Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Yantrixa-7: Back in Bombay

I realised it is best to stay away from Delhi for the moment.

I got in touch with the family in the eye of the storm. I had to go through a friend who works at the Sakal - very hard core ghati but extremely intelligent and a very nice fellow. He lives in Hindu colony. I think Pawle's uncle lives there too.

The family lived across from Powai lake. One of those new overpriced high rise buildings. The husband and wife worked in software companies in SEEPZ, both well paid - middle class professionals, graduates from good universities. Their names are well known now, as is their son's name, but I am going to call them Gita, and Naresh in the hope that they can go back to the comforting anonymity of their lives prior to this madness.

Bombay has never been kind to immigrants, but what they have faced is stuff of nightmares - the very substance of hell. Like so many others they left their native Bihar to seek a better life elsewhere and Bombay - betrayed them.

Me: I know you have done this many times before, but can you tell me how it began..

Naresh: Well... I suppose it all started a week after the bombing. The riots had broken out and there was no way to go to the office. Mobs had gheraoed two of our buses and beaten up the drivers, and so we simply shut the office down to avoid further casualties. The Army came in some time after that, but we had seen things like this in our native place... Patna, so there was concern but we had no fear.

Gita: There was curfew and our bai, Imartiben - stopped coming to work also. I guess it only natural that she too feared for her safety. The schools shut down on the day of the blast itself.

Naresh: We heard reports of rioting and police firing in Sakinaka area and also near Kanjurmarg. We think Imartiben's family lived in that area. We hope they are well, we still have not heard from her.

Naresh: There was curfew outside also and we began to run out of food. There was a meeting of the residents association. Our neighbour had a curfew pass, he used to work for a local political party. We heard horrible stories about what was going on nearby from him. In the general body meeting, there was talk of petitioning for a relaxation of the curfew to permit families to purchase essential commodities. I don't know how the petition was to be made, I think it was probably going to be made via the local political party.

Gita: Then Varun fell sick. He had a fever, we had to get him to a doctor so we were hoping for a break in the curfew very badly.

Naresh: The Army commander in the area agreed to to a break in the curfew for two hours. Only one person per family was allowed to be out. I put Varun in my arms and walked into the Chandivali area where I heard a doctor's office had temporarily opened.

Naresh: I don't know what happened next, we were waiting in line at the doctor's office and suddenly a mob appeared and began attacking us.

Gita - (sobbing).

Naresh: I don't remember very much, I heard firing, and then I recall seeing the face of an Armyman near me. I saw Varun lying next to me and then I think I lost consciousness.

Gita - (still sobbing)

Naresh: I think the office was attacked by a mob, and the army fired on them. Varun and I both were hurt - we had deep knife wounds and severe burns. The army took us to Rajawadi hospital and from there after our neighbour located us with the help of his political contacts - we were shifted to Jaslok. When I was there police officers came by and asked me if I recalled anything - I told them I didn't. They also spoke to Varun. It seems he was able to see the faces of the people who attacked us.

Gita - (gets up an leave the room).

Naresh: We were in there for a long time. The city was paralysed, there were problems getting medicines and Varun's health deteriorated. He had some kind of fever that was not going away and I kept drifting in and out of consciousness. Gita somehow took care of us then.

Me: I am sorry, please tell me if this is too difficult for you..

Naresh: (looking over in the direction Gita just walked out in) No not me so much, I was unconscious for the most of it - she saw all this first hand - so she is not so comfortable with recalling such events.

Naresh: I began to recover a few months after the incident. I think around this time Varun's condition also began to show signs of improvement. The police who came to see him told me that the city was returning to normal and that a new type of policing platform - these Tetravaal units had been imported to help protect the city. Apparently Varun had identified the attackers and the police were hoping to build a case against them.

Me: So this was a few months after the bombing.

Naresh: Yes, Varun was still in the critical care facility in Jaslok but the danger to him was reducing. We were expecting to take him home as soon as the doctor's said he was doing well enough. The police were going to take a statement from him. The doctor's had told us that we would have to bring him back for a regular check up but it was looking much better.

Me: So ... when did the other incident happen?

Naresh: It was all nice and calm for a few months. Those tetravaal units were really keeping things under control. I had taken Varun to see his grandparents in Patna, and then we returned home. Varun became slightly ill again so I took him to Jaslok again, and as a precaution they admitted him. By this time the police had built up their case and came to Jaslok to record a statement incamera. They brought the books containing photos of the criminals and Varun pointed at the faces of those he recognised.

Naresh: A day or so after that, we were waiting for discharge papers to come through when suddenly a large commotion was heard down the hall. I didn't know what was happening but I instinctively tried to cover Varun. A number of men barged into the room that Varun was in. They all had pieces of cloth masking their faces, a number of them carried knives and other weapons. They pulled me off of Varun and beat me. All the while they were abusing Bihar and my Hindi background. They then took Varun in the arms and walked out the door. I lay on the floor bleeding, and I was not able to stop them. The rest of the people in the hall and the ward looked on helplessly. I later learned that two security guards at Jaslok had been killed by this group of people.

Me: Good God...

Naresh: God didn't come to my mind at the time. I could only think of Varun. The police arrived quickly and in the moments before I lost consciousness from the bleeding, I told them what had happened. ...

(phone rings ...:

Naresh: Excuse me, I have to get this..

(talks on the phone... and turns towards pawle and cyrus and asks them to turn the camera off. A few minutes later, he turns to me)

Naresh: It seems there is an emergency at the office, I have to go - some servers in the US have gone down and they want it looked at. Sorry...

Me: Oh.. no by all means go ahead.

Naresh: I am really sorry, maybe we can come back to the story some time next week?

Me: Yes, yes sure... no problem.. May be I can chat with Gita or Varun..

(Naresh looks unsure... and goes into the house. I can hear a raised voice it is female.. seconds later Gita bursts out of what looks like the bedroom...)

Gita: Please leave us alone... I don't want to talk about this. Varun is only a boy... why can't you people understand? Please we just want to be left alone...

Me: Ofcourse ma'am, I fully understand... what a terrible story!

Naresh: I am sorry, she is very upset.

Me: No, no - no reason to apologise, I should be the one saying sorry. I will take my leave right away - I am very sorry about the intrusion.

Pawle and Cyrus begin to pack up. About fifteen minutes later, we head for the door and Naresh sees us out of the house.

As I walk out the staircase, I realise - this is how Qayamat ka Din began...