The Day The State Split Asunder - 33

A woman who walks straight into a man's life, upon whose arrival the never-ending time blissfully showers the torrents of happiness which beholds the immense power to raise the unique and rarest flowers of desire, transforming dreary deserts of desolation to a paradise of exotic blooms, inspiring a man to rise and face the world fearlessly; this is the power and magic of love.

At one point in the journey of our life, we come across a person without whom our existence seems meaningless. Karthik is fortunate for having a friend like Adarsh who is ready to put his life at stake for him, and now, his focus is all about winning Sanjanas heart.

Karthik had fallen head over heels for Sanjana. When she smiled, she looked more bright and ravishing than a fully bloomed rose. To him, Sanjana was a perfect woman and he often regarded her as the newest among the wonders, albeit the eighth wonder of the world. Not only did she possess perfect curvy looks to die for, she also had equally sharp brains which made her an instant hit wherever she went.

Sanjana is from Telangana, whereas Karthik is from Andhra. She is a hardcore supporter of 'The Telangana Movement' and is currently the secretary of 'The Telangana Women's Joint Action Committee'.

Many times he was worried about how his parents would react if they came to know that an Andhra boy like him has fallen in love with a Telangana girl. Deep inside, he was confident that he would be able to convince his parents and most probably they wouldn't be an obstacle for the marriage, but Sanjana may not accept him. 

He felt nervous about it, but after a brief chat with Adarsh, he turned confident and was now ready to take on the world. 

On the other side, the hatred between the two regions Andhra and Telangana reached an all-time high. The politicians instead of trying to bring peaceful resolution, are fanning the flames, causing bitter dissensions between the people of Andhra and Telangana. 

Andhraites, it seems, won't mind the loss of the other Telangana districts, except Hyderabad. Similarly, people of Telangana are not willing to accept sharing Hyderabad as their capital with Andhra and claim that they have no right over it. 

The demand for a separate Telangana state is a regional aspiration, or a case of the inland districts wanting their own political space in a state where the power structure is dominated by their ethnic brethren from the richer, coastal districts, or from the eastern grain bowl between the two great rivers, Krishna and Godavari. Telangana's districts are drier, poorer, have had only very limited benefits from the large hydel projects in the state, and see Hyderabad as their only real asset. The more entrepreneurial, energetic and richer coastal districts, on the other hand, believe that the buzzy new Hyderabad is both their reward and their creation.

Beginning a new relationship is one of the most difficult tasks especially when there is a lot of indifference. The same is the case with Karthik. He had started loving Sanjana. She had stolen his heart before he could do something about it. In this world where everything seems uncertain, only one thing was definite: The feeling of love, which is beyond words, beyond time, and the distance. 

After taking his shower, he sent Sanjana a text message.

Hi, Sanjana good morning. At what time are you planning to start?

Once he sent the message, he kept the phone next to his laptop, waiting for her reply. But no message came. 

His mother entered his room and put the coffee on his table. He was sipping his coffee and casually scrolling through the website of a newspaper which highlighted about the million march violence at the necklace road on every page. 

As he was flipping through the pages one particular column caught his eye: Horoscope Today: Astrological prediction for the week, what's in store for Aries, Leo, Libra, Scorpio and other zodiac signs. 

He was searching for his zodiac sign 'Leo' in the column name and it went on like:

You may stomp your feet all you like, but you're not going to get your way today. The days of 'me-myself' are over. Things won't be going quite well for you today, Leo, and you will find that aspects of your life are slipping out of the place. You will feel uneasy in your routine and may feel the urge to get away from the chaos of things. All chances are, this may invite unwanted troubles and furrow deeper lines of worry, but the universe assures that there is a purpose behind this, which will bring you closer to your life's deepest desire. Putting these things together, you are about to meet someone or something that's about to happen that is going to change your life forever.

"This is horrible! And why am I thinking like this! I am living in the twenty-first century, I should not believe in Horoscope and Astrology, but what if it turns out to be true? No, I don't want to lose Sanjana!" he became confused and agitated after reading the horoscope feed. 

His phone buzzed. It was Sanjana. His eyes lit up seeing her name on the screen.

"Hello, Sanjana! I was about to call you!" Karthik said, his excitement knew no bounds. 

"Hi, Karthik! Looks like it may not be possible for me to come to the book exhibition today."

His mind went blank, it seemed as if the horoscope had turned out to be true. He stomped his feet in disgust and said, "Why? What happened! Are you alright? I have seen in the newspaper that yesterday there was a lathi-charge upon the protestors who came to the million march."

"Ya! It became violent, but there is no mistake on our part. Many Andhra bound police were dropped into Hyderabad city to stop the million march and they arrested over thousand activists throughout the region and closed down entry to Hyderabad city by stopping certain transportation services and diverting traffic."

"Did they hurt you?"

"Luckily No! But I am happy that it was a big success!" her voice was echoing with pride, "We Telangana people are born warriors, we will fight until our last breath to achieve the separate state. Even if it requires sacrificing our lives for the sake of it."

"I agree, but can I take the liberty of asking you a question?"

"Why not just go ahead!"

"Do you think it is wise to demand Andhra people to go away from Hyderabad."

"Karthik! How come you are falling in the trap of the media people? Forgot! Even these media institutions are also from Andhra regions. We never said Andhra people should leave Hyderabad."

"Then what are these genocidal slogans like 'Andhra wale bhago! Telangana wale jaago!(Get out Andhrites, Wake up Telanganites)'"

"See Karthik don't believe everything you hear. Our fight is against the Andhra Politicians who exploited our lands, our jobs and our waters, not against the people who came here in search of a job and to live a better life. We are never against it. These media people are so addicted to exaggeration, they won't tell the truth without lying. Karthik, tell me one thing, are you a supporter of Andhra or Telangana? I think you are from Andhra right?"

"No! No! Sanjana, I am from Telangana only!" He lied to put a bar on her suspicion.

"No, but your slang is a bit different-"

"We planned to visit the book exhibition today!" he interrupted her and cleverly changed the subject, "forgot? You told me you will suggest the best books to read."

"Ah! Yes! Actually I forgot to tell you the actual reason I called for, I cannot come to the book exhibition today. I want to visit Chilukuru Balaji temple. It's been pending for many days."

"Hey, Same Pinch! It's been pending for me too. We have a lot of things in common! If you don't mind can I join you at the temple?" he crossed his fingers wishing for luck.

"Sure, come if you are interested," she said.

He wanted to say "Thank you so much!" but the words locked in his throat.

"How are you planning to reach there?" he asked.

"I will be taking a bus in another fifteen minutes. If there's no traffic I should reach there in sixty minutes."

"Ok! I am also starting now but in case if you reach early, don't go inside, wait for me."

"Sure Karthik! See you there bye!" and she disconnected the call.

He leaned his back against the wall and took several deep breaths. He was first disappointed at her for having dropped the plan of visiting the book exhibition but later felt ecstatic that he could still hang out with her at the temple. 

Moments later he started on his bike to the famous Chilukuru Balaji Temple which is just a forty minutes drive from his home. It was Sunday and the premises overflowed with thousands of devotees.

There was a small crowd of hawkers around the temple. Few were selling flowers, others were selling coconuts and garlands made with thulasi leaves. Still others were selling assorted items required for a puja.

He parked his bike in the large open ground of the temple. The cold winds blew in from all the directions. He sat on his bike, looking at the people passing by and rubbing his hands, trying to keep himself warm.

Every decision that we take leads us down a different road. Every decision has some significant impact on our life. Karthik didn't have any choice. He had to make a decision whether to proceed ahead in his love story or apply breaks to it. He had to be sure about his decision as it would have a deep impact on his life.

The buzz on his mobile interrupted his train of thoughts. It was Sanjana.

"Hello, Karthik where are you?" She asked.

"I am here in the parking area, where are you?"

"I already reached and I am near the barricades, outside of the parking ground."

"Just be there, I am coming!" he cut the call and began running towards the ground.

As he reached there, he looked around and couldn't spot Sanjana anywhere. He took the mobile out of his pocket to call her. While he was tapping her number on his mobile, he heard someone calling his name from behind. 

He turned around and happened to see Sanjana dressed in bright orange-coloured saree with a blue blouse and red stoned earrings. She looked extremely cute in it with ruby lips, appearing like a painting of an angel brought to life.

As soon as his eyes met hers, he smiled and felt the butterflies fluttering in his stomach. "O! O! O! Sanjana is it you!" He was mesmerized looking at her in the saree, "Now I understood why you came to the temple! Today is your birthday, right? Many Many happy returns of the day Sanjana!" He put his hand forward for a handshake.

Sanjana shook hands with him and with a bright beaming smile on her face, she said, "Thank you so much! But, it is not my birthday today!"

"If not today, then when?"

"January 15th," she said, releasing her hand from his.

"So only a month away! I want a big party."

"I will give, don't worry. When is your birthday?" she asked him. 

"Mine? It falls on August 18th."

"Still a long way to go."

"Of course it is! But I have to tell you one thing, you look so-so gorgeous in this saree! I am at a loss of words. I think God should send Shakespeare down to the earth. "

She blushed, "Why should Shakespeare be sent on to the earth?"

"Because only he can invent new words to describe you," Karthik said.

"Karthik, If we just keep talking we can never complete our darshan. Let's get in," she returned him with a smile and started walking towards the temple entrance door.

"Sanjana, I think it takes two hours to come out once we have entered inside," Karthik said to Sanjana, looking at the long queue line extending up to a length of one kilometre.

"Karthik! We should not think about the time in places like these," she added, which appeared like a soft admonishment.

"You know Sanjana! This is really a magical place and there is a very powerful energy inside which says all your wishes come true. By the way, what kind of wish do you want to ask for?"

"You know face reading right? I think you already know the answer." There was a hint of derision in her voice.

"Ah Yes! I know what you will be asking for?"

She turned her face towards him and narrowed her icy blue eyes at him, "Tell me what is that?"

He smiled and said, "Your face is saying that you are expecting a tall, handsome and rich husband in your life."

"That's completely wrong!" she blurted, "I don't want to get married until the state gets separated."

 "Sanjana! What if the state doesn't get separated? Will you remain unmarried all throughout your life?"

"Who told you that the state doesn't get separated! We are going to achieve it soon by 2014, No matter how much these Andhra ministers and investors try to block it, we will emerge victoriously!" 

To his mind, her statement appeared like a magisterial pronouncement. He fell silent and kept walking side by side as they joined the queue line. It took them one hour to reach the inner shrine which is just a minute walk on usual weekdays. 

As they entered into the inner sanctum, they happened to see a large number of devotees circling the central temple where the deity is kept. Many are holding a yellow card having the numbers from 1 to 108 printed upon it. The devotees are crossing one number after every round to keep track of the number of times they circled. 

Chants of devotional mantras filled the air and the head priest of the temple was giving the devotional commentaries on the mike in English and Telugu.

"Sanjana, are you planning to do 108 rounds or what?" he smiled embarassingly.

"No Karthik," she replied. "But we need to do at least 11 rounds."

Her reply came as a big sigh of relief as completing 108 rounds around the shrine is equal to walking seven kilometres. 

They started circling the temple walking side by side. Throughout the time she was busy chanting the mantra, not caring to have a look at him.

"Sanjana, do you know the history of this temple? Even though I visited several times, I don't know the history."

"According to the legend, there was a great devotee of Lord Venkateshwara who never missed his yearly trip to Tirupati. One time he missed the pilgrimage due to his ill-health and was upset about not visiting his beloved God. That night Lord Venkateshwara appeared in his dreams to say that 'he is nearby and the devotee doesn't have to go to Tirupati to seek his darshan'. Next day the devotee goes to the place which he saw in the dream and starts digging a big hole. Suddenly, the blood starts oozing out of an anthill and the devotee gets scared. Immediately, an unseen voice tells him to fill the anthill with cow's milk. The devotee follows this suggestion and gets an idol of Lord Balaji along with Sreedevi and Bhudevi for his surprise. Later, this idol of Lord Venkateshwara is installed here in this place."

Karthik listened to the story and nodded in agreement.  "Wonderful! You are a walking encyclopedia! How come you have gathered this much knowledge? I think you are born intelligent!"

"Karthik! I read it in one of the books. Whatever I have learned, I learned only through books."

"After completing the darshan shall we have lunch at BBQ Nation? They have recently opened it!"

"We will think about it later," she said, giving him an odd look. He thought maybe she is not much interested in discussing it now and thought about broaching it later.

Swamiji is also in the same temple and is just two rounds short of finishing 108. As he reached the main stupa, he crossed the 107th digit on his paper. One more round, he will be done with it. He came early in the morning around six and has been circling the shrine taking breaks in between. Being diabetic he has to consume food on time, but being a strict practitioner of traditions, he was performing the rounds without eating anything. 

While Swamiji is just fifteen feet away from the main stupa, his vision started to blur, the earth seemed to be rotating anti-clockwise and began sweating. He started breathing faster and stood rooted to the spot as his legs were struggling to make any step forward. The pen and paper dropped from his hand and he collapsed on the ground exactly in front of Karthik and Sanjana.

The devotees around stopped their pursuit. Sanjana kneeled and asked the people around, "Can somebody please get the water?"

Karthik snatched a bottle from a person standing beside him and sprinkled water on Swamiji's face. But he didn't show any kind of movements.

"Does anyone here know him?" Sanjana asked, gazing at the people gathered around. But there is no response. 

"Karthik! Looks like he has no one! Please call the ambulance! Let us take him to the hospital quickly!" Sanjana said to Karthik.

The priest alerted the officials on the mike and in a minute a stretcher was scrambled to the spot. The paramedics placed Swamiji on the stretcher and carried him into the ambulance. Sanjana and Karthik sat in the ambulance. 

Sanjana placed her hand on Swamiji's chest to feel his heartbeat. "His heart is still beating, ask the driver to quickly take us to the nearest hospital," Sanjana said to Karthik.

Karthik knocked on the window of the compartment of the plywood partition which separates the cabin from the driver. The driver slid the window to the left.

"Please take us to the nearest hospital!" Karthik said.

"Yes sir! The JB hospital is the only biggest one in this village. Shall I take you there or to the government primary health care centre?"

"Take us to JB Hospital quickly!" Sanjana said.

The driver turned on the Siren, accelerated the van and reached the hospital. The paramedics wheeled into the general ward. The doctor on duty rushed towards them.

"What happened?" the doctor asked, plugging the stethoscope earphones.

"We don't know! He collapsed all of a sudden," Karthik said 

The doctor put the stethoscope on the old man's chest. "His heart is beating slow. Is he diabetic and suffering from blood pressure?"

"I don't know sir!" Karthik said.

"Then who is this person?"

"We already said we don't know!" Sanjana replied.

"Then who is going to pay the fee?" the doctor asked looking at both of them.

"I will pay the fee! You please start the treatment," Karthik said.

The doctor nodded his head and said, "We need to take him to the ICU. Please pay twenty-five thousand in the counter."

To be continued...