as it is given to me and not fight my destiny originally designed by my Maker. I am not good at keeping promises so I was not sure God or his associates will take me seriously. 

At around 4 am, perhaps a large dose of paracetamol that I had taken at mid-night began to work its magic. The fever came down and so did aches. I began to regain control of my mind. The first thing I did was to take back all the promises that I was about to make. I was not changing the way of my life even if my Maker does not like it. I have lived my life the way I liked and that is the way I will be gone. 

One promise of that night I might uphold, that of accepting my life and not fighting my destiny anymore. I am too old for that and have no energy to waste. I know my mother has done enough to win God's goodwill that will cover me. 

So, for now, I feel safe, at least until the next episode of the killer flu.