Endless Voyage
Rise and fall of humanity
by
pradipkumar raol
&
prakash vaidya
Part - 24
It was a quite large family comprising of eight members. The head of the family was an aged person, Mr. Chandrasekhar a retired history teacher. His wife Vimlaben, eldest son Kalapi, daughter-in-law Zarna and their two children Mukul and Smita, youngest son Rajendra, his pregnant wife Indu were all part of this large family of a Hindu Brahmin. It was obvious that they too were in great dilemma. They were seriously thinking about leaving their village and their ancestral house. Conditions were deteriorating as days went by. The parents were finding it difficult to leave this house; they were attached to this house since long. The memories of their younger days were engraved in their minds. They were a middle class family and had struggled very hard. It was after that their two sons started earning; they were able to furnish the house with modern furniture etc.
On the contrary to the views of the father, the sons were thinking quite rationally. The chances of survival here in this village was approaching to zero, hence, it was wise to move from here, anywhere, for that matter. Finally, they all agreed to say good bye to their sweet home.
All of them took essential things and valuables which could save their lives in the hard days ahead; water, food, snacks clothes etc. Vimlaben did not forget to take lord Krishna’s small idol while the old man took his walking stick and a bundle of maps.
Before leaving the house for the last time, they all looked at it with feelings of nostalgia. The head, along with his family slowly moved ahead crossing the empty streets and lanes of his home town till they came up to the main road. Thousands were seen there. Nobody exactly knew where to go. They just had only one thing in mind: run away from here, escape from the jaws of death. Chandrasekhar’s family joined another group of about three hundred from nearby villages. They were accompanied by a tractor carrying food, water and clothes. The group had twelve cows and three buffalos marching slowly with them. Still confident that they would beat the cold weather, for they had been covering about fifteen miles a day and ate well: two loaves and some rice, sugar and tea or fresh milk for each of them daily. But after some time their rations were depleted, and the fresh supplies of food they expected to find in Rampur village were not there. Worse, the weather increased its harshness. Under normal condition this was time for hot summer but now the season had become identical to harshest of winters. With determination Chandrasekhar pressed onward, because they were lagging behind due to Indu who was pregnant.
Obstacles came fast and furious now. Rowdies raided them. Cows and buffalos were lost one by one either due to death or theft. Food seemed to evaporate, and daily rations were cut to a meager hundred gram per person. The winter like season was at its worst. Cold winds impeded progress. Raging sleet storms and nearly below-zero weather struck the group, whose many members possessed only summer clothing and no means for contriving shelter. Death came daily and never asked for a bribe. Twenty eight had frozen to death in their sleep, most of them small children. Following day thirty seven more succumbed to the same fate. Chandrasekhar could not bear anymore, even otherwise his family was a mile or two behind the group and he decided to change the course of his journey. After consultation with his sons he chose the highway-route. Of course there would be more crowds but it would be safer.
The family moved alone for a while and faced lot of problems because they had small children and a pregnant woman to take care of. If they can save themselves from severe cold weather the other difficulties would be bearable.
Chandrasekhar used to teach history and he knew the fact that the ancient men were able to survive the harsh weathers due to the shelter of caves only. He was thinking in this direction. He had this knowledge that in the mountain of Girnar few caves do exist. And he had the maps indicating the location of such caves. He took out the maps from the pocket of his long woolen over coat and began to study them keenly.
Yes, there were few caves on the way to “Bharatvan” and “Sheshavan”. They decided to reach there. They looked around; Government vehicles were deporting people to different locations but they were over crowded. So, many people preferred to walk.
Sometime the roads were uneven and not paved with lot of pot holes here and there, but nothing can be done about it. Those who owned their vehicles were also facing difficulty in driving them. But the lights of the vehicles were useful to the pedestrians. Some people were seen asking for a ride but nobody even cared to deny, they all needed help. When walking tired them they rested for a while turn by turn, made bonfire out of rags, wooden pieces, papers and clothes, any kind of waste could serve the purpose.
Mukul and Smita had tamed one small puppy. Its name was a Papuu. It so happened that in the haste of packaging and moving out, the family forgot the puppy which had gone somewhere for wandering. Later on Smita remembered it and said, ‘Mommy, we forgot pappu!!!’
‘Oh! Pappu, how come he got lost?’
‘Now, what will happen to it?’
Little Mukul said, ‘should I bring it back!’
Hearing this, his daddy got angry, ‘why? You want to die too?’
‘Papa, Papuu will die in this weather? Smita said.
‘You, keep quiet and keep walking, let us take care of our selves’.
Smita caught hold of Mukul’s hand and they both stopped walking, “let two of us go and bring it back here.’
Kalapi came near to Smita and gave a hard slap to her, ‘Don’t you ever dare to utter the name of that dog. Rajendra intervened to cool off the heat, he said to the children, ‘Nothing bad will happen to Pappu, it would surely find us and come back, don’t you worry and as it is one day has already elapsed, so if it does not come we will take another dog, okay!.’
But the children were not satisfied with this explanation. Smita had never been thrashed by her father, he never even scolded her, so she was shocked and out of fear and exhaustions she fell sick. But they moved on. Two days went by. Smita stopped talking with others. She had developed a fever so they had to halt their journey.
Chandrasekhar scolded Kalapi, ‘Under such situation you must restrain yourself, instead you vented all your anger on that little girl, if something happens to her…?’
Hearing his father’s words Kalapi became soft and worried. Smita’s condition was deteriorating, she was hallucinating in her sleep and uttering the name of her dog very often, also saying papa do not beat me, do not beat me. They all took her in their lap turn by turn to comfort her but in vain. Medicine was short in supply so was the food.
They all took shelter underneath a huge banyan tree, the cold weather was now slowly becoming menacing.
While everyone was thinking of finding a way out of such precarious situation the kid Mukul was planning something else. And he slipped away without informing anyone. Nobody knew when he escaped. This fact first came to the knowledge of his grandmother. She inquired, ‘where is Mukul?’
‘Oh, he must be around,’ said Kalapi.
‘No, No, I just can’t see him, so I asked.’
Kalapi’s wife Zarna said, ‘he was here a few minutes ago, where he must have gone? Just look for him.’
‘You ladies are always bent upon making mountain out of a mole; he must be here and will soon comeback.’
Ten minutes passed, then fifteen minutes and thirty minutes, no sign of Mukul. Now they all really began to worry. They looked around to nearby places but could not find him. Now Mukul’s Mommy started crying. She was saying, ‘find him, I will die if you cannot find him, please.’
They were puzzled as what to do, one boy was missing who possibly cannot take care of himself, the little girl was sick and they were just no near to their destination. Suddenly Smita, said in a low tone, ‘he must have gone to find my Pappu,’ and what! Every one trusted her; they actually trusted her ability to know her brother’s nature well.
Kalapi again got angry and spoke loudly, ‘What was the necessity of going? Also he does not even tell us and gets us worried; Let him come, I will see him. Let him die’.
‘You understand! Be calm. He has gone for this little girl, he is cleverer then all of you, he has gone for Pappu so that his little sister recovers fast,’ the old man said this, in order to calm the situation.
‘But he should have told us, he got all of us worried, don’t you understand?.’
‘Oh! You would not have permitted him anyway?’ his mother said.
‘But then what can I do?’ Kalapi could not say more and started crying.
‘No, this does not suit your age, now it will not help us anymore either, be strong, man!The old man soothed him and spoke to his other son, ‘Rajendra, you go and find him,’ Chandrasekhar said.
‘Okay father, I shall go but you all stay here and don’t change your location.’
‘Yeah, now you move without any delay, we will stay here till you come.
‘No, father we don’t send Rajendra, instead I am going because Smita does not respond to me, And if something happened to Indu, Rajendra’s presence would be more useful and appropriate, that is why I must go,’ Kalapi said stopping Rajendra.
‘Yes, you can go but do not say a word to your boy’ his father said.
‘That is right; do not be hard on him, please,’ his wife requested.
‘Do not you worry, and be assured that I won’t say a word to him, and will definitely find him.’
Kalapi, then left them. When he had walked about hundred yards or so, he saw Mukul coming back. He was almost running; beside him Pappu was also running. When they approached him he lifted Mukul with joy, tears started rolling from him eyes. They then walked back to their resting point. The family welcomed them. Smita hugged Pappu as if not to leave it forever. And she now began to recover fast as anticipated by others. They decided to spend six to seven hours more at the same spot. The food stock was depleting, and they all wanted to approach the caves of Girnar before new troubles arrive. Once they reach there, something could be thought over. Chandrasekhar thought so and he took out the maps and studied them again, he estimated that considering their present speed they would make it there in a week’s time.
He, then short of discussed the important matters with the leading members and sorted out few things. New measures were decided. The food must be rationed. Except the children and pregnant Indu, no one would have two meals per day. They must walk fast and no one would leave the group without informing other members.
After two or three days, Indu started feeling unwell, she could barely walk. Everybody got worried. Rajendra suggested that he and Indu would halt, and others could move ahead, and when she feels alright they would follow them. But Vimlaben, the old lady refused to do so; she said that it was not advisable. So the family halted further progress. Vimlaben could not bear the pains of Indu, she got afraid, if she delivers her baby here and falls sick what will happen; this was her main worry. She blamed all of these on her husband; she flared up and said, ‘What the hell you are doing with that roll of maps the whole day, now can you tell us how far your caves from here are?’
But Chandrasekhar was unperturbed by her scathing remarks. He replied with patience, ‘we will reach there in just two days, only I am worrying about our rate of progress.’ Then he looked at Rajendra and said, ‘Son, just have a look at my fingers, it seems they have become red and I feel no movement, the skin also seems to have thickened.’
He took his hands and started pressing them vigorously, he was getting worried but spoke slowly, ‘father it looks like your hands are frozen. Do you feel pain?’
‘What do you mean? I mean no.’
‘It means we will have to give them some heat because the blood circulation has almost stopped.’ and then he murmured to himself ‘from where will I get hot water or fire?
‘Son I can’t bear the pain now.’
Rajendra knew that this weather had taken a heavy toll on human lives, and this was an old man, he thought how long he will survive, on their journey he had seen many die, mostly aged and kids – Frozen death, he started praying to god.
‘You stupid, what are doing, do something for god’s sake’.
‘Father, please hold on for a while, I have to think of Indu also, she is also suffering as much, we will find a way out, but do not exert yourself, save your body heat.’
Vimlaben also started praying for Indu, ‘Hey God, have mercy on us and don’t let anything happen to her’.
Indu was finding it difficult to walk and walking she had to do. How to make progress under these conditions was the most important problem the party was facing.
The solution came from the old man. Chandrasekhar suggested, ‘there areseveral trees around, cut some branches and make something out of it so that we can lift her and move.
Kalapi and Rajendra both followed his advice and made a doli using tree branches. They made her sit in that and moved ahead.
One more day passed. However, their determination to move fast failed. It was difficult to carry Indu and maintain pace. Then they spotted a huge truck of ‘UNICEF’ which was moving slowly and distributing water and food packets. Chandrasekhar halted it and requested to give a ride to the children and Indu.
However, UNICEF’s doctor’s eyes had accidently caught the sight of old man’s hands as he was waving for halting the truck. And he examined his hands and said, ‘old man, it seems third degree frost bite has happened, signs of gregarine is clearly visible, if you want to your life the hands must be amputated from the wrists.
Listening to this Vimlaben cried aloud, everyone was shocked to the core of their heart. Their power of speech was lost for few minutes. Nevertheless, Chandrasekhar could not afford to lose courage as only his guidance could save the life of his family, he stared at the doctor and said, ‘okay, I am ready, you can do whatever you want.’
The doctor gave orders to halt the truck and gave instruction for arrangement for the operation. He also arranged for a bit of space for the two children and the old lady in the truck. There were already sick people, children and elderly packed like sheep displaying shadow of death on their fragile faces. The other doctor also treated Indu and gave her some medicines. Chandrasekhar explained to Vimlaben about the map and how to find the caves in case he if he dies. She started weeping but he consoled him, ‘be brave, and don’t you want to become a grandmother one more time, so hey! Stop crying and take care of the children and our daughters-in-law.’
The Doctor arranged for the operation by the road side itself. Blood bottles, small table, anesthesia, bandages; all was there. The battery operated ultramodern machine for operation wasalso there, which could take stitches automatically. The sons looked another way when the doctors began the operation. This was over in twenty minutes. Doctor gave medicines to Kalapi and advised him to give it regularly. ‘When he regains consciousness give him water and tablets every four hours, “Shall we leave now?’
‘What do you mean Doctor? You can’t leave an old man in such conditions; you must give him a ride in the truck or make some other arrangement’. Kalapi said in a rough tone.
‘Sorry! No arguments, there is no place inside, you can see it for yourself, we take only most serious ones. Please, understand, also we don’t count children, they are already there.
Rajendra explained to Kalapi, ‘he would have to get down from the truck in place of his father, then who would look after Indu and mother?’ Kalapi understood quickly: if father is allowed in the truck, Rajendra would have to get down, and then there would be three helpless people in the truck.
Doctor gestured toward the table where Chandrasekhar was lying, ‘please! Gentleman, we have raised his chances of surviving from zero percent to twenty percent.’ Kalapi understood and lifted his unconscious father on his shoulder and started walking toward a small hut whose lights he could see from far. Rajendra saw them slowly moving in the darkness till he lost the sight of them. He was now regretting the decision of leaving his village and home.
That small hut belonged to a poor peasant woman. It was located not far from the main road at the boundary of a farm. The owner who was staying in the village had left long ago, along with many others in the mass exodus. This woman was now alone, and she accepted the new comers. She was shivering with cold. Kalapi came to know that her husband and her only child had died in this extremes weather and she was not willing to leave this place under any circumstances.
Quickly they turned their attention to the old man who was now on the verge of collapse. She took out some kind of small and thin cotton mattresses and covered him with that. There was a lonely oil lamp burning which was spreading dim light in the hut. Kalapi kept on staring at the lamp and soon fell asleep. The exertion he had gone through in carrying his old man this far had tired him to no end. However, this longest night ever was not meant for sleep, but instead for a nightmare of wide-awake dreams. After half an hour he was awakened by strange noises, he got up covering his body with a blanket. In the faint glow of the lamp light he looked around. His father’s nose was giving out blurting sounds. He took out the torch from his bag and switched it on. That woman was not to be seen around. ‘Where would she be in such darkness?’ he murmured anxiously to himself.
He too came out of the hut; he moved his torch around and was stunned to watch the snow falling. He can’t decide whether to be happy or sorry. Its intensity was also on the higher side. He thought that if they delayed their stay here, they might not be able to get out from here. He saw a dark shadow. That woman it seemed was emerging from the darkness, carrying something on her head.
When she came near to him he said angrily, ‘why did you go out in such cold and darkness?’ she didn’t answer him and straight away entered the hut pushing the tin door. He followed her inside; she threw down the bundle of firewood on the floor. He tried to look at her face in the dim light; he could not find any sign of fear or worry. She was just doing her work. What he saw, was only the god given qualities of care and service akin to only women.
Her body was also shivering with cold, outside still snow falling continued. He thought that this woman may die in this harsh weather.
‘What is your name?’ he asked with tenderness.
‘Hansa,’ she answered while breaking small pieces of wood. ‘Which caste do you belong?’
‘Manvi’ (Human being) she answered and got up taking the lamp in her hand and started searching in one of the corners of her dilapidated hut. She came out with one dirty looking plastic can and a tagara(a round shaped shallow metal container.) She put pieces of wood in it and poured little kerosene on them and lighted the fire. The flares went up suddenly and momentarily the entire hut was bright with light.
He again got to see her face, now more clearly as it was illuminated by the fire. The face reflected the feelings of self-satisfaction and contentment. She put the iron vessel underneath the khatli(cot) of old man and sat near it hesitantly to warm her. He too came near for the same purpose. The old man was in deep slumber; foxes and dogs were heard crying from far away. Hansa again got up and fetched an old radio and gave it to him. Kalapi understood and after some adjustment of batteries got it working.
News started coming: observations of the current rotation of the earth indicate that, sunrise would take another 28 hours to occur. There could be deviation also. The day would be of approximately 104 hour long. People are advised to protect themselves from the forthcoming hot days……..
There was a long silence.
Kalapi said, ‘outside there is lot of snow, you better fill up that drum with it because hot days are soon to come, the word ‘hot days’ seemed nice to hear in such weather. The news continued, ‘the present temperature is -5°c, will increase gradually…..’
‘Even if it increases we can’t stay here longer’. He switched off the radio. Hansa put some more pieces of wood in the fire. Chandrasekhar was murmuring in his sleep. Hansa was now literally trembling with cold. He tried to give her his blanket but she refused and said, ‘I will get something else to cover myself.’
Kalapi melted some snow and made some water, woke up his father and persuaded to swallow some tablets. He was now making strong demands to take him to the family. But his son instead told him to rest for few hours as it was still snowing. He again fell asleep.
Kalapi came out of the hut; he moved his torch in the style of a security guard. The snow falling was continuing. He had never heard of snow fall in this region of Gujarat. But these were most uncommon circumstances, even for the entire earth and very devastating too. He rubbed and pressed his foot on the ground, at least two to three inches of snow carpet, he assumed. His mind came back to his father. He thought of the precarious situation he was in; due to the operation and old age his father won’t be able to grip his shoulder and walk along. He came inside. Hansa was standing very close to his father’s khatli. She said, ‘In this cold weather don’t you stay outside for long. He didn’t reply.
His father was sleeping or unconscious can’t be judged as his snoring had stopped. He observed that the fire was kept warm in the tagara by constant input of wooden sticks by Hansa who was also trying to be as near as the burning fire.
And when he spoke his voice was weak and helpless. ‘Now, I will have to think of moving ahead, there is lot of snow outside; father would not be able to walk on his own. What shall I do?’ he asked. Hansa touched his hand. “Keep up a brave heart, and think of the work before you. You are a man, don’t you lose courage, look at me, I am surviving here all alone, let the death come to me I am…” the last words could not come of her trembling lips. They froze in the atmosphere.
Trembling she moved swiftly and went out and came back with a small wheel burrow, removing all the doubts from his mind. She whispered, ‘you can carry your father in this’. They removed the snow from inside and cleaned it and laid thick cloths at the bottom.
Kalapi was afraid that this woman would freeze in this weather; may die eventually without proper food and shelter. His father was surviving only due to the service and care rendered by this woman. He suddenly felt obligation toward her. He thought that this woman must live and slowly came close to her and embraced her; she resisted at first but understood. His body heat was transferred. She received warmth and human compassion. Time had stopped for a while; even otherwise it had slowedlong ago.
After many hours his father got up. For an old man he was recovering fast due to strong antibiotic medicines and will power. He ate some food also. He asked Kalapi to take him to the rest of the members. Kalapi could not argue more and he got ready to begin his journey. He looked at Hansa and said, ‘you also join us.’ She refused even when Chandrasekhar requested her. She answered firmly, ‘what you are saying is true but I want to die here; in this very hut because it was from here that my family went to the gods.’
Kalapi’s heart wept, ‘oh, you are God yourself.’ he saluted her love for humanity and service. He wondered ‘life’ comes in one’s life in too many different shades of colors.
Both of them shifted the old man into the barrow. Before departing he looked at Hansa and her hut and moved on pushing the small cart. When they had covered a mile or so Chandrasekhar said, ‘oh God, save our…ijjat(honor)....’ Kalapi was now under no mental condition to hear anything in praise of God, he quickly retorted, ‘the sky is falling and no God is going to save us. If God existed then he would have not bent upon destroying the mankind, he would have punished only the evil ones.’
‘You don’t understand, he would certainly fulfill my wish of saving Indu’s child.’ he said this with full conviction.
‘Not in this 21st Century’.
“Centuries do not make Gods, it is otherwise. And it is not God but mankind itself who is responsible for this catastrophe. He loves you all, do you love him?”
Kalapi had no answer to that sharp philosophical question. His father continued, ‘It is because of ‘Him’ that Indu got a lift in that truck; the doctor saved me. Also, how, we should have got so much help from that deserted place at the hands of that lonely lady without God’s willing? That child in the womb of Indu may be saving us...’
‘No, No this destruction is all because of your God’.
‘Listen, to me my son. In this world this process of destruction and construction is going on from times immemorial, I know from my heart that nature was never so cruel before, only we, mankind are responsible for these troubles upon ourselves.’
‘Father, your philosophy may be correct but…’
‘No, no, not philosophy, it is a hard reality, understand?’ the old man was now clearly agitated.
‘Father, do not give me your logic, I am right now worrying about Indu, what I think is under the circumstances the child should not be born or if it at all takes birth it should be born dead. When we or the entire humanity have no future, then what future shall the baby have?’
‘You moron, don’t you utter such words, you will say such things again only over my dead body. You just do not have faith and courage to fight the odds; this is the main weakness of young generation. Nobody can predict about the future, understand. God may call me in place of giving birth to that child. Who knows what is hidden in the womb of the future.’
‘Please father, don’t say anything you have lost much energy… but now the old man can’t be stopped, his monologue continued in a strange manner.’
“Just as a person throws away his old clothes and puts on new ones, the embodied soul casts off its worn out bodies and enters other which is new.”
Kalapi, as it is was not taking any interest in the talks of his father, but the benefit was that they were able to cover a considerable amount of distance while arguing with each other.
Because of continuous exertion of talking and constant jerks from the barrow’s movement the old man was really exhausted and started breathing heavily. Seeing this, Kalapi halted.
‘Are you comfortable father?’ he was really concerned ‘Comfortable or uncomfortable; I want to reach there and want to be with them, before my atman (soul) leaves this fragile cage; my soul wants a brand new cage, there is no other option.’ He drank some water at much insistence of his tired son.
Kalapi said, ‘Let us rest for a while, it will be good for both of us, then we will start again? What is the hurry?’
‘Son, I don’t have much time, I am in a greatest hurry, that of leaving my body and before that I want to reach to them as earliest as I can. And besides now not much distance is left. Just you buck up and push the cart. I think we might reach there in only two hours of time,’ he said. Now his chest was heaving up and down with furious pace. However his estimate proved grossly wrong. They reached there in three and half hours instead of 2 hours. In the cave, they were all waiting for them. Indu had already begun to experience labor pains.
The moment he put his feet in the cave he fell like an oak tree. They all cried out his name, ‘Bapuji…’ (Father)aloud. Vimlaben who was looking after Indu came back to him rushing. Everybody surrounded him. His eye balls were rolling and were not giving any sign of steady stare. His breathing became rapid. At last his eyes stopped at Vimlaben and said with great effort, ‘Vimla, I am now taking leave of you, my time has come. Do take care of everybody and Indu…. What happened to Indu…?’
She answered all his questions by a single nod and multiple tears before he again closed his eyes. Few second passed, they were all waiting. For a moment he seemed to revive. His eyes fluttered open. He stared at cave ceiling, and suddenly he called out, “Krishna! Krishna! Krishna!” Then he lapsed into the last unconsciousness. Minutes later he was dead. Both the brothers could not bear this shock and felt that their world had fallen apart. Their cries echoed in the cave. And they heard cries of a new born infant. Indu had given birth to a baby boy.
Vimlaben rushed to his daughter–in–law. Rajendra was unable to express his feelings while the children saw new born baby with lot of curiosity when they were allowed see him. The small doggy was puzzled by turn of events and became restless. Kalapi was still sitting by the side of his father he just could not believe that he had left them like this.
The old man’s last words which were recited from the holy book Gita were still echoing in his mind. ‘Just as a person throws…..’
So he was right from the beginning. A life was replaced by a new life, he prayed to God….
Such were the scenes the four astronauts saw and they too could not stop the flow of tears. This was just a sample of what the entire humanity was facing right now.
And the voice said, “do not cry, that new born is none other than the new incarnation of lord himself.’’
