Not everything happens for a Reason

2 air hostesses pack their bags for a weekend getaway. Set in a newly liberated India of 80's the story centers around how the girls liberate themselves. A tragedy that lingers strikes with vengeance.

Not everything happens for a Reason

 

Not everything happens for a reason. Now that she had reached the golden years of her life, everything seemed much less hurtful, much less painful and much more soothing. Now sitting in the lap of nature, enjoying the best of heaths in this plush green, verdant hill station of Yercaud which hid many a metamorphic and igneous rocks under it, she was enjoying a beautiful dawn of her imminent dusk. She was not very many years old, maybe she was older than her best friend, or foe, whatever it maybe...who cares now, she was ready to let bygones be bygones, and why wouldn't she, she had known all this well along that 'not everything happens for a reason'.

 

The story dates back to late 80's when the baby boomers generation was watching itself being shackled in the political turmoil engulfing India. The times were depressing, but not so for Kalash. She always wanted to be a high flier right form her childhood. She wanted the best for her in every possible way and for that she was ready to touch the extremes. It was a time when Indian women had recently been exposed to the charms of Western world. A mass women protest near the PM’s office led the Tata’s, on Indira Gandhi’s insistence, to start an Indian cosmetic giant �" Lakme. Women felt more liberated with opening of jobs in Airlines, new range of cosmetics. The Bollyscreens were ablaze with the Zeenat Amans and Parveen Babis, not to forget the unforgettable Dimple Kapadia as ‘Bobby’ which led to a widespread infection of mass escapades from college hostels and schools to the scintillating Mayanagri. After her high school, joining an international airline as a hostess was an obvious decison. Quick moolah came in quickly and she saw her aspirations met with every single penny that reached her bank account. Indian Airlines was a well respected entity back then so she was sure that she was in right hands. A young, ambitious, high flying woman in part of world that has been recently exposed to women liberation is a heady cocktail which is highly inflammable. She had acquired a taste for coquettish behavior. She like to play it dangerous as it was a new kind of 'high' for this newly liberated butterfly freshly out of her chrysalis. Though she was flying for 10 years now, she couldn't find a perfect match for her.

 

Kalash never made friends easily, friendship for mile high fliers is mostly a timid affair. Yet, she had developed a liking for Vrinda. She met Vrinda in her Air hostess academy and was always slightly jealous of her because Vrinda had a perfect bun. Yes, Vrinda’s perfect hair bun was the reason. Kalash was jealous that Vrinda’s hairs were thicker and denser than Kalashs’. Also, Vrinda had a perfect mole slightly above her tender pouting lips on the left of her nose which added an extra elegance to her already dazzling beauty. She was a small town girl per se who was always careful as to how she carried herself in public. She was timid and would often speak in a voice that would meet the bare minimum requirement of just crossing the hearing threshold of 20db. Sometimes words from her mouth would just originate and disappear without meeting the 2nd Law of thermodynamics - Increase in Entropy. She was the paragon of daintiness and effeminacy any reputable man would want in her women. She wanted to be mischievous but the principles her mother had hard pressed on her before leaving her home town came in the way and she would restrain herself. Vrinda could be stingy at times. She would rarely spend money on herself but took the vicarious pleasure in Kalash's expenditure on her self-pampering. Nevertheless, Vrinda was fun to be with.

 

Kalash and Vrinda made unlikeliest of friends. Kalash would always try to modulate Vrinda on her own model but Vrinda, on the other hand, would always go with the flow. She was not exactly a minion, for she was always beware of Kalash's erratic behavior, yet she protested never. She would take Kalash's advice at her own will, but always ended up trying to make Kalash happy most of the times. An awkward equation had developed between the two. But, it was better than a 'timid' affair.

 

Weekend getaways were a new concept Kalash had read about in 'Lonely planet' magazine. She was the adventurous one and wanted one for her. She got all excited about an extended weekend in Yercaud, a hill station in Tamil Nadu, about 65 kms from Salem (not capital of Utah, USA, and yes, India also boasts of a Salem). The article said that Yercaud has some of the most breathtaking views of the Nilgiris. This was enough for a trigger happy Kalash to start packing her bags. A hotel was booked, a tour guide was booked and two train tickets were also booked for Salem from Bangalore. It was there that they would meet the Guide and start on a car to Yercaud. Kalash told Vrinda that the two are going to have a great weekend; it was then that Vrinda was made aware of this trip i.e. after all the reservations had been made. Initially, she didn’t respond much and pretended to keep on reading the newspaper. She said a prolonged 'No' while she started calculating the expenses in her brain. It was a heavy figure and then she used an emphatic 'No'. But Kalash was not ready to take no for an answer. Ultimately, she ended up agreeing to sponsor 40% of Vrinda's expenses. Vrinda was a stingy lass but she knew that once Kalash decided on doing something, she won’t back down even if it comes at a price.

 

Salem is not a very welcoming sight at first. The city is less of a city and more of a stopover for trucks etc. As it falls on a very busy highway, some people started living here and made a city out of it. The only pleasurable place in this pseudo town is Sugavaneshwarar Temple which boasts of 1004 Shivlings on a hill, all beautifully crafted, similar in shape, gigantic, and with an equally enormous Nandi bull guarding each one of them. Anyways, it was Thursday evening and the two were waiting at the Salem bus stand for their guide.

 

Tsering left his home state of Assam at a young age of 17. Working as a chef at one of the lesser known restaurants of Bangalore was not sufficient to make both ends meet, hence, a guide. Tsering had a haggardly and sinewy look. His locks were long, straight and dense. He liked them covering most part of his forehead, while reaching his nose at times. He was proud of them and spent a better part of his income on his goldilocks (Yes, he had them colored). Hence, Tsering was a welcome answer to the Mars quotient of the trip. Kalash was the lonely types, the kind who always wants a support wherever they go, be it workplace, home, friends, even for shopping, especially for shopping. She pretended to be weak to get this support, and this did wonders for some buffoons but was a big turn off for normal people. She had already planned how the trip would pan out - A sexy, cute guide, two girls, and a hill station to be explored. Tsering would fit the bill.

 

They started their journey in an Ambassador. Kalash was driving; Tsering was telling her about the volcanic eruptions of Deccan Plateau and the metamorphic rocks, while Vrinda was snoring. They reached the hotel late in the night. Tsering slept in the car while Kalash and Vrinda enjoyed there cozy rooms. Friday morning was foggy, Tsering took them to the Yercaud Lake, then to Kiliyur waterfall, Pagoda Point and by the evening they reached the Lady's seat. All this while, Kalash was building an inner rage because these were those common points that she could have seen on her own as well. These were not the places she read about in the magazine. So, by the time he took them to Sunset point, Kalash had had it. She glowered at Tsering �"

"The f**k you are doing....We don't want to shoot a movie song that you are showing us these pansy sights. We want raw nature. You have spoiled this whole day of ours....Man, I thought you were smart. Wherever you are taking us has a mad rush of people. Its these very damned souls that I want a break free from. If you have something better in mind, then show us, or we are leaving tomorrow morning itself.!!"

 

 Vrinda had enjoyed her day well, she had clicked pictures in weird poses, enjoyed a popsicle in cool clime, had a hearty South Indian lunch with lots of rasam, devoured a candy floss, and absolutely loved that Special Chaai. All this while she thought that Kalash enjoyed this as well for she was the one forcing her to give weird poses, directing those poses and then directing Tsering to take picture from special angles. But, Vrinda knew that Kalash was erratic. She would laugh most heartily one moment, and cry her eyes out the next. Vrinda had learned to avoid such vacillations and keep herself happy. But this humiliation of Tsering at Kalash's hands was too much for Vrinda as well. Vrinda would never enjoy the company of opposite sex, mostly because of her mom's inhibitions that she had developed with time, but she liked Tsering. He was not like other guys who would find a chance to pounce upon any stray opportunity to start a conversation with her, which would mostly be absolutely meaningless and nonsensical. Tsering was curt, but warm. He was never anxious to make his point, he kept to himself and had his own way of doing things. Being a Guide you need to blabber any s**t about anything, but he would give juicy and intelligent facts backed by both Geography and History, sometimes even astronomy and philosophy. This adulation for Tsering had not gone unnoticed by Kalash and she thought she saw something in Tsering's eyes as well. She saw her support losing and felt pangs of weakness inside her, twisting her like a snake and flushing life out of her. The outburst on Tsering was then a natural defensive response she chose. Tsering, on the other hand, had reasons of his own to show all these obvious locations the first day to get them done with so that tomorrow they then can visit the exotic location devoid of mankind and full of wilderness. Tsering was also shocked at this outburst for he thought Kalash liked him.

 

"This wouldn't happen tomorrow, Mam". He didn't like to explain things to people for he wanted people to act smart and understand things on their own. Some called him reticent because of this trait of his' but he knew he was intelligent than others and found it satisfying to prove it to himself than to others. Tsering was good at judging girls and he judged them well. He could make out that Kalash was dangerous and modulated her behavior around others, but Vrinda was innocent and went with the flow. Tsering felt an urge to save Vrinda from Kalash's eerie aura of negativity, but he knew that he wouldn't and he shouldn't. As the day ended he went back to his car and slept like a king. Vrinda pretended to be normal and so did Kalash. They lit the fireplace and enjoyed the warmth for a couple of minutes. But it became hot quickly so they turned it off. Yercaud was not ready for a fireplace yet. They ordered some food, watched some TV, and slept like queens.

 

Next day started with a light drizzle. The sky was cloudy with thick nimbus clouds covering the Sun rays, allowing only small beams of light to pass through them. Tsering led them to a deserted tea plantation. The high rise panoramic hills made of Black soil were an enchanting sight.

"Igneous rocks are made from the volcanic lava that has cooled down and exposed to years of denudation by agents like winds and rains. The whole Deccan Plateau was a region of high volcanic activity. The black soil is a proof that the whole of South India has emerged from our earth's magma. It was an active volcanic site which is now dormant, and mostly considered dead. The whole world is exposed to such natural catastrophes which have ultimately led to this Natural beauty that surrounds us. The plantation here..." Tsering was interrupted between by Vrinda

"Were Himalayas also formed like this ...?"

"No. The place where the majestic Himalyas stand was once at sea level. However, with time, the movement of the Eurasian tectonic plate against Australian plate led to the slow and steady rise of Himalyas which took millions of years to reach their present heights. And how we know that is because we have found rocks at the peak of Himalyas, even Mt. Everest, that have imprints of fossils of creatures that exist in oceans."

 

"Wow..! That's so lovely....How come we have so much diversity on this planet??"

 

"All the 92 naturally occurring planets on this universe, you, me, these rocks, this camera, these clothes are made from the core of dying stars....How fantastic is that!!!"

"Really..!!" exclaimed Vrinda with a shrill shriek that was so shrill that it almost fell off the audible range of frequency for humans.

 

Kalash was witnessing this entire episode with a crooked eye. She was planning something which she wanted to do tonight. However, not to be left behind, she also pitched in - "How's that..? Surely, you are joking Mr. Tsering."

 

"No. Then listen to this. A star is formed from dusty clouds of nebulae that is nothing but stardust. For the most part of its life a star fights a battle to keep itself from being engulfed by its own gravity and hence needs energy to prevent this. This energy is given by the fusion reaction whereby Hydrogen is converted to Helium. After millions of years when the hydrogen gets finished, Helium starts getting converted to Beryllium and so on. Finally, everything gets converted to Iron and this stage lasts for only a few hours. This star then becomes a Red giant or White dwarf depending on its mass and gets blown up in a giant big bang creating material matter for planets or stars, or becomes a black hole, respectively. The whole universe believes in the cycle of creation and destruction which is cyclical. Just like the Dance of Lord Shiva. So we all have come from a..."

"Common source" completed Kalash excitedly.

"Yes.." said Tsering slightly disappointed because Vrinda had lost her interest and was looking far towards the horizon. The rest of the day was spent in a lazy tea factory, followed by a visit to Botanical Garden. They had packed their lunch from the hotel itself. They had a small picnic which was mostly filled with quietude. Right across from the picnic point was a small hill. When the trio crossed over to the other side of the hill, they found a small village. The bylanes wore a deserted look. It seemed that the village was left by the inhabitants around 10-15 years back, perhaps, to move to plane grounds. The village had a few thatched roof, moth eaten windows and doors. All of a sudden shrieked Vrinda - "This is the same cycle. All these huts made from mud will be return back to the earth and will be created again in some other form. Wow..!!"

"You are crazy....You are still stuck there only...Haha"

Tsering skipped a heartbeat. "So she was listening all this while" he thought to himslef. If she was still thinking of what I said then, then maybe she remembers me in the frame as well. I knew she wouldn't disappoint me. Maybe...a maybe lingers. He took a deep sigh and a small smile to himself. Kalash caught this smile and got enraged. However, she took a few deep breaths and cooled down thinking about tonight. She had to resort to this as the last option. She knew that might is right and she will have what she likes, even if that means crossing boundaries.

 

It was already late afternoon and a blanket of fog had enveloped the city. Kalash had invited Tsering to their room to play a game of cards. Vrinda wasn't comfortable with the move but couldn't say an emphatic 'No'. The night was still young and so were Vrinda and Tsering, and to some extent, Kalash. Most of the stories were about Vrinda. It was like she had become the centre of attraction suddenly, and she was enjoying it. She couldn't stop giggling like child in a candy shop. She kept on telling all the stupid notions she had as a child and how she was an absolute nerd. Vrinda had never felt so much liberated, and Tsering on his part kept on groveling for more. Kalash wanted to intervene but lost the plot somewhere. She was having one of those feelings when one gets an epiphany all of a sudden that one of your friend has become ‘buddies’ with someone who was an acquaintance to both of you recently but you are still ‘only FB’ friend. The room was filled with laughter, anecdotes, and noise when all of a sudden Kalash asked - "Do you have weed..?"

"What’s weed..?" asked Tsering innocently

"Charas..Ganja..anything...???" Tsering didn't want to spoil the moment, infact, he wanted to make it better. He had some Charas with him in the car. A lonely life can be very creepy at times. He used Charas only to get high when he would feel lonely enough to think of a suicide. Vrinda hesitated but again her 'No' was not emphatic. Tsering thought that she would oppose it vehemently, but then, not everything happens for a reason.

 

Charas was brought and was divided equally. They lit a match and puffed the Charas. After a few moments the room felt light. The fireplace was burning, it was required today because a light drizzle had lowered the temperature since morning. Tsering still had some more Charas left. Kalash was ready now. She was waiting for this very moment and now that it had come she was not under the control of her body. The only thought that rammed her mind was Vrinda's perfect bun, that mole of hers', that demureness, that dainty nature that had guys crooning after her. She wanted to defeat her once and for all. To show how she's the leader and any pretense to surpass her would be crushed with an iron fist. She was ready to go to the extremes again.

 

"An Airhostess and a Guide found dead in Hotel Mystique"

An Air hostess with Indian Airlines and a local guide were found dead due to asphyxiation. One of her colleague was found unconscious in an adjoining room. The colleague has been admitted to the hospital and is recovering. The cause of death has been identified as asphyxiation due to a closed chimney chamber. The trio is being suspected to be under the influence of drugs and thus couldn't take any actions to save themselves. The deceased hostess’ colleague might have been the only one who had some control over her senses. A similar case was reported last month in Munnar whose investigations were completed last Thursday. ASP D.K. Pandey has confirmed that the survivor is safe and no foul play is being suspected "Yesterday being a chilly night, the fireplace was ignited. But fireplace is a luxury in Yercaud as its not required. The maintenance is poor and most of the people don't even know that the chimney vent needs to be opened before using the fireplace. Moreover, the consumed drugs further lowered their ability to respond to the situation and unfortunately the two died of asphyxiation. The parents of the deceased have been informed."

 

“So many years had passed but Yercaud is still not worth having a fireplace...Right Bhushan...??”

“What would I know, I am coming here for the first time..”

“Oh yes..!! I have been here before and I have come back only to relive the old memories. The experience was absolutely mischievous. Must I add, it was here that I got liberated....if you know what I mean..??”

“I don’t know anything. We have been together for the past seven months but I barely know about your past. Tell me everything about yourself. I am all ears.”

“Of course..that’s what this trip is for. Otherwise, I know you are not crazy to get a week out of your busy schedule and fly from Delhi all the way to Chennai. I am gonna drown you with so much...so much...that you are gonna feel asphyxiated......Hahaha..”

“Hahaha..thats funny...you little kitten..”

“And you know what ....I haven’t used this for the last 16 years.....just imagine....I was tempted to use this from the very first time to the 11^th time.....but here I am again...I’m mischievous”

“What...??”

“Leave that....first tell me...where are we going for shopping..???”

 

 

Kalash didn’t want much. All she wanted to do was to make make out with Tsering after both of them were high. She wanted to show Vrinda as to what was she capable of. And that’s exactly what she did. She kissed Tsering and a ‘high’ Tsering with comatosed senses also responded by kissing her back. Vrinda was intimidated but she didn’t move. On the inside there was a sudden outburst of Lava. It was like her soul was getting metamorphosed like the rocks of the plateau. She didn’t know she could feel something like this. She was flying with heavy steps. Tsering’s lecture was wobbling inside her mind - the cycle of creation and destruction. The recycling. Birth and Death. Yin and Yang. The cosmic dance of Shiva. The collision of neutrino and anti-neutrino. The clash of matter and anti-matter. Spin and anti-spin. Gravity and anti-gravity. Nothing is permanent. Everything is ephemeral, evanescent, lasting for a fleeting second. Yet, everything is the same, having a common origin. The atom that makes this wood and the one that makes the soul has been created in the same furnace of dying stars. People love Gold....why..?? �" because its different and rare. Gold is created when a Supernova explodes. It get drifted away in the cosmos and reaches different places. The total Gold ever extracted on Earth till now is only sufficient to fill three Olympic sized pools. It’s rare and thus precious. But, its make is also from the core of dying stars. Still the world behaves so differently to it. The real is unreal and unreal real. Why are we here, what is morally correct and morally wrong was no longer a question that needs to be answered. “I don’t want to be the wood, I want to be the Gold” thought Vrinda to herself.

 

 Vrinda was feeling lighter than ever. She made the most cherubic face ever, passed on some more Charas to them both. Kalash was dreamy and happy now. She accomplished what she wanted to do. She took a big puff and passed out. Tsering also puffed for some time and passed out. Vrinda was only pretending to smoke more Charas while she actually was not. She closed the chimney vent, went out of the room for about half an hour after locking it from outside. Came back, checked for heart beat on both of them. Took in some of the carbon monoxide induced atmosphere of the room and went to the adjoining room where smoke did reach her only to make her unconscious after some time but keeping her out of harm’s way. That was the day she felt the most liberated in her life. The Lakme’s and Air India’s could do nothing of the sort that this mischievous act of her’s did. As the the years passed by, she realized that not even the launch of self-start Kinetics, or Nokia mobile phones, or VLCC slimming centers or an Apple i-pad help her feel more liberated or raise her self-esteem than this life altering set of events which happened. And, why did the Lava burst on that particular day ? Well, for no apparent reason at all. She had realized that not everything happens for a reason.

 

 

As the years passed by, the lava that had exploded had started turning black in color. It was like the black soil of the Deccan. She was dormant on the outside, but on the inside that Volcano was active which would explode at times just to get a high. Yet, these Golden years were making her blackness reek. She wasn’t as smart and beautiful as she used to be. The lioness was tired now and was ready to let the bygones be bygones. Age had taken its toll and while sipping the coffee in the lap of nature she thought �" 12 is a good number, actually it will be 13....Hah...!!!

“Mystery Asphyxiation death in Pine Hotel, two found dead”            

 

 

 

7^th September, 2012

Vivek Vashishth