The Day The State Split Asunder - 35

Karthik shifted to the window and watched Sanjana heading towards the hospital entry gate. Her back looked rigid and her long black silky hair was swinging from side to side as she was striding on the road. She didn't care to turn back even once. He saw her crossing the gate, hailing a rickshaw and climbing in. He kept staring at her until she disappeared from his view.

He felt sorry for himself as he had built castles of expectations to make his day memorable with her.

At last, the horoscope transpired to be true. All my plans backfired like a boomerang. This is all because of this old man! But it also said I will meet someone who is going to change my life forever. Is this old man that someone?

"Young man! Watching for someone out there?" The old man said in a low polite tone, while still resting on his bed.

Karthik turned facing Swamiji and grunted an impatient sigh. "Nothing! I am just looking at the trees and the surroundings."

"The furrowed brows on your face ‌conveys how worried you are, or maybe you're cursing me for ruining your day," Swamiji said as if he had read his mind.

"This old man must be a psychic!" Karthik whispered to himself in astonishment.

"Boy!" Swamiji continued, "tell me, what is your problem? A problem shared is a problem halved."

"Hmm..." Karthik took a brief pause and said, "Uncle, I don't have any problems and please don't think too much about it. Take some rest."

"Karthik, I am good now-" Swamiji coughed, then paused and gestured to Karthik to sit on the green plastic chair beside his bed.

"Ya! I can see it, you're perfectly alright," Karthik said, with his tongue burning with sarcasm. "Want some water?"

"No need!" Swamiji stared at him for a moment to gauge his facial expressions. The disappointment was still obvious on Karthik's face. "Karthik, you and I meeting each other is not just a mere accident. Even though hundreds of people are present in the temple, why did the God choose only you and Sanjana to carry me to the hospital? Can you tell me?" 

"I don't have any idea about it! The events were flying at such a tremendous speed that I couldn't get the time to meditate upon it," Karthik said, shrugging his shoulders.

"It is God's will, dear. It is he who brought both of us together and his plans are always great, even if it's painful," Swamiji said. There's a perfect blend of warmth and confidence in his words. "He doesn't bring anyone together if he doesn't want to. If he does, then it has a purpose. If I am not meant to meet you, he will not put me before you. Every single meeting serves a much greater purpose than what we can discern at this moment, and it's not luck, chance and coincidence."

A dim smile surfaced on Karthik's cheerless face. "Uncle, I didn't understand what you're talking about, but it looks interesting."

"Nothing can interest you if it does not involve you. And Karthik, if you don't mind, can I ask you one question?" Swamiji asked him in a requesting tone.

"What is that, uncle?" Karthik said.

"Do you like Sanjana?" Swamiji said with no hesitation.

Karthik was speechless. He looked down at the floor for a moment with a shy smile.

"If you tell me the truth, I will tell you a big secret in return," Swamiji added.

"What is that big secret uncle?" Karthik asked in undisguised wonder.

"I think you might have learned that there's nothing called the concept of getting something for nothing. Tell me the truth and I shall tell you the secret, which will blow your mind," Swamiji said.

Can I trust him? What can be that secret which can blow away my mind? Karthik's mind once again became belligerent with perplexing thoughts.

"Trust me dear, else do one thing, go to the window, open it, look outside, take in the fresh air, put your mind at ease and then come back, and speak with your heart," Swamiji blinked his eyes and shot an affable smile at him ‌to make him feel comfortable.

Something struck Karthik instantly. Few people are naturally charismatic, and they automatically energize and motivate others to take action, and Swamiji is no exception to that case.

Karthik got up and walked towards the window. He opened the window by pushing one of the pane to the left. Evening vibes have descended, and the sun is about to set in two hours. He took in the cool breeze into his lungs and gazed at the path through which Sanjana walked and then took in the view of the clusters of Neem, Eucalyptus, Gulmohar and the Ashoka trees sprawled in the hospital premises.

Unexpectedly though, his expression transformed from uncertainty to serenity. It was almost as if someone had sucked out all the negative energy from within. He turned around and saw Swamiji staring at him with a slight smile. He walked back and sat on the chair. His gut instincts this time gave him the green signal to trust Swamiji without any hesitation.

"Uncle, I will open my heart. You are right, I love Sanjana! And my love for her is as powerful as the letter 'S' on Superman," Karthik made a clean breast of his feelings for Sanjana, "I wonder how did you get to know that I am in love with her."

"I have seen life much ahead of you and I came across many people in my journey," Swamiji replied. "There's nothing wrong in loving someone, but did you express your love for her?"

"No, uncle!" Karthik said, pounding his fist on the chair's arm, "many times I thought of telling it, but there is one obstacle that is preventing me."

"What is that stumbling block which is preventing you from expressing yourself?"

"Uncle, I am from Andhra and Sanjana is from Telangana. You know the stand-off between the two regions. Do you think she will accept me?"

"That's unfortunate," Swamiji said. "But actual love doesn't meet you at your best, it meets you in your mess."

"Uncle, now that I confessed as you called for, can you now tell me the big secret?"

Swamiji looked up at the ceiling as if he is trying to recollect the memories of the past, and turning his face towards Karthik, he started, "Once upon a time in Hyderabad there lived a man Raghu, who was a writer and used to publish his short stories in a weekly magazine run by 'Andhra Velugu' newspaper. Apart from being the writer, he was also a social rights activist who spearheaded the abolition of wine shops, bars, pubs and other institutions that plagued the society. He was living a happy life with his wife in a small, beautiful home. But there's only one problem in his life-"

"What is that problem?" Karthik interrupted him.

Swamiji narrowed his eyes in frustration, "Karthik, please don't stop me while I am speaking." 

"Sorry, uncle! Please continue. What is the problem he is facing?"

"Kids!" Swamiji continued, "He and his wife prayed a lot to bless them with a child, and it is only after ten years of their marriage, they welcomed a beautiful baby girl in their life. Raghu's gloomy world glittered in radiant rays of hope as the baby girl had the same set of blue eyes like him, and his joy was indescribable. Four years after his daughter's birth, fate acted tough upon him as his wife succumbed to cancer. He couldn't save her life as he failed to arrange the required money on time. From that day, Sanjana became the entire world for him.

"One day the newspaper editor requested him to write an article about the 'Role of Pharmaceutical Industry in India GDP'. Synchronously, a national conference was being held in the city about the future of pharma industries in the subcontinent. Raghu had a best friend whom he affectionately used to call 'Swami', who also worked in the same newspaper company. With the help of him, he got an access pass for the conference. 

"Scientists and business executives from fifteen countries attended the conference. During lunch hour he ran into one of the Indian scientists Dhyaneshwar, working at 'Prometheus Life Sciences' in the United States. In no time, Raghu got acquainted with him and took his interview. The explanations, opinions and insights given by Dhyaneshwar fascinated Raghu so much that he even published his biography upon him in the magazine and-"

Swamiji had to stop his narration as Karthik's mobile was ringing. 

Karthik took out the mobile from his pocket and saw that the call was being received on the second sim. "Uncle, this call is for you, I have put your sim in mine," Karthik tapped on the answer icon instantly and gave it to Swamiji, "Please talk!"

Swamiji placed the mobile near his ear and said, "Hello!"

"Sir, this is Radha," The person on the other side is none other than his student and the head of HBN-7 news channel Radha Krishna.

"Hello Radha! How are you? It's been again a long time. How is Shanthi?"

"She is doing well, sir. Actually, I came to your home, but there was a lock on your door. Where are you?"

"Radha, I came to my friend's home. Is everything good at your end?" Swamiji didn't inform him about being admitted in the hospital as he didn't want to trouble him.

Why is this old man lying? Karthik frowned slightly at Swamiji. Whom is he talking to? Must be his daughter, I think.

"Yes sir, actually I have to discuss something important. At what time you will be back, sir?"

"It looks like I need to spend the entire night here. Why? Is there any emergency?"

"No sir, not that much urgent. We can discuss it tomorrow."

"Then can you come tomorrow evening?"

"Yes sir, that will do. I will meet you tomorrow then."

"Ok Radha! See you tomorrow, take care," Swamiji gave the phone back to Karthik.

"Uncle, your mobile battery was down. So, I had put your sim on my mobile hoping to reach out to your family members, but there are no contacts saved on your mobile," Karthik said before Swamiji could say anything. "Is Radha your daughter?"

"No! This Radha with whom I spoke to is not female but male. He was my student, and I don't have any family and I am not married, I am still a bachelor," Swamiji's eyes had shown a brief flash of humour, "And, where did I stop?"

"You said till Raghu took the interview of Dhyaneshwar and published his article," Karthik said.

"Ah! Okay! The article impressed Dhyaneshwar, and the following day he requested Raghu to his home for lunch. Raghu accepted his invitation and went to his home. In discussion during lunch, Dhyaneshwar and Raghu were discussing each other's personal lives and Raghu being excessively talkative by nature told him about his entire life story including the twenty acres of land that he owned on the outskirts of the city, near to the Choutuppal industrial cluster setup for pharmaceutical industries. 

"After learning that Raghu owns twenty acres of land at Choutuppal, Dhyaneshwar became so excited and revealed his dream about establishing a pharmaceutical company in India. He said he can arrange the required capital from his friends in the United States and requested Raghu to be his partner. Raghu wasn't interested in the beginning, but ultimately agreed, hoping to give a bright future to his beloved daughter.

"Raghu trusted Dhyaneshwar blindly and gave permission to set up the industry on his land. The company was established and things were sailing smoothly with no turbulence, but one day, an explosion took place inside of the pharma plant and fifteen workers died on the spot. The flames charred their bodies beyond recognition, and the only way to find out their identity is by performing a DNA test. Looking at the cries of the family members of the deceased workers, tears sprang out of Raghu's eyes. He felt himself responsible for their death. 

"A team of investigation panel setup by the government discovered that the company has license only for research and development of drugs, but they were illegally running a formulation plant and were manufacturing the drug Ketamine, a medication mainly used for starting and maintaining anesthesia.

"As you know time always exposes the true nature of a person, Dhyaneshwar bribed the government authorities to manipulate the report in his favour. Raghu wasn't happy about his behaviour and didn't want to continue anymore in that company, which has no compassion for a fellow human being's life. He withdrew himself from the company board and pressed Dhyaneshwar to pay one crore rupees each to the workers who died in the mishap as compensation and also demanded him to vacate his land and shift the company somewhere else. Dhyaneshwar refused to his demand and even threatened to kill him.

"Dhyaneshwar proved himself to be a hypocrite. Raghu lodged a complaint in the police station, but the authorities refused to register the case. With all doors closed, he approached his best friend Swami and narrated the entire sketch of events. Swami suggested Raghu to file a complaint against Dhyaneshwar for violating the safety norms and for illegally setting up a manufacturing plant. But they need evidence. The same day, they entered the company stealthily at night, and peeked into Dhyaneshwar's personal cabin. They collected the documents pertaining to the export of drugs to the countries Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka through seaports and also the bank passbooks and statements which showed how much amount he received for the illegal trade along with the contract agreement from the agencies.

"Swami and Raghu planned to meet the commissioner the following day and got out of the company, but fate capsized it. Swami met with an accident while he was on his way to Hyderabad and went into a coma. The next day Dhyaneshwar asked Raghu to meet him at the office and killed him there. He managed the police officials and got the case closed as suicide."

Swamiji closed his eyes for a moment and then turning towards Karthik, he said, "Karthik, can you guess who this Raghu is?"

"How can I know uncle?"

"Raghu is none other than Raghavendra, Akella Raghavendra, father of Akella Sanjana," Swamiji said.

"What! Are you serious?" asked flabbergasted Karthik.

"Yes! I am serious."

Karthik was stunned. It took a few seconds for the fact to get registered in his mind. He couldn't believe that the stranger whom he cursed previously for spoiling his day will turn out to be a blessing in disguise. After a minute he came back to his senses and in his gentle tone, he said, "Uncle, I hope I am not dreaming," he pinched himself, "This is not a dream!"

"This is reality, and you need to accept it," Swamiji acknowledged. 

"I have seen your name on the voter id card, If my guess is correct, you are Raghu's friend 'Swami'? Am I right?"

"You're right. That Swami is none other than me and don't tell Sanjana about all these things. I will let her know when the times are good," Swamiji said.

"As you wish, uncle. Can you tell me what happened to you after the accident?"

"I was in a coma for two years. And I later came to know that Raghu's brother took Sanjana along with him to Warangal. I approached them to reopen the case against Dhyaneshwar, but the family refused. They requested me not to tell Sanjana anything about the rivalry with Dhyaneshwar, as they feared for Sanjana's life. And it was only after these many years I saw her today. God is great! He is always great!"

As Swamiji completed his narration, Karthik's heart was filled with compassion for Sanjana.

"Sanjana has endured a lot of struggles in her life," Karthik said to Swamiji, "She is really a warrior! And uncle, is that bloody beast Dhyaneshwar still alive?"

"A sinner never leaves this world early. I should have died on the same day of the accident, and the reason God didn't take me along with him is because I have an incomplete work. And as long as I don't finish it, I will not die!" Swamiji's voice was burning with fury.

"Uncle! relax! relax! Take some water," Karthik poured the water from jug to glass and gave it to him. Swamiji slowly sipped it and exhaled his breath loudly through his mouth.

"What is that incomplete work?" Karthik asked him after the furiousness on his face abated.

"Revenge dear! It's revenge! Against Dhyaneshwar," Swamiji said, stressing on the word 'revenge'.

"Uncle, you will not fight alone. That cruel Dhyaneshwar ruined Sanjana and his family. I will be your partner in your revenge! I swear in the name of my mother that I will provide all support from my side in your revenge against him," Karthik raised his head high like a king before venturing into the battlefield.

"It is very dangerous, and it is not lesser than a suicidal mission," Swamiji shot back in consternation.

"You said God has brought both of us together for a purpose and that purpose is none other than destroying Dhyaneshwar and restoring the ownership of the land back to my Sanjana."

"Your Sanjana!" Swamiji asked, slightly raising his eyebrows.

"I mean our-our Sanjana," Karthik stammered, "And I will not step back from this revenge. If you are not interested in including me in your mission, tell me, I will carry it on my own."

"No! No! For heaven's sake, please don't do that. You don't know how dangerous Dhyaneshwar is, he is a crocodile, and one should not insult crocodile while your foot is still in water. You need to bring it out of the waters."

"I don't care if he is a crocodile or dinosaur. He is a criminal, and he needs to be in the jail," Karthik's eyes were flaming with wrath.

"Boy, have control on your emotions. Never let them overpower your intelligence. I will take you in my mission but on one condition."

"What is that uncle?"

"You must accept and abide for whatever I say, and question nothing in return."

"I give you my word, uncle. Together, let's teach that bastard a lesson that he shall never forget in his life."

"We will think about it once after I am out of this hospital," Swamiji said, yawning and rubbing his eyes. "I don't feel like staying here, I am feeling good. When are they going to discharge me?"

As Karthik was about to reply, the doctor meanwhile opened the door and entered the room. He measured the blood pressure and pulse rates of Swamiji. After ten minutes of intense examination, the doctor told to Karthik that Swamiji can go to home tomorrow morning. This news came as a gigantic relief for Swamiji.

"How much was the bill?" Swamiji asked Karthik.

"Uncle, don't ask me anything about it!"

"But-"

"I am going out to get food for both of us!" Karthik barred him from speaking further about the bill and rushed out of the room. 

Swamiji got pleased with Karthik's benevolent deed and said to himself, "What a wonderful guy he is! Sanjana will be lucky if she accepts him."

As Karthik was descending the stairs, he received a text message on his mobile. It was from Sanjana. He stopped, leaned his back against the wall and started chatting with her.

Sanjana: Hi Karthik.

Karthik: Hi Sanjana.

Sanjana: How is the uncle?

Karthik: He is perfect. The doctor said they will discharge him tomorrow morning.

Sanjana: Cool... And I am so sorry for leaving you there.

Karthik: Hey no issues, but I have to tell you one thing.

Sanjana: What is that?

Karthik: You were looking so gorgeous in the saree today.

Sanjana: Thank you so much.

Karthik: And what else?

Sanjana: Nothing there is a big meeting at Osmania University tomorrow.

Karthik: Oh ok

Sanjana: Karthik, I will catch you later. I have a meeting now bye.

Karthik: Bye

He gazed around to ensure there's no one nearby. He then opened Sanjana's photo in his gallery and brought the mobile delicately to his lips and gently kissed on it.

I will do whatever I can to restore the ownership of your father's land in your name by your birthday.

To be continued...