Have you ever been left confounded when the person besides you just said something completely out of context? Have you then turned in his/her direction to pass a sarcastic comment but frozen your tongue just because that person is not exactly an idiot in ordinary terms? Have your eyes then wandered around in the conversation group in search of other confounded visages?
Relieved at having found what you were searching for, have you then ventured to seek an explanation only to receive one which leaves you not just enlightened but also dazzled by the deep introspection that had preceded to warrant those few words in so short a span of time?
Welcome to the world of 'Guides'. Confounded? Wishing to say something sarcastic? Searching for some other puzzled faces around? If you had answered 'No' for the first set of questions, then I guess its time to change it to a 'Yes' for the first three questions.
The world of Guides is a small one. the guides will struggle to populate both your hands. But the work, the research undertaken by these radiant minds in moments of brilliance is capable of keeping any appreciative mind occupied for long, enjoyable, laughter-filled hours.
Guides connect the unconnected or rather those which seemingly cannot be connected. Among the terabytes of data that their bodies' receptors dump into their heads, finding those few nuggets of wisdom in a flash would surely need a RAM of such high capabilities so as to shame Intel even a few centuries later.
Initially, this breed of rare introspective geniuses could not be talked about easily. Not that they were some evil 'those-who-must-not-be-named'; just that they had no identity to go with. Someone, a rank outsider to the world of Guides until then, suddenly said "Guide" in the middle of a conversation about these brilliant people wallowing in neglect for want of an identity.
"What the 'Guide'?", MAK ventured to ask after the acts described in the first three questions had been duly performed. A short pause followed. In the deafening silence, even the chirp of birds on the tree overhead would have been a distraction. Unfortunately for someone, the sun was shining brightly at thirty degrees to the head and the birds were away on their daily jobs. An explanation was being sought and an explanation had to be offered to keep in check the lake of sarcastic comments welling up in the heads twisted towards him.
The words that finally gushed out were conceived to be delivered at a pace that would leave no scope for any interference from any kind of audience. "Well, these people explain in a few words feelings that would otherwise necessitate the narration of an entire poem or a piece of prose. Imagine the amount of deep thinking that goes into those seemingly abstract statements", he said with a lot of passion.
"All that's fine, but why 'Guide'?". That was MAK again. Does he harbor some grudge against someone?
"Haven't we just finished our projects? Typing page after page of text was quite easy but when it came to writing the abstract, it took so much of effort and in fact research into the volumes that we had so-far typed to get those few important sentences. Without a guide, the task would have been even more difficult. When it comes to abstracts, the best people to look-up to are 'Guides'!!!", he added with undiminished fervor.
The "Ohhh" moment was short and so was the burst of laughter that followed in hot pursuit. The conceptualization of the name for these on-the-spot researchers was not as finely interwoven as the results otherwise achieved by the 'Guides' and aptly so. The orientation to this world has to be a relatively simple one. Else the beauty of the higher issues prevalent therein will only seem a cacophony produced by antiquated speakers connected to an otherwise advanced music system playing one of Rahman's classics.
Even the fourth question can now muster a 'Yes' from you, I hope. What you have comprehended of the planet of 'Guides' so far, was only through a telescope. In future, I plan to manufacture space-ships that would take you into a more direct interaction with its inhabitants. Until then, enjoy the view from afar.
