It has cost him everything, his relationship, his health and his peace of mind. He remembered Samantha, the sweet economist who left him days after their engagement because he always put work first.
“Admit it, Jack,” she had said tearfully while giving back his ring, “Our relationship is the least of your priorities. I see you drown in your work, and I want more than that.” Jack had not tried to attempt another relationship after that, and had secretly admitted to himself that whatever happened had happened for the best. He would never take rest from his work and she would have been stuck in an unhappy marriage with him.
His health too, had failed him. This morning, when he had absently glanced at the mirror while leaving his house, he was struck dumb. Jack was five feet eight, had gorgeous brown hair, sharp green eyes, a strong jaw with dimples to soften his look. In college, all the girls had swooned over his looks and athletic body. And even now, he often drew admiring glances from women. Unfortunately, being cooped up in the lab and eating junk food all the time had turned his muscles to flab and he had the look of a bear that had eaten a lot more than his share of honey and fish. He weighed 140 kilos, had dark circles around his eyes and he had developed a high blood pressure and hypertension. He was firmly told to lose weight by his doctors. They told him that he had to reduce his weight to 72 kilos in order to regain his health. Additionally, he was put on a strict diet to counter the high cholesterol levels in his system. Jack had not bothered following the diet or making an exercise plan. All the negligence had led to this day. This morning, he didn’t even recognise himself in the mirror.
I have been working and breaking my head against this impenetrable wall and I’m still as clueless as I was at the beginning. The lab has invested so much money and support in me and I have failed at it all. How will I face Dr Kruger? How will I tell my parents, who I haven’t met in a year, that I was distant for no reason at all? Remembering them made his will stronger, but he knew he had to take a step back, or the despair of failure would crush him. It was time to take a break, he decided. I will take a sabbatical, get myself back in shipshape and then approach this problem with fresh eyes. He squared his shoulders, opened his email and started typing.
‘Dear sirs,
I think you know that I have reached a phase in my work that I cannot go back, and nor can I proceed forward. I have given four years of my life to this project, but I am at a dead end right now. There is no more to be done, and unless I can refresh myself, mentally and physically, I will not be able to solve this puzzle.
I had promised you all great technological and scientific success, and I am sorry to have failed you. The years have gone by and I have nothing left to show for it. My work is at a dead end, my health and relationships have failed. If I can somehow restore the last two, I believe I will be able to come back to work on the problem with a better focus.
I am taking a sabbatical, for at least a year. It is up to you, whether you want to remove me from the lab, or wish to retain me. In either case, I am grateful for the opportunity I was given.
Thanking you,
Jack.’
Satisfied with the mail, he quickly hit send before doubts could creep in. He got up with a jerk and went to hang his lab coat behind the door. This was it, there was nothing he could take. Even his phone and laptop were company owned. Wearily, he looked around his lab one last time and then turned to leave.
Happy holidays to me, indeed, he chuckled as he let himself out of the lab and stepped into the snowy winter wonderland. He was just about to order a cab for himself when he heard church bells tolling in the distance. The silence inside the lab was a striking contrast to the world outside. The world went on without me, he thought ruefully. Never mind, he whispered, I intend to get back on the carousel and let life take me where it will. Taking a deep breath in, he felt hope in his soul after a very long time. Smiling, he slowly started walking home.
Walking Through a Vanishing Landscape
There is the prehistoric geological landscape.
There are centuries-old fishing communities.
There is the Portuguese military presence.
There are later transformations under British and Indian rule.
And now there is the rapidly expanding Mumbai metropolitan region.
All these histories occupy the same landscape.
The challenge is making sure the newest layer does not completely erase the oldest.
As the monsoon waves continue to hit the coast and modern Vasai continues to expand, these forgotten basalt walls remain silent witnesses.
They remind us that Mumbai’s history does not end at its famous landmarks.
Sometimes the most fascinating stories are hidden behind the last building, beyond the paved road and beneath the monsoon vegetation.
And perhaps the real adventure is not simply discovering a forgotten fort.
It is discovering **the forgotten history of the landscape itself.**
