by Ravi Dabral
When I regained consciousness, I realised that I was in an unknown room tied up to the chair. I was surrounded by five people. Though I could identify Sanjay, Mr. Mishra, and the ACP immediately, it took me some time to recognise the other two. The shock of seeing Sanjay as part of the gang was very painful. The other two persons were a leading politician Mr. Rawat and the businessman Mr. Thapar. The politician asked me where I had kept the original set of sting operation CDs. Very soon he was joined by the rest of the gang, forcing me to divulge information. But I stuck to my principles and ethics, refusing to say anything.
To my surprise, it was Sanjay who convinced them that no amount of torture would make me give up the CDs. Thus, they agreed that the only course left open was to eliminate me, as they could not leave me alive. I was not able to believe that I was seeing my best friend Sanjay in the role of a conspirator and now a murderer.
The politician asked me if I had any last wish.
I replied, “I just want to know why my friend Sanjay became my enemy?”
Sanjay’s words were a big surprise to me as he said that he had never been my friend, but he always hid his enmity from me in the garb of friendship. For so many years, he was burning himself in the fire of jealousy and I did not even realize it. He also revealed that Anjali too loved me which further increased his hatred for me. Hearing that Anjali loved me strengthened my views that goodness, ethics, and values are always rewarded, but the only thing was that I was getting this news at the wrong time.
By this time the politician was eager to finish me off, but the ACP stopped him saying that it would be best to take me to a lonely place where it would be easier to cover up the evidence of the crime. They tied my hands and feet and taped my mouth. After this, they placed me in the boot of the car.
When we reached a lonely forest road, all of them got out of the car. They seemed to be arguing. Finally, I understood that the argument was about how to kill me and dispose my body. Can humans be so cruel? Will they do anything for greed, even to the extent of killing someone? The mighty animal in the forest eats a weak beast, to fulfil its appetite, but man is murdering for his greed. What is happening in this world? My hands and feet were tied, and my mouth was taped. So, there was no question of escaping or calling out for help. Anyway, on the deserted stretch, who was going to come to my rescue?
I had a few minutes to compose myself. They were planning to stab me to death, in which each one of them would cause a wound to my vital organs. My mind wandered again and again to the thought how Sanjay, my best friend, could be a party to this crime, the hands which once woke up to hug me, will now rise to wound me today. I decided to concentrate and think about all the yoga and meditation lessons that Guruji had taught me.
The lessons of pranayam and anulom-vilom had taught me to control my breath for quite some time at a stretch. Moreover, I was focussing my mind on my bellybutton area to awaken my kundali and seven chakras which could create a magnetic layer over my entire body. This magnetic field would not allow the knife to penetrate deep inside my body, thus not causing as much harm as it otherwise would. So, though there were wounds and loss of blood, on the whole, the damage to my vital organs was much lesser than what it could have been.
When the knife plunged into my body, I felt the pain each time, but I tried not to scream and resist as that could break my yogic and meditation process affecting the layer of the magnetic field surrounding my body.
Once each of them had finished stabbing me, they came up to check my pulse rate. At that time, yoga helped me withhold my breath so that they were convinced that I was no longer alive.
While they were digging the grave for me, which was going to take some time, I was trying to recollect all the theory and practice about yogic exercises that Guruji had taught me which I have to practically apply soon. This was like recalling key points before the main exams. In this theory and practical exam, the only one big question to be asked was, how will I survive?
I was trying to recall the concept of the ‘sacred seven chakras of our body’ which are mentioned in tantric and yogic traditions of Hinduism. The name chakra is derived from the Sanskrit word for ‘wheel.’ Indian yogis believed that chakras exist in the body of living beings. They are coils of energy, rotating whirlpools surrounding the spine, considered the focal point for the reception and transmission of energies. In all, there are seven chakras in our body (1) Crown chakra, top of the head (2) Brow chakra, the centre of the forehead (3) Throat chakra (4) Heart chakra (5) Solar chakra, near bellybutton (6) Spleen chakra, near lower abdomen (7) Root chakra, located at the base of spine.
Similar to these seven chakras, our classical music has seven notes of melody: Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, and Ni, which roughly correspond to the western Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, and Ti. Ancient belief is that the seven notes correspond to each of the seven chakras within us. The chakra is activated when the frequency of the note matches the frequency of the given chakra. ’Om’ is the single word which takes all these seven notes into account. Hence, ‘Om’ is an integral part of yoga, meditation and soul awakening. As the seven colours (known as VIBGYOR: Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, and Red) combined to form one universal light, the white light, similarly the seven frequencies of melody combined to give a universal sound ‘Om.’
Modern scientists too believe that there are seven broad forms of energy: mechanical, heat, chemical, radiant, electrical, sound, and nuclear. Ancient sages not only knew that each of these could be broken into seven constituent elements but also had found a way to combine multiple sources of energy into a single one. The meditation that they practised on the banks of the rivers or inside the caves of Himalayas was a technique to concentrate multiple energy forms into one by repeatedly chanting the word ‘Om’ after bringing the mind into a still position (Samadhi stage) through meditation process to achieve spiritual powers.
Ancient spiritual masters could lift their bodies into thin air at will. With the help of spiritual practices, they could alter the flow of electric currents through their body into a magnetic field which would lift them off the ground. I had to follow them.
The yogic practice called ‘astral projection’ could help me lift my body in the air so that I could come out on the ground from the grave. My only doubt was whether I would be successful in doing so as I had not had sufficient time to have more practical experience of these yogic techniques.
I had to put my theoretical knowledge into practical use. Otherwise, my death was inevitable.
Suddenly I realised that they had finished digging the grave. I stopped breathing again. They untied my hands and feet, removed my clothes and lifted me to place my body inside the grave.
The thin air inside the grave made breathing impossible and I was already exhausted. My maximum limit for not taking a proper breath was almost over, and I started feeling suffocated. I was using meditative healing, yogic respiratory process and magnetic power techniques to survive inside the grave, but because of lack of practice and oxygen, I was exhausted and tired. Now I needed to come out of the grave to get fresh air to survive. This was the time to apply astral projection using seven chakras combining electrical and magnetic energy to lift the body into the atmosphere to come out of the grave. I tried but failed. My breath was almost breaking. I decided to give one final try recollecting all the techniques that I had learnt from Guruji, and suddenly a miracle happened, my body came up from the grave. This was a happy moment for me. Now I realised that finally, I had survived. The twinkling stars, my friends in the sky welcomed my new birth on this earth!
The joy of being alive was great. In a way, it was a victory for yoga, mind, soul and spiritual powers over materialistic powers.
As I came out of the grave, I could see the tail-lights of their car in the distance. But at the same time, the exertion and the wounds had exhausted me. I lay there next to the grave. My condition was bad as they had removed all my clothes and other belongings from my body. The only consoling
factor was that it was such a deserted place that no one was there to see me in this condition.
The exhaustion sent me to sleep for a few hours, and when I got up, I was feeling cold, and my wounds were stiff. Somehow, I got up and started walking towards the main road. I lost track of all time and the distance I had travelled. Suddenly in the bleak atmosphere, I saw a dim light. With renewed energy, I walked towards that ray of hope. When I reached there, I saw that it was a run-down cottage. Looking at the moon in the sky, I presumed it to be past midnight. I had no option but to knock at the door to seek help.
After some time a middle-aged man opened the door. The mere sight of a naked man covered in soil with wounds on his body, was sufficient for him to assume that I was a ghost. He screamed in a hysterical manner which prompted the other members of the family to come out with whatever domestic weapons they could lay their hands on. Their only aim was to throw me out of that place. I pleaded with them, “Please do not be scared. I am neither insane nor a beggar. I am in extreme difficulties and need your help. My only requirement is a few clothes so that I can go into the city.”
Luckily, the eldest member of the family took pity on me and provided me with some old clothes of her son and a pair of slippers. Looking at my hollow eyes and lost condition she provided me with some food but being a stranger to them; they did not allow me to stay at their house. For me, clothes and food were the biggest assets at that time; the earth was my shelter, and the sky was a veil with stars shining on it.
I thanked all of them and again started walking away from their house. My body was aching while I was walking on the road, but I was feeling less cold as I now had some clothes on my body. I walked for around a few kilometres and was thirsty. I stopped near a roadside restaurant (Dhaba) on the highway and asked the waiter for water. After drinking water, I was so tired that with the permission of the waiter I slept on a bench outside the Dhaba and only woke up in the morning around 6:00 a.m. when the waiter told me that customers would start arriving soon, so it was better if I left the place.
I was in a great dilemma, “What was I to do?” If I went home and the crooks found out that I was alive, they would try to harm not only me but also my family. As the ACP was a part of the nexus, I could not go to the police station. Media also was not an option as my news would only be used to increase the TRP of the news channels. What option did I have? I felt that the only place I could find anonymity and safety was at Guruji’s ashram. Hence I somehow managed a ride to Rishikesh on the next bus that stopped at the Dhaba, by hiding in the luggage at the top roof of the bus. Thus I reached Guruji’s ashram at around 9:00 a.m.
19
Revenge Strategies
11 March 2017
I reached Guruji’s ashram and collapsed. After some time when I had a couple of glasses of water and regained some strength, I narrated to Guruji all the incidents that had taken place and highlighted the role of yoga and meditation techniques in my survival. Guruji was glad to see me alive. He got me treated by the ashram’s ayurvedic physician. After that Guruji allotted a room to me and asked me to rest for a few hours. The events of the previous night kept unfolding in front of my eyes. Along with that the worry of what had happened to my family was another thought that kept me awake. The medicines must have contained a sedative because soon I was fast asleep.
The next time I woke up, it was already late afternoon. Guruji came to my room and took me to the Peace Hall where the news channels were telecasting my sad demise and my funeral rites being performed by Ujjawal with the help of Vijay.
The mere sight of the villains at my funeral was sufficient to arouse my anger. Reporters and editors were present at the funeral commenting on my death, telecasting it as an accident; it was an excellent opportunity for them to increase their TRP. When I saw videos showing the editor and Mr. Thapar present at my funeral hugging my brother and consoling my parents, I blew up. Sanjay was just beside my brother Vijay, giving him condolences, acting as if he was my dearest friend.
Seeing all this on the news channel, my eyes filled with anger. I said to Guruji, “These villains are doing drama to grab public attention. How can they be so mean? They have just committed a murder and are telecasting it as an accident to the whole world!”
Guruji said, “Relax Suraj, relax.”
I told Guruji then and there, “I will take revenge, I will not spare them.”
Guruji calmed me down and said that first I should have something to eat, build my strength and then plan my revenge. He did not preach not to take revenge. I was very hungry and even while having food I kept repeating that these evil and corrupt people had to be exposed! Guruji told me to go to my room and think over how I want to take my revenge. He agreed to meet me the next morning by which time he asked me to have a minimum of five revenge strategies jotted down.
As I had already rested during the day, my mind was active. After giving a lot of thought, various options came to my mind.
The first option was to call a press conference where I would announce to the whole world that I was alive and expose the conspiracy of the crooks to kill me along with the motive behind the plan. I had a set of my sting operation CDs kept safely to substantiate the plan.
The second option was to buy a gun and shoot all of them and become popular among the masses. But the biggest obstacle would be the high security surrounding these people, particularly the politician and the ACP.
The third option I thought of, was to acquire the knowledge of black magic and then eliminate them with it.
The fourth was to lodge an FIR against them in a police station.
In spite of thinking deep for a long time, I could not come up with a fifth option.
Finally, all this mental activity had its toll on me, and I fell into a disturbed sleep.
Next day in the morning, when I met Guruji, he asked me about my revenge options so that we could brainstorm and analyse their feasibility. I told him about the first option of calling a press conference as I had all the evidence to prove my claims. Guruji wanted to know if the press conference would achieve anything; as I was still alive, it would only be sensational news for a few days, helping news channels increase their TRP and finally media trial without any conclusive result. He asked me to reconsider the positive and negative effects of the option once again because the crooks would not be punished and would roam free.
I moved on to my second option of purchasing a gun and shooting all of them. Guruji asked me, “Assuming that you manage to kill all of them even under tight security using innovative methods, what will be its outcome for you and your family? You will be in prison and maybe even hanged under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for killing five crooks.”
I realised that what Guruji said was true. In a movie, the hero performing all these revenge antics receives a lot of claps and praises (apart from money, fame and glamour in his personal life) from the audience who pay money to watch such stunts for entertainment, but in real life, it would only result in grief and sorrow for the innocent family members. Secondly, as Guruji pointed out, the entire system was corrupt and killing five crooks would not end corruption. Nor would it create any fear among the rest of the devils to leave their corrupt practices thinking that they could also face a similar fate. It would only be treated as my personal revenge and would not change the corrupt system at all.
On hearing my third option of applying black magic, Guruji burst out laughing. He accepted that he had heard that black magic was extensively used in some parts of West Bengal and Jaunsar district of Uttarakhand, to take revenge or satisfy jealousies, but it requires years of concentration and learning under an experienced and learned tantric, and frequently the art was perfected in graveyards and cremation grounds at night. But as a journalist and an educated person, did it suit my sensibilities? Though it was a high possibility that after taking revenge I would not be found out and could go scot-free, none of my enemies would come to know for which crime they were paying with
their lives.
The more Guruji discussed it, the more feasible the option looked to me. I felt that in the present circumstances black magic was the best way to take my revenge. In fact, I told Guruji that after taking my revenge, I would make it my way of life by removing corrupt politicians, puppet media barons, police officers, and bureaucrats in this manner. Guruji smiled as he said, “Do you have any idea how much time and energy will be required to kill these people to make the system clean? There are thousands of such people.” But still, I felt it was the best option, whereas Guruji asked me to think for some more time.
The last option that I put forth with less confidence was to approach the legal machinery. Let the police and judiciary do their jobs which are meant to give justice to the victims and obviating the need for them to take law and order into their hands to take revenge. This was an option which appealed to Guruji. He told me whatever be the circumstance, we should do everything to stay on the right side of the law, and we must have faith in our judiciary, democratic ways, and the constitution to deliver justice. We need to awaken the citizens and make them alert and aware of the wrong things happening around us, but only and only through democratic means and constitutional ways. At the same time, he cautioned me that the legal system would be able to help me only if I had strong evidence and witnesses, particularly when these crooks had the muscle power to manipulate evidence and threaten witnesses, and money power to take the services of influential, prominent criminal lawyers.
He further told me that the burden of providing proof always lies on the victim or the complainant. Hence, he asked me to think further about this option and make a list of evidence and witnesses that I had at my disposal to take them to a court of law.