He was drunk but wasn't under the influence of alcohol : Part II
Friday 7 December 2012
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He was drunk but wasn't under the influence of alcohol : Part I
‘To save your world you asked this
man to die;
Would this man, could he see you now, ask why?’, the epitaph on his grave read.
What started as a prank by a few mischievous students
in the name of ragging turned into a nightmare for an innocent student. Neither
could they derive any fun, nor could they gain anything substantial by
indulging in this fatal activity. It only led to more troubles and misery. Let
us bring the menace of ragging to an end and stop inflicting ignominy on
innocent students.
As he embarked on the way to the graveyard, he felt
as if he was being chased by someone. Indeed, he was right in his perception
when he felt the touch of a tail-like object. In a reflex he recoiled towards his left. It was a stray dog, a hungry black canine who had been
following him in the anticipation of being offered his share of meal. At first,
he decided to shoo away the dog by pelting stones at the malodorous creature but then suddenly his inner conscience was pricked and he hunkered down to feed him some
biscuits.
Satisfying the hunger of a hungry soul and quenching
the thirst of a thirsty soul are considered as great virtues in the Indian
society.
The sky seemed darker than usual days, devoid of any
stars and the illumination of the moonlight was rather dim. The winds roared
wildly and swiftly like a beleaguered beast causing him to shiver, both with
cold and fear. With an unsteady gait, he floundered to the graveyard, crushing
dry leaves throughout his journey and humming a monotonous, albeit difficult
song. Fear is a sensation that can make a student forget even simple answers
during an examination while on the contrary can make a person recall the lyrics
of even a difficult English song during testing times.
As he reached his destination, he encountered a
watchman who was supposedly the guardian of the spirits resting in their
respective coffins but ironically, was himself in a state of somnolence often,
with a substandard cigarette ‘bidi’
clutched in his jaws and equipped with a bottle of indigenous liquor and a
lantern in his hands.
“What are u
doing here at night, boy?” the watchman enquired, baffled.
“Sirrr…”
he stuttered, “to collect some samples”,
he lied.
The
watchman laughed monstrously hearing this.
“So you want to dig the dead out to collect
samples? I’ve never seen a student with such dedication. Get lost from here
before I complain to your hostel warden”, he reprimanded, scratching his
unshaved face and making rings with the smoke of his cigarette.
Siddharth remained silent. If he return without
completing the task assigned to him, he
would land himself in trouble. Nor could he muster courage to complain to the
authorities about the seniors. He took out some money from his pocket (sufficient
to buy him a few new bottles of liquor) and greased the palm of the watchman.
“You may
collect as many samples as you want, sir”, the watchman nodded, sniffing
the leaves that could keep his throat hydrated for the next couple of days.
In a nation where there is an outbreak of a new scam
or scandal every other day, even an aam aadmi (common
man) don’t hesitate to settle his disputes or get his work done by parting with
some money.
He moved briskly into the graveyard. After a brief
inspection, he could locate the grave he was looking for.
“ANTONIO GRAZA (1885-1925)”
Would this man, could he see you now, ask why?’, the epitaph on his grave read.
He crouched down to clean the grave off the dry
leaves, twigs and other waste that had piled on it over the years. What
happened in the next few moments could neither be termed as supernatural nor
could it termed as a paranormal activity. The events that unfolded were no less
than a horror. As soon as he took out the nails and the hammer from his pocket,
he started perspiring profusely. The fear and pressure that had surfaced in his
mind were now trying to gush out. He felt choked and gasped for breath. In a
flash, he thought of running away from that desolated, scary place.
As he got up to move away, his phone rang.
‘I walk a
lonely road, the only road that I had ever known. I walk alone, I walk alone, I
walk alone…’ was the caller tune.
“So
Mr. Siddharth, hopefully you have succeeded in locating the grave. Complete you
task asap and return with a snapshot. We are waiting for you anxiously”,
the voice on the opposite end roared.
“Yes…Yes
sirrr…, I am standing near the grave”, he replied.
“Listen dude,
I am a bird too old to be caught with chaff. No trick can deceive me. ”,
the voice warned. “We will let you enjoy
our company throughout your graduation years if you even think of… (Invectives
used)”, the voice chortled.
These words came as a bolt from the blue for him who
had decided to flee away from that spot. The conversation ended with this
admonition. As he bent down to dig the nail, he almost yelled with shock. He
could feel his heart throbbing and his pulse fastening. In that horrific and
gloomy scenario, a pair of dark glowing eyes penetrated deep into his eyes. He
fluttered at the very glimpse of this monster and immediately started crying
for help. It was a close shave with the spectre of death.
In a trice he got up to run for his life, when he
heard a shrill sound that resembled that of a cat. What had seemed so monstrous
was a black cat that had inhabited that secluded place. Meow…meow…meow…the cat
shrieked repeatedly.
Not many people provide shelter to creatures that symbolise bad fortune or evil. He was overwhelmed with emotions, both bitter and sweet. But the ordeal had not yet ended. He conjured his spirit to action again.
Not many people provide shelter to creatures that symbolise bad fortune or evil. He was overwhelmed with emotions, both bitter and sweet. But the ordeal had not yet ended. He conjured his spirit to action again.
“Sorry Mr.
ANTONIO GRAZA”, he apologised as he landed the first blow of the hammer to
nail the coffin.
Such was the level of fear and anxiety that had
clouded his mind that he was unaware of the fact that he had not dug the nail
properly and more importantly forgot to capture a snapshot of the same. In his
haste, as he got up to leave, he was pulled back towards the grave. He fell
down so hard that the lantern crushed into pieces under his weight. Perhaps Mr.
ANTONIO GRAZA had refused to accept hi apology, and he felt as if a hand had
come out of the grave and clutched his left foot to drag him forcibly into the
grave to the other world for this unpardonable sin that he had committed by
disturbing a spirit. It is a well-established doctrine, ‘Humanity must perforce
prey on itself’.
He was drunk but was not under the influence of alcohol. He was aghast, bewildered, confounded, dumbstruck, electrified, flagger basted, horrified and immobilised to see the blood spilled over the coffin.
He was drunk but was not under the influence of alcohol. He was aghast, bewildered, confounded, dumbstruck, electrified, flagger basted, horrified and immobilised to see the blood spilled over the coffin.
“R.I.P.
SiddharthOberoi”, were his last words as he suffered a heart attack and
succumbed to his ordeal.
Ragging is
a way of interaction between the senior and junior students that enables them
to come close and know each other better. But in practice, it is disorderly
conduct whether verbal, written or by an act which causes annoyance, hardship
or psychological harm inflicted upon a student. The following day, newspaper sources revealed that
ragging was once again responsible for the death of an innocent brilliant student.
“Although he was drunk, he wasn't under the influence of alcohol. In a traumatized state, he was unaware of the fact that he had dug his
kurta and some part of the skin of his left thigh on the coffin. As he got up
to leave, he was pulled back and he thought otherwise”,
the newspaper quoted.
“Somnolence coupled
with extreme terror took their toll on him as he left for his heavenly abode”,
it added.
SAY NO TO RAGGING.
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