Part I
First Night…
This was the first year I remained awake for the “Maha Shiv Rathri”. Not of any Nithyananda’s bakthi movement but due to my customs duty. I am posted at Anna Int. Airport and it was my First Night Duty!!
I thought of catching one or two smugglers and going to sleep. But in reality, people were vacating foreign nations and returning in my shift. So It turned out to be a nightmare in broad light.
Forbidding me from drooping the eyelids for a sec is like forbidding Salman Khan from removing his shirt . I have been a “sleeper cell” with ample sleeping prowess from my childhood. My first fuse invariably goes off the grid around 9 pm. So when I stifled a yawn at 9 pm, My Supdts were shocked and enquired my physical health like “Would I need an ambulance to return?” I countered “Why sir, will the glass panels fall on my head?”. He replied “May be, It always fall at the empty spots.”
I could see people of ‘various’ sizes and colours buzzing around. I was the only zombie ‘walking around’. After monitoring at the scanner for sometime, I automatically started to see everything in “Ultraviolet image”.
I drank coffee and tea for water and was gliding like “Tom”. In between I had to check some suspects’ bags and underwares!!. These people’s unwashed linens had a worse stench than unwashed toilets. I literally had to run my fingers through them. I am worried of the day, when someone will be handed over to me for extraction of gold which would be in his stomach.
Time for baby shitting?!
I tried all tricks. Loitered like a pregnant lady every where. Whacked my face. Laughed aloud. Ran on the same spot. Then I went into the office and jumped and jumped like a Penguin. Suddenly my Supdt entered laughing and told “Arey yar, this is a good idea, I try only fast walking”. I washed my face and went to my colleague to know how to remain
awake. But he was snoring sitting in the chair. So I went to another one. He asked “Neendhu Aarah?” I replied “What time?” thinking it’s the next flight. He stared at me and told “Go for a walk”.
I slowly strolled and woke up all the passengers who were sleeping in their chairs! I talked with the security men, Air hostesses and statues. After 3 am, it was impossible. I felt totally blank and numb, bereft of any thinking or emotion. Why did Buddha waste so many years to achieve this state?
I remembered a King who used to sleep with his eyes open. I surfed to find how to get somnambulism ?
At 6 am, brain started to function a bit. It was like a year inside the Airport.
After my Kolkata struggle, this must be the time for ‘Zombie walk’.
So It’s time to learn either sleepwalking or sleeping while sitting. Till then…It’s Good Night to the world and Bad Night for me.