It was just any other morning at “Ananth Nilaya”, this is the home which Srinivas & Vidya dreamt all their life and built it with lots of hopes. Ananth Nilaya is in midst of silence located in the extension area of the city. Srinivas is a Professor at the University of Karnataka in Scientific Research Dept and his wife Vidya is a professor at Sociology Department. Being the household of professors, there is silence all over, the only exception to this would be when Shreyas is home. Shrey as they call him, is a recent graduate and is at home until he joins Microsoft Corporation for work where he got selected through his campus placements.
Prof Srinivas Ananth is deeply engrossed in his newspaper without even bothered about the door bell. Vidya comes out of kitchen telling “what did I see in this man, doesn’t seem to see beyond his newspaper”.
She opens the door angrily “Shreyas!!!!!, how dare you step into this house, don’t you have little courtesy to inform your parents that you will not be coming home. You know how worried we were all night”.
“Sorry Ma, I slept off at Rajeev’s place yesterday after movie” explains Shreyas.
“One phone call, Shrey or even a message would suffice” Vidya goes on, Shreyas dares stops her (on registering ‘Shrey’ which is only used at normal circumstances and at extreme ones it is ‘SHREYAS’) “Last time ma, one last time, I am really Sorry”.
Vidya(Orders) :“Ok, go and get ready now, we all are going to Prachi Akka’s wedding today”
Shreyas :“No Ma, Please I don’t want to go to any weddings, Please!!Please Please”
Vidya :“No Shrey, you are coming with us, everyone will ask about you and its good occasion to meet everyone before you leave for Bombay(Mumbai) next week”
Srinivas : “Where were you all night, where was your mobile”
Shreyas: “At Rajeev’s place, and there was no battery in my mobile”
Srinivas: “ Why did not you inform us, we called all your friends and then we called Shekar, who told us you are at their place”
Shreyas: “Shekar Uncle told you na, then what’s the worry”
Srinivas : “This boy will never understand us, Good he is going to Bombay, hopefully he will learn to manage himself alone there, I don’t know what kind of graduation he did”
Shreyas (sheepishly): “ Paa, It a Bachelor of Technology from IIT, Madras, you both were there at the convocation, weren’t you?”
Srinivas: “Stupid fellow, you always talk non sense, Vidya he is coming for Prachi’s marriage right?”
Vidya: “Yes, he is (warning shreyas), Shrey wear that Blue Shirt we got for your office”
Shreyas: “No way, I am not wearing those formal shirts, I will come in jeans itself”
Srinivas : “Jeans!!!! All your jeans are in such a good shape that even that Municipality Venkatappa refused to take them once”
Shreyas: ” What does that Venktappa know about style & jeans, he only know to clean those roads, that to inefficiently…….” (smiling )
Vidya now pitches in to take control between the duo….
Vidya: “You are grown up boy now( sounded like the mother of Complan Boy) don’t make me scold you and Sri ( pointing towards Srinivas) even you get ready, he will come in formals only”
Shreyas: “Ok, One more week then it is only me, I can do what ever is want to, Oh God!!!!Thanks for giving me the joining location as Mumbai, Thanks a lot MyproSoft Corporation”
At the wedding every one esquires about Shreyas relocating to Bombay and gives different opinion about the place
“Vidya, he is your only son, How are you letting him go to Mumbai, send him to Bangalore , There are good IT companies there”
“ Its too crowded, he will have to travel in those local trains”
“Very big city, all hindi Film stars stay there, probably he will see few of them”
“Houses are very expensive there, Hope he is getting good Salary to save some”
“Once these boys go out to Mumbai , they never come back”( as synonym to America in India)
Next one week at Ananth Nilaya went on arranging things for Shreyas and packing his luggage. On the day Shreyas had to leave, almost nobody spoke at home.
Vidya only managed to say “ Take Care Shreyas, don’t roam around in Mumbai as you do here, have your meals on time and please call me everyday”
Srinivas added to it “I would have also come with you and got you admitted to a hostel or PG there but, You never listen to me. Do as you want but don’t forget to keep us informed, Take Care”
Shreyas” I am 23 year old paa and can manage myself, please don’t treat me like a kid and I promise(turns to Vidya) Maa, I will call you everyday”
Rajeev:” Don’t worry Aunty, we will all stay together only, once we get to Mumbai many of our college friends will also be there at the company accommodation”
After Goodbyes, Shreyas and Rajeev leave to Mumbai.
@Mumbai -23rd November 2008
City of dreams, many people come here with so many dreams, Shreyas and Rajeev where no different to anyone there at CST station dragging their bags amidst crowd to the nearest taxi stand to get to their company accommodation, a Hotel near Apollo Bunder, Colaba.
Today its 26th November 2010 , With all the 26/11 pictures on the Main page of all newspapers of the country.
And the same ‘Ananth Nilaya’s early mornings............................... But there is something which is not as it was 2 years ago…….
Professor Srinivas finds the main door open and newspapers on their doorsteps with pictures of 26/11 attack while Vidya is still asleep. He then rushes to Shreyas’s room and does not find him anywhere.
Srinivas wakes Vidya tells her about missing Shreyas which was enough for Vidya to crash down…….
Srinivas is restlessly shuttling between hallway and the door with newspapers in his hand and Vidya trying to regain her control but is still unable to get up. Then the door bell rings!!!!!
Srinivas bangs the newspaper onto the floor and rushes towards the door angrily and exclaims “ Shreyas!!! Where were you all night?? We were so worried”
Shreyas does not respond at all. This is not new these days at Ananth Nilaya, Shreyas seems to have forgotten to talk completely.
Srinivas with tears in his eyes tries to ask him again “Where did you go Shrey”. On hearing Srinivas, Vidya manages to the hall and is so happy to see Shreyas that she hugs and cuddles her 25 years old son like a kid herself.
“How are you, are you alright?” Vidya asks Shreyas.
“ Amma, I found him sitting on the bench at the bus stop near my home and got him to you” Venkatappa comes in explaining.
“You found him near your house, how did he reach that far,” asks Srinivas curiously.
Venaktappa tells “ I saw him sitting there Sir, and asked him so much why he came here and all, but he did not respond at all, then I understood what your maid Gowramma was telling, ‘Shreyas Anna is shocked after that Bombay shooting and is going to mental hospital doctor also’”
Srinivas (shouts) :”He is not mental, he just in shock and Dr. Ketkar is a psychiatrist not mental doctor”
Venaktappa (Now Guilty): “I know Sir, Shreyas is very smart boy, he got first rank always and is Engineer but that Gowramma does not know anything”
By then Vidya notices that Shrey’s feet has scars and is also bleeding and Srinivas gets it, that explaining anyone will not help.
Vidya then nurses Shreyas and takes him to his room and puts him to sleep using some sedatives.
Meanwhile Professor Srinivas Ananth gets ready to go to University and tells Vidya “I am keeping the car at the gate , Don’t forget to take Shreyas to Dr.Ketkar, will join you there. I will take the bus to University”
Vidya just nods her head lifelessly.
Today, Vidya has resigned from her almost 3 decade long teaching job which always kept her going. Professor Srinivas still teaches at the University to make their ends meet, however is not interested in it anymore. Now 25 year Shreyas is undergoing treatment with Dr.Ketkar the renowned psychiatric in the town….
Wondering What happened to Shreyas?????
Shreyas and Rajeev were one among those many Mumbaikar who witnessed the dreadful incident in which 10 young boys took the city on their stride and did something that even a worst Nightmare would be scared of……….
Shreyas then young energetic boy with full of life and dreams to make it big witnessed this, and the death of his close friend Rajeev. Rajeev who succumbed to death spending his last few seconds there, smiling next to injured Shreyas, who was all aware of the happening but could not help his best friend because of the bullet which hit his leg.
It took more than 6 months for all the physical wounds of Shreyas to heal. And only his physical wounds were healed rest will probably remain with him always………..
Vidya and Srinivas were happy to have their son back but are still longing for his reaction to their call.This was with one, Ananth Nilaya but there are many and many more household still under the nightmare…….
Imagining Rajeev’s Ananth Nilaya is beyond my abilities to pen down…………..
All the above characters are fictitious but I am sure this will have some resemblance to what the Victims of 26/11 witnessed. There would be more than one Ananth Nilaya’s which are still trying to regain their dreams and life just to be able to pretend and lead life normally………. Yes!! Only to pretend to lead life normally after 26/11 Mumbai attacks .
26/11 does not need a year(2008) along with it, every time it comes, it will surely get these dark memories of 78 hours of havoc back, which are etched deeply in all our minds.
This is my small tribute to our soldiers who put their life second to fight 26/11 and to all those who lost their lives or loved ones in the mishap.
I am one among the many INDIANS who are still waiting for Kasab to be punished and still waiting for justice against every individual who was involved in this incident in anyway…………
Jai Hind!!!!!!!
