A cry in the wilderness!!!! Part I
Posted on May 08, 2009 under General

A cry in the wilderness!!!!

There was a lot of noise outside.I got up from my bed to see what is going on outside? I was just having a little rest after a tedious session of what you may call as investigative journalism .The evening sun was peeping through the windows drawing enigmatic and gory murals on the adjacent walls, as if it was the judgement day!!!.

“Maro saale ko, Kuthe bahar nikal …” Yes there was a mob outside, pelting stones and brandishing local armoury. I felt a chill on my spine, what the hell is going on?
“thud” a stone hit right on my temples, and its sudden impact made me reel down, in agonising pain. A moment later I gathered myself, ran towards the door, Somebody was trying to break open the front door!!

My profession as a journalist has earned me enough enemies, The report on the recent massacre in the name of religion might have kindled the spark, nay the lightning ,!!! I pondered,
Well, I had no further time to think. I heard people shouting, wailing, howling, weeping, abusing from the yonder flats, as unfortunately I was on the third floor,. I could not see what was happening near me, as the only way to outside world was my front door,which was blocked, and straining to flee from the hinges, at any moment due to the heavy pressure put on it by the unruly mob craving for my blood, ? I realised that at any moment the door may give way and I may be left with no mercy at the belligerent gathering.

Man,, you have to live, at least for your kids, your family, clinging on the only hope that is you, and they cant just be left in the lurch , and you are not destined to be killed by this wicked devils who does not have any feeling for their fellow beings and purely guided by political motives!! My inner conscience cajoled me , I was almost at the end of my wits when I knew that jumping through the balcony may be foolish, as, even if I reach the ground in one piece there was a bigger mob down there to swallow me alive with burning torches,in their hands.

Now I have to somehow prevent the mob breaking open my door, only hope was to try to push the heavy book rack against it, which I don’t know whether I can manage alone!
I had only Hobson’s choice, I lunged toward the rack and mustered all the strength and courage left with me, and pushed, OHHH, it is inching toward the door, hopefully,
Minutes appeared as long long hours to me , but by Herculean efforts, I could reach it against the door, by the time the hinges were squealing heavily with the tremendous pressure withstood so long . Hell, my temples were bleeding like hell, blinding me , and I was about to loose conscience, but, some how, I managed to keep my eyes open, and wiping away the blood which was gushing out of the wounds. I felt a bit safe at the thought that the noise outside was gradually receding and there was abrupt silence for a few seconds, I tried to peep through the balconly, which was grilled and covered, though, and to ignite my anxiety, I found the crowd was gone and there were occupants of the neighbouring flats fleeing to safety.
I could hear them shouting , ohh God, this trauma, will it end, or just engulf me in its wrath of disastrous flames forever?
God, hath sent all men equal , with no barriers of religion, caste or creed, , and it is high time that the different man made communities who created these impregnable fortresses,bury the hatchet and nurse the wounds hatched up in utter hatred and disregard to the fellow beings, but in the name of religion!!! ,lest the budding generation, unwary of such heinous crimes, shall never ever forgive, and their every single drop of tear shall shatter to smithereens including the last one who lies buried under the graveyards of insanity.
My happiness was shortlived when I found that through the broken window panes smoke balls were slung inside, and in a fraction of a second I could sense the acrid smell of burning wood and rubber, oh!! They have put my home on fire!!!. Kerosene and dirty clothes on fire created a nauseating sensation, and I was chocking ., virtually, when my inner self guided me toward the toilet on the other side, of the hall, where I snapped open the shower and tried to cooldown my sweltering body, , and kept all the taps open and water gushing out of them provided a temporary solace to my ailing self, though I knew that the water also will defitely get hot with the tubes getting burnt, and to add fuel to the fire, my nostalgic collection of books went aflame, I shut the bathroom door, in utter agony, only to realise that my time must be counted from now, as there is no escape , and as the water too started getting hotter, and hotter, I felt to muster all the left life in me and started praying, that let God forgive me of all the sins, as I felt being dragged down in a whirlpool never ending, to depths unfathomed, where reality is lost to infinity, and the glow of a thousand suns washing away the tiniest ember, into oblivions.


Hours later: may be days ???

I woke up and found myself ensconsed to the bed, shivering and quite a lot of inquisitive eyes prying on me ?. Was I alive, or in the netherworld? I couldn’t decipher, but to my feeble mind, as a soothing breeze, I could recognise my children, my wife, and all my loving friends, oh,, God is great, they told me that I luckly escaped as the police had rushed to the site by the time I fell unconscious in the toilet, and the flowing water inside kept me live!! My skin was almost baked, but, I lived, I live even today, cursing myself, of this barbaric insane and uncivilized society which I live in, hands tied, blinded , brainwashed, and left to continue like a vegetable lamenting on my fate.!!!

Ajay menon,
ajay2354@yahoo.com