The Message

He stared hard at the A4 sheet in front of him. For the last 3 years, he had been sweating it out at the news channel covering the usual stuff - an odd murder here, a celebrity's visit there and the like, always bending over backwards to please his boss and play safe. But never had he got his hands on a story that could put him in the spotlight and garner tremendous attention for his journalistic abilities. That had all changed now.

"Breaking News - parchment with unidentifiable inscriptions found in the outskirts of Amritsar by our correspondent Mr.Khabri Toofani. Given the location of the find and the unintelligible script, sources say the 1 page note containing jumbled letters and numbers could be anything from an archaeologist's notes to a coded terrorist missive. Join us at 8:30 pm for a special panel discussion with our experts on the same"

He was sure it was destiny. This morning after missing breakfast at home, when he went to the old samose-wala down the road for a quick bite, the paper in which they were wrapped seemed a tad different. It wasn't the normal Engineering students' notes with Greek symbols that were Latin to him. It wasn't any cyclo-styled medical jargon-filled encyclopedia. It was definitely not Arabic, as he had done a bit of reading in that language. Not Mandarin, not Russian, as he cross-checked on the internet. This would certainly be his ticket to fame.

"Mr.Toofani, how did you chance upon this document?"

"Do you think that it could be a terrorist plot that we could potentially foil?"

"Have you inquired about any secret excavations happening around that area? This sort of script is something we have never come across, and maybe a new civilization has been unearthed..."

He was having a hard time trying to answer the barrage of questions from the media posse outside the Intelligence Chief's office, where he had just come out after a closed-door meeting. The number of his followers on Twitter would almost double after his next stop - the Archaeological association head's office. He had always dreamt of becoming a historian one day, and now he might be on the verge of making history. How exciting!   

"Joining me tonight for our SPECIAL special are 6 eminent panelists who will try to make sense of today's exceptional find - yes ladies and gentlemen, this document, whose discovery has been the talking point all day long, still remains as mysterious as the secret that it may be trying to shroud. The curious script and the distinctly different style of writing suggest that it is of unknown provenance, something that cannot and should not be taken lightly. While we debate it's source, content and future consequences, do vote via our online polls and SMSs on what you think this paper might be. But first, let us hear from our special correspondent, Mr.Khabri Toofani, the man behind the sensational find..."

He was sure of bagging a prime-time show of his own now. His long-cherished dream of rubbing shoulders with the who's who of the nation, and pretty soon the world, would soon be fulfilled. He had finally been catapulted into the limelight. He had just hit the jackpot...

   

=====================================

"Rohan, did I tell you that once during my Chemistry practical revision class..." I venture, only to be cut short, 


"Yes, I know the incident verbatim. You didn't have a pen, borrowed Shiva's Made-in-Germany one, and on submitting the lab procedure, the teacher says - What a handwriting! I'm sure you must have gone to the railway platform where they sell 5 pens for a rupee and bargained to get a 6th one free!"

"Oh, come on, it's still worth a good laugh any day! By the way, where is our trip schedule that I had so meticulously prepared last morning?"

"It must have got misplaced during the jostling at the Wagah border ceremony yesterday. Good riddance, couldn't comprehend any of it anyway" he chuckles and switches on the TV, and then stares hard at an A4 sheet on the screen "Bro, I think you need to call a certain news channel ASAP..."