4th February 2011, Early Morning

I saw myself with some of my comrades/batchmates. We were in a dark room with light streaming in from a distant source of white light. We had lit something like a lantern and discussing ways we could do robbery efficiently without anyone noticing. I suggested we use the number system and rob some money from the financial transactions happening on the internet. Many didn't understand, others didn't believe me but we worked out a plan and executed it. The basic idea was to hide information in those digits in the long numbers which had holes or loops in them, which are 6, 8, 9, 0. Our code was 0889. The information was safely hidden in the holes and transferred to our machines. Each two of us had to share a bed that night. Few hours later we were woken up by torch lights and we had to leave. From under the bed I took my machine which had helped us do the digital robbery! Dandu was still skeptical but I asked him to wait till the dawn.
Outside that resthouse was chaos. We had a plan to escape but we were stuck at that place for now. It wasn't our place, it wasn't even our country. In a foreign land which looked quite like our homeland, we were running on the street, our hearts filled with fear and uncertainty. I saw one of my comrade who was lagging behind earlier, now riding in a jeep like vehicle and swooshed by us from behind. We waved at him and shouted for lift. But I guess the vehicle was full or people were too eager to find a safe shelter.
Towards the corner at the end of the downward road was a place, a university perhaps, where we were to come the next morning. There were three of us and we were standing outside the gate. It felt as if we were standing outside our own hostel and desperately wanted to get into our respective hostel rooms and get a good night sleep! Suddenly an old acquaintance, a jolly person, came to us on his scooter and offered us a ride. Since there were three of us, he asked me and my friend to take the scooter while he took the third guy from our group and reminded him that his hostel was quite near the main gate, and that they lived in the same hostel.
My friend and I couldn't go very far into the campus on that scooter.
It was past midnight but there was humongous gathering of people with torches and sticks. Hue and cry was rampant. It was only when I turned to my back, on left I saw an old building that housed government office was being burnt and realized that the torches were actually being used. We were forced to get off the scooter. One of the older man in his late 40s who looked like their leader caught me and thrust a torch into my hands, and looked into my eyes, expecting me to participate as well. Usually I'd play along and when others got busy with other things, I'd leave. But this time I bluntly refused to comply. He shook me violently and pushed me to my knees. A teenage kid, probably in his late teens, pointed a gun at me, which was fully covered with some cloth to hide it perhaps (don't know why!). The older man told me that since I won't participate, I am of no use so I must be killed. The teenage kid looked at their holy place, a temple, a synagogue, a mosque, or a church... I don't remember which one, and said that in the name of whosoever I believe as my God, I should kill myself. At that moment I shouted so loud that I woke up. I didn't shout in reality, and I didn't even open my eyes but realized that it was just a dream, and tried getting back to that dream, but couldn't. My shout was filled with agitation, fear and pain. I could feel those emotions for sometime even after I had completely woken up!
Why would they expect me to participate in their protests? Did they mistake me for one of their citizens?

22nd Nov 2010 Early Morning

I saw myself in a seven star cruise ship, at dinner time with candle lights, bulbs, chandeliers etc. I saw myself talking to a lot of high profile people, one at a time. We had a meal in person and I ordered something for every date. When the time ran out, I excused myself and went to another table to meet the next person. Eventually, the party was over for me when I had met everyone I had to. From among the last set of people I met, a girl came over to me, poked me on the arm and asked me if I wanted to hang out, and I replied, "Let me get my food first."
The thing is that I had some leftovers after meeting every person and I wanted to go back to those tables and finish them. But the place had closed down for the night and the cleaners had begun their work. I couldn't find my leftovers, and I was still hungry. I walked up to the end of the ship to the small hall facing the ocean which had a long table with some leftovers. I started scavenging for untouched food among them. The cleaner approached me and asked me to stop doing that but a lady asked the cleaner to allow me to continue.

2nd Nov 2011 Late Morning

I saw myself backstage, few minutes before my speech or announcement but a stage presence nonetheless. I was nervous, but quite excited. Some people looked at me, few of the onstage ones also, as I frantically went through my speech. Maybe it were the large audience, the bright stage lighting or both that made me feel overwhelmed about the whole situation.
Next I saw myself in a pool of crystal clear blue water. I was swimming and keeping away from sharks which were sharing the pool. The pool was small in size but when a person is in the pool, the person shrinks perhaps because the pool seems much bigger. I was in the pool, preparing for my speech when a shark advanced towards me with its open mouth and large, uneven knife-like teeth. I swam for my life, and did a rookie mistake. I went deeper into the pool. I got myself a much needed push from the pool floor (which was all soil and tiny water plants) and heaved myself upwards, but the shark was prepared to block my way. I lost most of my momentum while changing direction away from the shark. To my relief, Inderjeet came to my rescue. He knew how to deal with the sharks and helped me out of the pool. As we both sat staring at the tiny sharks in the pool, I thanked him. He said that we're trained among the sharks to improve our public speaking skills so that stage feels much less scary.
I was at my house, with my mother and sister (I think) and few other kids. I wanted to have bath but couldn't because of cloudy weather. I was waiting for the weather to change but my wait had been too long so I had to take a bath asap. I looked at the mirror to check my hairline. I was scared when I saw that my hairline had reduced almost a centimeter since the last time I had taken a bath.

9th Sept 2010 Late Morning

I saw myself traveling in a bus. There was this school friend of mine sitting behind me with whom I was talking and a guy in one of the backseats moved his lips to say that my friend was really pretty and showed me a thumbs up. I moved my lips to say, I know and smiled. Later, I got down with my friend at her stop near her house instead. While walking to her house, I took her hand in mine and to make conversation I suggested she don't bite her nails because fingers don't look good with bitten nails. Yeah, the guy in the backseat successfully made me feel conscious in her presence.
After leaving my friend at her house, I decided to walk back home because I guessed by time taken in my regular ride of the bus that my house won't be more than two kilometers from there. In a few seconds, I realized I had no idea which direction to take. I recalled the direction bus takes and walked in that direction. A few minutes later I found myself in a completely different locality with differently colored tall buildings. I was enjoying the experience. I kept on walking for half an hour in various army cantonment colonies and felt as if I had visited different states or countries. Tired and eager to get home asap, I decided to take help when I saw the army jawans on the gate of one of the colonies. When I asked one of them the direction to my house, he showed his palm and asked for Rs. 2 as charges. I was surprised, and amused. As I stood there looking at him, he lowered his charges to Rs. 1, then added that had I given him Rs. 2, he'd have given Rs. 1 to his partner, and pointed at his partner who was looking out towards the gate.
I think I might have given him Rs. 2 and he'd have given me the directions to my house.

4th September 2010 Early and late morning

My mother was at IIIT-H celebrating my birthday! There were so many people around who were probably my friends. We had few snacks and then my mother brought a huge chocolate birthday cake. And all this in front of the incomplete building in front of library building! One of my mother's childhood friends was also there.
Reality: My mother's childhood friend was to reach our house in Pune to meet mother today, and when they called me at around 10 am today morning, the above dream ended.


I remember locking a person in bathroom of my house because he was disturbing me by making too much noise or telling me things that bothered me. He was strong so I could lock him up only by tricking him into it. After more than 12 hours I realized I had done wrong and he was not really the reason for my disturbed state of mind. I unlocked the door and allowed him out. I expected him to hit me for treating him like that so I apologized just after I opened the door but he was generous enough not to hit me and said he was glad I allowed him out.
Reality: can't figure out for this one. :(

I saw myself sitting in a room lighted with bulbs and having ancient style furnishing. There was this other girl sitting near me and few other people sitting around us. Some person came to us and asked that girl and me to sign on a sheet of paper at some specific location in the sheet. She promptly signed it. I signed, the realized I had not put my own signature but a disturbed form of it. Nobody else knew what my signature looks like, until they verify with some source but I knew my signature but couldn't recall it. I cut the previous signature and signed again, producing a different signature, yet not my own. I took a separate sheet of paper and tried recalling my signature. That person left with the sheet of paper with my wrong signature. Almost everybody was looking at what I was doing. Finally I scribbled a signature that satisfied me.
Reality: Yesterday, PKR suggested me an idea for publishing a research paper and told me that after finishing that work my MS work would be over. I should have felt delighted because I wanted MS to be over asap but I felt sad because I didn't contribute anything original yet. Perhaps that's why I was not able to recall my signature.

29th July 2010 Late Morning

I saw myself trying to race my toy car by pushing it with a lot of energy. Sadly I couldn't generate much speed. There was this other guy who kept on telling me that my car was much faster than that but I wouldn't believe him. Few hours later I discovered it for myself that he was telling the truth. All I had to do was rewind my car, as in push it back on the ground and leave it, and gently release it from my grip and see it zooming to the other end of the room. Interestingly enough, it bounced back from the opposite wall, and then the wall behind me, and then the opposite wall so as to make four lapses with just one rewind!

Moral: Sometimes you must get back to basics, you must listen to the other person who has more experience.

I saw one of my friend's middle name was "Niranjan", it was inscribed on a metal sheet on some memento or trophy in his room and hence his name abbreviated to ANS.

16th June 2010 Early Morning

I saw myself in a group of few guys and girls going to some isolated, deserted place. The girls seemed excited after reaching the location. It looked like a photoshoot and the girls were the models I guess. I am not sure why I was there but there was this other guy who was a photographer. After a brief session, two older men came to that photographer and whispered in his ear. They turned and looked at me. Next thing I remember seeing two of the girls lying shot dead and the lead actress standing and trembling in fear. The older men pushed the revolver at me and forced me to shoot that lady. I refused. They threatened me that they'd kill me if I didn't obey them. I refused, fully understanding the risks but also aware that they'd kill me anyways (a situation akin to that in the movie 'Nick of Time' which I watched few days back). I was nervous but not scared of them. The photographer guy didn't look comfortable. The actress was continuously gazing at that guy, perhaps wanting to ask him, "why?".
Next thing I saw myself lying on the awkward stony floor of a completely wrecked room with some wall still left around it. I was lying with my head down. I remember seeing a wall on both sides and then looking up and seeing that photographer guy pointing the revolver at me. I looked down again, well aware that I'd be shot dead anytime. I wanted to indicate at the top of my head with my index finger so that the guy shoots me there but I guess I was numb with fear. I quickly tried to recall all the important things in my life, but to my embarrassment could only recall the TV show characters like That 70s Show etc. I focused hard and recalled my father, my mother and my sister, visualizing each of them giving me a kiss and a beautiful smile. After that my mind started recalling the TV shows again. :(
I heard the gunshot and for a second felt like the top of my head had exploded but that was my imagination. I was not shot at, I was still alive. Cautiously, I looked up and saw the photographer guy on the floor, bleeding from his head. Apparently he had killed himself. I guess he couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed his revolver in my handkerchief and started running away from there.
My efforts at running were similar to the end scene in the movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" in which Ferris runs hard and a for long time to reach his house from his girlfriend's house before either of his parents could reach the house. I was running for my life. I ran through a wild patch of land, then through a small town and then through an urban settlement. I happened to gaze into one of the houses which had a glass door and was well lit from inside, and saw my father talking to some other man in there. I banged at the glass door hard enough for them to hear me and take me in.
My father was concerned and asked me about the situation. I tried to tell him but was gasping and struggling to breathe in properly. My father introduced me to the other man who was probably his senior because my father addressed him as "sir". Strangely enough he told him that I was from the batch of '97 or perhaps he was talking about someone else but he was definitely talking about some defense force academy student. I recalled that I did my 10th in year 2003 and 12th in year 2005 and am in college. Near death experience does make one remember one's past really quickly!
It was dusk. My father took me outside in the backyard which was covered with grass and had a high hedge, strangely covered with the certificates of many cadets. I wanted to ask my father about reason of his presence there but didn't. I took him into a dark corner, away from the sight of that other man and started telling him about the situation. After what I experienced, I couldn't trust any stranger anymore!
A few minutes later, after all the explanations, my father promised me that he'd find help for me and others but as we turned and started walking back into the house, I saw one of the older men walking out of the house and turning at us, pointing a pistol/revolver at us. I was in front, so I turned back, took my father and ducked back in the darkness. After a few seconds, I plunged out of the darkness, kicked his arm holding the revolver with my knee and then knocked him out. At that moment itself, it was the other older man who was standing in front of us, pointing his revolver at us. This time, either my father or I got shot in the arm. This man was physically stronger than the previous one and I found it hard to hold his arm with the revolver and struggle with him. My father joined in and we disarmed him.
Funny thing happened after that. The man inside the house and I were comparing our biceps and arm size, in front of a mirror and clearly his were far more superior, and reminded me of Bob's (from That 70s Show) thick arms. I was smiling into the mirror and at my relatively fragile physique.