F O R T U N A T E ? ( mera man vanvaas diya sa) 1. I’m fortunate; and I’m not. 2. I have not been gritty enough, either, to break free from the shackles of the norm, and go and live, to my heart’s content, in a world I loved, dearly. What real good is it now for the heart to invariably sortie out to forage its ephemeral feed in a no-where-world, to whose bourn no creature can repair? Yes, the inexorable Mahakaal, well assisted by ravenous human greed, has devoured the dear, old world blood, bone and marrow. 3. Often am I complimented on successful accumulation of a fortune well before the age most people are seen still striving for it. Though facile, the compliment can only be regarded as well earned: the wherewithal, necessary to label anyone ‘fortunate,’ is easy to witness: the decent house in the posh locality I live in; the plush corporate-office of a premier company in the upmarket area I work in; the much sought after prestigious public school, proudly