Part 44
Abdul sahib made me sit down. He sat beside me. My heart was pounding against my chest, i had the feeling that he was going to tell me something disastrous, may be, he had got some news which i had not heard of, may be, Babuji had asked him to tell me what Babuji himself did not have the courage to do. I sat there quietly, looking at him with terrified apprehension. I had absolutely no idea what he was going to say but the look on his face told me that whatever it was , it was not going to be something i would be thrilled about.
" Bitto ji, i don't know if what is happening is good or not. I have no idea whether what you are doing is right or wrong. I am helping you only because of your grandfather, he has been a tremendous influence on all of us. We all respect him. He asked me for help and that is exactly what i am going to do even though i know it is going to be very risky" Abdul sahib said these words with a stern look on his face, a look which i had never seen before.
I listened to him quietly, there was nothing i could say.
" I have no idea if your Anita is going to come tomorrow. Frankly speaking, i hope she doesn't, because her presence is going to create problems for all of us. Even though you are grown up now, your obstinacy remains the same. it is this stubbornness of yours which has made your doting grandparents agree to fulfil your foolish desires". He continued in the same tone. He had never spoken to me in this kind of an almost angry way. My fears kept on growing. He was the one who was supposed to take me to the airport the next morning. Without his help, i had no way of reaching the airport. It was beginning to dawn upon me that Abdul Sahib was going to say that he would not help me or he could not.
" Bittu Ji, the flight arrives at 9 in the morning, which means we must leave home by 8." His tone had softened a little , giving me some hope.
" I have called for a taxi, the owner is known to me, that is why he is sending it, otherwise no cabdriver would agree to go the airport tomorrow. Do you know there is a complete curfew tomorrow, a curfew imposed by the government? all vehicles will be stopped. We have hope because the security forces might let us go as we are going to receive someone and also because you are a Kashmiri Pandit. Like it or not, they are sympathetic towards you people" I could notice a slight tinge of anger in his voice when he uttered the last few words.
" Bittu, pay heed to my words", i noticed the dropping of the Ji after my name. Another ominous sign? I did not know.
' You and i will leave at 8 in the morning", he continued. All this time, i had been sitting and listening to him like a man hypnotised with fear. not a word escaped my lips.
" Since the normal route to the airport has been closed, we have to take the only open route. And this route goes through Shaheed Ganj which is one of the most affected areas, an area where people take out processions everyday, an area which has a heavy presence of army men.Keep in mind that we are going to be confronted by twin dangers, one from the army and the other from the local people" As he said these words, whatever hope i had in my heart, started evaporating. How was it possible to reach the airport with so many obstacles on the way?
" On the way to the airport, we shall be stopped, asked questions, we shall be searched, maybe even detained. Allah alone knows what may happen. No matter what happens, you just keep quiet. Don't utter a single word. just let me do the talking and for god's sake keep your temper under control, understand?"
I could only nod my head in agreement.
" Bittu Ji, lots of changes have taken place since you were here last." I could not help but notice the return of Ji after Bittu. Was it something to cheer about? " The airport that you saw last time is not the same. It is heavily blockaded. Armed forces everywhere.We have to get down from our car almost a kilometre away from the airport and walk the rest of the way, understand?"
Again i just nodded, waiting for what was going to come next.
" We will be reaching the airport building on foot. We will not be able to enter. The passengers will come out of the building and it is for you to find out your Anita amongst them all and once you find her, there will be no further problems. I am confident we shall reach home safely. Now go to sleep, remember what i said and for your sake, i sincerely hope this Anita of yours is really on that flight". With these words, he got up, so did i. He turned around and started walking towards the door. As he was about to exit, he did an about turn, came up to me and hugged me tightly. he didn't say a word but that hug, by itself spoke volumes.
Slowly i made my way back to my room. I walked soundlessly, did not want to disturb Babuji and Amma. As soon as i entered my room, i flung myself onto the bed. All my pent up emotions burst forth. I started sobbing uncontrollably. I had managed to keep myself calm in the presence of Abdul Sahib but i could no longer do so. My whole body shook with the force of my sobs bur who was there to hear me, who was there to listen to me. i was all alone, waiting for an uncertain morning, a morning which was would be fraught with all kinds of risks. There was little i could do. I had brought this all upon myself. There was no way sleep would come to me. All i could think of was if we would manage to reach the airport and if Anita would come at all.
Abdul sahib made me sit down. He sat beside me. My heart was pounding against my chest, i had the feeling that he was going to tell me something disastrous, may be, he had got some news which i had not heard of, may be, Babuji had asked him to tell me what Babuji himself did not have the courage to do. I sat there quietly, looking at him with terrified apprehension. I had absolutely no idea what he was going to say but the look on his face told me that whatever it was , it was not going to be something i would be thrilled about.
" Bitto ji, i don't know if what is happening is good or not. I have no idea whether what you are doing is right or wrong. I am helping you only because of your grandfather, he has been a tremendous influence on all of us. We all respect him. He asked me for help and that is exactly what i am going to do even though i know it is going to be very risky" Abdul sahib said these words with a stern look on his face, a look which i had never seen before.
I listened to him quietly, there was nothing i could say.
" I have no idea if your Anita is going to come tomorrow. Frankly speaking, i hope she doesn't, because her presence is going to create problems for all of us. Even though you are grown up now, your obstinacy remains the same. it is this stubbornness of yours which has made your doting grandparents agree to fulfil your foolish desires". He continued in the same tone. He had never spoken to me in this kind of an almost angry way. My fears kept on growing. He was the one who was supposed to take me to the airport the next morning. Without his help, i had no way of reaching the airport. It was beginning to dawn upon me that Abdul Sahib was going to say that he would not help me or he could not.
" Bittu Ji, the flight arrives at 9 in the morning, which means we must leave home by 8." His tone had softened a little , giving me some hope.
" I have called for a taxi, the owner is known to me, that is why he is sending it, otherwise no cabdriver would agree to go the airport tomorrow. Do you know there is a complete curfew tomorrow, a curfew imposed by the government? all vehicles will be stopped. We have hope because the security forces might let us go as we are going to receive someone and also because you are a Kashmiri Pandit. Like it or not, they are sympathetic towards you people" I could notice a slight tinge of anger in his voice when he uttered the last few words.
" Bittu, pay heed to my words", i noticed the dropping of the Ji after my name. Another ominous sign? I did not know.
' You and i will leave at 8 in the morning", he continued. All this time, i had been sitting and listening to him like a man hypnotised with fear. not a word escaped my lips.
" Since the normal route to the airport has been closed, we have to take the only open route. And this route goes through Shaheed Ganj which is one of the most affected areas, an area where people take out processions everyday, an area which has a heavy presence of army men.Keep in mind that we are going to be confronted by twin dangers, one from the army and the other from the local people" As he said these words, whatever hope i had in my heart, started evaporating. How was it possible to reach the airport with so many obstacles on the way?
" On the way to the airport, we shall be stopped, asked questions, we shall be searched, maybe even detained. Allah alone knows what may happen. No matter what happens, you just keep quiet. Don't utter a single word. just let me do the talking and for god's sake keep your temper under control, understand?"
I could only nod my head in agreement.
" Bittu Ji, lots of changes have taken place since you were here last." I could not help but notice the return of Ji after Bittu. Was it something to cheer about? " The airport that you saw last time is not the same. It is heavily blockaded. Armed forces everywhere.We have to get down from our car almost a kilometre away from the airport and walk the rest of the way, understand?"
Again i just nodded, waiting for what was going to come next.
" We will be reaching the airport building on foot. We will not be able to enter. The passengers will come out of the building and it is for you to find out your Anita amongst them all and once you find her, there will be no further problems. I am confident we shall reach home safely. Now go to sleep, remember what i said and for your sake, i sincerely hope this Anita of yours is really on that flight". With these words, he got up, so did i. He turned around and started walking towards the door. As he was about to exit, he did an about turn, came up to me and hugged me tightly. he didn't say a word but that hug, by itself spoke volumes.
Slowly i made my way back to my room. I walked soundlessly, did not want to disturb Babuji and Amma. As soon as i entered my room, i flung myself onto the bed. All my pent up emotions burst forth. I started sobbing uncontrollably. I had managed to keep myself calm in the presence of Abdul Sahib but i could no longer do so. My whole body shook with the force of my sobs bur who was there to hear me, who was there to listen to me. i was all alone, waiting for an uncertain morning, a morning which was would be fraught with all kinds of risks. There was little i could do. I had brought this all upon myself. There was no way sleep would come to me. All i could think of was if we would manage to reach the airport and if Anita would come at all.
1 comment:
It is wonderful to follow this suspenseful and relevant story! In this chapter I love the dialog between the two men - with so much at stake - and the subtlety of their interaction. Can't wait for more!
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