She sat quietly at the rear end of the hall, watching the rest of the crowd milling around her. It was hot, dusty and oppressively stifling. The buzzing of flies permeated the still air, disturbed only by the low lazy hum of the overhead fans. An elderly pot bellied man sat dozing beside her, slumbering in the sultry siesta. On this idyllic afternoon, time seemed to crawl forward at a painstaking pace. But she couldn’t afford to relax. Because, she was here for a reason. She had come to meet him. For, he was her destiny. He spelt redemption. He was her pride, honour and glory. Hers and hers alone. It was but inherent to the fabric of her existence that they meet. Two people. Two ideas inextricably linked to each other. Each a part of the other. An affirmation of the duality of her universe.
She sat stone still as she dared not move till he came. And there, like a gust of wind, followed by a bevy of reporters and photographers cradled in his entourage, was the object of her wait.
Instantly the hall erupted into a wild maelstrom of incoherent activity. As hundreds of people rushed towards the podium, she let herself be swept towards him, riding the unstoppable current of adulation.
He was shaking hands with strangers, holding babies and posing for photographs. Wave after wave of humanity crashed upon his persona in an unremitting display of unbound hero worship.
The last mile was also the hardest for her. She struggled to get close to him as each attempt, seemed to push him farther and farther away. She chanced by a clearing and positioned herself. Yes, he would see her now.
Maybe it was the calmness of her face or the surety in her demeanour that caught his attention. Or maybe it was just the earnest eagerness in her eyes. She wasn’t beautiful. But there was captivating resolve in her steely expression. Like an orphan, hurt and hungry.
He stopped and couldn’t help but look at her. Suddenly, they were alone, face to face. The tumultuous crowd around them didn’t matter. Like two primeval visceral forces. Roaring waves crashing on the rocks. Destined to meet and annihilate each other. Again and again. From the beginning of Time, right upto its end. She placed the garland of flowers around his neck. Then, lowering her gaze, she bent to touch his feet. He instinctively lowered himself to stop her. She could feel the perfume of his breath on the back of her sweaty neck. He didn’t see her slide her hands into the folds of her sari. He also didn’t see her flick two switches on the panel tied around her waist. The control switch armed the device. The detonator set it off. Seven hundred grams of RDX were all it took. He was known as Rajeev. The world would come to know her as Dhanu. Two people. Two ideas inextricably linked to each other. The fall of one, dragging down the other.
There are many issues in this world worth dying for- freedom, honour, family, country. There are even more issues that people would kill for- power, wealth, prestige, religion. Pity, then that there are so few matters worth living for.
She sat stone still as she dared not move till he came. And there, like a gust of wind, followed by a bevy of reporters and photographers cradled in his entourage, was the object of her wait.
Instantly the hall erupted into a wild maelstrom of incoherent activity. As hundreds of people rushed towards the podium, she let herself be swept towards him, riding the unstoppable current of adulation.
He was shaking hands with strangers, holding babies and posing for photographs. Wave after wave of humanity crashed upon his persona in an unremitting display of unbound hero worship.
The last mile was also the hardest for her. She struggled to get close to him as each attempt, seemed to push him farther and farther away. She chanced by a clearing and positioned herself. Yes, he would see her now.
Maybe it was the calmness of her face or the surety in her demeanour that caught his attention. Or maybe it was just the earnest eagerness in her eyes. She wasn’t beautiful. But there was captivating resolve in her steely expression. Like an orphan, hurt and hungry.
He stopped and couldn’t help but look at her. Suddenly, they were alone, face to face. The tumultuous crowd around them didn’t matter. Like two primeval visceral forces. Roaring waves crashing on the rocks. Destined to meet and annihilate each other. Again and again. From the beginning of Time, right upto its end. She placed the garland of flowers around his neck. Then, lowering her gaze, she bent to touch his feet. He instinctively lowered himself to stop her. She could feel the perfume of his breath on the back of her sweaty neck. He didn’t see her slide her hands into the folds of her sari. He also didn’t see her flick two switches on the panel tied around her waist. The control switch armed the device. The detonator set it off. Seven hundred grams of RDX were all it took. He was known as Rajeev. The world would come to know her as Dhanu. Two people. Two ideas inextricably linked to each other. The fall of one, dragging down the other.
There are many issues in this world worth dying for- freedom, honour, family, country. There are even more issues that people would kill for- power, wealth, prestige, religion. Pity, then that there are so few matters worth living for.
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2 comments:
Great take on the assassination! Loved the way the narration takes the sudden twist. Keep writing dude!
:D
hey..thanx..unfortunately medicine an extremely demanding profession. dont get the time nowadays. but lets hope the spark remains alive.
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