Do you like to sip coffee while watching the rain battering the window pane? Do you like to linger on the 'Upper Birth' of a reserved train compartment all day long reading mystery Novels? Do you like to go out and eat in a restaurant once in a while? Do you like to see new places with your family?
There are so many other questions and if you answer 'Yes' to even one of them, my next question will be 'Where is your sense of Justice?'
There has been a lot of talk and newspaper space being spent on the issue of giving justice to those slum dwellers who lost their lives and are continually suffering even today. Most people are baying for the heads of big shots from Warren Anderson to Arjun Singh to Entire congress government. The anger is against the rich and famous using their privileges for escaping justice. They demand justice for the poor.
But what is justice? Had those people been alive today, most of them would still be lingering in those slums. Scurrying around every time rain hits hard filling up whatever hole they call home, traveling by unreserved compartments jostling along with hundreds of other people for space enough to keep their b*** on, to struggle or steal whenever the prices of pulses go high, to dream about those beautiful places which they had to leave behind from due to lack of food/work. While the whole middle class, which seems to be the main support base of Bhopal Victims, do what they like to do as mentioned in the first paragraph.
And the only reason 'We' can afford these little pleasures is because our parents earned enough to afford us private education, and let us study without interruptions for 'field-work'. Every time you travel by reserved class, their might be an old blind sick lady suffering in the unreserved compartment, unable to make through the journey. Every time you shoo a young lad trying to take shelter from the rain under your window, he might get sick of pneumonia, result of getting drenched in the rain.
Do we care? No way. This is the life 'we' would be giving them, had they been alive. And we won't be blaming ourselves.
Lets not forget, humans are born hypocrites. Our sense of justice fails us when the society asks us to give up our little pleasures. So why be jealous if somebody else makes use of his own position to save himself some trouble?
Here is a challenge. If you still want to cry for bhopal victims, give up everything which your birth has bestowed on you. And then lets talk about Justice.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Devil's Workshop
A lie repeated often becomes truth. And when it is mixed with two months of reading adventure novels and an idle mind, a highly combustible mixture is formed. A spark is sufficient for it to explode. And it did explode for Sameer. However, lying in a puddle on a dark wet night with mud in his face is not an ideal situation for such thoughts. Worries about the immediate future occupied his mind fully. The cyclist had disappeared in the dark, leaving behind a wet and muddy Sameer busy making up a plan to keep the cook at home from reporting the incident to his father. But when he reached home, the cook was in no mood to even look at him. She was shivering with fear and sobbing on the porch in the dark.
Looking back Sameer wished he had not knocked the door that day. He had even come very close to not knocking, yet he had. This knock had possibly saved Savitri’s life, but had culminated into his lying in that muddy ditch.
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It was a hot summer evening and Sameer had been searching for Ganesh hoping to have some good time. Sameer was really bored. He had recently graduated as an engineer and had even secured a job. But the ravages of the economy had forced the company to postpone his joining. His father worked in this village. He himself had never stayed here for more than a few days at a time. He did not know many people around here and had no friends. His father, being the only doctor in the vicinity, was busy beyond limits. Sameer was starved for human company and Ganesh, the priest at the local temple, was one of the few people in the village whose company he enjoyed.
The temple was locked. Sameer made his way to the house where Ganesh lived. Surprisingly, from far Sameer could see that the windows and door of the house were locked. Sameer, assuming nobody was at home, turned to go back while wondering where could they have gone. Ganesh had mentioned nothing of this sort the previous evening. Sameer decided to inquire about Ganesh’s whereabouts from his neighbour.
Ganesh stayed in one of the old style houses, where one of the walls was shared with the neighbour. The front doors of both the houses were next to each other. This arrangement meant that the neighbor was likely to know the whereabouts of Ganesh. Sameer walked upto the door which was open. He glanced inside before knocking. The house was filled with smoke and nobody was in sight. There was somebody chanting far inside the house. Sameer hesitated for a moment. Just then, from the corner of his eyes, Sameer noticed that Ganesh's door was in fact unlocked. He hopped in front of the other door.
It took three hard knocks before there was any sign of life inside. A small slit opened from which somebody suspiciously peered outside. Confirming that it was Sameer, Savitri, Ganesh’s wife, held the door wide open. Rather it was the door which held Savitri, who had inclined on the door for support. She was deathly pale and shaken. So shaken was she that it took her another 5 minutes to open her eyes and another 15 plus a cup of tea to open her mouth.
With hot tea in her hands, Savitri finally regained her composure. She thanked Sameer for saving her life. Sameer looked puzzled. It was his father who was doctor and saved lives. Savitri continued unperturbed, "If you had not knocked at the right time, the Witch would have taken my life". It was clear that she was referring to the next door neighbour, Kamala. Sameer was still puzzled, and Savitri took it upon herself to explain the events of the whole afternoon.
Savitri was alone in the house that evening. Ganesh had to go to the town for an emergency. She was feeling uneasy since morning due to the religious activities of the neighbour which was disturbing her by producing lots of smoke and chants. The uneasiness increased with loneliness and soon became anxiety as the quantum of the smoke and chanting increased as if on purpose. Savitri closed the door and the windows hoping to shut out the smoke and the chants. She felt tired and needed a quick nap. Savitri lay on the bed.
The room was dark. Savitri was half asleep when Kamala appeared out of nowhere, wearing a black cloak with her hair open. She had extended her arms to welcome Savitri into her fold. Savitri tried to call for help, and became more terrified when no sound escaped her mouth. She heard a loud schreeching scream. With a jerk Savitri opened her eyes, only to see the witch give an loud evil laugh and with a puff disappear into the smoke which had almost enclosed her body now. Savitri lay awaiting the grips of death when she heard the knock on the door. As if by magic the smoke vanished. Savitri stirred to open the door.
Sameer sat their stunned, unable to believe a word Savitri had said. Savitri sensed his disbelief and was offended. "You are new to this place, and you are too young. You won't understand. This witch first consumed her husband, a great man he was but he withered in a matter of days. Then her own son disappeared without a trace. I am sure, she is torturing her daughter-in-law now."
This was the last Sameer could get out of Savitri on the topic that evening. He waited there till Ganesh's return. It was late evening by the time he reached home, still a bit shaken by the events.
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Next day, Sameer was having a peaceful breakfast while being deeply engrossed in reading the day's newspaper when an amulet appeared on the table. The cook who held the amulet for him was still debating in her mind the appropriateness of her actions. Finally she spoke, "Sameer babu. It was very valiant of you yesterday, the way you saved Savitri. But in the process you have incurred the wrath of the Witch. This amulet from Baba will save from her curses." After praising the strength of the amulet and its maker for a few moments, she finally left an amused Sameer alone. He went back to his breakfast while brooding on yesterday's events.
Sameer stared at the amulet debating whether to inform his father. He decided against it, justifying that his father had many other worries. Since his mother's death 4 years ago, father had got himself transferred from the city to a remote village. Leaving his city he hoped to leave his grief behind. He did succeed partially as the hectic work here hardly gave him any time to think. He lived alone, except when Sameer, their only child, visited during vacations. Sameer decided that the cook would be a better source of information. Sameer made his way into the kitchen where the cook was doing her job. He did not have to try hard for the information he sought.
Kailash's wisdom and education had got him a lot of love and respect in the village. So much was the respect that the village had dropped everything and had flocked to the town hospital on that fateful day when he met with a freak accident, and required blood transfussion. It was one of the rare occassions when the village had agreed and acted on something unanimously. They had agreed only one other time, when Kailash had decided to marry Kamala. The whole village denounced the choice but when Kailash persisted, they believed that Kamala had bewitched Kailash into marrying her.
Kamala was the only daughter of the most revered and most feared person in the whole province. Revered because he could cure anything, from earthly to divine, just by a flick of his hand. And feared because the same flick of hand could be used against those offending him. And he was known for his temper. Kamala being his daughter, she was hated and feared as well. She did not show either the temper or the temperament of her father. Yet her looks inspired the fear.
They tolerated her as long as Kailash was alive. But soon the blame of Kailash's death fell on her shoulders and the whole village turned against her. And when Girish, their son, disappeared, she was more feared and all the memories of her father became alive again. Girish was an ideal child, disciplined, intelligent and agreeable. He was held as an ideal to achieve for many children growing up in the village. But when few months after his father's demise, Girish disappeared, villagers suspected something fishy. Girish was missed dearly, and Girija, Girish's wife was pitied. But nobody dared to do anything, for one, Girija never complained about anything and secondly, nobody had the guts to confront Kamala.
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Sameer met Ganesh in the evening at the temple, as usual. Savitri was recovering, he said. Ganesh did not believe much of what Savitri had experienced the previous day, yet he was anxious. He felt sure that something was afoot in his neighbor’s house which was secret. There were many unknown people visiting them in recent days. Sameer had nothing to say.
Just as they were parting, Ganesh suddenly fell silent. A dark muscular man passed by riding a bicycle. The moment Sameer saw the man, he knew in his heart that this was The Villain of this whole episode. He wore an untidy bright shirt, unkempt long hair and an expression on the face which was overflowing with hatred. This intuition was then re-enforced when Ganesh related that this man was frequenting Kamala's house ever since the disappearance of Girish. Nobody knew his business or where he came from. The man never entered Kamala's house for more than few minutes and sometimes there was an exchange of some packets. Ganesh was sure that it was some witchery scheme and this man was her accomplice. The visits had increased in recent days. Ganesh warned Sameer to be careful as he might be on Witches radar after saving Savitri.
That night while Sameer was sitting on the porch after dinner, his father asked him about the previous day's incident. 'The cook told me you saved poor old Savitri' he said. Sameer explained the whole incident from his point of view and his father laughed at the superstitions. "You don't believe in such vodoo, do you?' Sameer assured his dad that he was too intelligent to believe in black magic, never revealing his suspicions that Savitri might be involved in some other villainy.
Sameer found himself thinking about it a lot. Later that night, Sameer amused himself by thinking that he may be in an 'Enid Blyton' novel. Unsuspecting elders, a dangerous looking villain and a shady sneaky character, all were there. Sameer's untapped andventourous spirits were being released, atlast.
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Sameer was dumbfounded. He was in the bookshop in the town, browsing through book shelf when he heard somebody addressing him in what he thought to be a sweet voice. 'You are the Doctor's son, arent you?'. Sameer turned around to face Girija.
He had spent two days trying to find some more information about Kamala. He had planned his tasks meticulously with the lone objective of maximising the number of trips in front of Kamala's house. However all the walking went futile as no information could be obtained. The house looked normal enough and he could not detect any activity beyond the routine. And when least expected, he had met Girija, the ultimate source of information.
For first few minutes Girija held her side of conversation going on even as Sameer replied only in monosyllables. But soon they were having a real conversation. Sameer offered Girija to help with her heavy bag, and hence ensured her company from the town to the bus stop and all the way to the village. She seemed intelligent and interesting but Sameer had other agenda on his mind.
'I should have been home by now', Girija was getting anxious of the delay on the bus stop. Sameer picking up this opportunity, jumped in. 'Will somebody get upset because you are late'? Sameer asked (appreciating himself for the question). But Girija looked at him with a smile and said 'No. Don't worry. Nobody will get upset for me being late except myself.' The smile was very sweet, Sameer thought, but felt that he had also detected a pain in her eyes. Sameer kept wondering about this. Their bus journey was quite silent. After getting down from the bus, Sameer suddenly realised that they were very near to Girija's house. He knew that this may be the last chance if he wanted to know more about Girish.
"Can I ask you something?" Sameer asked, but did not wait for the answer, 'Where is Girish? What happened to him?". Girija suddenly stopped in the middle of the road, turned around towards Sameer, and calmly spoke "He is fine." It was clear she was trying to preempt the discussion. "But where is he?" Sameer was adamant. Girija gave a very curious expression which puzzled Sameer for many days to come, 'You are the Doctor's son, aren't you?". With this she turned left the place. Sameer was stunned. He kept wondering why did their conversation start and end with the same question!
Somebody was staring at him, he realised. It was Kamala who had come to the door. She was a lanky woman of average height with nothing remarkable, until one noticed her eyes. They were sharp and combined with the hawk nose, they gave an ominous look. He felt as if he had been bared. He suddenly turned around and left as fast as he could. He had not yet taken a few steps, when he heard a faint scream starting out and suddenly being muted, as if somebody had pressed the hand on the mouth to drown the scream. As chill passed down his spine, Sameer felt empathetic with Savitri. With great will power he managed to turn around, but nobody was in sight. Even Kamala who had been staring at him few moments ago was gone.
Sameer made his move towards the house stealthily. He was determined to help Girija, if it was indeed she who had screamed. He found an old hedge across their house where he took shelter while investigating. His 'famous five' instincts were rising once again. While he was busy trying to figure out what was happening inside the house, there was a rustle of leaves behind him. He jumped, turned around to meet the constant gaze of Kamala, now at an arms distance. Sameer thought very hard to come up with an excuse to be there, but Kamala was expecting none and she never asked for any. She held up a pear which she seemed to have been collecting. Sameer unconsciously took the pear and a bite before he realised the risk he had taken by eating a fruit from so dangerous a woman. Unable to swallow or to spit out, he held it in his mouth without chewing. 'Saviour of Savitri!' Kamala seemed to be smiling. There was surely mischief on her face, but no evil. Sameer was dumbfounded, not only because he could not think of any answer, but also because his mouth was full of the bite he had taken of the pear. He was trying hard to suppress the thought of the pear being poisoned by the witches curse, when suddenly he started sweating profusely. He managed to excuse himself, without uttering a word. With great restraint he walked around the turn, and spit out the bite of the pear. He threw the rest of the fruit on to the road side and ran towards his home.
He had almost reached the door of his house when he fainted.
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That night Sameer slept uneasily. Two images kept recurring. Kamala staring at him unblinkingly, making him feel chill even at that distance. And the curious look which Girija gave him. He was sure that Girija was hiding something. But what was that? Was she asking for help? He could not understand. Finally he slept.
Sameer woke up suddenly with a scream, his hand extended. He was searching for something, but he could not find it. Girija was burning while her mother-in-law laughed. The longer it took for Sameer, the more desperate he became. Finally he touched something, lifted it up to the light. It was his alarm clock. It took a moment for him to realise that he was having a bad dream, and another few minutes to cool himself down.
Sameer could not sleep anymore. He had been sick for almost a week. His father had declared that it was a combination of heat stroke and junk food he had eaten in the town. Sameer knew better, yet he told nobody. He was now determined to expose Kamala once and for all. And he had a plan too. Kamala was too dangerous to confront, but the villain who ran her errands would be easy to apprehend.
Sameer was walking towards the temple. It was evening and clouds were gathering in the air. In the temple he met both Ganesh and Savitri. Savitri had been very worried that day and had refused to be alone in the house. She had heard that piercing scream again. It was a new moon day, a very inauspicious day. She was sure Kamala was plotting something.
He walked along with the priest and his wife to their house. After arguing unsuccessfully with Savitri that there was nothing inauspicious about the new moon day, Sameer left their house. It was getting dark and the clouds were threatening to pour any time. He decided to take a shortcut to reach home. Just as he got off the road, he heard the scream again. Sameer froze. His heart gathered pace and he was sweating. Just as on the cue, it started raining. Now Sameer started believing the intuition of Savitri. He decided to wait and watch. He chose a hedge some way across, this time making sure that there was no path crossing behind it. The care was unnecessary as it soon got dark and even the street lights failed to light up. He could hardly make out his own hand, but Sameer did not dare to move.
He waited for 15 minutes in the drenching rain. The street wore a deserted look. Just as Sameer had given up he saw a light near the turning. It was moving slowly and few minutes later a bicycle appeared. As the bicycle crossed near the hedge Sameer saw the same dark man with huge mustache. He seemed liked a 'daitya' from any movie, drenched to the core yet riding on coolly. He came to a halt near Kamala's house. He waited for a couple of minutes and soon the door opened. The witch was expecting him.
Sameer started moving towards the bicycle with the intent of examining it for clues when the door opened. The man was inside for not more than 30 seconds. He saw the man holding a packet. He did not turn back nor talk. He pushed the packet under his shirt and started riding again. Sameer had to make a decision fast. He jumped on the road ahead of the bicycle with a scream. He had taken the cycle rider by surprise. There was a crash and both fell down. Thunder drowned the sound of the crash. The man quickly disappeared in the darkness, leaving his cycle on the road.
Sameer was lying in the pool, wet and dirty. Trying to search for the man in the darkness would be futile, sameer concluded correctly and he started making his way back home. On the way, he made up his mind to bribe the cook into silence. But when he reached home, the cook was in no mood to even look at him. She was shivering with fear and sobbing on the porch in the dark.
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Sameer was all alone in the house. He was talking bath, washing off the mud he had accumulated during the evening's adventure. It had taken him many minutes before he could calm the cook, convincing her that he was not attacked by anyone. Somebody had visited the house in the evening looking for Sameer whose looks the cook did not like. She had sent him away to come later, had tried calling Sameer's father who had not picked up the call. She was waiting for Sameer's arrival so that she could warn him of this person. However when she saw that Sameer was limping and badly bruised, she got convinced that the same person had attacked Sameer. She was almost sure that it was the witch who had instigated the attack and could not forgive herself for not warning Sameer earlier. She calmed down only when Sameer told it was an accident due to the rain. Sameer asked her to go back home, he could take care of himself.
Just as Sameer was getting dressed, the door bell rang. Sameer, expecting his father, opened the door carelessly. A man in his mid thirties barged in. He made himself comfortable on the sofa, before looking up with a crooked smile. From somewhere suddenly a big knife appeared which he placed on the table in front of him, obviously as a threat. He surely must have another weapon in case Sameer tried something foolish. Sameer had read enough novels to realise this. He also had a big mole on his cheek that made him look like any number of villains in bollywood cinemas. Sameer's throat ran dry.
'You have been making lots of trouble. And you seem very desperate for answers.' the crook said and waited as if expecting an answer. Sameer tried to defend but the man was short of patience and he interrupted: 'I have got you answers. And I hope you will like it'. With a swift motion he brought out an envelop. Sameer took the envelop and reading the '"From" his fear vanished in a moment and was replaced by eagerness. It was addresses to him by the company which had offerred him employment.
'You father sends you congratulations. He will join you soon for dinner.' The man said with a smile.
'And forgive me if I over did my act. Your father had asked me to only make a scene as a lesson to you. But I could not resist the knife when I saw this one in the market. It suits the character'. With this he left.
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The letter was from the company's HR requesting (sic) him to join next week itself. Sameer was more eager for his father to return. How much did he know? Sameer soon realised that his father had known his intentions all along. Being a doctor, he met many people. If he wanted he could get any information. It was not long before his father returned, and the real story unfolded.
Sameer's Father confirmed everything Sameer had known about Kailash and his family. It was a happy family, inspite of what the villagers talked about Kamala. but then tragedy struck. First Kailash met with a freak accident and only few months later he was detected as HIV positive. The treatment costs a lot and they had to take loan on the farmland. and it had to be done in secret because they din't want to reveal the disease to the villagers.
'But why secret? And if you say he had such a good character, how did he get HIV in the first place?' Sameer's father smiled. "Your second question answers the first. If you, being so educated, can doubt Kailash's morality for getting HIV, what about the villagers? Remember, Kailash needed a lot of blood after the accident. And many more injections. Somebody slipped in the town hospital and Kailash and his family are paying for it. I had suggested them to make it public. I wanted to use this as a publicity measure to spread awareness about AIDS. But they preferred to keep Kailash's memory pure."
Sameer was ashamed at his own lack of thinking. Father continued, "To repay the loan, Girish had to go to the middle east. Again there were two reasons for hiding the fact. Firstly, people would ask why he had to go when he had so much farm here? and Secondly, the local politics would have left Kamala and Girija very vulnerable. Its easy to extort money when they have the means to pay."
"But now things will be better for them soon. Girish has paid back all the loans and his mother and wife will be joining him. They don't want to come back. The dark man who is accomplice of Kamala according to the villagers, is actually the agent of the bank managing the loan. He is also Girish's friend and acts like a proxy for letters. The local postman cannot be trusted."
Sameer felt he understood the whole mystery. He was deep in thoughts when he heard the evil scream again, this time from inside his house. Seeing Sameer start, his father gave a smile, took out his mobile phone which was ringing. 'Isn't it nice? I got this ring tone from Girija today."
Looking back Sameer wished he had not knocked the door that day. He had even come very close to not knocking, yet he had. This knock had possibly saved Savitri’s life, but had culminated into his lying in that muddy ditch.
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It was a hot summer evening and Sameer had been searching for Ganesh hoping to have some good time. Sameer was really bored. He had recently graduated as an engineer and had even secured a job. But the ravages of the economy had forced the company to postpone his joining. His father worked in this village. He himself had never stayed here for more than a few days at a time. He did not know many people around here and had no friends. His father, being the only doctor in the vicinity, was busy beyond limits. Sameer was starved for human company and Ganesh, the priest at the local temple, was one of the few people in the village whose company he enjoyed.
The temple was locked. Sameer made his way to the house where Ganesh lived. Surprisingly, from far Sameer could see that the windows and door of the house were locked. Sameer, assuming nobody was at home, turned to go back while wondering where could they have gone. Ganesh had mentioned nothing of this sort the previous evening. Sameer decided to inquire about Ganesh’s whereabouts from his neighbour.
Ganesh stayed in one of the old style houses, where one of the walls was shared with the neighbour. The front doors of both the houses were next to each other. This arrangement meant that the neighbor was likely to know the whereabouts of Ganesh. Sameer walked upto the door which was open. He glanced inside before knocking. The house was filled with smoke and nobody was in sight. There was somebody chanting far inside the house. Sameer hesitated for a moment. Just then, from the corner of his eyes, Sameer noticed that Ganesh's door was in fact unlocked. He hopped in front of the other door.
It took three hard knocks before there was any sign of life inside. A small slit opened from which somebody suspiciously peered outside. Confirming that it was Sameer, Savitri, Ganesh’s wife, held the door wide open. Rather it was the door which held Savitri, who had inclined on the door for support. She was deathly pale and shaken. So shaken was she that it took her another 5 minutes to open her eyes and another 15 plus a cup of tea to open her mouth.
With hot tea in her hands, Savitri finally regained her composure. She thanked Sameer for saving her life. Sameer looked puzzled. It was his father who was doctor and saved lives. Savitri continued unperturbed, "If you had not knocked at the right time, the Witch would have taken my life". It was clear that she was referring to the next door neighbour, Kamala. Sameer was still puzzled, and Savitri took it upon herself to explain the events of the whole afternoon.
Savitri was alone in the house that evening. Ganesh had to go to the town for an emergency. She was feeling uneasy since morning due to the religious activities of the neighbour which was disturbing her by producing lots of smoke and chants. The uneasiness increased with loneliness and soon became anxiety as the quantum of the smoke and chanting increased as if on purpose. Savitri closed the door and the windows hoping to shut out the smoke and the chants. She felt tired and needed a quick nap. Savitri lay on the bed.
The room was dark. Savitri was half asleep when Kamala appeared out of nowhere, wearing a black cloak with her hair open. She had extended her arms to welcome Savitri into her fold. Savitri tried to call for help, and became more terrified when no sound escaped her mouth. She heard a loud schreeching scream. With a jerk Savitri opened her eyes, only to see the witch give an loud evil laugh and with a puff disappear into the smoke which had almost enclosed her body now. Savitri lay awaiting the grips of death when she heard the knock on the door. As if by magic the smoke vanished. Savitri stirred to open the door.
Sameer sat their stunned, unable to believe a word Savitri had said. Savitri sensed his disbelief and was offended. "You are new to this place, and you are too young. You won't understand. This witch first consumed her husband, a great man he was but he withered in a matter of days. Then her own son disappeared without a trace. I am sure, she is torturing her daughter-in-law now."
This was the last Sameer could get out of Savitri on the topic that evening. He waited there till Ganesh's return. It was late evening by the time he reached home, still a bit shaken by the events.
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Next day, Sameer was having a peaceful breakfast while being deeply engrossed in reading the day's newspaper when an amulet appeared on the table. The cook who held the amulet for him was still debating in her mind the appropriateness of her actions. Finally she spoke, "Sameer babu. It was very valiant of you yesterday, the way you saved Savitri. But in the process you have incurred the wrath of the Witch. This amulet from Baba will save from her curses." After praising the strength of the amulet and its maker for a few moments, she finally left an amused Sameer alone. He went back to his breakfast while brooding on yesterday's events.
Sameer stared at the amulet debating whether to inform his father. He decided against it, justifying that his father had many other worries. Since his mother's death 4 years ago, father had got himself transferred from the city to a remote village. Leaving his city he hoped to leave his grief behind. He did succeed partially as the hectic work here hardly gave him any time to think. He lived alone, except when Sameer, their only child, visited during vacations. Sameer decided that the cook would be a better source of information. Sameer made his way into the kitchen where the cook was doing her job. He did not have to try hard for the information he sought.
Kailash's wisdom and education had got him a lot of love and respect in the village. So much was the respect that the village had dropped everything and had flocked to the town hospital on that fateful day when he met with a freak accident, and required blood transfussion. It was one of the rare occassions when the village had agreed and acted on something unanimously. They had agreed only one other time, when Kailash had decided to marry Kamala. The whole village denounced the choice but when Kailash persisted, they believed that Kamala had bewitched Kailash into marrying her.
Kamala was the only daughter of the most revered and most feared person in the whole province. Revered because he could cure anything, from earthly to divine, just by a flick of his hand. And feared because the same flick of hand could be used against those offending him. And he was known for his temper. Kamala being his daughter, she was hated and feared as well. She did not show either the temper or the temperament of her father. Yet her looks inspired the fear.
They tolerated her as long as Kailash was alive. But soon the blame of Kailash's death fell on her shoulders and the whole village turned against her. And when Girish, their son, disappeared, she was more feared and all the memories of her father became alive again. Girish was an ideal child, disciplined, intelligent and agreeable. He was held as an ideal to achieve for many children growing up in the village. But when few months after his father's demise, Girish disappeared, villagers suspected something fishy. Girish was missed dearly, and Girija, Girish's wife was pitied. But nobody dared to do anything, for one, Girija never complained about anything and secondly, nobody had the guts to confront Kamala.
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Sameer met Ganesh in the evening at the temple, as usual. Savitri was recovering, he said. Ganesh did not believe much of what Savitri had experienced the previous day, yet he was anxious. He felt sure that something was afoot in his neighbor’s house which was secret. There were many unknown people visiting them in recent days. Sameer had nothing to say.
Just as they were parting, Ganesh suddenly fell silent. A dark muscular man passed by riding a bicycle. The moment Sameer saw the man, he knew in his heart that this was The Villain of this whole episode. He wore an untidy bright shirt, unkempt long hair and an expression on the face which was overflowing with hatred. This intuition was then re-enforced when Ganesh related that this man was frequenting Kamala's house ever since the disappearance of Girish. Nobody knew his business or where he came from. The man never entered Kamala's house for more than few minutes and sometimes there was an exchange of some packets. Ganesh was sure that it was some witchery scheme and this man was her accomplice. The visits had increased in recent days. Ganesh warned Sameer to be careful as he might be on Witches radar after saving Savitri.
That night while Sameer was sitting on the porch after dinner, his father asked him about the previous day's incident. 'The cook told me you saved poor old Savitri' he said. Sameer explained the whole incident from his point of view and his father laughed at the superstitions. "You don't believe in such vodoo, do you?' Sameer assured his dad that he was too intelligent to believe in black magic, never revealing his suspicions that Savitri might be involved in some other villainy.
Sameer found himself thinking about it a lot. Later that night, Sameer amused himself by thinking that he may be in an 'Enid Blyton' novel. Unsuspecting elders, a dangerous looking villain and a shady sneaky character, all were there. Sameer's untapped andventourous spirits were being released, atlast.
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Sameer was dumbfounded. He was in the bookshop in the town, browsing through book shelf when he heard somebody addressing him in what he thought to be a sweet voice. 'You are the Doctor's son, arent you?'. Sameer turned around to face Girija.
He had spent two days trying to find some more information about Kamala. He had planned his tasks meticulously with the lone objective of maximising the number of trips in front of Kamala's house. However all the walking went futile as no information could be obtained. The house looked normal enough and he could not detect any activity beyond the routine. And when least expected, he had met Girija, the ultimate source of information.
For first few minutes Girija held her side of conversation going on even as Sameer replied only in monosyllables. But soon they were having a real conversation. Sameer offered Girija to help with her heavy bag, and hence ensured her company from the town to the bus stop and all the way to the village. She seemed intelligent and interesting but Sameer had other agenda on his mind.
'I should have been home by now', Girija was getting anxious of the delay on the bus stop. Sameer picking up this opportunity, jumped in. 'Will somebody get upset because you are late'? Sameer asked (appreciating himself for the question). But Girija looked at him with a smile and said 'No. Don't worry. Nobody will get upset for me being late except myself.' The smile was very sweet, Sameer thought, but felt that he had also detected a pain in her eyes. Sameer kept wondering about this. Their bus journey was quite silent. After getting down from the bus, Sameer suddenly realised that they were very near to Girija's house. He knew that this may be the last chance if he wanted to know more about Girish.
"Can I ask you something?" Sameer asked, but did not wait for the answer, 'Where is Girish? What happened to him?". Girija suddenly stopped in the middle of the road, turned around towards Sameer, and calmly spoke "He is fine." It was clear she was trying to preempt the discussion. "But where is he?" Sameer was adamant. Girija gave a very curious expression which puzzled Sameer for many days to come, 'You are the Doctor's son, aren't you?". With this she turned left the place. Sameer was stunned. He kept wondering why did their conversation start and end with the same question!
Somebody was staring at him, he realised. It was Kamala who had come to the door. She was a lanky woman of average height with nothing remarkable, until one noticed her eyes. They were sharp and combined with the hawk nose, they gave an ominous look. He felt as if he had been bared. He suddenly turned around and left as fast as he could. He had not yet taken a few steps, when he heard a faint scream starting out and suddenly being muted, as if somebody had pressed the hand on the mouth to drown the scream. As chill passed down his spine, Sameer felt empathetic with Savitri. With great will power he managed to turn around, but nobody was in sight. Even Kamala who had been staring at him few moments ago was gone.
Sameer made his move towards the house stealthily. He was determined to help Girija, if it was indeed she who had screamed. He found an old hedge across their house where he took shelter while investigating. His 'famous five' instincts were rising once again. While he was busy trying to figure out what was happening inside the house, there was a rustle of leaves behind him. He jumped, turned around to meet the constant gaze of Kamala, now at an arms distance. Sameer thought very hard to come up with an excuse to be there, but Kamala was expecting none and she never asked for any. She held up a pear which she seemed to have been collecting. Sameer unconsciously took the pear and a bite before he realised the risk he had taken by eating a fruit from so dangerous a woman. Unable to swallow or to spit out, he held it in his mouth without chewing. 'Saviour of Savitri!' Kamala seemed to be smiling. There was surely mischief on her face, but no evil. Sameer was dumbfounded, not only because he could not think of any answer, but also because his mouth was full of the bite he had taken of the pear. He was trying hard to suppress the thought of the pear being poisoned by the witches curse, when suddenly he started sweating profusely. He managed to excuse himself, without uttering a word. With great restraint he walked around the turn, and spit out the bite of the pear. He threw the rest of the fruit on to the road side and ran towards his home.
He had almost reached the door of his house when he fainted.
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That night Sameer slept uneasily. Two images kept recurring. Kamala staring at him unblinkingly, making him feel chill even at that distance. And the curious look which Girija gave him. He was sure that Girija was hiding something. But what was that? Was she asking for help? He could not understand. Finally he slept.
Sameer woke up suddenly with a scream, his hand extended. He was searching for something, but he could not find it. Girija was burning while her mother-in-law laughed. The longer it took for Sameer, the more desperate he became. Finally he touched something, lifted it up to the light. It was his alarm clock. It took a moment for him to realise that he was having a bad dream, and another few minutes to cool himself down.
Sameer could not sleep anymore. He had been sick for almost a week. His father had declared that it was a combination of heat stroke and junk food he had eaten in the town. Sameer knew better, yet he told nobody. He was now determined to expose Kamala once and for all. And he had a plan too. Kamala was too dangerous to confront, but the villain who ran her errands would be easy to apprehend.
Sameer was walking towards the temple. It was evening and clouds were gathering in the air. In the temple he met both Ganesh and Savitri. Savitri had been very worried that day and had refused to be alone in the house. She had heard that piercing scream again. It was a new moon day, a very inauspicious day. She was sure Kamala was plotting something.
He walked along with the priest and his wife to their house. After arguing unsuccessfully with Savitri that there was nothing inauspicious about the new moon day, Sameer left their house. It was getting dark and the clouds were threatening to pour any time. He decided to take a shortcut to reach home. Just as he got off the road, he heard the scream again. Sameer froze. His heart gathered pace and he was sweating. Just as on the cue, it started raining. Now Sameer started believing the intuition of Savitri. He decided to wait and watch. He chose a hedge some way across, this time making sure that there was no path crossing behind it. The care was unnecessary as it soon got dark and even the street lights failed to light up. He could hardly make out his own hand, but Sameer did not dare to move.
He waited for 15 minutes in the drenching rain. The street wore a deserted look. Just as Sameer had given up he saw a light near the turning. It was moving slowly and few minutes later a bicycle appeared. As the bicycle crossed near the hedge Sameer saw the same dark man with huge mustache. He seemed liked a 'daitya' from any movie, drenched to the core yet riding on coolly. He came to a halt near Kamala's house. He waited for a couple of minutes and soon the door opened. The witch was expecting him.
Sameer started moving towards the bicycle with the intent of examining it for clues when the door opened. The man was inside for not more than 30 seconds. He saw the man holding a packet. He did not turn back nor talk. He pushed the packet under his shirt and started riding again. Sameer had to make a decision fast. He jumped on the road ahead of the bicycle with a scream. He had taken the cycle rider by surprise. There was a crash and both fell down. Thunder drowned the sound of the crash. The man quickly disappeared in the darkness, leaving his cycle on the road.
Sameer was lying in the pool, wet and dirty. Trying to search for the man in the darkness would be futile, sameer concluded correctly and he started making his way back home. On the way, he made up his mind to bribe the cook into silence. But when he reached home, the cook was in no mood to even look at him. She was shivering with fear and sobbing on the porch in the dark.
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Sameer was all alone in the house. He was talking bath, washing off the mud he had accumulated during the evening's adventure. It had taken him many minutes before he could calm the cook, convincing her that he was not attacked by anyone. Somebody had visited the house in the evening looking for Sameer whose looks the cook did not like. She had sent him away to come later, had tried calling Sameer's father who had not picked up the call. She was waiting for Sameer's arrival so that she could warn him of this person. However when she saw that Sameer was limping and badly bruised, she got convinced that the same person had attacked Sameer. She was almost sure that it was the witch who had instigated the attack and could not forgive herself for not warning Sameer earlier. She calmed down only when Sameer told it was an accident due to the rain. Sameer asked her to go back home, he could take care of himself.
Just as Sameer was getting dressed, the door bell rang. Sameer, expecting his father, opened the door carelessly. A man in his mid thirties barged in. He made himself comfortable on the sofa, before looking up with a crooked smile. From somewhere suddenly a big knife appeared which he placed on the table in front of him, obviously as a threat. He surely must have another weapon in case Sameer tried something foolish. Sameer had read enough novels to realise this. He also had a big mole on his cheek that made him look like any number of villains in bollywood cinemas. Sameer's throat ran dry.
'You have been making lots of trouble. And you seem very desperate for answers.' the crook said and waited as if expecting an answer. Sameer tried to defend but the man was short of patience and he interrupted: 'I have got you answers. And I hope you will like it'. With a swift motion he brought out an envelop. Sameer took the envelop and reading the '"From" his fear vanished in a moment and was replaced by eagerness. It was addresses to him by the company which had offerred him employment.
'You father sends you congratulations. He will join you soon for dinner.' The man said with a smile.
'And forgive me if I over did my act. Your father had asked me to only make a scene as a lesson to you. But I could not resist the knife when I saw this one in the market. It suits the character'. With this he left.
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The letter was from the company's HR requesting (sic) him to join next week itself. Sameer was more eager for his father to return. How much did he know? Sameer soon realised that his father had known his intentions all along. Being a doctor, he met many people. If he wanted he could get any information. It was not long before his father returned, and the real story unfolded.
Sameer's Father confirmed everything Sameer had known about Kailash and his family. It was a happy family, inspite of what the villagers talked about Kamala. but then tragedy struck. First Kailash met with a freak accident and only few months later he was detected as HIV positive. The treatment costs a lot and they had to take loan on the farmland. and it had to be done in secret because they din't want to reveal the disease to the villagers.
'But why secret? And if you say he had such a good character, how did he get HIV in the first place?' Sameer's father smiled. "Your second question answers the first. If you, being so educated, can doubt Kailash's morality for getting HIV, what about the villagers? Remember, Kailash needed a lot of blood after the accident. And many more injections. Somebody slipped in the town hospital and Kailash and his family are paying for it. I had suggested them to make it public. I wanted to use this as a publicity measure to spread awareness about AIDS. But they preferred to keep Kailash's memory pure."
Sameer was ashamed at his own lack of thinking. Father continued, "To repay the loan, Girish had to go to the middle east. Again there were two reasons for hiding the fact. Firstly, people would ask why he had to go when he had so much farm here? and Secondly, the local politics would have left Kamala and Girija very vulnerable. Its easy to extort money when they have the means to pay."
"But now things will be better for them soon. Girish has paid back all the loans and his mother and wife will be joining him. They don't want to come back. The dark man who is accomplice of Kamala according to the villagers, is actually the agent of the bank managing the loan. He is also Girish's friend and acts like a proxy for letters. The local postman cannot be trusted."
Sameer felt he understood the whole mystery. He was deep in thoughts when he heard the evil scream again, this time from inside his house. Seeing Sameer start, his father gave a smile, took out his mobile phone which was ringing. 'Isn't it nice? I got this ring tone from Girija today."
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