Moments of Heat...

She waved at her parents on a more than usual Saturday evening when they left to the market to get stuffs for home..The naughty sibling was dancing on her head as was typical of him...snatching away the TV remote...cribbing about doing homework...looking with hopeful eyes to get his work done by his panacean sister..and how would you expect the 14-yr old maid to take her eyes off the TV when there was no vigilance..

Such a mundane evening with all work done for the next week at school...Punctuality was prime in her virtues...Or was it sincerity? mmm...may be diligence...aah c'mon! she was a virtue-rounded personality...It was nightmarish to fall sick as she abhorred missing school..Rather, spending a day at the abode of knowledge was adorable to her..Annual Day celebrations were nearing..She was a part of the Choir in School for her lovely singing talent..and the rhythm followed suit in her dance steps..and so by default she was to lead the dance group apart from her Vocal performance..she had it all it took to be the teacher's pet..parents' darling...and bro's bitter source of expectations..Calling her an all-rounder would be an understatement..Fortunately though, this cherub was firmly grounded!

Practice sessions were at the pinnacle..Just finishing touches that the performance lacked...These end-of-day sessions were what she was fond of in that fleeting phase...Something she looked forward to...and something that ironically rejuvenated her in the last hours of a long summer day in a "cool" city like Chennai...where the heat evidences on the outer body tissues of the residents (no offense folks!)..How could the steps be made more graceful? Was she bending too much in the first step? Dance loathed the guy next to her...Why was he even attempting it? All these callow thoughts surrounded her that evening at home until she felt like using the restroom..

She opened the door...Locked it from inside...Casually enough with the remnants of those thoughts, she opened the tap...And transitioned into a different thought factory...Why was she feeling so numb on her hand that was beneath the water? She looked down...There was smoke around...What had happened? She was clueless...Soon she noticed her skin tissues on the back of her palm flowing away with the water...It was too late until she could perceive what had just happened..Had she burnt her hand? Burnt? Nopes..It was subtly between burnt and roasted..The lights were dim..The frozen thoughts melted with the warmth under that roof...The only thing she could unconsciously do was get out of the place...

Out came she, with the pain within wanting to flood out of the heavy heart...She was an intensive endurer of pains skin-deep or the ones dug within..and so she didn't shed a tear...But what now? The 12 years of life hadn't taught her too much on the basics of First Aid..Well..Its the practicals that illuminate on the knowledge..And probably she needed more aid than "first"..her brother was stunned at the not so pleasant hand..He could have well studied the anatomy of hand along with the orthopedics structured within, if that was 10 years from then..He was in despair...No one was home...There was nothing more to do for the other two kids than stop their eyes from blinking...And there lay our poor girl...on the diwan in the drawing room...moaning in agony sourced by the geyser that was left "ON" for the whole day...

An hour had passed since the "literally" hot event...She moved from side to side as if careening on a ride...yes...the ride of the worst physical pain that had ever hit her...There were no signs of parents being home..But her fortune cookie that evening read the visit of an angel personified..."Tring" rang the door bell...the maid rushed to open...It was an "aunty" visiting...She came in and took the unopportune opportunity to look at the scenery...She was aghast! More so because she could sense the pain within owing to the 40 years of her life...She hurried to the kitchen with the maid to fetch some ice cubes...which touched that withering skin and those bones that were normally absconding..then came some turmeric paste after much wait which were supposedly to be on her only on her wedding day...all of it was dabbed on the entire hand..And now what a shift of feeling..As if -10 degrees were sandwiched between a full +100 and some +40..The motherly care sat behind her empathizing every second that passed...She had to take leave for her "own" duties...Aahh...how many times does she repeat to herself? There is nothing more related than the relations of blood in this smoky world..and so she eagerly waited for her maternal blood to turn up..

There they were at 10 pm...dad parking the car in the garage...and mom climbing the stairs..bro and maid rushed out..and our center of attraction followed; to grab some motherly reflections of energy more than to display the ghastly sight...The impatient bro shouted out.."Mummy..Didi's hand is burnt"...Mom froze..That was the least expected remark she could hear after a tiring day empty-stomached..It didn't take too much time for mom's eyes to moisten...She grabbed her mouth...Our girl could apparently follow mom's thoughts...they would be something near.."Hey Bhagwan! What happened...My daughter got burnt??? So much pain?" And these Indian mommies...always jumping for a big leap into the future.."who will marry a girl who has a burnt hand"?? A concern for the epithelium stands out in this world of Moh and Maya..Tears had materialized now for Mom...

Dad stopped parking the car...Mom and dad rushed her to the nearest hospital which to their dismay had no doctor in the emergency ward..After a few searches and scans, the man under the white coat was to alleviate the pain..placid at the beastly sight...and dressing it fondly as if it were the wedding dress for a barbie...every healing ointment acerbated the pain..and every touch of the barbie owner made it worse..."A stack of medicine dosages to follow for ages" ...was what she read in her mind..luckily, they were back home in the middle of the night...

As the moon set under the clouds from her window..the events late evening replayed...our girl was living real life experiences...what a sudden occurrence of valley in the calm plateau..."Oh my! what about the dance" she thought..The teacher would never let her dance anymore..leading the group was far from even giving a thought...But..but it was her first and last "Annual Day" in that school...when would she get another chance to portray her aesthetics in front of a range of audience? Where all the parents and the school would assemble to remember the names and faces of the performers...!~! She detested missing school...but the intolerable pain had gained victory over her virtues this time...She had to stay away for a couple of days...

Schoolmates were not happy to see her back..The unfortunate scene forced them to pity her..It was practice time now..But she could not justify not being there...So she walked down the hall into the room...The same group loitered around along with the Hindi cum Dance teacher..."Ye kya hua? :O"..she asked.."Bas thoda jal gaya mam...Practice shuru karen?" our girlie muttered..The teacher hesitated...but the assuring looks were enough to resume the artistic fun all over again...with the obese dressing over her right hand...she gracefully swayed it in the air as the music began..and the pain vaporized the same way it had entered...yea yea..its not just life that is cyclic...every element of it is...!

It was the annual day after a month...the dressing was out for a while now...but the impression of the roasts were adamant...not quite matching the extra layer of beauty she wore that day..She led the choir hiding the hand...And it was time again to spread the grace with the steps...the attire...the vivaciousness..and the two contrasting hands...but who says that a tiny scar takes the attention even on an otherwise flawless face...That dance was the talk of the event...As she passed by the crowd later...she heard someone say..."That girl is an awesome dancer...What a dance!"..teachers appreciated...fellow mates congratulated for the memorable performance...and the subtleties of life were unleashed yet again...to preach that big things become small when "time" unmagnifies the events..

The Aura to Remember...

It was going to be a new change for her..Lots of things had changed since the last few days..She had actually left her childhood for adolescence..And so the behavior of mommy..all the minute creatures present within her conflicted every moment about the mystery of life..and she had to witness it all...and now it was the place...yes...she was moving to the hot and torrid Chennai from the "garden city"..and she just hated these change of schools that could not be escaped with all this..along came the pain of mingling with new classmates and teachers for an introvert like her..how the heck when she was barely found talking even at home..did her own people "really" know her? there was such a turmoil within..and still serene at appearance..but didn't turn out as bad since you need to succumb to nature's most evident law of adaptation! Well...not until it was one year in Chennai and there came the usual parental urge to study in the best school in the city..yea...the manufacturer of toppers of every possible exam in this world. And she deserved it...for all the 1st ranks she carried..the latest one of the 8th grade pushed into the stack..But it was 9th now..and unsurprisingly she cleared the test to be admitted into the assembly line of the manufacturers..Science had split filtered into PCB..and for an innately worrisome person like her..every subtle change was a hurdle taller than her..not too much time had passed since it was 1st mid-term time..she never compromised with studies...it always came first..or rather last..wait a minute...that was the only thing in her life..

hmm...she gave her best...every answer sheet came as a surprise...and the report card broke all records...the string "4th" against "Rank" took her attention..eyes popped out...nerves froze.."is this mine?" was the first thing she could ask herself..and then followed those worrisome questions..how would I go home? This was the first time I would let my people down.."4th rank???? Is that where she stood in a section of 50? Had she ever seen anything worse than "2" before? shame shame...she quietly slid the card into her bag not knowing when it would see the sun again..

Next day at school, people had to resubmit their "parentally signed" cards..Hers hadnt seen her since yesterday..Well...there is always a "tomorrow" waiting to deintensify those tickles in the stomach...every "tomorrow" passed transforming into "today".."Students! Today is the last day to submit the report card.." shouted the class teacher after a week...urrghhh? What would she do? Sign it herself? trash it away? the only thought that hovered as she went back home...spent the evening presumably studying...doing her homework...and then dinner time...her dad would be home soon..she lacked every peck of courage required..what would dad say? she ran to her school bag...out came the pink card swinging over her...creating goosebumps all over again..."probably no...I still have tomorrow morning..before I leave for school...atleast will not have to face dad for long after the disaster is disclosed to him" she thought..

After the sleepless night and a peacefully tensed prep for school, came "the time"! was she alive for 12 years now for this moment? dad was scanning every sq.cm of the newspaper in the veranda...school bus had honked..time couldn't forgive more..this had to be it! with face as pale as the uniform she stood with the pink devil behind her.."Papa...ye sign kar dijiye...yahan pe"..she said..He looked down for a moment..trying to cover each row and column of the devil...and then the devil's nest which hosted the "4". Glasses were off his eyes now...staring deep into her moist eyes..."4th aaya hai? 4th? kaise? huh...Jao..I dont want to say anything...All my hopes from you are belied now"...these aspiring dads...rightfully live a second life in their child..aiming to accomplish all non-accomplishments of their first life..and her dad headed that species..and worse was he never yelled at the apple of his eye..yet the wonderfully pinching remarks were enough to get those tears on the lashes rolling over her cheeks...she rushed to take the bus..this religious freak, unable to endure the aftermath, was questioning her God every moment since that day had passed..how foolish can you be to fish for positives in a negative situation like this? she never understood..

this determined juvenile was challenged enough to display her competence..soon came the quarterly exams...and the same pink devil showed up..haahhh...this version wasn't as beastly..it read "2nd"!!!! it was "2 points" in the total that dileneated the topper from her. Yes, Just 2! And she was looked upon for it...because no one in school ever had the courage to compete so closely with "Sammy", who was a consistent topper in that school since 3rd grade. Our dear girl was feeling lighter than ever today..the hurdles didnt seem that tall now..well o well..human nature...always discontented...and the justification was "it feels worse to be just behind than to be behind". Nevertheless, it was worth rejoicing; something to share with dad the same day..dad was happy too..even with the pretense of parental dissatisfaction..it was the other version of numeral 2 (the difference in total points) that made the moment worth..the good omen that she was habituated to, seemed quite within reach...the "pinky" that appeared after a calm december vacation was far from a devil...the numeral "1" on the half-yearly report looked blissful...nothing had made her feel on Mt. Sukh ( happiness) before...yes! our girl was back in her persona..and more so, the aura of feeling supreme in the school could only take her higher..she had broken someone's 7 year record..she had made her dad proud again..and yet again...felt so very normal to experience the praise from teachers and fellow mates..the word had soon spread about Sammy's broken record, and hastily came the crowd to greet her in the break periods..She was delighted to flash the pink angel in front of dad...he had stepped another ladder up than his daughter.."very good beta...am soo proud of you"...thankgod! hopes still existed ;)...

well well...this wasnt yet over..she so truly says...when theres dukh..its just to get you ready for the overwhelming sukh...the school management had announced a new decision to give away Medals to each section's topper starting that year...and another to the class topper..could she believe it? why the sudden rain from heaven...?? the next day when the entire school assembled, each section's and class's topper bowed to receive the well polished metal strung around red satin..our girl was definitely her section's topper..it didn't end here though. After all the section toppers of 9th grade received their accolades..came the most awaited moment to call out the shining star of Class 9..Did she hear her own name? ohh yes she did..her heart bumped over her..blood streamed faster than Schumacher's F1..those canvas shoes had never been lighter..

our dear girl was the star, of the school, of her parents, of relatives, of all the uncles and aunties mom dad knew, yet again...and more so unfortunately, a benchmark for her sweet little dimpled sibling. She had proved herself again..and the aura was impeccable..The Leo was back in the Cave!