Mumbai Slice --- Bhaiyya.

Jan 2nd 2004 : Tragedy struck

5AM: My Roomie, Sachchu's mobile started ringing. It stopped abruptly, before he could retrieve who had called, it rang again. The ring was on a high volume, and it pierced the night's silence like a buthcer knife through meat.Gade was not in that room, why? I do not remember. I too woke up. He replied "hello? "

From the other side I could hear a terrified girls voice. The phone was not on maximum receiver volume, hence was not coherent. All I could hear was a girl crying and calling Bhiyya in every sentence she spoke. She was speaking in spasm like someone sobbing and did not know what to do. Sachhu says, "Doctor ko bulao, tum wahan kya kar rahi ho? Unko thoda paani do ... unko wahin kahin letne ko bolo... Arey mujhe kya phone kar rahi ho, doctor ko bulao... Theek hai ... do mintue mein phone karo" .... and throws the phone in the corner. I never felt so concerned for someone in my life. I slowly got up from my bed went to the place of the phone, fixed back the cover which had come off and then returned it and asked ... " kya hua yaar ... tension mein lag rahe ho?"

"Paapa yaar" .. "Kya hua ? " ... "Papa , meri behen ko chhodne aye the kanpur ki train ke liye .... aur unko wahin heart attack aa gaya, aur is bewakoof ne mujhe yahaan Mumbai mein phone kiya hai". " Main yaan pe kya kar sakta hun?" said a desperate Sachchu. I felt a chill run down my spine. I could almost feel the fear and helplessness of this lone girl in her teens would have felt, during these terrible times. My string of thought was again broken by the screaming phone.I knew i was not breathing. I was straining my ears trying to make sense out of the babel emanating from the other side. Finally after a few haan haan's i could see the "All is lost" expression in Sachhu's eyes. Something I dreaded to see.He placed the phone back and finally crumbled under the weight of the overwhelming grief. Gade had just arrived and was there to comfort him . I was busy going through the papers to check the flight timings to Varanasi where Sachchu's parents lived. Could not get any, found the nearest flight, Lucknow ... would leave in 10 mins, no point! My mind stopped working. The determined Gade took him to the airport and finally with great difficulty he got a Patna flight. The way ahead unclear.
On his return, he told me about his journey. After an hour and a half, he reached patna airport. From there he boarded a passenger train to Varanasi. This train halted at next 3 stations causing great anxiety to Sachchu. He in his desparation jumped on to a super fast Patna Fast which, he said, stopped at Varanasi. He reached at 5 in the evening and was running to the gate. He was intercepted by a TC, n asked for the ticket. Sachchu showed him the other train ticket and told him about his position, The TC like any other Indian, let Sachchu go without any more questions. Sachchu reached home at 6 and his Dad cremated at 7. A harrowing time for a guy who used to exclaim, "abhi toh main bachcha hun" .. Responsibility sure does come unexpected from unknown corners... Looking back, I can still very clearly remember, hearing the terrified calls of "bhaiyya" from that phone. The ringtone, the voice, the time of the day and the event... something I can never forget in my life.