by S Venkatesh
Meanwhile, only the iron will of the Army jawaans saved the situation from descending into complete anarchy.
Around four hundred people still ended up losing their lives, but Prof. Bavdekar’s discovery helped save the lives of the remaining eighty thousand.
***
News channels were abuzz with the tragedy in Delhi, but they had been given a different spin on the events. One of the headlines read: ‘Outbreak of a new strain of flu in Delhi brought under control, but claims 400 lives’.
No mention of either the KaalKoot or the bio bomb.
To a nosy reporter in Sikkim who had got wind of the helicopters moving to and fro, another cover story had been fed: ‘Six American tourists found dead in landslide in Sikkim’.
A fact unknown to the reporter, of course, was that one of the ‘tourists’ was the man who used to be known as the Maestro. And that he had come perilously close to bringing the world to its knees.
And nobody, except a chosen few in the Indian Army and the Anti-Conspiracy Group, knew that the common thread behind both the ‘new strain of flu’ coming under control and the death of the ‘tourists’ was a young man who had followed the trail of his missing girlfriend.
***
Friday
The young man in question was back in Mumbai.
Sam called Bani, who had undergone a successful surgery and was on the road to recovery.
‘So you survived,’ Sam said.
‘I should be saying that to you, buddy,’ Bani laughed.
Sam started laughing, too, slowly at first, and then more freely.
‘Maybe you and I are not so different after all,’ Bani said. ‘We are both the kind that would go to the ends of the earth to find what we seek.’
***
As the evening drew to a close, Sam found himself reflecting on the memory of a person whom he had grown to admire in the short time that he had known her in Goa.
‘Goodbye, secret agent Damini,’ Sam said quietly as he took in the setting sun.
A line from Harivanshrai Bachchan’s famous poem, ‘Madhushala’, celebrating life through the metaphor of the proverbial house of wine, came to his mind:
Ab na rahe woh peene waale,
Ab na rahi woh madhushala.
As always, something which an English translation could never do justice to.
Those that drank deeply of the wine of life are not around today,
The tavern, the milieu, is gone, too.
Sam sighed. We become what we repeatedly do, he remembered her telling him.
Maybe he could take a leaf out of Damini’s book and live a life of zest and passion. Maybe he could start the trekking school that he had dreamt of. Maybe read more of his favourite poetry. Or maybe he could travel around the country again and rediscover inspiration, just as he had many years ago when he had started his education venture.
Or maybe he could make a start by just shedding the baggage of the past.
***
Sam called the Colonel.
‘Hi,’ he said tentatively.
‘Hi, son, long time. How are the financial markets treating you?’
‘Pa, I’ve quit my job.’
There was silence for a few seconds.
Sam continued: ‘I don’t expect you to agree with my decision, but I do want you to respect it. Just like Ma would have.’
There was a deep intake of breath at the other end.
‘And, Pa…’
‘Uh, yes, beta,’ the Colonel’s voice was somewhat quivering.
‘I was wondering whether you might want to go for a trek in the Himalayas. Just you and I. Just like old times.’
There was a pause, and then the Colonel replied with the voice of someone who had a lump in his throat. ‘Anytime, beta.’
***
That evening, Sam sent a resignation email to Ayush and the human resources department at his firm, and walked out of the doors of Bancroft Cohen for the last time.
Later that evening, Sam nervously took a certain Ms Ananya Shah on a date to Café Royal.
It felt just like their first date. Complete with the chocolate brownies and the ice cream.
Except that this time, Sam did not run away from his feelings. ‘I love you,’ he said. ‘Deeply.’
‘I know,’ she said, looking deep into his eyes as she brought her lips close to his. ‘Next time, you don’t need to trudge up to a remote Himalayan cave to prove that.’
COMING SOON
AGNIBAAN
GUARDIANS OF THE FIRE CHAMBER
BY S. VENKATESH
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Venkatesh wears many hats. In his roles as private equity investor, executive coach, business leader, entrepreneur and Board member, he has helped businesses thrive and grow. He has spent a significant part of his professional life in the stock markets with Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan, and continues to be an avid investor.
Venkatesh has been keenly interested in Eastern philosophy and mysticism right from his college days at IIT Delhi and IIM Calcutta. He has found his inspiration to write in rather curious settings - while crawling through war tunnels in Vietnam, coming face-to-face with a bear in the Nilgiris, chancing upon an Indus Valley ruin while on a road trip, listening to ‘Madhushala’, or just drinking cutting chai by the roadside. He is passionate about self-discovery and the power of stories to inspire and transform.
Website: www.svenkatesh.in
Facebook: facebook.com/AuthorSVenkatesh
Twitter: @AuthorVenkatesh
Write to Venkatesh at: [email protected]