*****
Raghunathan Acharya’s Laboratory
Sir Raghunathan Acharya’s lab was just around the corner from the station, nearer to the Almont Road facing the park, house number-28. We walked up three steps to the lacquered blue-black front door. My heart pounded as I’m one closed door away from the answers I’d get to know of the unfinished truth of Rahim Razak. The door, which was equipped with neither bell nor knocker, was blistered and distained but it got creaked open. A potbellied old man with thin hair and weak old beard squinted adjusting his antique one eye glass. Greeted Meghana with a warm handshake and welcomed four of us into his laboratory. Acharya was already been informed about Rahim from Runisia. He refers to Rahim as “The Legend from Runisia”. Four of us, were facing high reflector old static lamp, and on the opposite of this huge square table with many scribbled papers fluttering to fly ceased by a marble paperweight distracting us at every second.
‘He could be the evidence of cold spot.’ Professor Acharya adjusting his glasses looking for some papers to flaunt as an evidence,
‘Cold Spot?’ I queried with a blank look. Another scientific word after Parallelism. I thought.
He handed me some bunch of papers scribbled with words which are not related to the numbers and some sentences which are damn hard to read. Though some darkened bolded words, sorting out as conclusion at end of the page which reads
Particles can exist in “superposition” — which means it can be in many different states simultaneously such as locations. To explain it experimentally, I observed that electrons can travel through two slits at the same time — when we are not watching. But the minute we observe each slit to catch this behaviour, the particle chooses just one. Which says an electron can be seen and voided at the same time but at different location as it is in superposition. The medium through which it travels is space and time crossing hollow tunnel called cold spot which can be observed parallel to the other electron.
Group of words out of my league, ‘I’m sorry, Professor I didn’t understand even a sentence scribbled here.’ I replied and handed them back to him.
‘Even before the course of my scientific discoveries have begun to suggest the most naked possibility of such a miracle, I had learned to dwell with pleasure, as a beloved day dreamer, on the thought of the combinations of these elements.’ resting his hands over the papers, he leaned, while zooming his glasses onto our faces.
‘Sorry, I didn’t understand a bit of it.’
My wonder didn’t last long.
He gets up excitedly, turns an enormous table, which has a huge mirror, reflecting all of us at once staring at ourselves.
‘Imagine this mirror as parallel universe or the universe that Rahim is form, he is present at both the places at the same moment,’ pointing to Rahim’s reflection in the mirror.
He rushes to the other side of the room and carries a mirror almost equal to the first one ‘When we place both the mirrors opposite and parallel to each other. You can observe, unending possibilities of the reality.’
There were infinite reflections of Rahim that formed when the mirrors are placed opposite to each other ‘Ok.’ This is class sixth science. Easy.
He continues ‘Now, I pass a light between the two mirrors. As you can see, it travels endlessly,’ He interrupts the light with his fingers fluttering it ‘If you carefully observe, I form empty gaps in the reality, we call them blackholes or magic portals, which allows us to travel from one universe to another.’
I heard the word before, black hole. It sucks everything into it. That is the place, where time and space bend the rules of physics.
‘My theory concludes here, when both the versions of Rahim are travelling in their respective universes. Some, magical force has disturbed the flow with a flutter and their consciousness got swapped with each other. Your consciousness has mirrored from universe A to universe B.’
I bit my tongue in awe, every part of my mind is wretched.
‘You certainly don’t sense that you are switched with yourself, as your perspective and consciousness limit you view to the universe which is now a parallel reality and not distinguishable.’ I lean forward, unable to comprehend with his complex scientific statements. My head will explode, if I try to understand more of this.
I really thought I would find some answers, but it is rather propagating more questions without answers. Using my tiny part of scientific brain trying to deduce the answers from the facts in front of me and relating them to the theory of cold spot. So, I tried explaining my version to Professor.
‘When Rahim was travelling to Mumbai in the other universe, his flight got hit by some cosmic wave or got sucked into black hole or maybe entered a magic portal, which diverted his path into our universe, probably because of an exposure to cold spot, and simultaneously my ex-husband Rahim of this universe got swapped with him, because he was placed in the wrong co-ordinates at the wrong time’ I concluded my theory, finger indexing at Rahim, sitting adjacent to Meghana. He smirked parting his lips, lobs a smile.
‘Exactly, Aditi. The reason of his existence, here with us.’ Meghana exclaimed.
Rahim raises his hand, as we were sitting in a science class ‘If everything is different in both the universes, why still call it parallel universe or mirror universe. When the reflection itself differs.’
That question could have never crossed my mind. I feel like a dumb student in this classroom.
Acharya, moves from his place, with a finger on his chin. Looking around in his deep thoughts. Maybe, planning
