"Always thought you were intelligent...didn't you...hmmm...now , when you have a real challenge you come here crying for divine intervention...hmmm...move on ...from now on, it is your destiny..it is all in your hands ..move on... "

Samraat stood stunned as he heard the wizened seer's taunt. He felt like strangling his granny,who had suggested his temple visit - the first ever.
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He had never been chastised in his life. There was never any reason. He was a true-blue wunderkid who had aced every class test during school,breezed through his course in the IIT and risen to the post of Assistant Project Director ("Assistant" Project Director - that's how far one could go on merit!) in one of the top class government research and development agencies.

His strong scientific background coupled with a steel-trap of a mind could put any challenging research activity in it's proper perspective and propel the team towards the solution. He had initiated and successfully devised many products leading to numerous patents.This was regularly interspersed with awards,accolades and world wide recognition. He was the next Edison in making. He was Samraat - the king.

With all these achievements, one could expect him to be vain and haughty. But it was not so,he was humility personified. Even the most flattering appreciation brought just a modest smile on his face.

But, sometimes in solitude, he wondered why people hanker after Gods,waste time in mindless rituals and place their faith on an external entity when the human mind itself was a treasure trove of interesting possibilities. The potent human mind could solve any problem faced by man. His latest prototype was an example - the Quantum Road Rail (QRR).

QRR - which was the base of a mass transit system had the potential to transport people in about one-fourth the time taken by conventional transport systems. The underlying concept was the work of sheer genius. Samraat brimmed with pride,legitimately so, during the course of the project. A workable prototype was pooh-poohed by others in the scientific community- but there it stood with a glimmering
carbon body. Now, the only pending process was a test run, a much needed proof of concept. He had that figured out too. Given a month, he could definitely implement the solution in the designated test-area.

All hopes came crashing one morning.

The Project Director broke the news to him,"Samraat... there is a problem ... some corrupt bast... excuse me ... some transport minister has set the deadline for our project by the end of this week ... three days... he wants a detailed implementation map by tomorrow ... I know it's impossible ..but do try...and come up with a solution. The map has to be delivered tomorow or QRR is dust."

Samraat was a quivering bundle of emotions. Frustration and fear of losing it all engulfed him. There were a whole lot of things to be done - topography of the test-area, soil conditions, assembling logistics, scaling measures ... his mind blanked out. He reached home a zombie. It was close to dusk and whatever had to be done had to be done in a night. The map was the key.

That was when his granny suggested him to visit the temple. He nodded.

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Samraat ambled back home from the temple. He had gone there for a solution but all he got was the most seething rebuke of his life from a seer in the temple.The words still rang in his mind. "Always thought you were intelligent ..." Samraat, for the first time, questioned something he had never done before - his success.

Was he really capable? Did he really deserve this? Was the seer correct in every way ? Was there an unseen power after all?

Tears welled up his eyes. He wiped them of. Then suddenly he screamed ... in ecstasy. It was something he saw moments ago.

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Samraat sat silently as the Chief Guest, a minister, waxed eloquent about the achievements of his ministry. It was Samraat's award ceremony for the thumping success of QRR. It would forever remain his most cherished award.

Samraat had met his deadline. He had delivered the map. The map was nothing but a replica of his left palm. The seer's words were true after all.