The Story-Teller and his Diamond....Part-2

“To be frank, I was very interested in the diamond that you had made about 18 years back. The cut and clarity have appealed to me ever since I set my eyes on it,” said the still-awestruck story-teller. “Hmmm, how can I forget that stone? My very first piece of work, my claim to fame and my talisman ever since,” said Mr. Raj with a dreamy look. He then turned to his wife and beckoned her to bring out the stone. He turned back to the story-teller and asked, “How is it that you’re still interested in that diamond? I mean, I know that it is a fine work of art but there have been stones much bigger and better that have come out after that.” The story-teller replied, “Well sir, it may be true that there may have been better stones after that. But to tell you the truth, I have only one heart, sir. And that was stolen from me by this harmless rock. So even with the advent of other stones, they could never take what was already taken from me.”

The diamond-cutter looked with amused eyes at the story-teller as his wife walked into the room with the stone and set it on the table in front of him. The story-teller looked at it open-mouthed, surprised that even after all these years, it hadn’t lost its beauty. It was as though no amount of rain or sunshine could tarnish the beauty that this stone held. With trembling hands, he took picked up the stone and examined it closer. “Even after all these years, it doesn’t cease to amaze me,” said the story-teller. “It has been my stone of luck ever since I made it and has always showered me with fortunes. Even though I have made so many other stones since then, this will always hold a special place. Hence, I named it the Favorable as it has always favored me,” said Mr. Raj.

The story-teller set the stone down, rather reluctantly, and spoke up, “Sir, if I may, I would very much love to have this diamond. I promise that I will treasure it with my life and I’m ready to pay any price that you ask for it.” Mr. Raj expression switched from glowing warmth to cold bewilderment. “How can you even ask such a thing?” he asked with absolute vexation in his voice. “This diamond has been with me ever since its creation. I have been offered huge sums of money for this very stone but I refused each one of them outright. This has been the desire of many elite members of royal families from around the world. And you think that I would give this to a commoner like you….,” he roared.

The story-teller did not flinch at the retorts of the angry man in front of him and said calmly, “The difference between me and those regal entities is that I would be willing to lay down my life upon this stone. Whereas, the others would only like to put it as their queen jewel on their crown.” The middle-aged diamond-cutter could not believe his ears and immediately pushed the story-teller towards the door saying, “You think you can simply walk in here and ask for possession of the stone and you think I would give it to you? NEVER!” And with this, he slammed the door on the face of the story-teller as his wife looked on with horrified eyes.

The Story-teller and his Diamond-Part 1

Once upon a time, there lived a story-teller who had his abode in the well-to-do streets of Hyderabad. He was a vivid fan of stories and spent a lot of time reading new stories while making new ones by mixing the elements of the various stories he had read to compile one that was totally unique. The story-teller had traveled to many lands, lived among different people, ate different cuisines but nevertheless, had great fun wherever he went.
One such trip was included to a visit to God's own country and his very own birthplace, Kerala. He had come there with the intention of learning something new from the place and imbibing it, thus developing his personality. He had also come looking for a long-lost diamond, one that he had last seen when he was just 11 years old.
Ever since he had set his eyes on the diamond, he knew that he wanted that diamond more than anything else in the world. He could never forget the transparency as well as the purity of its nature. He was so intrigued by its perfection that he always kept a mental picture at the back of his head. And so, he reached the city of Cannanore as he had found out that the diamond he was after was still in the possession of its maker in that very city.
As he stepped down from the train at the Cannanore station, he couldn't help feeling a sense of expectancy and exhilaration as he knew that he was closer to the diamond than he had ever been in the past 9 years. As he rode in the auto-rickshaw that took him to the maker's house, he felt pretty nervous as he had no idea of how the diamond had become after all these years.
He got out of the auto-rickshaw, paid the driver and then slowly turned the kissing gates that led to a beautiful, neat little cottage that was surrounded by trees in an orderly fashion around it. He rung the bell and waited with sheer anxiety, not sure whether his arrival would be welcome, let alone his intention to look at the precious diamond.
The door opened and he stood facing a woman in her early forties. She was thin and wheatish in complexion, wearing a green churidar. She smiled at the story-teller and asked."Yes, how may I help you?" The story-teller replied,"I am a traveler from a distant land. I heard that the famous diamond-cutter, Mr. Prakash Raj, lived in this very town. I have admired his work from a very small age and it was my desire to meet this individual and at least get acquainted with a few of his masterstrokes closely." The lady smiled and invited the story-teller in, and after offering a seat, went to get her husband.
As the story-teller waited for his host, he couldn't help but reminiscing the moment when he had held that particular diamond in his hand, drowning in the very beauty of the jewel. It was love at first sight, as he couldn't get his hands to part with the priceless stone. He wondered if the stone would intimidate him the same way as it did 9 years ago. He was just wondering about its finer points when the door in front of him opened.
He had a pictured the diamond-cutter to be man who was well-endowed with age and had wrinkles on his face and skin. Therefore, he was absolutely taken aback when he saw an athletic, well-built man, whose age was only revealed when the man came up close. On closer inspection, the man, like his wife, was also am early quadragenarian. He extended his arm forward and said,"Hi. I'm Mr.Raj. To be honest, I'm pretty surprised that even today I have people who have an affinity towards my works. Is there any particular stone that I can interest you in?"

To be continued.....

Breaking through a Blogged barrier...

I've always wondered what the big deal was with blogging. I look around me and I find that people are going crazy over blogs. The immense amount of attention attracted due to these non-standard webpages is driving me over the edge of inquisitiveness. I kept asking myself whats the big deal with blogging. So, I decided to try it out myself. And here I am, putting my first words to print on a blog. I've got an ton of history which has prompted many of my contemporaries to actually suggest getting my autobiography written. So if you are reading these lines, I promise you that the this is going to be one hell of a story for all you interested readers.
Each post of mine would enter a different chapter of my life which is filled with joy and sorrow, love and hatred, fortune and misfortune.....you name it and I have it as well as its antonym.
So keep reading to find out what it is that makes Rohit Thomas tick in today's world.....