A drunken blunder

Vignesh was full of remorse. It was clearly his mistake on several counts. Firstly he had brought Vanita to the restaurant on a date promising her to drop her back by 9pm positively. It was nearing 10.30 pm and he would not get up even as she stood up to leave. Secondly she was against his drinking heavily as he was to drop her back. But he smiled at her fears and kept on drinking. Finally he brushed aside her plea to drive his car telling her that he was quite fit to take her home. He remembered he went to restroom to wash his face but it did no good. His ego would not accept that he cannot handle the car. He wanted to drop her quickly as her parents would be worried .It was raining but not heavily. Although traffic was not much at that hour, it seemed to him too many blinding headlights posed a hurdle. Luckily her home was just four miles away. The broad road was straight with one side abutting a lake and the other side a declining deep slope. He remembered driving carefully in the inner lane and her asking him incessantly to stop the vehicle. Possibly due to a blinding lightning abetted by the undimmed headlights, Vignesh lost control and he remembered the vehicle hitting the protective rails and plunging down the deep slope. He thought either she was killed or she was terribly angry with him and kept herself away from him.

He never saw her thereafter. He prayed to God that she was safe. He sincerely regretted for not allowing her to drive the vehicle. He was hazy about what happened after the mishap and why he could not meet her even after so many days. He knew she had not confided her love for him to her parents and wanted him not to contact her at her home.. He had never been to her house so far. But he decided to drop first thing in the morning a letter to her in the post box kept outside apologizing for his mistake and requesting her to meet him again.

Vanita was taking a stroll in the garden.. There was a nip in the air. She still limped even after the surgery. She had broken many bones and her stay in the hospital was long almost four months. It was a providential escape, she was told. Luckily she was able to walk without any aid. She felt sorry for Vignesh.Her mind went back to the fated day. She was not aware how long she remained at the bottom of the slope with her limbs mangled in the crashed car. It was only when a cop touched her shoulder and said “Madam, do not worry. Don’t move your limbs. Help is on its way. Lucky you escaped by God’s grace. Sorry for your buddy. He could not make it.”It took months for her to get over the shock though thoughts of Vignesh still filled her mind.
She heard her mother calling her for breakfast. As she turned towards the house she saw an envelope protruding in the postbox. How it could be as it was too early for postmen, she wondered. The handwriting on the envelope was very familiar. She tore the envelope and pulled the letter. It read
Vanita dear,
I am extremely sorry for all my mistakes. I should have listened to you. It was my bloated ego that brought you near death. I hope you are fine. I am worried at your silence and not contacting me. I promise I will not drink anymore. Please forgive me. Broach the subject of our love to your parents. I wish to marry you at the earliest,
With love, Vignesh
She shuddered for a moment and looked around. How could this letter be written? She wanted to scream”Vignesh, I have nothing against you. I love you. Do come back” Tears flowed on her cheeks as she remembered that it was only the previous Sunday she had placed a wreath on his grave.

Teachers should act as triggers

This is an old post.I was reminded of my school days friend Chellappa and an incident in the class.He was from Kerala and born on Vishu day.He became an auditor and commanded a large practice.

Our former President Dr.Kalam always exhorts students to dream, hoping that dreams may ignite their minds to accomplish great things. This wasn’t so five decades ago for back then, a dream was associated with slumber and I still remember getting whacked for yawning in class. Yawn, I did not know then, is a prelude to sleep often induced by boring subjects or people.

No one explained why the paper planes that fly in the classroom glide effortlessly at times but nose-dive most often. Nobody ever asked such questions as minds were not encouraged to be inquisitive. It would be presumptuous to interrupt the class with questions and riskier if they turned out to be foolish.

I was in class VIII when the English teacher asked us to write an essay on what we would like to be when we grew up. As a child, I fancied being a steam engine driver with the thrill of driving the engine in the dead of night across the fields accompanied by the rhythm of the wheels and occasional long whistle, watching the stars and stopping at stations to drink coffee from the IR restaurants without the risk of ever missing the train. But afraid of being reprimanded, I wrote about some mundane ambition.

My friend Chellappa, more imaginative and bolder, refused to divulge the subject he wrote about. In the last hour of the day, the English teacher walked in. From his ominous look, we could smell that something untoward was about to happen. “Chellappa,” he bellowed, “Come here.” Chellapa walked up with trepidation towards the table.

“So, you want to be a scientist,” he roared and laughed hysterically like Gabbar Singh in Sholay. The entire class joined the laughter only to be stopped abruptly by the tight slap my friend got. “What is your optional subject,” the teacher asked.

Chellappa mumbled, “Book-keeping.”

“How dare you want to be a scientist, having chosen book-keeping,” he demanded.

My pal replied meekly, “Sir, you asked us to write what we would like to be and not what we would be.” Rebuffed, the teacher dismissed him from the class with the words"Chellappa,veliyae sellappa".

The teacher also ridiculed a boy who had a squeaky voice and wished to be a play back singer and another who took part only in the lemon-and-spoon race but wished to excel as an Olympic runner. Then, there was the boy who opted for Tamil medium on account of his poor scores in English, but wished to be a playwright like Shakespeare. The unimaginative teacher, who had neither vision nor compassion, smothered all the harmless instincts of the children. The young minds, peculiarly sensitive to ridicule, never recovered from the shock.

Luckily, this teacher was an exception. I have known several scholarly teachers who responded to their calling with sincerity and passion despite the pittance they received. They shaped minds and stoked fires that lay latent in young hearts. They would discover talent-academic, aesthetic and technical-and stimulate and guide the children to become proficient in their chosen skills. The teacher should act as a trigger, letting children roam free in their minds and seek answers to their unresolved questions. He should rejoice at the discovery of kindled spirits and provide the answers wherever he can.

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My blog reflections(www.kpsarathi.blogspot.com ) was lying dormant.I have resumed writing in it giving a short break to the stories in random thoughts. You can access reflections by clicking on blue rectangle on the right side in my random thoughts blog

A kidnap

The train was chugging along. We had crossed Ongole and the lunch was over. Passengers were sleepy .It was hot in the second class three tier compartment. The fans did not help. I was then I noticed tears trickling down from the eyes of an 11 year old girl in the opposite berth. The middle aged man in a faded jeans and T shirt and the woman by his side with a large bindi and pan stained teeth who were presumably travelling with the girl did not give me a favourable impression. He was admonishing the girl I could gather from his tone and the way his eyeballs turned. I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep but kept my ears tuned towards him.

“Tvaraga thinu” (eat quickly) he was telling her in Telugu

“Vendam” (no) she pleaded in Tamil and started sobbing

“'Edisthe, champestha ninnu'” (if you cry, i will kill you) .She did not reply “Verevallatho matladaku” (don’t talk to others) he spoke sternly. The girl looked at me possibly to see whether I was listening “Kallu moosuko” (close your eyes) he chided her

I suspected that this girl did not belong to him. She looked from her dress and demeanour that she came from a middle class family unlike this coarse couple. As both he and his woman companion were awake I could not talk to the girl. The more I looked at the sobbing girl my suspicion grew stronger and I decided to help her out.

I turned to my wife and started speaking to her in Tamil though the words were addressed to the girl.

“Answer me by doing what I ask you to do. Do you belong to the couple by your side? If you are not, close your fingers of both hands tightly”

The girl immediately closed the fingers of both hands. I was encouraged. Luckily the couple could not follow Tamil.

“Are you being taken away by them against your wishes? If so place one palm of yours on the other.” I asked pretending to talk to my wife. She also mumbled some reply to make it appear that I and my wife were conversing.

The girl immediately brought the palms together. “Can I help you to take you away from them? If you agree then close your eyes three times in quick succession”. I found her doing the same.

“Wait. Do not get down with them as the train is stopping. If they force you scream loudly and refuse to move. Meanwhile I will get help” I said.

I went to the exit door and got hold of ticket examiner. I told him hurriedly what I saw and heard. I sought his help in saving the girl and nabbing the culprits. He readily agreed and sent one man to fetch a policeman sitting in the adjacent compartment. When I rushed back with ticket examiner and the policeman, I found the girl talking animatedly with couple in Telugu.Taken aback

I asked the girl in Tamil “What is this? You said that you were being taken away against your will. I ran to fetch you help and save you”

The girl turned to the man sand said “Naina(dad), what is this man telling me in Aravam (Tamil).He has been staring at me and talking to his wife about me all the time”

The ticket examiner asked the girl in Telugu pointing out to the man and the woman ”Who are these people?”

She replied in Telugu “My parents. Why, what is the problem?”

Both the ticket examiner and the policeman turned to me and said “Sir, you look decent. Why do you suspect innocent people and trouble us? Can I see your tickets please?”

I shrank in shame. Why did this small girl play a trick on me? Is she really the daughter? She feigns ignorance of Tamil when she understood earlier. I was in a quandary.

My wife was upset.”How does it matter which girl gets kidnapped or not? Why did you have to interfere and get humiliated like this? There is something more in this than what meets the eye in this” she said in disgust.

The train stopped at Tenali where we were bound for .We got down hastily in embarrassment. When I turned at the last moment to see the girl, she winked at me with a mischievous smile.

Flowers to Anasuya

Their friendship started on the internet. Both were avid bloggers and followed the other commenting on the posts. They started exchanging mails rebutting the perceived unfair comments that gradually led to their Google chatting and eventually to Skype. They started talking on mobiles and luckily both worked in the same city, one in IT sector and the other in banking industry. They started meeting and spending time together in coffee shops or malls. Malini found Suresh handsome, decent with lots of common interests.. Suresh was no less attracted to her and found her very intelligent. After dating nearly for a year, they married and moved into a decent apartment. It was all hunky dory and they were very happy.

Suresh was asked to go to Australia on a project assignment that needed his presence for two months. He tried to avoid it in many ways but could not. Malini brought her old parents to be with her during his absence. One day as she was leaving for her office, a courier boy gave her a cover addressed to Suresh. It was from a departmental store that sold stationery, confectionary, flowers, books and gift items. She found a bill for delivery of flowers on different dates to one Anasuya.She wondered whether it was wrongly delivered here but found her husband’s name, address and mobile number correct. It seemed strange as he had not mentioned at any time about any Anasuya. Why should he send her flowers periodically, she thought? She felt suddenly a throbbing head ache. There was a faint doubt whether she was being deceived. She rang up the store and took the address of the place where the flowers were delivered. She wanted to probe further before asking her husband.

She drove directly to the house at Conan road. It was a bungalow in a quiet corner with one or two vehicles that included an ambulance outside in the lawn. When she rang the bell, the door opened and was met by a young charming lady. For a moment Malini felt jealous of her beauty but she soon composed herself and said that she had come to meet one Anasuya.

“Do you know her? I haven’t seen you coming earlier. Are you related to her? What is the purpose of your visit? ”the lady asked

“No, I haven’t met her earlier. Frankly I do not know whether she is young or old. My husband knows her. Is there any problem in my meeting her?” Malini replied

“No, not at all, Please follow me” the lady said and led her to a small room in the rear. There she saw an old lady in her late seventies lying in the bed. She looked so frail and shriveled. She did not seem to recognize the entry of the two in her room and there was a vacant look from her.Malini looked questioningly at the young lady. There was a flower vase by her side with some faded flowers.

“This is Anasuya and she has been here since five years. Is your husband Suresh? He is her guardian and visits her once a month. But I haven’t seen for the last two months. Where is he now? Hasn’t he told you about her?” she asked with a surprise

“No, Can you tell me a little more about this old lady? She does not seem to have noticed our presence. Is she related to Suresh in any way? She cannot be his mom as his parents had died when he was young” Malini replied
“I do not know much except that she was a headmistress of the local school. She is a spinster and had no one to look after her. She was living alone. When she fell sick after a stroke, she was brought here by Suresh. What I have learnt from him was that he was her old student and that he stood indebted much to her. He had told me once that it was she who helped him complete his education when he lost his parents in an accident.

“Yes, she is very sick and cannot recognize any one and even Suresh. I think her end is nearing. This is a hospice taking care of a few well to do old patients. Though her condition is not good there is no immediate danger” she said
“Malini took leave of her after informing her that Suresh was expected back in a fortnight and that she would convey the news about the old lady. She rang up the departmental store to send flowers to Anasuya immediately and thereafter weekly once.

She felt relieved and happy though she wished Suresh had taken her into confidence. She was proud of him particularly about his sense of gratitude. She also decided not to mention about her visit to the hospice when he calls her daily.

Ranjana’s dilemma

It was three days since five year old Nikhil had disappeared. He was playing opposite his house around 5pm and riding his tricycle when the incident had occurred. The tricycle was found lying on the lawn without any trace of the boy. One of the Hawaii he was wearing had fallen lending credence to the belief the boy was taken away against his wishes.Rajnana had not heard any scream. Ranjana and Rajesh were shattered. The police were keeping their telephone under surveillance for any call. Rajesh could not console his wife however much he tried. She was crying all the time. He stayed back home for two days with her. The police had nothing to work upon as Rajesh was neither wealthy nor had he enemies. There was no ransom call as yet.Ranjana’s parents who were away at Houston were expected in a couple of days. Rajesh had to go to attend an important meeting at Jaipur. He had left in the morning and promised to return late in the night.

She was alone in her single storied house at the end of the street in the suburb of the city. Normally a secure place, there had been no incidence of criminal activities here. People in that locality moved freely even in late nights though it was not densely occupied. There were no houses opposite Rajesh’s and some construction was going on there in one of the plots. The neiighbours in the adjacent house had gone on a pilgrimage.

It was 8pm, pretty dark outside and pretty silent..Rajesh would come only around 11pm.She was watching TV for any news. It was then she heard some shuffling of feet in the porch. She looked and found no one. After a few minutes she heard a distinct knock on the door. She switched on the light in the porch and saw through the open window grill. There was a big man in mid forties, muscular with strong biceps, unkempt hair and dirty T shirt over tattered jeans. When she gave a scared look at him, he said with a leering smile “Excuse me for disturbing you..I am very hungry and haven’t eaten for two days. I need something to bite and some drink to quench my thirst.”

The odour from his body and his sweaty shirt assailed her nose. She hesitated without replying as she was not sure what to do.

Please, I cannot bear the hunger. Kindly open the door” he said

“Please wait. Let me see if anything is there’ she replied without opening the door.

She soon came with a few slices of bread and a big slice of cake bundled in paper. She kept it on the grill and he took it instantly and started eating.

“Can I have a big mug of water?’ he asked

“Sure” she said and brought a large plastic tumbler with water. As she gave the tumbler through the grill, he grabbed her hand and laughed hysterically. She screamed loud in fear but no one heard her. He would not let go her hand and said as he caressed her hand”Do not be afraid.I will do no harm. I just played upon your fear. I thank you for giving me food and water that I needed badly”

He let go her hand. She was so much relieved and wondered whether he could be a mad man. As she waited for him to leave, he walked a few steps towards the gate and then returned.Ranjana looked at him with dread wondering what he was up to

.
He said in soft voice” Do you wish to see your son. The boy is crying hoarse asking for mommy and the men are hitting him to be quiet”

She could not believe her ears and she asked “What were you saying about my son?”

“Isn’t Nikhil the boy’s name?”

“Yes, where is he? Do you know the place? Please tell me” she asked in frantic tone

“I know. I can take you now in my two wheeler if you come with me” he replied

“Can you hold a second? I will ask my hubby.”she pleaded

“No, you should not ask anyone or use the phone. I give you one minute for you to decide whether to come with me or not.” he said with finality

“Please I beg of you. I will pay a large sum of money. Tell me where the boy is. I beg of you as your sister.” she cried

“I am sorry I am going. My life is in danger. I will only show you the place from outside. If you try to double cross me by using the phone, the boy’s life would be in peril” and he said as he started walking.

His leering smile, his grabbing her arm and his caressing it came to her mind. Would it be wise for her to trust him and accompany him in the night in his two wheeler? If not, was she endangering her dear child keeping in mind only her safety?

The bike roared into life as he kick started it. He turned his head towards her. What did Ranjana do? Did she open the door and rush to him or did she stay back calmly? What will be your advice to her?

On Women’s day

“Can you give meRs.100 towards bus charge for going tomorrow to Thiruvallur?”

“Why do you have to go there? Don’t you have your classes to teach? “asked her husband

“I am to participate in a meeting as chief guest in a girls school there. I must go early in the morning for the function starts at 7 am” she replied

“Who will cook in your absence and take care of children? What about my old mom who needs a bath? You know she cannot bathe without your assistance. You do not have to go” he said in a peremptory tone.

“Please, I have already committed as my Headmistress wanted me to go.I will get up at 4am cook the food and give a bath to your mom. You should only see off the kids to the school. I will return by noon. I have requested our co-tenant Parimala mami to take care of your mom after you had left for office” she pleaded

“I cannot waste RS 100 on such wasteful trips. I am sorry. You are not going” he ruled out

“I am not asking from your salary. I am requesting you to pay me out of my monthly salary that you take from me at the beginning of the month” she said in obvious chagrin.

“How dare you backchat with me? I can even stop you from your going to school. Beware, I am allowing you as my income is inadequate. Serve me dinner. I am to go out to meet my friends for a session of Rummy. I will be back by 11.30 pm.Don’t fall asleep and forget to open the door” he said with finality

“I beg of you. Please allow me this time. I will not commit myself without telling you beforehand” she sobbed

“What is the big function you are to be a chief guest. Could they not get better person?”he taunted

“I am required to give a talk to the girls on the Women’s day movement” she meekly answered.