Experiencing Muscat the Arun Sharma way

On Saturday, I get a call from Arun. After pretending to be mad at me for not keeping in touch, he tells me to be free at 5 pm on Monday. No explanations. Nothing.

Rest of Saturday… no news from him.
Whole of Sunday… no news from him.
Monday morning… no news from him.
Monday afternoon… an SMS. “I hope you remember we’re meeting up today. Be ready at 5 exact!”

And he was here on the dot! (Some Indians know to keep their time, man.) He asks me where I want to go. (The way he’d called me 2 days in advance booking this evening, I thought he might have made some great plans himself!!!) But anyway, we drove off to the famous Starbucks across the Intercon-beach, where we met up with Paluck and Nikesh. (Long hair is IN, eh?!?)

There, while Paluck and Arun were having a very interesting conversation about which feature of which model of which brand of which car is better, I got up to take a few pictures. In the process, I bumped into Akshaya’s parents. Well, not really bumped into them. They were taking a walk across the street on the pavement, and I shamelessly screamed “Uncle, uncle!” at the top of my voice, in the event having all uncles turn to look at me (and some non-uncles even). Luckily, Akshu’s dad also happened to be one of them, and I’m having a conversation over 2 lanes of cars confirming that they’re Akshu’s parents. But as always, they were kind enough to cross over and have a normal, decent-decibelled conversation with me. We chatted a while, and by then Paluck and Arun were done with their work. So, Paluck and Nikesh went their way, and we went ours.

It was back to the same question – so where do I want to go? I didn’t know. So, Arun asked me, “High or low???” I chose high. (Obviously everyone chooses “high”!) A couple of minutes later, I’m atop some rocky formation, where the only thing between me and a horrendous death into the sea below is my clumsy feet. And maybe Arun’s presence of mind. Both not very encouraging! So, we sit down, and I’m very aware of the hard rock poking into my butt (it’s probably an S&M method in SOME part of the world!) But the location was perfect. You could see the sea for miles, and there was hardly anyone in that place. Just a lone fisherman and a bunch of 4 Omani females, luckily far away from earshot. So, the place was pretty much all to ourselves.

In a time when people are too busy to make time to meet up even in groups, I had the most amazing one on one conversation with Arun. (All credit goes to him though, because he fixed the day, the time and did it in advance so that I had no excuse up my sleeve!) And even more amazing was the fact that I didn’t know that I needed to have that talk so bad, but in some weird way, he knew.

When I go back to school days, I remember the image surrounding him. He didn’t really have a problem with anyone but somehow everyone had a problem with him. Not in an explicit way, but it was understood that this guy is whacko. That was the impression and everyone believed it before they even got to know him. I can frankly say that I never have opinions about anyone unless I make them myself, so to me he was just another classmate. We weren’t the best of friends, but we were civil with each other, and sometimes even nice to each other. During Computer Science periods, he was always telling me what songs to hear!

Last year, when I came down in December, I met him again. But there was something clearly different about him that time. At least, to me there was. At that time, he took Bishen, (was it Nikesh?) and me to another mountainous location. It’s supposed to be a top-secret spot of some sort. I wouldn’t know to spill the beans anyways, because all mountains look the same to me. That spot was absolutely deserted. It was just the four of us and the silence of the night. Of course, it’s never really silent when Bishen is around. It was pretty late in the evening, so you could literally see NOTHING when the car lights were switched off. Also, since there are no signs of life except for a lone car or two that drives by, you get a feeling of being the last survivors on the planet. Even cell phones don’t get signal there. I suggest you don’t ever go there with your ex-bf\gf whom you cheated on. No matter how friendly the invitation seems! ;)

This time, it was just the 2 of us, and it wasn’t as late. But there was a moonbeam falling onto the water in front of us, and it looked like the stars had been transferred into the sea. I don’t know if the fisherman caught any fish, or if the girls had fun, but I had the most wonderful conversation with Arun. There is so much sense in that guy that I was really taken aback. He knew exactly the right things to say and had the perfect answers to so many questions I threw at him. A lot of things that I had never expressed to anyone to this day, I was speaking out to him. And through the course of the evening, I also learnt a lot about him.

Whether or not he shows it to others, Arun truly has a heart of gold. If he cares about someone, he truly cares about them. And he’s a very genuine person. He has no airs about himself. He is also really really mature. It was such a pleasure that I got to see this side of him. I never really got to know him before, but in 2 hours I knew so much. (In fact, while in the car, he turned up the volume when the FM played UB40’s “I can’t help falling in love”. A billion points just for that!!!!) I just didn’t want the evening to end, and if I didn’t have to get home, I could have spoken to him forever. But even as he dropped me off (at home, not off the cliff!!), I felt relieved, and more importantly, reassured.

Sometimes someone you hardly expect to make a difference to your existence walks into your life at the perfect time and gives you perspective on so many things. I wouldn’t have thought in a million years that person for me would be Arun Sharma of all people. But I can’t be gladder that it’s him.

For all those of you, who come down to Muscat during your breaks, try to meet up with him. Bowling, sheesha, eating out are all fun ways to spend time with friends, but you must definitely experience Muscat the Arun Sharma way. There are some simply gorgeous places in Muscat that he can take you to (as in right in the city, not far away). There’s nothing like the scenic settings of natural beauty to make you realize important things. I sure had my personal moment of truth – someone truly cares!

Thanks, Arun, from the bottom of my heart. In a million years I wouldn’t be able to express how grateful I am for that evening.

P.S. – Guys, if he doesn’t want to take you around though, then deal with it. Not all people are special like me ;)

P.P.S. – Sorry Arun, if you find this embarrassing\humiliating. It probably goes against a lot of things you told me! But I just had to put it down in words. And tell the whole world too.