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ISSN: 0974-892X

VOL. XI
ISSUE II

July, 2017

 

 

An Encounter with A Robot of God

Ganapathy Krishnamurthy, Dallas, Texas, USA

I was driving a Harley Davidson, Low Glider bike. Bought against the opposition of my wife Smitha.
It was a four by four lane road smoothly laid. There was minimum traffic. Obviously, I was enjoying the ride.  
I increased the speed. It was slightly scary, but pumped up my energy.
I was in the second lane and trying to overtake the car in front I moved to third lane. 
The idiot in the front too without noticing moved to third.  
I lost control, hit him with force (at 90 miles’ speed) and thrown out and fell before the truck just behind in the same lane.
I had a helmet but before an eighteen-wheeler what helmet can do.

********

I don’t know how long it took. But I could see that I was fully conscious. How is that!!!
Am I alive??!!
How could it be?
BUT
Everything was dark and total silence!
Also, no feeling, no sensation.
Not fully. Had a kind of a feeling of hanging on the air.
I tried to move my hand, then leg and whole body.
Nothing happened.
What the hell?
Am I in a coma?
I tried to shout ---- no sound ---- nothing.
I waited for some time to collect myself.
Am I alive or dead?
I tried to think back about what happened…….

I could remember clearly about getting thrown out of the bike and falling behind before the truck and I remember seeing the front wheel just before my face – a few inches, not even a foot away. At ninety miles’ speed vehicle covers 132 ft. per second.  My mind told me even the best skilled driver would have found it difficult --- no, no impossible to stop

----

That means ---
----I am dead---undoubtedly.
Then how I can remember all --- How!
Slowly it entered to my mind – mind? – do a dead person will have a mind?
I realized –
It is the soul!
So, the bloody soul and body theory is right!!
But how soul can think. Is a brain not needed for that?
What kind of a stupid thinking is this? My head … wait … wait… there is no head here…
I started brooding and trying to remember or recollect whatever I read and heard about the soul theory.
It was abysmal.
I couldn’t help thinking about my grandfather’s and grand-mother’s comments about my lack of interest to our sanskriti (Culture/Heritage)
My mom was soft and loved me being the only child. To her I was the best and faultless child.

My father – I acquired the trait from him. He is alive still puffing his dozen cigarettes a day.
I don’t, but what is the use? Old man is still enjoying his puff and I am here. Suddenly I had a pity for him….
Nice man. What a shock it will be to him. “it will be or will it be”, Oh! Shut up! I ordered the brain.
Why, only pop, all of them will be shocked, – my grandfather-grandmother-uncle-mother-wife--- They are all in India except for Smitha.
Smitha is all alone now in Seattle. How she is going to cope up?
Thank God! There is no baby to add up to the misery.
Why thank God for this mess?
Force of habit I think.
Anyway, friends are there and the company is good. They will take care of everything.
How the body will be?
Can they collect or should scrape.……?
I shuddered … at least I had a feeling like that.
Forget about what they will do ----
Now what is my position!!

I suddenly remembered a short story of H G Wells.  
In that hero dies in the operation table. He could see that he is moving away from his body and out of the operation theater, then the building.
He suddenly realizes that he is not moving away. When he died, the soul has come out of the body and gravitational force has no effect on it.
Earth is a revolving and moving object. It is moving away whereas his soul is remaining in the place of death.
I think he was right in his idea! But then how I am unable to see or hear anything?
I understood immediately.

H G Wells was an ass. To make money without thinking further, he rushed his story and collected the 12 shillings and six pence.
Sensory devices are with the body and how the bloody soul without body can see, hear or feel?

Will the soul be bloody?

Oh! Shut up. I cursed my thinking but also realized I have nothing else to do. So, continued to think.
……that means I am hanging in the air without the ability to see or feel. Then there must be thousands of souls like this hanging around.
Are we the stars? No. We can’t be, meteors because they are solid objects and are moving along with the entire system.
How do I know we, …means me and fellow souls, are also not moving?
I think we all souls should form an association and talk to God about it?
Idiot, how can you, when you can’t see yourself.
I realized that I am arguing with myself.
What a waste of time?

Arguing part of soul said what else one can do now? I said shut up and started trying to remember whatever I read.

Something said that it is not going to end up like------ this soul hanging on the space forever.

I remember somewhere I read the galaxy is moving at a speed of 1.40 million miles per hour. Nearest planet to earth is Venus which is more than 25 million miles. It will take more than 17 hours if my soul is in the path and manages to land on that.
But it depends upon the position of earth to Sun. If it is ahead of Sun … you see while orbiting planets go ahead …. Shut up! Whom are you explaining to?
Of course! there are so many ifs in that.  What happens if soul misses Venus, next chance is Mercury if that is also in this side. Otherwise ----
Sun.

I got … I mean soul got scared.
Sun …. That means soul will be burnt in the heat of sun… Oh Hoh! So that is the way God gets rid of bad souls.
By burning them in Sun. They call it ‘Hell fire’
My soul is good or bad?
I was fairly a good person. Here and there a few petty things.
I remembered Pluto ---
Will it going to be the one?
Having nothing else to do I was thinking about my life on earth. Suddenly a fear came to the mind----- nonsense-what mind? ---- to my soul.
Does soul sleep?
It must be.
I died a few moments back, I am conscious now.
Wait, wait, was it a few moments back or hundred years before?
I don’t know how much time elapsed.

**********

Suddenly I could realize something is happening. Emptiness was changing into an atmosphere. I realized that I am breathing again and realized slowly I have regained various sensations I had while I was in earth. I could hear noises and, I could see!!! I HAVE A BODY!!!!

But the place I found myself was different.
What about the accident?!! I touched the head.
It was there intact ----- Thank God!!

I am in a proper shape, but my body was looking different and I presumed so also my features too….but not like what we saw in Star Wars. Let George Lucas look like ‘Yoda’. I wanted to be my normal self.

It, I presumed, is a planet like our earth.
I found myself standing in a pavement of a street. Not much crowded.
I observed all around. There was a shining pillar nearby and I could see myself in that.
I was looking young and age was same as it was at the time of death. Still I could perceive that I was not same – meaning I was looking completely different from how I was on earth.

I was not much perturbed. I was not a male model and this present me was a lot better than the earlier one. I wished that I had a mirror to see me.
Now I started looking around.
Did I say it was a planet like earth?
It was and it was not.

Like myself it was also different. It was a quiet place, with beautiful trees and plants. I don’t think our earth can ever be like that.
It was bright but not very hot, breeze was with a fragrance, may be from the flowers on the side of the well laid clean roads. Vehicles were moving in normal speed without any noise and ……..

With no driver. Yes, no driver and going at a reasonable speed.
So, it is possible after all. My admiration for TESLA, Google and others went up. But I started cursing them.

Why the idiots couldn’t succeed earlier and it would have averted the accident. I was thinking of my accident which was responsible for my presence here.
Then I remembered that I was driving a bike, not a car.

I realized that I am still missing my earth however dirty it may be and above all the people, particularly my family more so Smitha.

………..

I started observing the people.
People in that--- whom I have observed so far were all like proto type models, with minimum difference in look, except for the age which was varying. Some were looking at me, most of them were not, with no expression on their face.
Weather was good, air was pure and pleasant as I said – to put it shortly like a good hospital - quiet and clean.
Then I observed a middle-aged man standing near me with a smile in his face. He too was undistinguishable. He cleared his throat and extended his hand saying “Vava”, I presume. I am code 707. Welcome to Appraisal Center.”
I was astonished.

My name is Venkatakrishna Varadarajan but was known as Vava to all.
But this guy seems to know all about me inside out.
I shook the hand and said, “Yes.”
I had thousand questions to ask, which he could smell.
Must be the regular experience.
He smiled and said, “Hold on! There is all the time for that.
The he pointed out to an undistinguishable building nearby said, “Please go there. Take rest for some time if you desire. You will be called and all your doubts will be cleared along with details about your future assignment.”
Without waiting for my response, he just left the place.
‘Must be going to meet another arrival’, I presumed.
He must be having a busy schedule as you know two people die in a second in our earth alone. I do not know whether this center caters to only earth or some more.

Now I focused my attention to the building indicated by him.
It was fairly a big one, but the designer did not waste his time designing it. It was looking like a typical secretariat constructed at shoe string budget. Almost all buildings were looking like that.  

‘What’s going to happen now?’ was the query in my mind.
But I was sure of one thing. This is not the end because code number whatever it is, said something about future assignment. So, it looks that the past was an assignment, I thought.

So, God is there! Who else would have given the assignment otherwise?
I felt cheated.
God, dammit, they, who is they?

Whoever it may be, should have told me earlier that it was an assignment, I mean the life I had on earth. I might have taken it seriously and did better. It is totally unfair and what we say it is not cricket.
Then I started wondering who might have coined that phrase. When cricket was a fair game!!?

May be, it was when cricket came into existence as an ideal time pass game for idle English rich persons.
Who else can spend five days on one match? No wonder Americans hate it.
Shut up Vava! Concentrate and don’t think wayward.
By that time, I have reached the building and the door automatically opened.
I entered a big hall.

It was really big and I think bigger than Texas football stadium. That was the biggest stadium I ever saw and this is bigger than that and at the entrance there was a sign board stating
‘WELCOME VAVA, PLEASE GO TO CABIN 7237 WHEN CALLED’.
Am I a VIP!!?

But I found two other were looking at the same board and reacting to the message in that for them which I couldn’t see. It took some time for me to realize it was showing different messages simultaneously.
I moved and there was a chair nearby and sat down. A pleasant feeling after hanging on air for a long time.   

As I mentioned that it was a very big hall with countless number of cabins of reasonable size. I found all of them seems to be occupied. In each cabin, at least there must be two persons. I presumed the one must be the appraiser and other is someone just arrived – I hated the term ‘died’.  

Looking into number of death per day this enormous size is needed. Is it the only hall? …….

Time passed.

After some time, I saw a sign in the board near me indicating I was called.  
My cabin was nearby with the flickering light. They must be having a system to ensure that. Otherwise to search and find it will take whole day I thought.
The door was open and I entered.
I found there was nobody except a floating flickering light and two chairs.

I am right and it is not going to be a group discussion. Thank God! Nobody will like somebody listing out in presence of an audience all the misdeeds. (Vava, do you remember ‘Miss K’ slapping you for trying to …….)

There was a table but no computer. I remember the ‘TED’ talk by that Indian boy Pranav Mistry about a new system developed by him where one carry all things in a hat or coat and can use fingers instead of key board and mouse. It must have come to use.
Lucky guy. How much he would have made?

Who is making the ancillaries? Is intel doing the chips? Such thoughts were floating in my mind.

I was wondering where ‘Intel here” will be? Will it be on the coat or on the hat? Or on the trousers seat area.

 

**********
“Welcome Vava.”

The voice was sudden and I jumped a few inches. For a person who was recently crushed by a front wheel of an eighteen-wheeler and then by other wheels it was significant.
I found a person on the chair and he said, “I am sorry if I have startled you.”
I don’t know how he came in. But not surprised as I have seen in many mythological movies this happening.
I said nothing as I looked at him carefully. He… yes…. ‘he not she’ of middle age with a normal non-describable face.
He said, “Sit down, just relax and don’t bother about anything including time. We have all the time in this AC. I mean Appraisal Center. In fact, we are now on a standstill time”
I thanked and took the seat, then talked. “I thought you may have to meet lot many persons.”

“Not at all. You see, I am a ‘Robot’ specially created and programmed for you.”
I was a bit disappointed. My idea of robot is something what we see in our movie or in some shows. Here he I mean the robot was exactly looking like any normal persons. Rugged and handsome like Harrison Ford.
Then I realized that earth is a kid in age compared to other planets.
Robot seems to have understood about my worry.
“Vava, please relax. You will get used to me within a short time.”
It helped to remove my worries. The next thought came to my mind was how to address him.
Robot again laughed saying, “Yes, you can address me just “R’.”
I was shocked. “Oh, My God, it .., sorry he can read my thought.” 
“Yes, I can.”

A few seconds or minutes passed in silence. Robot---- no R understood that I am shocked, and confused.  
R started after an elapse of reasonable time.

“Vava, this is not just going to be one sided. I shall be using the terms you are familiar with. Don’t bother about time, because as I said this has been made as a standstill time. To start with you seem to be disappointed seeing me. “
“You see in earth”, I started.
R raised the hand and said “Sorry to interrupt. I have a fairly good idea about earth. So, you can proceed assuming me a friend of yours.”

It relieved me of some tension. I started once again.

“As you know I am from a Hindu traditional family brought up with certain faith. Education and moving into another country with a different culture with people having different religious belief made me to question my views. Added to that the recent developments with space research with the help of Hubble telescope and Big Bang theory etc. added further confusion.”

I stopped for some time.  R also kept quiet allowing me to collect my thoughts.
“Slowly I started accepting the view that there is no God and all. But also found it difficult to throw away the belief with which I was brought up. I was uncertain and in two minds. Then this recent incident and subsequent experience was changing my mind to think that elders were right after all.”

Once again, I stopped and continued.

“But whole think is bizarre. There is no Pearl gate, no Jannat or Jahannam, no Kailash or Vaikund but a beautiful hall with all modern facilities. No Christian priest, maulvi or Hindu devta but a robot looking like anyone of us or handsomer than most of us. (Why do you look like Harrison Ford, why not a dumb face of Rahul Gandhi?)”

R laughed and it was not a derisive one but one showing appreciation, understanding and enjoyment.

I found a great relief and a realization of unloading a great burden I carried.
“Well put Vava. Yes, I am a robot but I can think, read your mind, converse, argue and above all take decisions. But still a robot. I thought, I am going to have a dull discussion but it looks like going to be interesting.”

He stopped for a minute. I was also getting involved and was looking at him expectantly.
He continued, “So shall we say before I tell you what is going to be your future responsibility, clear this doubt or at least bring a sense of understanding and satisfaction?”
I nodded my head.
“So, start shooting out your questions or shall we say get your doubts cleared,” R said.
I asked after a few seconds. “Is this appraisal for everyone after….?” I did not want to call it death.
“Let us say after the end of life...” suggestion came from D.
“My God! I have to be careful in my thinking, but how it is possible?”, I was wondering.
“No, birth can be any living form and after death, based on knowledge gained in that birth, next one will be decided. In your case the last birth was twenty third. In some cases, development is slower or faster and appraisal depends upon that.”
“Yes, such thing is in our scriptures. In Bhagwat Gita, I remember it is said that all the dead would be reborn. This concept is that there is a soul in every live being, and that it goes through the cycle of birth-death-rebirth and ultimately merges with the universe. So Sanatana Dharma is right.”
“I did not say that because I have absolutely no idea about it.”
“Do you mean that you cannot say anything about God? Then who sent you here?’
“Well, I told you that I am a robot and I know only about things that I am programmed to act upon.”

It was like reading an Edgar Wallace novel. It used to be published as a serial in weekly magazines. It will end on a week with hero hanging on a cliff with his bruised fingers, broken ribs and finding difficult to hold and will see a scorpion reaching those fingers with its’ tail up and also a rattler climbing up towards his leg. Added to that soldiers on the top waiting to kill him and below a shallow river with crocodiles and sharp stones preventing him from jumping as death will be sure then. It will close with the word (to be continued). Whole week will pass through keeping you on your nerve’s end and when you open the page next week it will start with the statement “After managing all the problems faced Monty (hero) reached the car.”

R looked at me sympathetically. The persons or whoever made them have given emotions but not some background knowledge. I was searching for some choicest abuses and suddenly remembered R can read my mind. That means it can also pass on all info to the level above.
R nodded the head in agreement but said, “Don’t worry. They know you and can understand. Besides that, we have no emotions like you were thinking.”
“Don’t you, I mean guys above you, understand the confusion or lack of proper knowledge about our origin is causing lot of damages to the progress. Look at the killing, torturing and loss of life all around. And more annoying is, it is hurting innocents, not the culprits.” 
R smiled. “Growth and development cannot happen in ideal condition Vava. Thirst for knowledge and developments happen when one feels the need for it.”
R continued. “It seems that you have not read your Charles Darwin’s books. Let me summarize his theory:

“There is Variation in Every Population. Organisms Compete for limited resources. Organisms produce more Offspring than can survive. Organisms pass Genetic traits on to their offspring. Those organisms with the Most Beneficial Traits are more likely to Survive and Reproduce.” He added, “Much talked about your DNA studies goes with this.”
“Advancement in the scientific field,” I started and remembered that we were going away from our main purpose id est., my appraisal.
R said, “Don’t worry and it is needed one and I am glad you came straight to that. Remember what I told you that we are in standstill time.”
So, I started again. “Even my presence here now only adding up to confusion already existing. I started half believing in ‘Big bang theory’ and now seeing reincarnation idea is valid I am confused and I don’t know now what to believe.”
R smiled and said, “Don’t worry, when you leave here you will be free from all such confusion. But don’t be too, happy. In the next level, you will have new doubts. Let us not worry about it now. Now let us talk about your existing doubt.”

We were quiet for some time and ‘R’ was waiting patiently for me to start.
I was thinking and then came out with a question which I thought most appropriate.

“Who sent you here?” I asked.
“I don’t get you,” R replied.
Ha ha! I was happy for a second that I could make a robot to ask for clarification. Then I realized the reply was a deliberate one to make my point clearer.
“I mean were you sent by Abraham or Ibrahim (as Jews, Christians and Muslims accept the same God) or Ahura Mazda or Lord Shiva or Vishnu?” I asked.
“Only these three or four options? What about Zeus and others? There are many Gods Vava, besides your Hindu Gods you have Norse, Roman, Greek, Celtic, Japanese, Hawaiian, Polynesian, Irish, Welsh, Slavic, Pantheon, Chinese, the list goes on.” R asked me.
“OK, add all and tell me who sent you?”
“Does it really matter?
Of course, it doesn’t. Just idle curiosity. You know how on earth the religious fights are going on. It may help.
“Oh! We are going back to same point again. Do you think it will help? Is that the only fight? How come you are not in it?
“Well, you see, I was brought up in a traditional way by a Tamil Brahmin family. Never to question the faith, never quarrel with anyone and carry out daily ritual. God can take care of Himself etc. Since you are from corporate centre I thought of …..  I stopped and looked at R. You must be knowing about me. It must be in my dossier with you.” I said.
“Yes, I have some. That is why I am telling you. People of same faith fight among themselves, so you can’t do anything about it. So leave it. Now why you have not asked about ‘Big bang theory’”, said R.
“I wanted to, but our conversation got diverted.”
“Tell me about your understanding of Big Bang Theory” R said. 

I took a few moments to recollect my knowledge and started. “I think the name ‘Big Bang’ was given by Fred Hoyle, the British astronomer. Any way it doesn’t matter. You will be knowing about it.

It is said in the beginning there was nothing in the space and it was a vast nothingness and dark, except for a high energy with a high density and very high temperature clustered together. Roughly fourteen billion years back this energy exploded and a universe appeared. Initially it was small and incredibly hot. It started expanding and is said to even now expanding.

They say it is faster than light. It is containing all what we have in the universe today. Initially the bursting was a blur and distinct things started appearing in that blur. They include electro magnetism, gravity and it also solidified to form matters, protons, leptons etc. 

After another I think roughly 400 thousand years’ simple atoms like hydrogen, helium etc. started appearing. There were big clouds of these at that stage. Giant clouds of these primordial elements later softened through gravity in halos of dark matter, eventually forming the stars. There were groups each becoming  galaxies visible today. I have not covered planets.

While these things are happening some of the stars started dying. When they die, they create conditions to form all sorts of elements we are aware of creating a universe which is chemically more complex.

But it is possible to make more things now. Around young suns or stars that are existing these things combine and energy of stars stirs them to form particles such as snowflakes, rocks, and eventually they form planets and moons.
Now next step is arrival of living things.

Living organisms are created by chemistry. We living things are all big packages of chemicals. They at least some of them could have been big like planets but it is chemistry is dominated by electro-magnetic force. It functions on much smaller scale than gravity. This is the reason we are not huge like planets and life is possible only in planets.
Another reason is living things need sufficient energy. In stars, life cannot be produced as any atoms try to combine will be busted open. Why not independently as a floating thing in intergalactic space? But there is very little energy and there too not possible. The right amount needed are there only in planets.

It is also not possible in all planets as there is also great requirement of various types of elements and also liquids such as water. In gases atom moves fast and can’t easily combine and remain. In solids, they can’t move. In liquid, they can easily move and combine.

Our earth had the right condition. It was neither too close to sun nor too far off. Earth has not cooled down completely and even now it is not. Through the vents underneath the sea heat was seeping and various kind of atomic combinations started to take place. The earth is estimated to be more than four billion years old. It all started in a simple way with one cell, but varieties. Slowly eight million years or there about multi-cell things started emerging. Again, there were varieties of them from fish, plants, land based animals including dinosaurs. Earth was not having smooth time. Natural calamities in various forms were happening including landing of asteroids wiping out dinosaurs. But it was a blessing in disguise to our mammalian ancestors. It is estimated humans came into existence some 200000 years back. 

“This is what I know about Big bang,” I said.
“Good, since this not your subject you must have read it somewhere and it is very well put,” R said.
“Well, I watched a TED programme. This is what David Christian explained in his speech”, I said.
“Knowledge comes only by reading, watching and discussing,” R said encouragingly.
“Well, this idea is of recent origin. In the last two to three thousand years, various other ideas or beliefs have come and as I said continuous conflict is going on,” I said.
R laughed. “Vava, conflicting views help in advancement Fighting is human nature and human evolution is in the nascent stage. Tell me an area where there no conflicts. You have religious conflicts, national conflicts, between states conflicts, in district level, city level, area level, street level, house to house level, within the house. What all you will stop and how. Why you have conflicts with your beloved wife,” he stopped.
I looked at him questioningly.

R asked, “Is it true that you are a cleanliness maniac and carry Purell hand sanitizer and clean your hand every five minutes?”
Every year we get a news about a new viral fever. It made me over conscious. But I was annoyed by his tone and asked him “Is it wrong trying to be clean?”
“Not at all, but is it not extending too much when you use it after touching your wife?”
I had no answer. He understood my embarrassment.
“Let us forget about conflicts and tell me what are the other alternate ideas or belief?”
“As you know they are countless, but main three are Christianity (32%), Islam 22%, Hinduism (or Sanatana Dharma) (15%) and of course agnostic & atheist (15%)
“Let us leave the conflicts and what do they say about for the time being and can we consider what they say about Big Bang,” R said.
“Let us start with Hinduism as it is the oldest one amongst these three.

Active propagators are agreeing to ‘Big bang idea’. According to them, the view from the Hindu Puranas is that of an eternal universe cosmology, in which time has no absolute beginning, but rather is infinite and cyclic, rather than a universe which originated from a Big Bang.

However, referencing Katha Upanishad 2:20, states that the Big Bang theory reminds humanity that everything came from the Brahman which is "subtler than the atom, greater than the greatest." It consists of several "Big Bangs" and "Big Crunches" following each other in a cyclical manner.

The Nasadiya Sukta, the Hymn of Creation in the  mentions the world beginning from a point or bindu, through the power of heat. This can be seen as corresponding to the Big Bang theory.”
“What about others?” R asked.

For this we need not look into Islam and Christianity separately. We can include Judaism also with them. Christianity, Islam, and Judaism have many similarities such as they worship the same God, (Muslims and Jews reject specifically Christian beliefs about Jesus but Muslims accept him as a prophet), believe in angels, believe in Prophets and Divine Relations, believe in the resurrection of the dead, in a day of judgement, and in heaven and hell, regard Jerusalem as a holy city, require male circumcision, pray a set number of times each day, observe religiously mandated dietary rules and regulations and segregate men and women during worship services.

Islamic people say Prophet Muhammad used to recite a verse of the Quran to his companions that ultimately stated that the universe is expanding (51:47) and heaven and earth were joint entity and we separated them ad made from water every living thing (21:30)

Big Bang theory and evolution in nature "do not contradict" the idea of creation, Pope Francis has told an audience at the Vatican, saying God was not “a magician with a magic wand.” The Pope’s remarks on Monday to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences appeared to be a theological break from his predecessor Benedict XVI, a strong exponent of creationism.

“The beginning of the world is not the work of chaos that owes its origin to something else, but it derives directly from a supreme principle that creates out of love,” Pope Francis said. “The Big Bang, that today is considered to be the origin of the world, does not contradict the creative intervention of God; on the contrary, it requires it. Evolution in nature is not in contrast with the notion of [divine] creation because evolution requires the creation of the beings that evolve.”
The Pontiff said God created beings “and let them develop in accordance with the internal laws that he has given to each one.” He said: “When we read in Genesis the account of creation [we are] in danger of imagining that God was a magician, complete with a magic wand that can do all things. But he is not.”
Bahá’í Faith too accepts it.
“Then what is the problem?” R asked.
“It seems from these that in principle all religions that majority follow agree to one theory. Then why these conflicts, fight etc.”
“That is your answer too, Vava. Do you think any of them would have approved what is happening? They all talked or preached what was relevant and needed at that time. I don’t think any of them would have approved many of the activities of their prime followers doing in their name.
He continued further, “Animals too talk. Their talks are minimum to the point. Homo rudolfensis, Homo erectus, Homo neonderthalensis, Homo floresiensis, Homo denisova were also had ability to convey. But it was Homo sapiens who were talkative. Then that is responsible for this growth and development.”
He kept quiet for some time and said, “You always pay a price for anything received.”     
I had no answer and asked him once again “Who are you?”
“I am a robot sent to explain about your job in your impending birth. But I don’t know who sent me,” he said.
I kept quiet but not happy. Suspense continued as I have not learnt anything new about God. But is it really so? I started brooding about what R said just now. I remembered about a book given to me for my birthday. It was by one Yuval Noah Harari titled “Sapiens – A Brief History of Humankind. I should read it I thought, then laughed to myself. How can I now? I thought.
R laughed too and said, “You will have opportunity to do it.”
I remembered that he can read my thoughts. 

After elapse of sometime R started “Any way Vava, you did reasonably well. Nothing more to say. Your next birth also will be on earth in India again. Remember you are on stand still time. When you will be born on earth only fifty years would have passed away.”
R continued, “But you will be seeing drastic changes in the country. You will find it a most advanced and prosperous nation thanks to the efforts of Narender Modi in his 25 years of prime minister ship. You will find it a clean country with advanced drainage system and you will attain a glorified level of Director General of All India Drainage system and will be honoured with ‘Swach Ratna’ award.

I was shocked to hear that I shall be a drainage king and the disappoint-ment made me giddy and I swooned there.

 

********
I woke up, I don’t know after how long, but surprised to find myself in a bed in a hospital.
Smitha was sitting nearby. My three friends were there and also a doctor and nurse.
Doctor was checking my heart, BP etc.
Doctor said, “Real lucky guy. Helmet saved him. Only shock and small bruises. He can go after an hour.”
He patted me and went away.
I couldn’t believe it and asked Smitha, “How I escaped? I saw the wheel just a few inches away!”
“Thanks to my prayer your motor cycle also was following you. As you hit the floor it seems it hit you and threw you to the fourth lane and sacrificed its life. You have to see it to understand what a great escape it was!”
She was touching me with tears in the eyes. Suddenly remembered my habit and gave the hand sanitizer bottle.”
I took it and threw it away and hugged her and told in her ears, “I want to sweat in hot sun for three days without taking a shower.”
She couldn’t believe her ears and with a fear and doubt touched my head. 

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