Destiny

Image courtesy of FrameAngel at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

She looked at her wrist. “My God, it’s already 10,” she thought. Tiny beads of perspiration dotted her forehead. In another second the bindi would start trickling down. Jaya ran across the busy road unmindful of the speeding vehicles. She narrowly missed being hit by the motorbike. But she did not notice how lucky she was.

Once in her chair Jaya let out a sigh of relief. Good, Boss had not called her as yet. She must go over the day’s schedule once again. Just then the phone rang. But she was in no mood to take it. It was Jayant calling. Her face clouded at the very thought of Jayant. She decided to shut him off and move on.

The buzz over the intercom brought her back to the present. It was Boss, calling. She went inside. The meeting lasted for ten ‘long’ minutes.  Stepping out from the AC cabin was like being transferred from a freezer to a hot oven. But so preoccupied was she with her own thoughts that she did not notice the difference. Tears welled up in her eyes. She stifled a sob and slowly wiped a drop of salted water from the corner of her eyes. “No, I must be strong. I will not cry,” she resolved. Yet, it took all her energy to keep up to her resolve. The minutes ticked by. The phone rang once again. The silent mode was set. The phone was kept to rest in the interiors of her spacious drawer. Jaya went back to work. The day was a hectic one. Meetings, meetings , meetings. She forgot Jayant, forgot the mobile.

Back home, lying in the comfort of her bed, she closed her eyes trying to forget the nightmare of the previous night. Suddenly she had an urge to speak to Maya. Maya was her pal and close confidant of 20 years. She opened her bag and took out the phone. Her eyes ‘popped out’ in amazement. 38 missed calls in 10 minutes! She wondered what was going on. She noted that they all came from one common number- Jayant’s mobile.

“Should I call him or should I not?” Her mind wavered. Her heart told her to call back, but her mind did not permit her to do that. Torn between the two, she put the phone down and moved towards the kitchen.

The kettle on, she started preparing the evening meal.  Suddenly she had an urge to call him up. The phone rang, and then went blank. She tried again and again. But the response was the same. “The person you are calling is not responding. Please try after some time.” She threw the phone down and went to have her meal. “Why should I bother,” she thought. The events of the previous evening slowly unwound before her eyes.

She was ready and all smiles when Jayant had arrived. She was sure he would propose to her today. She wanted to make the event a very special one so she had decorated the house with fresh flowers, the variety that Jayant loved. Jayant came, but did not seem to notice the smile on Jaya’s lips nor the flowers she had so lovingly chosen for him. He was immersed deep in thought. Worry lines were drawn across the forehead. Jaya chattered on. Yet, Jayant did not speak a word. Suddenly as if the devil had got into him, he shouted at her to stop and stomped out of the house. The meal, the flowers forgotten, Jaya wept like never before. She decided she would not call him nor speak to him till he repented for his action.

The meal over, Jaya went to bed.

Sitting in the warmth of her bed Jaya sipped on her morning tea. It was Sunday meaning rest day. Cup in one hand, eyes closed she slowly picked up the newspaper. Suddenly, the cup went crashing on the floor, tea spilled all over the bed. But Jaya was not bothered. Her eyes were wide open as if in a trance. There splashed right in front of her eyes, on the front page was a photo of Jayant, lying, bleeding below his bike.

The bang of the open door brought her back to the present. She jumped out of bed and hurriedly dressed up. She must reach by his side.

A pal of gloom had spread over the entire house. People were talking in hushed tones. Slowly, on shaking legs she reached his side. One look at him and she burst into tears.

The funeral over, Jaya slowly made for the exit. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to find Neena, Jayant’s sister by her side. Both of them hugged each other and wept silently. Time seemed to stand still. Slowly Neena took out an envelope from her pockets and shoved it into Jaya’s hands. They once again hugged each other and parted without speaking a single word.

Back in the confines of her now cold bed, Jaya wept till sleep overcame her. The piercing light made her shield her eyes. Slowly she opened them to see Kamala the maid balancing a tray laden with food. “Madam, have you seen today’s newspaper. Poor boy he tried to save a girl who nearly ran into his bike. But see what happened, the girl was saved. He died. Oh! By the way it was right in front of your office Madam, yesterday. Did you by any chance see the sight?”

Jaya was aghast. Suddenly she remembered having narrowly missed a hit. Truth dawned on her. Jayant had died saving her. She was inconsolable.

Numb with grief she slowly opened the tears soaked envelop. There was a note inside.

Dear Jaya,

Sorry to have shouted at you like that. But, what can I do? Life has played a dirty trick on me. My days are numbered. Cancer is eating into me. The day you receive this note I will have left for the other world. But I would like you to know, I always loved you.

Yours and yours only,

Jayant

Note:

The missed calls were sent by a passerby to the first name recorded on Jayant’s mobile.

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for 
Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda

This time we had to write a post including the sentence - 

"38 missed calls in 10 minutes! He/She wondered what was going on."

Thank you for walking in. By the way don’t forget to leave your footprints in the form of comments and suggestions. 

Your words mean a lot to me.

INVITING YOU TO ALSO VISIT MY BLOG AT WORDPRESS - http://www.geetaavij.wordpress.com/

Diwali Greetings

To

All of you who step in here

This special wish comes your way -

Let us light the lamp of love

Dispel the darkness of hate within

Look at life with open eyes

Shut out all that’s black and dull.

Let us light the lamp of care.

Shirk off selfish thoughts within.

Look at life with open eyes

Throw out all that’s bad and sad.

Let us light a million lights

Sparkling, radiant, full of life

Bring a smile of joy on every lip

Feel a thousand crackers burst within.

Let us all this Day of Lights

Usher in all that’s positive and bright

Look at life as Gift of God

Tend to it with care and warmth.

HAPPY DIWALI

  

“Look Gama is here.”

Tara was throwing a tantrum. She refused to have food. She spit, she cried, she hit at her mother. However the mother in Reena was not ready to give up. Finally when all her efforts failed, she used her ‘Brahmastra.’  The ‘ Brahmastra’ was a joke  in the neighbourhood.  Gama the vagabond though harmless was a nightmare as far as the tiny-tots were concerned. His unkempt look, fiery eyes sent a chill down their spine. For all his looks, Gama was actually a loving person. He loved children, but his looks scared them away.   However, he was a hit among the street dogs.  They loved Gama; they played with him, slept with him, stood guard on him.

Looking at Baby Tara, Reena suddenly exclaimed, “Look Gama is here.”  The mouth opened suddenly and there went down a ball of rice mixed with curd. Ball after ball of rice went down the throat in quick succession and before Reena realized it, the plate was clean and empty. Reena felt a pang of guilt, guilt at having to tell a lie to make Tara eat, guilt at having to portray Gama as a demon come to harm Tara if she did not eat, guilt at having instilled a fear in the little babe. But then what could she do?

Sweet slumber overpowered Baby Tara.  She slowly drifted into deep sleep.

Image courtesy of 
Mantas Ruzveltas at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Four houses down the lane –

All hell was loose. Vani was screaming at the top of her voice. Varun was bathed in mud.  He was least bothered about his mother’s ‘tantrum.’ Varun was thoroughly enjoying his mud bath. Even the stick in Vani’s hand did not affect Varun. Vani was at her wit’s end. Exhausted, she was on the verge of tears. What if Rajeev reached home now and saw the boy in this shape? What if her mother-in-law decided to pay them a surprise visit? She knew what to expect. The boy would get a taste of Rajeev’s hand. Her MIL would start off counting her ‘minuses.’ Vani could not bear both. Suddenly she saw a figure in the distance coming down the road. She called out to Varun, “Look Gama is here.” Varun sprinted to the tap and started flushing down the mud from his body. Vani silently thanked Gama.

The shopping mall-

Neha was having a tough time. Little Priya had taken fancy to a doll house. But Neha could ill afford it. She tried to reason with Neha. She offered to buy her a Barbie instead. But Neha was a born fighter. She was not one to give up easily. She started to yell at the top of her voice. Heads turned. One or two tried to cajol Neha. Some passed by making a comment on the inability of young mothers to reign in their young ones. A girl offered Neha a ‘Five star’. Priya started to feel her heart sink. Neha’s health did not permit her to cry endlessly. She would start suffocating in a few minutes. Suddenly she saw of a vagabond on the road opposite the Mall. She cried out, “Look Gama is here.” The name acted like a switch. She forgot the doll house; she only wished to be in her mother’s arms. She ran to Neha, embraced her in a tight hug, eyes closed. Priya forgot the vagabond.

The slum on the outskirts of the town-

Children were playing a game of “Pittu.” Suddenly, the ball flew high hitting Akash on the head. All the children ran to him. A brawl started between the two teams. It looked as though blood would spill on the street. Suddenly from nowhere appeared a vagabond. “Look Gama is here” so saying, little Shikha ran up to him. He dug into his pockets and brought out a handful of cheap jelly sweets. The brawl broke. Hell broke loose around the vagabond. Everyone wanted to make sure they got their share of the sweet that Gama had so lovingly brought for them. They showered him with kisses. Gama smiled flashing broken teeth. His day was made.

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for 
Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda

This time we had to write a post in which one sentence was to be repeated at least thrice.

Thank you for walking in. By the way don’t forget to leave your footprints in the form of comments and suggestions. 

Your words mean a lot to me.

The final verdict

I sat there all alone in my favourite corner of 15 years, looking at the newly painted wall with desolate eyes.  These 15 years I had brought a smile to their lips.  But, since the past few months I was often sick. The Doctor had attended. But just two days back the final verdict was pronounced. I knew it was my last day here.

I wondered what was in store for me. Whether I would live through another or would end up as scrap. They were getting ready to throw me out and bring in a brand new Sony Bravia. 

Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The above is based on a prompt on  Write Tribe’s “100 words on Saturday.”

The prompt was - “I knew it was my last day there”

The Night (mare) ………

Hectic and tiring 31^st March can be, but dangerous? Never thought of that. Well this post is especially for those working women who are forced to sit up late on this very important date  which marks the end of the financial year in almost all offices and establishments, whether it be public or private.

As usual on the 31^st of March ....………hmm, sorry don’t remember the exact year, Sitara who is a gazetted officer, left home early for office. Before leaving she informed her mother that she would be late. This was a routine year –in-year out exercise since she took up this job. Her daughter’s auto driver was assigned the job of bringing her home at night. Though she had the option of staying back at office or spending the night at a colleague’s place, Sitara preferred returning home since her daughter was very small and alone with her grand mother. Her husband was away far north.

The day was as usual a very hectic and tense one and being Office- In- Charge meant that Sitara had to wait up till the year –end work was accomplished.  Finally it was well past midnight by the time she could leave for home. Her home was around 20 kms from her office. She had barely covered 5 kms when the auto driver informed her that 4 people were following them on motorbikes. Sitara asked him to   pick up speed which he did. But, the men were not ready to give up. Both the driver and Sitara were at their wit’s end. Should they enter a nearby lane? Should they seek help from a nearby house? To add to their woes Sitara’s mobile battery too let her down. 

The bikes closed in. Suddenly Sitara, who I must say is one-up when it comes to presence of mind, got an idea. She pretended to call in the police patrol van on her mobile. She asked the auto driver for the vehicle nos. of the bikes that were following them and ‘relayed’ the same to the ‘police officers,’ loud and clear so that the men on the bikes could hear her.

As luck would have it, the bikes suddenly took a U- turn and sped away. Finally she reached home safe and sound, but the incident left her shaken.  Her mother came to know of the incident only the next morning. That was the last time she travelled all alone at night.

When I think of this incident now, I wish her mobile batteries were fully charged and that she had Smart Suraksha with her . The Smart Suraksha App is an Android Application that aims at making women feel safe. This App, at the press of a single button, could have sent her message of help to five pre-chosen contacts from her contact list. It would have also sent across her location. However, I've now decided to pester her to get the Smart Suraksha App immediately so that the coming March can see her more confident to take on the challenge of travelling at the odd hour.

Insight :

This is not a piece of fiction but a true story. The name of the character has been changed to protect her identity.

I am participating in the Seeking Smart Suraksha contest at BlogAdda.com 

in association with Smart Suraksha App.

Myriad shades of grey

grey skyline,cool breeze
give way to  welcome  showers
smell of  fresh  wet  earth 

Photograph courtsey C.V.Jayachandran

ah! thought the lazy dog

what lovely house let it burn;

my bed of ashes.

slogging up steep hill

heavy bags of sand on back

tired yet donkey strength

grey mood, eyes brimming  

knuckles cracking, tense she stood

 waiting for her loved.

grey hair , moustache thick

piercing eyes with wisdom bright

ah! einstein for sure.

Vector- courtsey Anicka Galo

grey receding line,

dimpled face wrinkled but fair

wise man wisdom shared

just one look at him

oh! emotionless, she thought

wrong she proved to be

grey represents dirt

and intelligent and worth

befuddled people

steering, sleek grey car  
eyes popping in  amazement  
connoisseur  of  all 

meeting done, he said

formal meetings folders grey

next time better see 

The Haiku are based on a prompt at http://haiku-heights.blogspot.in/ . 

The prompt was “Grey.”

Inviting you to also visit my blog at  : http://geetaavij.wordpress.com

Thank you for walking in. By the way don’t forget to leave your footprints in the form of comments and suggestions. Your words mean a lot to me.

Smart Suraksha Tips

Change is inevitable. But what if the change is for the worse?

Well, just when I was sitting down to pen this post I remembered life till the mid- eighties in Kerala. It was so simple and safe more so my native town i.e. Manjeri. Now before I go further let me explain the scenario then and that now. Till the mid- eighties this small town in Malappuram District of Kerala had large ancestral houses in big plots. The houses were set quite apart. Yet, people knew each other. Apart from the normal roads there were plenty of narrow roads and by- lanes. Ladies and gents alike took bath either in the private pools attached to the houses or the common pool attached to the temples. Of course, there were separate Ghats for the two.   Doors were never locked not even at night. In fact keeping the door locked especially at dusk when the evening lamps were lit, was frowned upon. Girls were not scared to walk alone even at noon when the roads and narrow lanes were deserted. You could see women flaunt their gold ornaments without fear.  Eve- teasing was unheard of.  There were very few banks and the takers for banking services were minimal. People preferred keeping their cash and valuables at home. But with the mass advent of television in the homes, the craving for luxuries increased. Adding to this was the disintegration of the Joint family system.

With the disintegration of the Joint family set-up, the land holdings have gone down. Earlier where there was only a single big house, we now have at least six to ten houses. Homes are near but hearts are mile apart. People barely recognize each other. The exception of course being the older generation whose numbers is dwindling fast. The number of unknown faces by far exceeds the number of known faces. Theft and chain- snatching is on the rise. People fear to talk to strangers, least they harm them. Outsiders are looked upon with suspicion.  Now what would one do in such a situation? Let me on my part try and suggest some tips to ensure a smooth and safe living in my town.

1. Avail the services of Banks and ATMs. Keep minimum cash at home. Life is precious. More precious than the ornaments we wear. So let us adorn minimum jewellery. Extra jewellery if any can be deposited in Bank lockers.
2. Get to know all the people (both young and old) in the locality. Look out for unknown faces. Be alert and watch their mannerisms. Anything unusual should ring an alarm bell in you. Do not divulge details of yourself, your family, neighbours and relatives to strangers. 
3. Avoid walking alone in deserted lanes and bye lanes at odd- hours. If it is inevitable that you walk through them, then make sure not to wear any ornaments nor carry large amounts of money.Walk on the right side of the road/ lane. Chain- snatchers find it difficult to break and get away with your chain when you walk on the right side.
4.  Ladies would do well not to spend the night alone at home. Call over a relative, friend or neighbor to spend the night at your place or alternatively spend the night at their place. Keep your cell phone by your side at all times. In case you hear anything unusual at night, put on all the lights and make a call to your neighbours. They in turn can also put on all their lights as a warning to the intruder. 
5. Keep all outer doors locked/ latched 24 hours a day. In most cases, the intruders find access through the kitchen door which is generally left open during the day time. Do not open your door to strangers. Make enquiries from the window. In case you are suspicious about their antecedent, make a call to your neighbor making yourself clearly audible to them or else pretend to call someone in the house. It often works.
6. Store important mobile numbers like that of Police control room, Police patrol party, neighbours and close relatives on speed dial. Numbers of close relatives/ friends to be contacted first in case of an emergency can be saved as ‘ICE1’, ‘ICE2’, ‘ICE3’ and so on. Here ICE stands for  ‘In case of an emergency.’ It makes things easier.
7. Go  in for the ‘Smart Suraksha App.’  The Smart Suraksha App is an Android Application that aims at making women feel safe. This App, at the press of a single button, sends your message of help to five pre-chosen contacts from your contact list. An additional feature of this app is that along with your message for help, it also sends across your location even if the GPS on your cell phone is switched off. Thus, one can be reassured that there is help available at all times.
8. Ensure that things like knives, iron pipes, pick- axe, thick wooden sticks , etc that could possibly be used as a weapon to attack/ overpower you are not left lying around outside/ in the home. Ensure that they are kept in a safe and secure place known only to you and your family members. It has come to light that in most cases of theft and murder, the intruders have had access to weapons onsite itself.
9. While travelling alone in a taxi/ auto be alert and take in your surroundings. Inform a friend/ relative of your whereabouts and the number of the auto/ taxi. See to it that the driver hears your conversation. In case you feel something amiss, call in police control room or else at least pretend to alert the police. This may save the situation.
10. Ladies may consider keeping a safety pin or small scissors handy while travelling in a public utility vehicle to keep eve- teasers at bay. Your footwear too can be the silent weapon. In case someone tries to misbehave with you just press down on his feet with your footwear and act as though you are unaware of the pain you are causing him. He will be forced to keep silent and bear the pain lest he be caught. This will also serve as a lesson to him and at the same time you will be taking your sweet revenge.  Also beware of pick-pockets. Do not keep your entire money in one place. You can keep carry them in various places like your shirt/ kurta pocket, jeans/ pant pockets and also keep them in various pouches in your hand bag/ bag. Take note of people who try to pick up a fight unnecessarily / jostle people and crowd you.                                                                                                                                                       

There are many more things that we can do to ensure our safety but what matters most is our presence of mind.

Before I sign out let me share two things though seemingly trivial are in fact great moral boosters (a) Insure your house and valuables. This imparts a sense of security. (b) This one is a joke in our family yet a very practical one. Ensure that minimum number of ladies footwear and maximum number of gents’ footwear are kept out in clear view of others. Ladies are soft targets. So it is better not to advertise the number of ladies at home, whereas by increasing the visibility of gents’ footwear one can misguide the anti- social elements into believing that there are a number of men at home.

I am sharing my Smart Suraksha Tips at  BlogAdda.com   in association with 

Smart Suraksha App.