Blind date with life

It was a warm sunny evening. After the late lunch hour in my school I was sitting there somewhere feeling very insignificant in the classroom. I guess it was social-science period and had absolutely no idea what was going on.
In my mind the entire 70mm film-show with Dolby sound effect of an uneventful replay of my mom's conversation with one of my teachers was playing. I had just resumed my class after one of those greatest turning points of my life.
Mom was talking to this teacher who used to teach Kannada literature for us. My colorful report card was in her hand. I call it colorful, since it had more of red marks than plain blue ink. I walked down the stairs towards them. My mom looked at me with grief with a can-you-ever-score-better look on her face. In fact she had that look till I passed-out of my school, which I'm not too proud of.
I then realized as to why this teacher was talking to my mom. She happenned to be my sister's teacher too and my sister was once her favorite student. I was her not-so-happening-brother when it came to academics, existing in the same school. Now I almost expected her forthcoming dialogues from her overwhelmingly emoted face. And it came out this way:
"... Oh... neenu Kowsthubhana tammaana'aa...! Matte yaake heeg vodtteeya?.. "
(translation: "... Oh... are you the brother of Kowsthubha...! Then why do you study like this?..." )
And she was expecting an answer from me. I had got pretty much habituated by then to face such situations by putting-up a dumb and confused face. However, it was hard for me to react on that day. There was hard knot that was struggling to get-down my throat. My school stairs started to shake underneath, and felt like standing on thousand needles poking thru my sole of my shoes. I wish I had an answer for that question. I foolishly pretended that was thinking of one.
That's when it struck me that, "this is not a good state to be in". May be all my classmates around me are also thinking the same as my teacher! I started to dislike them all (except a few, I should accept).
I knew something should happen now to turn my world topsy-turvy. May be an earthquake, a volcanic eruption right below my school, heavy rain washing out all my answer papers and reports in that school... something... something miraculous. In fact I waited for a few days too
if something like that might happen but nothing did. A few more class tests went past during that waiting period and I had mastered the act of looking dumb.
However, I managed to pass-out from that school with good marks, exceeding the expectation of my parents and teachers.
But, I had decided in the background that I'll not meet this bunch of people from my school again. Atleast till I prove my metal.
I decided to take-up Diploma, since none of those classmates would be there to torture me with their pre-concieved looks. I sugar-coated that decision by saying that I wanted to become an engineer and there is no point in studying languages and botany as in +2! I was literally running-away from that school gang.
As I remember I only studied during that time, in the hope to change my image as a "dumbo". Miraculously it worked. I got a 1st class in the 1st year, and people started to treat me as god. They used to pick-up my notes, they used to check with me how many times I revised the subject before exam, lecturers used to ask for my notes by the end of term... and stuff like that. I liked it so much. This is the space that I always wanted to be in for almost a decade. My parents almost got their life back.
It's such a parody in this era that, parents' happiness is directly proportional to the marks scored by their children. I mean, it's nothing wrong, but just the guilt factor in the child would only increase exponentially.
I passed-out of diploma by scoring 2nd in my class. Joined a job that came my way, in which domain I remain in till date. Got admission in evening engineering quite easily due to my considerable score in diploma. Managed both full-time job and engineering and finished the graduation with a good score. Atleast by then my parents had started to take pride in my achievements!
Now am working in a decent MNC, leading a small but competent team, thumping a
couple of patents in my kitty & leading a blissful life.

But when I look back, I see that the entire path of my career was not literally chosen out of my instincts, but was blindly driven simply by a statement made by that Kannada teacher!

Slow >>Forward

Scene-1
Set: Late evening, Hospital, tube-light blinking far away

In the black background, zooming-out on the word "Slow Forward". Above this phrase is a picture of a man's sketch in the meditating (sitting) posture. Zoom out of the picture frame (of ~8"x12")
Then the camera frame slides right and scrolls across another frame where there is a quote:

"Discontent is the first necessity of progress" - Thomas A. Edison

The camera frame again keeps sliding to the right to find a Red Zero candle bulb on, below which a board stuck saying "Operation Theatre". The camera stops there and pauses. The light goes off.
The cry of a newborn is heard

The camera frame covers the left hand of the newborn. A mole on the thumb is seen.
A right hand (almost white in color) touches the baby's hand
The sound of the cry fades-out

Scene-2
Set: Well lit sophisticated living room, Dance number playing loudly fades-in

Camera frame focuses on the right end of the table. A half eaten and broken pieces of Chocolate bar is seen. Camera is moving to the left. Then the bottom part of coke can that is defrosted is seen. The condensed frost is spread around the can along with silt coke on the table. The iPad is switched on and a game is running without being controlled. A pizza is a half eaten. Then the camera still scrolls left to see the laptop open. The camera goes up, there is a guy working on the comp with a headset on speaking over phone. The guy is wearing a round-neck T-shirt. There is wind blowing on the face of the guy from a fan not seen on the frame. The camera moves to the left focusing on laptop keyboard and finds the black mole on the left thumb of the guy and quickly camera moves over the head of the guy. The frame covers the 3-quarters of the top of the guy's head and a quarter of the face seeing from the top.
The guy speaking over phone: ..dude... get done with your work soon and let's catch-up for a drink. (Pause) Get your SUV, fuel is on me.. (Pause).. Yeah I'm sure... my company wants me spend something on fuel but I hardly do... so don' worry on that... huh.. And I'm inviting 3 of my friends ok!.. The drink is on me again... after all why do we have all the perks! (Laughs) (The other guy speaking on phone... pause.. pause) yeah... yeah.. no sweat about my parents. They would come from the airport and would be at home; I'll catch-up with them next morning.... whenever we get back (laughs)! Aright then.. Catch u later! (Hangs-up, throws the headset down)

The light illuminates on top of his head

The guy raises his head slowly over his shoulder, stares at the light for a moment. & Asks... ...aaa.. What's-up dude? You need something... (Pause for 2 seconds)... .. aa.. Hello!!

A deep-echoed voice speaks: Can you really give me what I need...! I guess you guys have taken everything from me

Strange/ dirty look from the guy.. smiling, questioning... says..

Dude!

The expression on the guys face gradually eases to an expressionless face. A second after that, the same almost white-colored palm is placed on the head of the guy
The scene fades into complete white screen

Scene-3
Set: Early-morning, a green patch of land (paddy field), a tree in the middle, chirping sound of the birds

The guy sitting under the tree, & a beam of light is coming from the top onto his head. Only the silhouette of his body is seen
Camera zooms only to his eyes, and eyes open slowly and gently.
The smile that comes up on his face is expressed from his eyes.

The camera shifts to his back and he gets-up and starts walking away from the camera facing inside.

The camera shifts to his bare right-foot. 4 apples are to the forward-right of the right-foot
He bends and picks 1 apple from his left hand. The black model is seen then.
The camera shifts to show only his foot in the center of the frame from the back.
Sound of the bite of the apple is heard and he starts walking.
The screen fades-in to complete white

Scene-4
Set: White screen

The wordings emerges from behind:

"Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed"

Then emerges:

"- Mahatma Gandhi"

"The End" emerges at the right bottom corner of the frame