Gleema Greeting

Cover

Gleema Greeting

A Fantasy Novel

By Ritu Chakrabarti

Copyright © Ritu Chakrabarti, 2013

All rights reserved.

eBook Version Published by GreatMinds Media Solutions Private Limited

www.greatminds-media.com

About the Author

The world is so much larger than I thought. I thought we went along paths--but it seems there are no paths. The going itself is the path.

― C.S. Lewis

Ritu Chakrabarti, while pursuing a successful career in the world of Information Technology, has been a regular writer of various short fictions, poems as well as technical articles across various magazines and journals. Ritu’s educational and professional background in the field of Science and Technology, coupled with her passion for learning about the universe and its life source, helped her create this unique and absorbing fictional work of Gleema Greetings. Ritu grew up in Kolkata and currently lives in Bangalore with her family.

Dedication

This Book is dedicated to my daughter Shreya - the most creative mind I have ever known.

Acknowledgements

The work on Gleema Greeting would not have been complete without the continuous support from my well-wishers. My husband, Niladri was with me throughout this journey. My parents, Prof. C.R Lahiri and Krishna Lahiri were never tired of motivating me in this creation. I am thankful to Dr. Kartha who helped me in editing the story. What else could have motivated me better than his blessings Devi Saraswati is with you always. I am grateful to my well-wishers Nilakhi Roy and Saptarshi Basu for hand holding me in publishing process.

Foreword

Since childhood, I grew up watching and reading about fictions that deal with extra-terrestrial creatures and life outside our planet. I always wondered why these aliens would look so different from us ... why do they need to have long ears, a tail or a horn! In most cases, they seem to be technologically superior to us and advanced in terms of evolutionary cycle! I started exploring and expanding my imagination of an era when this will no longer be true. How will this planet change when I move 'today' back into a historical era of six hundred years old? Can we be the most evolved species in the entire known universe? Instead of controlling life elsewhere in this universe, can we start 'creating' them? Do we become a world governed only by very efficient laws and rules, or do we retain our emotional and humane aspects as well. By looking at creating life outside of this planet, is it possible to find ways back to our source - the mystery around the creation of our own planet? All these thoughts culminated into a sci-fi love story that starts in today's world and moves forward a few centuries into the future and connects right back into historical era - that is today.

Gleema Greeting

Chapter I – The Beginning of the Future

Gosh! …..This Seya! I really fail to understand why she keeps a cell at all. Not trying to hide his ire, either from his voice or face, he was frowning at every bike that was stopping outside the Café Coffee Corner. Neel, normally a gregarious personality with an affable demeanor, may seem to be a perennial fashion statement on the move. He is, today, togged up in a body hugging bright blue T-shirt and with his hair warped up in a small ponytail.

Oh, you still don’t understand!!! You can reach her faster in person than through her cell! For all you know, it could be inside a small pouch lying in the depth of the huge bag that she is carrying on her back. To top it all, she must be wearing a helmet, of course sans the mobile hands free. And I also suspect the cell might be on the silent mode! So don’t have high hopes of reaching her, even in an emergency. Rica poured out her frustration. She was the most perceptive person in this fun-filled group of five bosom pals, named Pentagon.

It was a typical Bangalore evening during an October weekend in 2010. A nice long drizzle in the afternoon pushed down the mercury still further. It turned out to be a perfect, pleasant evening, tailored and gift-packed just for our Pentagon friends. Jose, being a party aficionado and a self-proclaimed devotee of exotic food, acted first as he called up Rica and said, Let’s meet at the Café today. Rica to Neel, Neel to Seya, and Seya to Dola – the circle was completed after a series of prompt usage of cell phones, and they were all set to meet at their favorite joint.

The Pentagon team was in full bloom and well-liked among their peers even during their student days in Ramaiah Institute of Technology, one of the prominent engineering colleges in Bangalore. The ambience that emanates from their distinctive characteristic traits stood out like a signature tune of each. Yet, they complement each other in outlook and thoughts; thus evolving Pentagon as a natural node of great companionship. In short, they were like different genera of beautiful flowers came together to create an immaculate bouquet of friendship with an exciting moniker, Pentagon. After leaving the campus, they joined different jobs respectively, relevant to their fields; except Dola who opted for higher education in the venerated Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

Everybody except Seya had reached the spot on time and was already enjoying the hospitality and atmosphere of the place. Weekend was still young … there was a ‘let’s chill’ mood in the air, everywhere!

Neel and Rica were trying to reach Seya on her cell phone, but Seya was not picking up. In between tracking Seya, Neel was talking about his boss. He was very excited about his job, office and environment …. . Meanwhile, Jose was enjoying a delicious chocolate pastry, and everybody was pulling his leg as his weight is crossing on to the wrong side of the scale.

Rica was mentioning the news of a just detected planet that was discovered recently. Astronomy and Astrophysics had been her pet areas of interest since childhood days, so much so; Rica never gets tired of talking about Astro- or Exo-Biology. One of our neighboring stars is called Gleema. It has several planets …very similar to our solar system. Looks like, one of its planets is in the habitable zone. There is an article in today’s paper. Have you guys seen that…really amazing, her eyes were sparkling as she was explaining.

What is habitable zone? Does it mean there is life? Neel was curious.

Before Rica could warm up and go into a great discourse, there broke out a commotion as if a stray window got opened during a windstorm. Hey guys and gals…… a gush of energy had flown inside the shop. Everybody looked up and there she was … Seya, the most vibrant element among the Pentagon team; Gleema with its children planets and habitable zone were washed away without a trace!

I was on the way here, you know. Then this old lady asked me for a lift towards Koramangala. I just dropped her and came back. You know. She even blessed me saying ‘Beti! Jeeo hazaaro saal’ (‘Dear! May you live for thousand years’ in Hindi))….I’m so happy… said Seya with a big smile on her face. She looked really excited. Her energy level was always at the peak, compared to others. And then suddenly she narrowed her eyes and asked dramatically, What if I am really alive to the next thousand years???

Rica didn’t take the bait and promptly said Do you want us to believe that you gave a lift to Koramangala from J P Nagar, almost 10kms? You know what Seya, we are sick of your stories like these. Just say, sorry that you are late. That would be fine. But please spare us with any more such stories.

Hey hey …listen…I am not making up a story…this was what happened and that was why I was late. Rica and Seya were about to fight with each other.

Dola stood up with a commanding voice Hey, you both, not again …stop, right now. Don’t spoil the evening. Dola had been playing a successful mediator role among her friends. She happened to be a very neutral person not getting affected by anything quickly. She was also calm, reasonable and loved by all her friends.

Okay, listen, I have something to share with you all. Seya started. She is not a person to be weighed down by losing a small argument. Last week, there was a camp in our office…an Ayurvedic camp. I met a doctor there and am really bowled over. After checking my pulse for a minute or so, she could tell me about all my health problems. Amazing…huh!!

Did she say that the reason of all your problems is due to missing grey matter? Neel asked pointing towards Seya’s head. He had a way of going for the jugular! If she has said so, then I definitely respect that doctor as she has true diagnosing knowledge.

Everybody had a good laugh at their friend’s expense. "Oh, all of you think it is a joke…I am serious…, I bought a book as well. I am going to study Ayurveda and all that ancient knowledge