The white Light Calling - 13
Part 1:
It looked like the rain had not had enough. It was still drizzling a bit.
Chemba now attired in a thick yellow plastic coat and a professional looking boots climbed behind Maran. Paval and others followed.The path was muddy and it continuously streamed out rain water. The bushes and trees looked like they just had a ‘diwali oil bath’. The rocks were slippery and their shoes got stuck at every hole in the ground which was filled with brown muddy water. It was a hard journey.
An hour earlier they had reached the interior survey booth of the tiger reserve. The booth stood there to shelter the occasional officers who come out on a trek to track down and survey the surviving number of big cats( tigers). It was shabby and small.
They had brought some very professional looking equipment, some of which chemba couldn’t even recognize. Mr. Maran who was to lead the search, looked rough and stiff as if he was dipped in a gallon full of ‘revive’ (textile starch). Maybe he was not too cool about two women joining him. Or maybe he didn’t like the way he was pulled out of the theatre when he was watching a nice masala tamil movie with his family, or maybe both. Whatever was the reason, he preferred to stay grim. He didn’t smile at the women even for courtesy.
They started on.
The sky was a weird mix of dark orange and inky gray and splashes of blue here and there. It was getting dark. Each had a big torch in their hands. Chemba walked close to Paval and asked her slowly“ Is kalai selvi your only sibling?”
“Yeah.”She seemed to beam at the mere mention of the name.
”She is more like my …daughter? I don’t know. My mom died when we were so young. So kalai used to come to me for everything, from that time until now. In fact when vikki proposed her she came home running to me, to ask an opinion. But I knew from her eyes, that he was already there in her heart.” Paval looked young but talked so matured, chemba thought. She felt a kind of calmness when she was near her. She liked this woman.
They had walked for quite some time when maran’s phone rang. He took the call and spoke over the phone for about a minute, took down something on a piece of paper and then he came near them. Looking straight at chemba he said, ”They got information on the guys”.
“What? Where? How?” chemba was excited.
“It’s from the base camp. You want to talk to them?” he asked mechanically.
“yes..Oh yes..”she said. He slowly gave the phone to her. She practically plucked the phone from his hand and spoke.
” Hello?”
“This is Anbu from the base camp. “
“Ah.. this is chemba..am,, shenbagavalli. Do you have a message for me?”
“Yes ma’m. I spoke to one Mr. Shekar. He said he and two of his friends including your cousin are safe in a cave. He also gave us perfect co-ordinates for the location and also some landmarks. Those I have given it to Mr. Maran. So probably you don’t have to continue the search. You can go back to the booth, and get back to your father. We have also informed him. The officers will take care from here. Is that Ok Ms. shenbagam?”
“Oh..God..Oh.. heavens.. Vikki.. You are alright” chemba was shedding tears of joy with her eyes closed.
“Ah..yes. Ma’m.We are happy too. Now, If you don’t mind can you return from there? It’s a little dangerous out there. We accepted because your father had insisted through higher force. Now, the officers will take care. You can come to the tiger reserve base station and wait if you want. Your father and Mr. Vikraman’s father will be there in some time. Is that alright Ms. Shenbagam?”
“Yes..”She heaved a sigh of relief and closed her eyes. Suddenly her eyes fluttered open.
”No..wait..wait..Hello..are you there?”
“Yes, Ma’m go ahead.”
“You said, Shekar and how many friends?”
“Two “
“Two?”
Paval could see the drastic change in her face. Just a moment ago Chemba’s face looked like an ‘alli’(white water lilly) which blooms beautifully and swiftly as it get the first rays of the cool moon. Her face was lit up like a Christmas tree, but in a few seconds the fuse was gone. Paval didn’t know the reason but she understood it must be of some great importance.
“No.. you said shekar and his two friends. Can you name them?”
“Ah. Yes. He did give some details. He said he and Mr. venkat is quite ok and one Mr. Vikraman, I find that is your cousin brother. He is unconscious right now. But, nothing serious i hope. They are in a safe location madam. No need to worry. Now please go along with kumaran to the base again, if you will.”
“No ..No I won’t” She left the phone to drop itself into the sluggish looking water in slow motion and faltered back.
“I cannot go. I will not go” chemba started shouting hysterically.
Paval who was watching the girl ran at once to chemba’s side, who had buckled down and was crying.
“Chemba..Chemba. Are you alright?
“No.. I am not alright Paval. I am not alright OK? He is not alright and so I am not alright.” she sat on the wet ground, with her hands covering her eyes she started to cry.
Paval looked at the crying girl. She knew a lot about chemba. Selvi had told a lot. Chemba this.. chemba that. From all she heard, she understood chemba to be a modern yet typical tamil girl who loves poetry and cricket and would probably shy away for a camera but not for a challenge. She was told a lot about this girl. She had already grown a soft corner for her even before she saw her. And her instinct said she was quite right in opting to go out on search.
Paval had been repeatedly thinking that, How brave chemba had accepted things and is actually cool for a girl to be in such situation. Now after seeing her cry, her heart melted. So there is this other guy. She understood quite alright. She is in her vulnerable best now, she thought.
She had to make her move. She sat down beside chemba slowly and kept a comforting hand over her head. Chemba looked up. Paval didn’t speak a word. She just kept looking at her and held her hand softly for a while.
Chemba looked ok in a while.
But maran had become restless. After knowing that the guys were ok, he only had to go and get them. It would be easy if the women would just go back safely to the booth. He doesn’t have to watch out for them, he thought. But when she started crying and worse when she dropped the phone in the water, he totally lost himself.
He came near them with seething anger.
“See this is why girls are not to come here. Will you at least now listen to what sensible people say to you? Get back with that Marudhan to the booth now. We will see to the guys.”
“Like hell you will. You will not move from here without me.. us” chemba corrected and stood up like an angry tigress.
“Officer. Please don’t mind her anger. We are worried that there is one more gentle man who is in danger. We need to gather information and lead out a search for him.”Paval said soothingly to the angry man.
“Another search? You think we are all fools? You think we all sit there scratching the benches without any work to do? Or do you think we have no other job than to make dangerous trips to and fro to find out the idiots who get lost in places where they shouldn’t be in the first place. What do you think?”
“I think You are a selfish idiot. That’s what I think” Chemba spat back.
“What? Idiot? You filthy little thing. You wealthy monkeys will do as you please and when it pleases you and you want us to come out of our works and keep finding you every time you get lost. Who the hell told you to go trekking into the woods in the first place? Who gave you permission to take the route you took? Did you follow the rules we asked you to? You don’t do anything by the book but you want us to come running behind you to save you. And then you call me selfish.” he finished in one stroke and looked at her.
Chemba looked at him for some time and stood up without a word. She pushed back the hair with shaking fingers and tied them into a firm knot. She then turned towards paval “ You coming right?”
