Moksha

Akimota’s past 25 years started rolling in mind at very oddly hour----2:00AM inside economic class of AIR JAPAN. The destination of this flight was Santa-Barbara….

A California state town where he was going ……chasing his dream of studying in one of the best technical institutions in the world-----University of California.

He was one of 15 guys from Hokkaido Island who got the prestigious Charles scholarship to study Rock Mechanics from the best minds in same field.

Recollection of past has always increased his heart beats…but he can’t help himself out this time. All those tragic scenes that life has offered Akimota started to uncover them bit by bit. He recalled how his mother left this world when he was 3 and his father followed the same after 2 years leaving Akimota orphan. As they say….God loves good persons and they are given very short phase to stay on earth.

Life has been constant struggle since then for Akimota. His painter cum fisherman uncle has been the axis around which his life revolved till this the year he took admission in college.

I had been a good student since childhood…he recalled .He kept getting scholarships in every class and this kept him stimulated enough to pursue MS from university of California….the name he heard first from one his cousins who was alumni of the same university.

Apart from studies….his favorite pastime was painting, a trait he learnt from uncle. After finishing household chores and study he painted…painted ,while in pain….in trouble painted on everything starting from canvas to paper to clay…….to stone.

Carving a figure on stone gives THE ultimate feeling. He painted symbols of animals and pets on the stone. According to Akimota— painting becomes interminable once it is carved on stone….A superb reason for his penchant for stone painting. Sometimes young Akimota enquired to his uncle can’t I become a stone-painter uncle.

No

Why?

This world is cruel enough son…..you can’t earn anything by pursuing your hobby

Is earning that much essential?

Now uncle was speechless.

Akimota got admission in University of Kitami for a bachelor’s course in Mining Engineering….

What an overlap…No doubt his favorite subject throughout this course had been Rock mechanics……a subject that was close to Stones. He was involved in some of the path breaking research in Rock Mechanics. At the age of 23…..he had already 8 international papers published in reputed international journals. He chased his dreams…..chased ‘em hard and finally cracked GRE with a score of 1590(out of 1600).during the preparation period he was hardly seen with anybody….encapsulated himself inside the hostel room of 20’ by 20’ ….practiced the previous years papers….in short……..he came,he saw and he conqured. But every success demands something….this time demand was twosome:

1)He lost touch with his favorite pastime stone painting

2)his social life was badly affected…..contact with uncle was lost…friends were all gone….communication gap was prevalent throughout his friend circle from his part.

He tried hard to tweak the situation but it went in-vain because of lack of time…
Akimota decided in favor of dreams and left his one man family and childhood friends behind……..

Large prize I have paid to get a seat in this flight…but I will never leave my favorite past time….Stones…Painting on them is eternal haaaaaa

Day 1 in the college was quite dull for Akimota. Every new entrant to University was being introduced to their respective faculty members The most exciting part was when he was introduced to two professors of Rock Mechanics who were…Noble Laureates.

In the evening, a party was thrown from the Hobby centre…everyone was invited. Till now Akimota came to know that he can enjoy stone carving in the Hobby centre…but because of his shyness he couldn’t intermingle with American fellows.

I am short and ugly…my eyes are small and nose has been crushed by the almighty..

Look at them…..tall, handsome and so fluent in communication….what charm they bring…..and me…The dullest fellow in party…..

The depression of being a Japanese struck him when he saw blond students who were enjoying the awesome party.

Partly, Akimota seems to be correct about his appearance. He is 5’1” with eyes penetrated well inside his small Japanese face. Not only his nose is compressed but his legs also follow the same trait.

Due to poor English speaking capability Akimota found himself completely unbefitting for talking with any American blonde….suddenly his eyes lit up when a lady introduced herself..

Hi, I am Nancy

Hello,Akimota here

Which faculty?

Rock Mechanics….and u?

Computer Architecture. Are u not enjoying the party?

No no ..I am ….

Aki…..Akim….

Akimota

Sorry..I wil pronounce it correctly next time onwards….what is your hobby?

Stone painting

Wow…I share the same. will u please help me in learning this amazing art?

Why no.. not but for now I must leave to prepare for the classes

See ya

Actually Akimota was feeling the heat!!!! So he had to leave..

Nancy is real blond 5’6’’,white skin,slim, curly and reddish hair, unique glow on the face, intelligent.. everything which I have always dreamt of in MY DREAM GIRL..

From that day onwards, Akimota was attracted towards Nancy but she hadn’t had slightest of ideas. As the days passed his silent, one sided love towards Nancy increased exponentially .They became good friends and started sharing intimate things between them. Nancy learnt to carve paintings on stone and both of them made several good paintings for the Hobby centre. Nancy is not even interested on talking about ……

One fateful day blitzkrieg struck Akimota when Nancy told her about Peter Patterson.

She was in love with Peter…in intense love. Peter was her batch mate….tall, young American with dreams in starry eyes…dreams to win the world in a stride, a passionate fellow.

He cares me a lot, always keeps an eye on me

“so do I, But I am not that strong enough” Aki thought

He will always keep me happy

“I will also……… my sweet heart”

we have decided to marry after completion of MS

On that night, Aki wept and wept a lot after a long time.

No ambitions, no friends, no family, nobody to complain.. My dear God why I am that much unfortunate?…why u have chosen me? He complained from God.........

After becoming a gold medalist in Rock Mechanics ,Aki got a well paying job. Nancy and Peter also got good jobs and got married after one year. Although Aki never liked to maintain the contact with Nancy Patterson but she insisted him. So were both still in contact through phone.

After ten years of span in corporate world, Aki decided to give full time to Hinduism and his hobby…the stone painting. He was attracted towards this astonishing religion through Hare Krishna Mission. He loved the philosophical teachings of Ramkrishna and his greatest disciple Viveknanda. They gave him the mental peace …..which was attainable only while painting. Aki had enough money to spent his rest of the life in India and he chose Varanasi—the centre of universe for hindus all over the world and best known place for spirituality.

Meanwhile, the contact from Nancy was broken five years ago.Last time they talked.. Nancy was a bit tensed. But neither Aki enquired nor she told the reason. Aki gave Mrs. Patterson blessings for happy married life and told never to ring him again.

This decision had been THE TOUGHEST for Aki……but he had to do that.

Akimota decided to live on Assi Ghat.. a place alongside the river Ganges.. worshipped as Goddess in India. Starting from morning he followed a tough routine.. all kinds of spiritual practice including meditation ,Yoga ,Pooja of lord Krishna etc were performed by him with utter precision of time. In the evening he carved paintings on the stones and made them eternal. The life was going in this way ……..suddenly Akimota received a phone call from United States of America. It was Nancy’s mother on the other side.

Nancy has committed suicide My son…

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat???When?and Why??

Last night.it’s a long story

Tell me.. tell me aunt whatever be it’s length

Even after nine years of marriage when no child was born Mr. Pattereson started taunting Nancy. Arguments were being passed on a daily basis and this started affecting the professional life of both. Peter completely disagreed with the idea of having an adopted child, test tube baby or surrogate baby .One day,due to poor performance in Microsoft office, he was fired from the job.Due to the frustration,he started beating Nancy badly…used everything…belts,shoes,hangers,ropes…anything……

Once the Dracula tests the blood, he likes to have it again and again. The monster in Patterson came out strongly and made the life of poor Nancy hell… she could not endure the pain given by his beloved and ….in suicide note she wrote only about Akimota and Akimota was shocked to know what she wrote ….

I always liked u Aki. .ur short Japanese figure....ur language.. ur plain heart…above all …The stone painting. But u never came forward. ..I thought u never took me THAT way. hope to see u in the next world. I have no complains for anybody.. it’s my fate that I am dying this way.

Shocked and in a state of trance Akimota decided to do one thing…rather one big thing for the Moksha of Nancy…………He started carving her symbolic picture on a marble stone and already knew that it had to be his best creation.. After thirteen days of hard work, he imbibed life in stone. In the morning, he brought loads of garlands and carved the name NANCY PATTERSON in the middle of stone making her name perpetual….and….let the stone submerged in the immense lap of Goddess Ganga………………supplemented by two drops of tears from the deeply penetrated Japanese eyes………Thereby giving Moksha to her beloved…The BLOND NANCY