DRIZZLE

It was cloudy with a chance of heavy rain. Chennai roads were almost frozen due to the heavy traffic. Though the government arranged hundreds of special buses to manage deepawali travel plan, still people were sitting and travelling on the steps and the space in between seats. No one complained about that as every passenger knows the reason for rush, still they enjoyed the travel to their home town for celebration.

On the other side, it was a real celebration for the private buses. The prices were increased twice and thrice of the actual rate. Still the people who prefers to have a hustle free travel chooses them.

Anand was enjoying his travel in a comfortable window seat. The bus started from koyembedu private bus stand and was stopping at every boarding point to pick the pre-booked passengers. He moved the screens on adjacent window, to have a clear and pleasant view. The bus almost crossed 10 km, it started to drizzle.

The water droplets decorated the windows. On the mild sunlight, every drops sparkled like diamonds. From the childhood, Anand loves the rain. He just wanted to sit and watch the rain. He wished the rain to continue till the end of the journey.

The bus reached one another boarding station, lot of people were waiting for their bus. The passengers at the stop felt their dream come and rushed towards the bus. They didn’t worry about the rain, just made a queue to show their ticket and get boarded into their vacation journey.

Is that Di…Divya…?

Anand shocked to see a lady standing on the queue to get boarded. She was in a green and red salwar, but her face was not clear through the blurry window. The lady was carrying a infant in her hand. She should now be divya then.

Divya and Anand were sweethearts during their days in engineering college. She was just one year junior to him, but same computer science department. From the day, Divya joined the college, He literally become a follower of her. Initially she hesitated to talk and move freely with her senior. Later she was very comfortable with him.

Anand helped her in all the occasions, as he didn’t want someone else to take the chance. Divya become very depended to him and possessive on him.

The unconditional affection budded as friendship and bloomed as a beautiful love. She nodded “YES” for his love proposal on a drizzling day.

Every one in the college well aware of their love and commitment. They testified that Divya & Anand were made for each other.

Along with love, they both had a good understanding as well. They supported each about the studies. They targeted to finish their course and got placed in good job and get married soon.

The lady who was carrying the infant was about to board into the bus now. A kid of age around 5 years, climbed up the foot steps and was calling his mom to get in faster. So he should be the elder one and she was carrying the younger one. An old man was carrying their luggage was standing behind them and asking the kid to climb carefully.

Though it didn’t stopped, the rain was not heavy, but a pleasant drizzle.

During every possible time, Anand would not miss to enjoy the rain with his girl friend divya. They used to sit next to each other in the nearby park, hold their hands together and enjoy the rain. Like Anand, Divya also become a rain lover.

“This is the most precious moment of my life” she expressed her feelings and continued “and I wish it continues for ever”.

Anand as usual could not speak anything by seeing her love and replied a smile.

“Anand, we need to get married soon, I cant imagine a life without you, After the course, please get a good job quickly, then we will talk to our parents”

“sure dear, you are my life and I want to live”.

An inner rain started to shower their hearts.

 

The lady boarded into the bus, holding the younger one in arms and holding the elder one in the hand. The old man also boarded in. The queue moved in and got their respective seats. Her face is not clear yet in the queue. She was walking towards the back seats. She was just about to pass my seat. Anand could clearly see her face in close.

“She is Divya. Divya only… “Anand shocked, he was speech less, his heart skipped the beats. She didn’t even look at him. She was rushing towards her seat number. She found her place and sat with her kids. After arranging the stuffs, the old man sat in the next row. He might be her father or father-in-law. While sitting, divya exactly glanced at his seat exactly. Anand understood that she noticed me but ignored me.

Atleast, she should have waved a ‘hi’ to me. Why I got completely ignored? He was totally disappointed. It’s been 10 years they finished our college studies.

After completing his course, he got placed in a software MNC and waiting for her to join the same company. But divya’s parents forced by her to proceed with MBA. He had requested her not join MBA as it would take another 2 years to start their life. But by understanding her interest in management studies, he agreed to extend his waiting period for few more years.

May be she have not noticed me?

Shall I show up there and say a “hi” to her and her kids. No, that wont be a good idea. She was accompanied by her father/father-in-law. She would have to face a difficult situation, if I show up there. I didn’t want to do that.

Anand’s mind was restless as the cloud outside the bus. While anand was looking back once in a while, intentionally she was looking all other direction, except his place.

Divya moved to banglore for her studies. Their meetings were reduced, they were in a remote relationship. Anand could not reach divya as and when required. The time is limited and only during divya’s free time. They learnt to live without each other’s company. They have their own set of friends and priorities. There was big gap between them.

The rain was very heavy. The driver could hardly see the road and vehicles crossing by. The wiper blade was work as hard as a middle class employee. Every passengers were worried by the weather and they want a safe journey. They insisted the driver to stop somewhere and proceed after the rain.

Divya successfully finished her MBA and got a nice offer in campus itself.

On a rainy evening, Anand got a call from Divya.

“Anand, I am also moving to Chennai”.

Wow, once again the rainy weather moved in and started shower in his heart. As usual if he is filled with happiness, he will be lack of words, he asked “when…” gasped ”when are you coming down?” He started dreaming on the reunion with his sweetheart.

“Anand.. The dates were not decided yet. And, I will be coming only after my marriage…. ”

“my marriage… ?”… First time, the shower in heart moved out to his eyes.

What ever divya was explaining to him, he could not hear anything, but only the rain sound.

They both hung up. The rain stopped.

Its been seven years they had the last phone call. Only now, he does even know that she had2 kids and they were living in Chennai.

The water drops were shattering in the moving bus. Few drops fell on his shirt as well, not from the outer rain.

He remembered some words and they echoed in his ears “This is the most precious moment of my life…and I wish it continues for ever …. I cant imagine a life without you…”

Once the bus moved on, the weather got changed completely. There was no rain, the roads were dry, visible and comfortable enough to drive safely.

“I love you Anand…” suddenly a voice whispered his ears. He got shivered and realized. Anand’s wife Aarthy was sitting next to him and sleeping on his shoulder. He comforted her and said ”me too honey”

The travel continued….

HAPPY JOURNEY

SWATHI

A life lost in the road

Dtrrrr..Tt…Tt..Bangg…Daaashhhhh…….

A red maruthi swift and a pulsar[two wheeler] crashed against each other in the middle of the MEPZ junction, GST road, Chennai. It was a late evening, the traffic signals were blinking with orange lights. Everyone supposed to drive with caution, but none of them. The swift was coming towards the city, which is just a straight road. The pulsar was coming from the left side of GST road and joining the same junction. Causing a poor visibility on either side of the road, a water lorry was parked at the corner of the junction. The swift and the pulsar were proceeding in their direction as they didn’t sensed other vehicles. Once they reached the junction, they both were panicked to see each other very close. Even that time, they didn’t tried to apply the break to stop/reduce the collision. But, they tried to accelerate to escape out of the disaster. In that frightened moment with the raise of acceleration, both of them lost their control and collided against each other with a huge force.

Banggg….krreeetchh…..

The girl sat on the back seat of the bike got tossed few meters away from the spot. The bike and the guy were flipped and glided in the tar road. Every people around the spot screamed and ran near the victims. The swift’s door got completely jammed at the front passenger side. The car driver saw both the bikers were lying in the road without any movement. He sensed it will be danger to step out and he started the car and escaped form that place immediately.
People nearby took both the victims in an auto-rickshaw and went to a nearby emergency hospital. First-aid were given and the case was informed to the police. The Police officer made a quick inquiry and found that they were colleagues, just finished their work shift and returning home. The officer collected their respective address and contact number from their office.

‘Hello, Is Mr.Rangarajan there?’
‘Yes, its me. May I know who is this?’
‘Sir, we are calling from Tambaram police station, Your daughter who is working with MEPZ MNC meet with an accident and got admitted into a nearby emergency clinic.’
‘Swathiiiiiii….!!!????’
‘……’
‘….’

********

Swathi finished her engineering studies with distinction. She was one among the toppers in her batch. She got placed at the MNC IT firm, where every fresh engineers want to start their carrier. With her skills and talents, she was very successful in her carrier. She was a shinning star among her colleagues, got her promotion on time and reached the dreaming 6-digit salary at her 6th year of experience. She got plenty of goals to achieve in her carrier.

Not just a successful in profession, but a good human being in nature. Only a few people will come out of their personal needs to help out other. She was an active person in funding the orphanage and spending the time with the children. She was a one who stands for others. Very friendly with out an ego and very helpful with out a proud. She was playing her role very well as a daughter, sister, and friend. A trust worthy friend who mingle with everyone without any discrimination. She was back to India after years of onshore assignment. She had millions of dreams to live in her life.

********
Its been 12 hours, Swathi didn’t come to her sense. All the medical and surgical activities were done. Every family member were in the hospital corridor. The doctors were saying that she was still under the shock and it will take long to recover. She is in a kind of coma state, where her sense will be in rest.
None of our relative & friends can digest her in this state. She went to her office as happily as every day. Her mom prepared the dinner for her as usual. But this day, the dinner left untouched.

Seconds passed by… Minutes passed by…
Hours passed by…

Every relative friends and visitors passed by…

The beautiful Swathi’s face was filled with bruises and swellings. Her dad started to cry after seeing his daughter through the window. He stopped her mom from seeing her. Swathi’s father was pleading with doctor to bring her daughter alive. Her mom was pleading the God to bring her back. Her brother and sisters could not stop whimpering on thinking about Swathi’s unconscious state.

Doctors said that she have chances to recover as time passes, but not sure whether she could be as active and normal as earlier.

Even days and weeks passed by…

It became a routine for the family member to stay at hospital to be in Swathi. The entire family was filled with anguish and agony. Though they were grieving that Swathi was lost, a drop of hope was pending with them. Not only Swathi’s life was lost in that accident, but also the entire family’s happiness.

After 18 days, Swathi’s feet moved. That movement moved her entire family. Her eyes opened slowly. Before the light entering her eyes, tears ran out. She saw her family after a long gap. She never knew that her Dad knows to cry. She never seen her mom’s eyes were dried and could weep without tears. Swathi’s fingers started to shiver and she tried to speak something, but she couldn’t. Her mom hugged and consoled her.

Next day, the doctor reviewed her report and suggested that she can be discharged. He advised her to be in rest at home for rest of the healing. It might take another couple of weeks to walk as normal.Time is the only medicine and God is the only healer to bring her back to normal.

Months rolled….

The MNC, where she was working, will not extend her leave more than 6 months. They asked her to resign the job as she could not serve them any more. Even then, she was not fit enough to join them, so she resigned. The independent lady became a dependent girl again. The lady who was punctual at her entire life, was 6 month behind her life.

‘To Forget’ is a gift if you could not remember any unwanted thoughts. It is a curse if you could not recollect the necessary. Swathi lost few parts of her memory during the accident. She could not remember how the accident happened? Even she could not remember few people in her life, what she was working and what technology she was shinning in.Even if she could become physically fit, it would take a huge leap for her to catch up the carrier and goals.

Other hand, What about her life? dreams? marriage?

A girl who was living complete and successful, lost her life in the middle of the road.

Why did it happen? Was it her mistake? Was it a mistake of the person who riding the bike?
Was it a mistake of the car driver or the lorry driver who parked the vehicle and hid the visibility?
We could not blame anyone or should blame everyone. Blaming others for their unintentional act should not be the outcome of her life. But the precautions which were taken in the road should be result.

Not just Swathi, there are lots of people loosing their life in the road. It is because of self and other’s mistakes. Can’t it be solved, avoided & removed out. It is not enough to just respect other vehicles, but to care the people traveling in them. Every person in the road should love others as themselves.

Someone who don’t want to apply their break and to waste their few seconds spoiled Swathi’s entire life. Not just her life, but the entire family’s life.

Imagine…
The lady who is struggling to cross the road is your mother.
The elder person who is struggling to drive the two wheeler is your father.
The boys who are crossing the signal are your brothers.

‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. Mark : 12-31’

If we care for others on the road, we are cared undoubtedly in the ring. Then there wont be much accidents. Hence, We can save many Swathi, her dreams, goals, lives and their family’s happiness.

I pray to my God for Swathi to get back her life soon. Amen.

NIGHTMARE

 

A weird creature looked similar to a human being, but bulgy and cloudy in appearance, followed me on a long road. I was terrified as there was no place to hide. I was running with my maximum energy. If I stop, the creature would have killed me for sure. I need to run as fast as i can. 

I reached some familiar streets. Now I can hide from the creature and escape from the imminent death. I hid behind a newly constructed house. The creature could not see me. But i sensed by its breath and foot step sound that it was coming towards me. The sound became louder for its each step. It came closer to me.

I realized that it was locating me with the smell of human blood. I decided and resumed my run. I ran into couple of turns and the street led me to a dead end. All the sides were covered by high walls and at the open end, the beast was standing.

It was an eye to eye contact. It ran fast towards me. That’s it, I am done. I closed my eyes. It came and dashed on me with a huge force. I got thrown on to the wall behind and my head got collided on the wall.

Mere black. I opened my eyes. It was dark and gloomy. No one was there in front of me. I pushed the pillow below of my head. Its my bedroom, which was lighted by a bluish zero watt night lamp. I could hardly differentiate between the objects and darkness. I realized that it was a dream. I felt secured.

Uhff.. Suddenly, I sensed the same creature was standing in-front of me.

It was smiling and calling me near.
Was I still in dream….?
No, I was on my bed.
Did my mind was somewhere between sleep and reality?

I wanted to move out of that scary dream.I tried to look elsewhere, but it was fully dark. I could hear only the silence and my ceiling fan. The creature looked somewhat smaller than in my dream, and was moving in-front of my eyes. I was afraid and in desperate need of help. Why can I call my roommate, who is sleeping the next room.

mm… mmmm…
I could not… could not open my mouth… could not speak. I wanted to shout out loud. I was disabled and helpless. At last, I wanted to get up and switch on the light.

No… control, I completely lost the control over my body. I could not move my hands or legs. I felt the devil arrested me. I was trying hard to move and push myself, but was in frozen state.

Was it coma state?
Would it be a permanent state?

Devil is more powerful than human beings, but God is more powerful than devil. Even though I was physically arrested, it could not control my mind and thoughts. God is the only help for me.

I started to pray. ‘God, Help me!!, Cover me!!, Save me!!’ I left my control, kept silent and repeated the prayer in my mind and fell back to sleep.

Didn’t know, how I slept. But got up after some time and could move my limbs. Got up from the bed, moved my hands and legs and tried to speak. Got released from that beast’s hands. Switched on the lights, darkness moved away, but my mind was filled with fear.

Who did that to me? I’m clueless.
Will the devil arrest me again? when and how often?
Why did that happen to me? I’m puzzled.

I made up my mind to check the creature in the same place of my room. It was my long white Kurta hanging on the wall. Still I didn’t have guts to switch off the light. I went back to bed keeping the lights on.

The same incident happened again with in next 2 days. I really shook up and afraid to go to bed. I planned to keep the lights on in the room and not to hang either my kurta or any other long dresses in my room. What people would think, If I asked some one to accompany me while sleeping? I am 25 years old.

It was really a nightmare, not in a dream but in real. I was in serous need of help and to be rescued. I thought of reaching out to some of my close buddies. But they might not understand the seriousness, rather they will make fun of this problem.

To make myself out of devil’s arresting hand, I started to involve in devotional and sacred activities. Even following all these acts, one other day I had been facing this same nightmare. That might be due to some mistake in my holiness.

The room light was not switched off for the last 6 months. Fear is a poison which kills your life. You will neither die nor live.

One fine day, I came across an article on a health magazine. It was about various sleep disorders. One of the sub topic stroked a bolt in my spine, which was titled ‘Sleeping Paralysis’. The symptoms discussed on the article more or less matched mine. So these nightmare activity was not a custom spell for me. Without wasting a second, I searched the same on internet. Mr.Google kumar directed me to this link ‘http://www.wikihow.com/Cope-with-Sleep-Paralysis’.

The neurologists say
“During the sleep cycle, the body will be in deep rest also called as sleeping paralysis mode. Which is not unusual, but a regular behavior of body. We call it as natural mechanism, which protects us to react to the dreams physically. During the dream[ REM state], the body will be in paralyzed mode, but brain will be active. Exceptionally somebody’s brain can wake up from sleep due to some triggers. But the body continue to be in paralyzed state. You will feel helpless, anxiety, fear and confusion. Consuming too much of caffeine & sugar before sleep can lead to this kind of sleep disorders.”

Oh God, I have been suffering with this for so long. I should have consulted a good neurologist. I thanked God for revealing the truth.

‘You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free – John 8:32’

I felt like I got released from a cage. I didn’t have anything to deal with the devil. I have a life and I can live it with out fear. Even these days, I had experienced the same temporary sleeping paralysis. I had found the real devil which caused these problem to me. Now I was neither afraid of paralyzed state nor the dark room. Even not afraid of the white kurta.

If you believe God exists, then you cannot question on devil’s existence. Yes, I am not going to deny that the nightmare is a devil’s work. For my case the devil is COKE.

Yes, the sugar and caffeine content of the coke put me into this trouble. I had figured it out in couple days. I have stopped it and sleeping happily.

Good Night.

RESCUE

Being a fast growing town in Chennai, It is crowded with different categories of people. Labors from various under developed states of India have been
migrated into this life saving city. Millions of engineers from all over the country were grooming in this same city.

In the recent days, there are many criminal activities happened around that place. People doesn’t know whom to believe and whom not to.

Few days before, even few IT engineers kidnapped a multimillionaires kid and demand for more money. Tamil Nadu police found the gang and rescued the kid
safely. The reason behind this activity is, the new born criminals were planning to become rich in short period.

Few months ago, few workers from north-east states did bank robbery. Chennai police executed every one of them during the mission.

…..

It was a Friday late evening around 8 pm…

I am coming back from work happily as the next two days will be holiday. I almost reached my place, just few hundred meters away from my house.  It was about to rain, as usual there was no electricity around the area. The entire street is in darkness.

I heard a scream-cry of a little baby.

Through my bike’s head light, i saw a tall man in his folded dhoti was walking fast and there was no one else on the road. Again i heard the baby’s cry.

It was not a usual cry of an infant. Something wired, it was a scream. I feel the baby should be in some kind of trouble.

Oh…No.. I saw the tall man was carrying a little kid in his arms and walking fast.

I smelled some criminal behavior and I should check whether this kid is being kidnapped. We cant help if there is injustice happening beyond our limit or across the border. But it is happening in front of my eyes. I should jump in and rescue the kid.

The cry of the kid’s mom, sorrow the kid’s dad flashed in-front of my eyes. Why these in-human’s doing brutal things for money? I will not allow this to happen, at least the one in-front of me.

I went closer to the man and put the hi-beam on my bike.He turned back and stared at me and increased his walking pace.

Such a rough face he had with that thick mustache. I could not capture his face cut as he was as dark as night. Throwing him down during a one on one fight was impossible for me, as he was well build, tall, rough and dark too.

But i didn’t have an option, i need to save this kid.
The baby was crying so hard and need a saving hand. Pathetic situation. It increased my pulse and adrenaline.

I rushed near him and passed over him and went ahead of him and stopped my bike. Actually i was looking for some backup from some of the neighbors. I know that man realized that i was after him and waiting for him.

Suddenly…He entered into an adjacent small grocery shop. As there is no power, the entire shop is lighted by a single candle.I got some courage, with the help of shopkeeper, i could rescue the kid. I turned my bike and went near the shop.

The kidnapper acted like a regular customer and purchasing some groceries. Before entering the shop i noticed, that the shopkeeper is a old lady who cannot back me up during the execution. I am disappointed, yet didn’t stop my action.

I parked my bike and got ready for the rescue mission.

At the same time, the man also came out of the shop. As i was standing there at a side of the shop, he moved back the same direction he came in.

‘Hey, 1 second’ I said. He looked back in lightening fast.

What an rough face. His eyes were reddish, filled with brutality. The kid in his hand was trying to move out of his hand. He was holding the baby tightly.

‘Yes’ he replied and looked me from top to bottom. He pretended very cool and he wanted to escape.

‘Who are you? why the baby is crying hard?’ I asked. Before he replied i continued ‘I have never seen you in this place before’.

He replied ‘WHAA..AT?  Who are you man?’

He started acting smart and started reacting that i was about to mug him. He tried to gather attention from the shop keeper to put me in trouble.

I replied boldly, ‘I am a citizen of this same city, I cant allow injustice happening in-front of me and I doubt you’.

He gasped for a moment and he said that he lives in nearby apartment and he came for shopping with his kid. But all these time, the kid was restless and crying. I asked for his ID card, but he don’t have with him.

I insisted him to prove his identity and relationship with this kid. He replied, “If you could follow me, i can show my ID card and prove the details you are looking for”.

He just walked a head of me and took a left to the next street. This street was more dark and dangerous than the earlier one, as there was only one building.

My instinct were saying that I was into a serious trouble. No one was around even to rescue me out. He just climbed up the stair case and asked me to followed him. We reached the 1st floor and he silently knocked door three times. It seems like a code word for me.

I was expecting a gang of people there with weapon. I decided to run back to call for police. I could not fight with more than 1 person.

Suddenly the door opened, a lady opened the door and asked him with a voice of arrogance and frustration.

‘How long will it take to buy you some ginger-garlic….?’