[Author's note: Readers, thank you taking time to
read this short novel. The below novel is a purely imaginary one. Its a first person narrative.The story has a background of Thane cyclone which hit Pondicherry
on Dec-30th 2011 . It is a kind of musical subject too. So I followed a musical
nomenclature. Another major purpose of this writing is to improve my English
skills. I had to do a project in PHP to learn PHP. Similarly, I write stories
to learn English. Read, Criticize and have fun. Any name/character/incident
appeared in the story is imaginary. Any resemblance with people living or dead
is purely co-incidental. The author take no responsibility- With love:
K.Aravind Shankar]
PranayaGhaanam - The Harmony of First Love
Chapter-1
“Where
am I?”
“Heaven?
Himalayas?”
There
was a pleasant fragrance. I had no idea from where it came.
Two
infants were lying in a white cradle decorated with golden flowers.
I
stood in a foggy ground. A bright light broke suddenly. An Angel came out from
the bright light.
I
was not able to look at angel’s face because of the intensive brightness glowed
on her face. So I put my head down. I noticed that the angel wore green anklets
on her feet. The green anklets resembled peacock’s feathers rounded her white
feet.
“The
infants don’t belong to you!” I warned the angel looking at her anklets. The
Angel paid no attention to me and approached the Infants.
Now,
the Infants got wings with a chime sound in the background. The angel chuckled.
It echoed inside my head and the babies flew to the angel like a hand kerchief flies
in breeze, a wavy flight! The infants were flowing in the air on both the sides
above the angel’s shoulder.
“You
have no choice now” The angel uttered in a divine accent.
Wait
a moment… where is the ringtone coming from?
“Charan…”my
mother shouted from somewhere probably downstairs. “ Wake up son, your mobile
ringing!!!”
I
sprang up from bed. Only then I realized it was the usual dream. My hands
fumbled in the side where the ringtone sound came from. Still I was half
asleep. I opened my eyes and looked my phone.
“Sangeeth…
Calling” my mobile displayed.
“What
time it is?” I asked Sangeeth as I pressed the answer button.
“Its
5.30 in the evening lazy swine” He answered. “And wish you an advance Happy new
year” He added.
“Thanks
buddy, wish you the same. Oh my phone’s gonna die. My house has no power supply
since the cyclone announcement.
“Oh,
the cyclone? I saw in TV. Reports so far said that the damages worth more than
10 million. Are you still in home? Is your mom alright? And your house?”
“We are alright. But all roads were
disconnected, No electricity, which leads to water scarcity. My mobile will die
soon. Its battery is getting dry. I can’t recharge it.”
“Come
on dude, its New year eve. At least you should have fun with the beers that you
stored in refrigerator” He suggested.
“Oh,
those beers became stale now. You know? I won’t even touch a chill less stale
beer”
“That’s
pity my friend. By the way, I would like to remind you that tomorrow we are
leaving for Mauritius for the next composing” He said.
“Look…This
is the plan” He cleared his throat and started “Now, I’m in Thiruvanmiyoor,
Chennai. I have a little New Year merrymaking tonight. After the party I will
come to Pondicherry through the eastern coastal road(ECR) and pick you from
your home by 5 A.M. You just get ready by then. We need to catch the 11.A.M.
Flight from Chennai. I already got the Tickets. You bring your Passport and
documents. Got it?” he outlined the plan.
“Excellent
plan, You don’t try to call me. My mobile is running out of charge. It may die
at any moment. I assure you that I will be waiting for you in my home. Come and
pick me up at 5A.M. But be cautious of the broken roads” I warned him.
“I’ll
take care dude. Bye. And I wish you a very Happy new year again. Convey my
regards to mother. Remember at 5am, be in your home” He remainded.
“Done!
See ya! At least you have blast tonight” I told him with a craving tone and
hung the phone.
I
wanted to continue the dream. “Let me give another try” I mumbled as I
reorganized the pillow and deposited my head on it again and covered myself
with the blanket.
“Come
on! dear angel. Say something. Give more clues” I burbled inside the blanket.
“Are
you calling me AN ANGEL?“ My mom’s voice surprised me.
“What?”
I said and removed my blanket. My mom approached me with a coffee. “What made
you to call me as an angel all of a sudden?” my mom giggled with shy. “No mom,
it was an angel in my dream!” I noticed my mom’s face expression changed as I
tell this. I got up and took the coffee from her.
“So,
it’s a dream girl? How did she look like?, What she said?, Did she looked like
our V?” My mom fired the questions but the last word disrupted me from having
coffee.
“V?
V for? I raised my right eye brow.
“V
for Veena” my mom expanded.
Then
I evoked V is the pet name of my niece Veena who lives in London.
Veena?
V? Angel? Don’t be ridiculous” I said the last sentence with my face serious
and drank all the remaining coffee in one sip and then went to face wash.
“Tomorrow
is a New Year day, You should tie the knot with V by next New year day. Keep
this in mind!!!” Mom handed over a towel as she told this.
“Oh
God! Don’t repeat this every year ma. Tomorrow is going to be a New Year day.
I’m not in a mood to discuss this issue at this moment” I pleaded as mom moved
towards my Dad’s portrait hanging on the wall with a garland.
A
dead silence made me suspicious about what she was doing in front of dad’s
picture. She touched my father’s military cap on the picture with her trembling
hands. “Mom?” I broke the silence and approached her as I stood behind
her. “Mummy?” I kept my hand on her shoulder and turned her face towards me.
She turned facing the floor. My intuition was right. She was crying. Men have
lots of stuffs to achieve their goal and of course women have lots of stuffs to
achieve their goal but their ultimate weapon is tears. Intelligent men escape
from that sentimental trap. In my mother’s case I’m not an intelligent.
“If
your father…” she stopped in the middle and started crying harder. “Mom, I told
this a lot of times that I don’t want to get married at all. Even if I get
married, Veena will not be my choice”
“What’s
wrong with V?” I noticed her strong support to Veena in her voice. “Of course
she is a nice girl. I like the way she takes care of you whenever she visits
India. But I don’t love her mom” I told her with neglecting gesture. “You need
not. But she loves you my son. She loves you like anything. The loads of
greetings and gifts from London for every occasion are the proof for her love.
Especially, The White Grand Piano with one hundred fresh tulips that she sent
you on last Valentine’s Day. Can’t you think over them? After all you are her
suitor. Remember?”
“She
has a big crush on me. How can I be responsible? Come on! My dear mother!
Try to realize. And I can’t marry her just because I’m her suitor” I showed a
denying mannerism. My mom wiped her eyes herself and glared at me.
“Okay,
Leave it” she approached the stair cases as she ties her loose hair.
“Mom!
Where are you going?” I blocked her way and asked. “London” she said firmly.
“London? Mom are you kidding? You can’t go outside. Did you look outside? The
cyclone raged the city upside down! There may be another cyclone at anytime” I
gave her a caution as I descending the staircase along with her like a dog on a
collar.
“I’m
going anyway. Veena will take care of me. You can come there and bring me back
once you realize her love. Now let me call her” she took the land phone.
I
resisted her and plucked the receiver from her hand. “Wait mom. What do you
want now?” I said with a loser’s tone.
“I
told the entire story of Ramayan. Now you are asking what is the relation between Sri
Ram and Seetha?”
Her anger tone endured.
“Okay,
My Marriage…” I paused and put my head down. “I agree…”I said avoiding eye
contact with mom. Mom still gave me a suspicions look. “I agree mom. I swear. I
will get married by Next New year” I held my throat.
“Oh
my dear son I know you will!” Mom got excitement.
“But
remember I said yes to marriage not Veena” I told her and there was a silence
for next five seconds. “I’m glad that you agreed at least for your marriage. My
perception says that you will make me happier by saying ‘yes’ to Veena too.
Remember, she loves you for all you are worth. V for Veena, Veena for enlightenment
of music. She will enlighten your life” Mom pinched my cheek and asked me.
“When does the land phone will be fixed? I want to speak with Veena”
Only
then I recalled that the phone was out of service since the cyclone and my mom
knew this when she tried to dial Veena. “Mom… What a perfomance? Hats off!!!” I
smirked. “You gave your word and you should get married by next year… la la lal
la la la” She taunted and left to kitchen. I stood like a jester holding a dead
phone’s receiver in my hand.
It
was 6.30pm when I sat on the wrecked tree laying across the road. The entire
street turned as havoc. The sign boards which were standing rigid on the
previous day on top of the buildings are licking the ground now. The cyclone
had massacred the steet lights and trees. The cyclone was still hauling inside
my head. I made marriage promises many times. But this time my mother sounded
little serious. Suddenly the thought of my dream angel made its way into my
mind. Who must be the angel in my dream? How can I interpret my dream? V? V for
Veena? To me V for Villain!!! Villain of my life. The cyclone, the marriage
promise, the dream, and Veena all together drove me crazy. To relax myself, I
ignited my sixth finger(SMOKING IS HARMFUL TO HEALTH). I noticed my
mom closing the window when I lighted my cigarette. It was windy then. The
street turned dark and it started drizzling.
A
few minutes later there was a heavy rain with thunder storms. I decided to stay
in rain. I went inside my house and took my rain jacket, then sat on the same
wreaked tree. The place was still dark. The rain lashed tremendously and I felt
good to be in rain.
Around
8pm the pace of the rain went down. So I took my next cigarette out. When I
rubbed the match stick with the match box I heard a car tyre screeching. A
car’s light flashed on the wall right side to me which killed the darkness. I
jumped from the wreaked tree and moved towards the lane where the car sound
came from. I heard someone getting down from the car. Suddenly there was a
shadow on the same wall. It was a girl’s shadow. I stood staring on the shadow,
and then moved towards the wall. The shadow wore a salwar kameez and she had a
long loose hair. I touched the shadow’s long hair. “Beautiful!!!” I said my
hands fumbled the wall. But the shadow seemed to be in trouble trying to
fix the car.
“Is
anyone there?” The shadow girl shouted standing in front of the car. I couldn’t
see her face since the intense of the car’s headlight beamed from her behind
resisted me from seeing her face. The scene resembled my dream where I failed
to see the angel’s face due to the light.
“Who’s
this?” I shouted standing by the wall. “Emergency!!!” She screamed. I ran
towards the car. The girl was crying. And I could hear another lady’s cry from
the car. I didn’t see her face still.
“Who
are you? Who is inside the car?” I asked as I tried to look her face.
“My
sister is in the car. She got labor pain suddenly. My car broke down! Please
help my sister. Please” The girl howled. She was leaning on the car keeping a
hand on it as a support.
“The
hospital is 5km away, how can you take her? Cars can’t go in this wreaked
roads” I warned. “Please sir! Help my sister; My Parents are out of station. My
sister’s husband is a soldier and he is in Indian border. We are helpless now”
She pleaded and took her hand from the car trying to join her hands to plead.
All of a sudden she fell down loosing balance. Now I saw her face for the first
time. What a gorgeous face? But her eyes were weary. I suddenly got a suspicion
about why she fell down. She stood up slowly struggling with her leg. Her leg,
It's lopsided.
It
gave me a pang inside my heart. “Please Sir, Go and help my sister” She
implored and broke into tears.
I
was confused what to do. A wreaked car, a lame girl, and a havoc city, how can
we help a lady in labor pain whose husband busy guarding our country.
“But
I am a wholesome guy, I can help her” an inside me told. My legs moved
rapidity. I opened the car’s door. I asked the pregnant lady to move out. As
she came out, I lifted her with all my effort. The lady weighed a quintal. I
somehow coped. I had to cope and started running towards the hospital’s
direction.
“You
cannot carry her for 5km” The lame girl said.
“I
should rescue a soldier’s wife. It is a pride and my duty, after all its
humanity. Follow me I will find some way” I said and I rushed towards the
hospital.
The
lady in my hand was screaming in labor pain. My face turned horrified as I hear
the death scream of the pregnant lady. Anything may happen at any time.
Anything meant only horrible things! The lame sister followed me by limping 10m
away from me. My eyes hunted for help. I found no one on the road.
The
Rain started again. “Oh my god” I said and tried to protect the lady from rain.
I found an auto rickshaw standing in front of a house. I ran to the house and
knocked the door.
A
Lady in red dress opened and shocked on seeing me carrying a loaded lady in my
hands. “Please help this lady” I gasped and kept the pregnant lady on the floor
in the hall. The lady understood the situation and inspected the pregnant woman
and then went inside a room.
I
went outside to check the limping girl. And what I saw shook me. The lame girl
was on the road, shrunken. She must have fallen down due to the slippery road.
I ran to her and saw the rain water flowing on the road was reddish. I checked
the girl. She got an injury on her forehead and bleeding.
“Holy
****” I said and took her head and kept on my lap. I shook her chin and asked
“Miss? Are you alright?”
“My
sister… my sister… Save my Sis” She mumbled in agony and was shivering because
of rain. I removed my rain jacket and put it on her. And take her own dupatta
and tied on her forehead. Then I took her inside the auto rickshaw house. Now I
found a man inside the house. He was helping the lady to treat the pregnant
woman. I laid the lame girl on floor next to her pregnant sister. As I laid her
I noticed the sisters had a similar face cut. But the pregnant lady appeared
matured and older.
”Pre-mature
labor I can’t treat her any more. Take her to the hospital immediately” The
lady in red dess ordered the man. The man put on his brown shirt and approached
me.
“Sir,
first help me lifting the pregnant woman to auto rickshaw. Meanwhile my wife
will give some first aid to the injured girl” The man briefed me without having
an eye contact.
“Auto
rickshaw? How can you go in these wreaked roads?” I cried out.
“Shut
up. And do what I said” The auto man shouted turning his head suddenly toward
me. His look froze me for a second.
We
brought the sisters into the auto rickshaw. The auto driver started the auto
rickshaw and went in a pace of lightning. I held the sisters safely who were
unconscious. The auto rickshaw penetrated in the gaps of rain and raided in the
humps and bumps of the road. He went in all possible undamaged streets. Only
then I realized an auto rickshaw drivers are the titans of city roads. At last
we reached the hospital. The rain’s lashes endured.
“Kuick,
take ‘em to tha yemerjensy vard!” The auto driver ordered me in local
slang. The hospital staff lent their hands to take them inside. The hospital
clock showed 9pm when we entered the emergency ward.
The
lame girl lost lots of blood. And the doctor who examined her said she needs a
unit of O+ immediately. And when I heard O+ blood group my heart flapped with
rejoice. “Im O+. Take my blood” I spread my hands with generosity.
But
the pregnant lady’s condition was still serious. There were no promising words
about the health of the pregnant lady.
It
was around 11pm. The world was standing at the verge of the year. And people
around the world already celebrating the New Year except my city.
Everyone
was wearing mask, cap and looked hurry burry. I stopped a person in mask who
was about to enter the operation theatre “Brother, your name?” I asked. “Dr.Ragini”
said the person and removed her mask.
“Sorry,
I should have called you ‘sister’ ” I gave a sheepish smile and continued “How
about the pregnant woman by the way?”
“She is in a critical condition- T.I.G.”
Dr.Ragini said hopelessly.
“T.I.G?”
I questioned.
“Trust
in God” Dr.Ragini expanded.
“God? Should I trust the bloody God? Now? Then
why did you study medicine? You ask me to trust in god and you say yourself a
Doctor. You know who she is? She is a wife of a soldier. You should save her life
Doctor” I yelled furiously.
Dr.Ragini
appeared scared but explained her situation patiently. She told that the pregnant
lady should undergo a surgery to save the baby. She used lots of medical
jargons that a musician like me can’t understand at all. But I understood that
a surgery can save the life of the pregnant lady. And I was asked to sign in an
agreement. I signed without thinking a moment. I wrote my address and signed
against the husband’s columns.
“So
you are the solider?” Dr.Ragini was surprised on seeing my signature against
husband column.
“Yes,
I am” I lied her avoiding eye contact.
“Don’t
worry sir, we will try to save your wife” She said and went to the operation
theatre.
I
exhaled with relief.
It
was around 11.30pm. I noticed the rain stopped. The hospital has the power
supply with giant invertors. I saw the sodium light next to hospital’s portico.
The flies thought that the sodium light is sun and flying around it. Now, the
lame sister approached me with her limply walk. Her forehead was dressed with
white bandage. She looked amazingly beautiful in the sodium light. I admired
her as she approached me. Any math’s teacher can teach Trigonometry using her
nose. Her pupil in eye reminded me the geometric definition of a circle. Lord
Bhramma should have used lots of complicated parabolic equations to shape her
hip. Her long hair is the replicate of Niagara Falls painted black. But her
legs?
“My
sister? Where is she?” She interrupted my ogling admiration. I recollected
myself and tried to answer her. “Your sister-Doctor-surgery“I fought back to
make a sentence.“Surgery? Oh my god.” She screamed.
We
heard a baby cry out of the blue. Both of us looked at the operation theatre
with surprise. The Doctor’s team announced that the lady gave birth to a boy.
And mother and son were safe. As I heard this I saw the lame girl’s face.
Her
face blossomed with blissful tears and I extended my hand to wish her. She
appeared weary and extended her one hand supporting other hand on the wall.
“Congratulations!”
I wished and heard the clock clanged at 12“And Happy New Year!” I added.
Instead of responding me she lost her strength and collapsed.”Not again!” I
said and held her hand tightly and then resisted her before falling on the ground.
I knelt one leg and bent the other to keep her head on my thighs. I shook her
chin and asked. “Miss! Are you alright? Miss!!! Doctor!!!!!!!!” I yelled.
***
End
of Chapter-1
