The Uproar of Silence

Note: I wrote this one long time back for a competition where I had to restrict the story to 500 words. Forgive me if it’s not very detailed and elaborate. 

“The Uproar of Silence” was the headline in a leading newspaper with a photograph of a girl in her early teens posing as incandescent Natraja. It was Aruna, a Bharathanatyam dancer and a different one in that kind.

Pavithra, Aruna's best friend, looked thoroughly excited when she waved the paper in front of Aruna's eyes. Aruna snatched it and looked at her photograph, tears falling thick and fast on the paper as she did it. She pressed it to her chest and hugged Pavithra.

With the paper, Pavithra ran towards the small out-house where Aruna lived with her father. Aruna slumped in front of the statue of Natraja and travelled back in memory.

“I touched the majestic statue and like every other day, I felt goose bumps. I wiped his dancing feet and found solace. I touched the hand that carried fire and felt peaceful. I observed his stance and imitated the same.

I felt a strong hand touch my shoulder and turned, flabbergasted. It was my boss, Dance Master Parameshwaran. Scared out of my wits, I took refuge behind the God I adored.

He smiled kindly and gestured at me, “Thats okay. Come out.”

I walked around the statue slowly and stood in front of him, head bowed. He knelt down and gestured at me again, “Do you want to learn to dance?”

I didn't know how he would be able to teach dance to a girl like me, who didn't know what sound is all about. I felt elated nevertheless and ran away to my house.

At home, my father gave me a dirty look that plainly wished me a painful death. He cannot be blamed because,

We were extremely poor;

My mother died while I was born;

I can neither hear nor speak;

I am a girl;

I was nothing short of a burden to him.

From the next day, I started a blissful journey of dancing with my Guru and his daughter Pavithra. First, I had to understand the concept of rhythm which proved to be a herculean task. I observed the way my Guru played the cymbals, his lip movements for the associated syllables and Pavithra's harmonized leg, hand and eye movements. Slowly, with their help, I started feeling the rhythm within me and also saw various new patterns of it in anything and everything people did.

Though I did not have the sound of voice, the voice of expressions was natural to me. With the help of my Guru, my raw expressions got transformed into a soulful language of emotions.

After 8 years of rigorous training, my Guru confidently put me on the limelight and today, I dedicate this milestone to him and my friend Pavithra.”

Aruna's father rushed into the hall and begged for forgiveness. The girl whom he detested had proved that she can make wonders with life. Tears welling up his eyes, he carried her on his shoulders for the first ever time and ran around the street, boasting about her happily.

---Bala Iyengar---

The Last Meet

“This guy is ok with your TV anchoring job. He is also working as an art director. He looks good and he's from a very good family. We all like him and above all that, he called me all by himself. You always keep saying that a charming prince will walk into our house and take him with you; this guy can be your charming prince. Why don't you think on those lines? His parents will talk to me in a day or two. I will be very happy if you marry him.” She sang praises about that unknown “art director guy” who had called her after seeing her daughter's profile in a matrimonial website.

Aparna was sitting curled up on her bean bag, looking blankly at the ceiling. By now, she was used to being silent all the time and did not react to her mother's words even in the slightest.

“I am talking to you. Do you even care to reply?” - her mother asked.

Aparna did not answer. She just changed her sitting posture and started staring emptily at the floor instead. Her mother tried to grab Aparna's attention with few more questions but gave up when she realized that she could better be talking to a wall and get a reaction from it than talking to Aparna.

***********

Sandeep's mobile vibrated violently and was about to fall off the table when he grabbed it in his hand. Without taking his eyes off the laptop, he swiped the phone and opened the message. His eyes traveled through the message unconcernedly and he threw the mobile on the bed. When his brain slowly registered what his eyes had read, his heart started racing. He took his mobile and read the message properly once more.

It was very short and it read “I wanna meet you just once before my parents get me married please. Don't ignore.”

He reread the message twice and truth seemed to hit him like an iron ball. “Getting married? What the.. but I never thought.. oh no..” - he thought and he called her. She did not pick up the call but he received a text.

“Txt me. Can't talk.” - it read.

“You wanted to meet. When and whr?” - he replied.

“Same place where we first met. Today 6:30 PM” - she replied.

***********

Aparna was sitting on the same bench on which they sat when they met for the first time in that temple. She was hugging a big cloth bag for refuge and resting her head on it. She didn't know why she was feeling so void and what she would talk to Sandeep. Would she hold his hands and weep “Sandeep, my parents are trying to get me married to another guy. I am not able to forget you. Please come and talk to them and marry me.”? No, because Sandeep had made it transparent that though he loved her, he cannot marry her due to some problem. He refused to discuss anything further with her.

“Been waiting for a long time?” - he asked, arriving behind Aparna's back and jerking her back to senses.

“Sandeepp..” - she said and uttering his name brought a smile on her lips.

Sandeep sat down on the bench and stretched his long legs and hands. He was looking around at the temple while Aparna leaned on the bag and studied him silently. The person who had once sat so close to her, held her hands, hugged her safely in his arms and had kissed her lovingly was now so indifferent and disinterested.

“What?” - he asked when he realized he could no longer avoid her gaze.

Aparna shook her head and smiled at him. She patted the bag on her lap and said - “I bought T-Shirts for you and there's a small sandalwood statue that you can stick on your new car's dashboard.”

Sandeep took the bag from her and said - “That's so sweet of you. Thanks.”

He looked into her face for a second and then looked away immediately, heaving a deep sigh. Questions raced one another in his brain but he did not want to voice any of them. He swallowed more than necessary and kept punching the bag repeatedly.

Aparna smiled when she thought about the number of times Sandeep kept staring into her eyes when they met here almost one year back. Now, he didn't even want to look in her direction. She let out a deep breath and decided to break the silence.

“So well, Sandeep. Like you said, I am going to get married. Mom has found a guy for me and I haven't said a no to her. At least, she shouldn't be disappointed in life.” - she said flatly.

The last line that she spoke rang in his ears repeatedly. Sandeep opened his hands and looked at it for almost a minute and Aparna tried not to look at him. She focused her attention on the kids that were playing near them.

“Will you invite me for your wedding?” - he asked suddenly.

Aparna didn't know what she had expected out of the meeting but a surge of anger washed through her when he uttered that question. Without her knowledge, a secluded corner in her heart had hoped that Sandeep would somehow say - “Aparna, ask your mom to chuck that guy, let's get married.”

In order to control herself, she clenched her hands into fists and counted from 5 to 1. She shook her head and said coldly - “I don't want you to come. Please respect at least this one feeling I have and don't show yourself there. I cannot bear it.”

Immediately, she realized that her eyes were filling with tears and giving her away. She looked at him full on the face for few seconds and said, her throat choking - “This is the last time we meet and never will I get a chance to tell you this anymore. Sandeep, I love you.”

She stood up and ran out of the temple. She did not pause to wear her slippers and did not try to stem the copious tears that poured from her eyes. She was not concerned about where her legs were taking her. All she knew was that, before she could do something stupid, she should be well away from Sandeep.

Sandeep tried to follow her but was flattened near the entrance by a huge crowd that was trying to enter the temple at the same time. When Sandeep shook them off and came out, Aparna was nowhere to be seen. He tried calling her many times but her mobile was switched off. They did not have any mutual friends through whom he could find out what she was up to nor did he know any other number through which he could contact her.

Through out the night he kept messaging her on her mobile and facebook; there was no response. He didn't know when he fell asleep. The next day morning he woke up with a severe head ache.

He checked his mobile eagerly. There were no messages from her. Promising to himself that he'll go and check in the area where she had said she lived, he opened the newspaper. He spread it on the floor and started skimming through the columns. His eyes suddenly fell on a small snippet at one corner of the page and immediately, his whole body started shivering. The headline read “Raped and Brutally killed”.

“Aparna (25) lived in Nungambakkam, Chennai. She was abducted, raped and brutally killed by four unknown men...” the article went on.

Sandeep did not need confirming; his heart somehow knew that it was his Aparna. He read the article again and again and each time it seemed to make more sense to him. He kept staring at the paper in a state of shock, dumbstruck and silent. After few minutes, he read the article again and wanted to believe that it didn't happen at all. It didn't help. He crushed the paper in his hands desperately and tore it into pieces violently. He broke down on the floor and cried loudly.

************

---Bala Iyengar---

The Mridangist - Climax

Disclaimer: The story is a figment of my imagination. The characters and incidents does not relate to anybody. This part particularly is a bit longer than the others. Hope the readers will excuse me as it is the climax.

Please find the previous parts here (Previous Parts)

“Sathvikaaa!! Saathvikkaa!!” - screeched some one on the top of their voice.

Sathvika woke up with a start and looked around grumpily. “Maa!” - she cried after she realized that it was her mother who had shouted herself hoarse to wake Sathvika up.

Sathvika groped around for her mobile and checked the time. 16:30 the clock read.

“What the.. Maa.. Can't you wake me up a little early? Now that idiot Kedhar will win the bet.” - Sathvika whined while she turned her cupboard upside down to search for a best suit to wear for the rehearsal.

“Bet? What bet?” - Sathvika's mother appeared behind her shoulder, frowning. “Some silly stuff I believe. If you had had some seriousness then you would also have had the sense to wake up a bit early yourself.” - she said nastily. “And I guess you are looking for this.” - she pulled out a salwar suit from the top shelf and thrust it into a stunned Sathvika's hands. She gave a dirty look at Sathvika before turning on her heals and marching out of the room.

When her clock struck 4:45, her mobile rang loudly. “Kedhaarr!!” - she muttered and answered the call.

“Hiii.. Sathvii..!! I am in front of your dance hall. You lost the bet!!” - he sang from the other end. He was Sathvika's friend and he was a vocalist.

“You are lying Kedhar. I just stepped out of my house. I can be there in ten minutes!! I'll check with secretary uncle.” - she said supremely.

“No point Sathvi. I am already here. See you. Hey by the way, have you ever met Vidhyuth?” - he asked.

Sathvika sat on her bike and puckered her lips, forehead creased. “No. I have never even seen his picture. Why?”

“Oh really? Not even once?” - he asked, frowning.

“Nope. Is that very important right now? Can it wait for ten minutes?” - she asked.

Kedhar didn't seem to have paid attention to Sathvika. He said more to himself - “But he was going on and on about you today on chat. He seems to be very impressed with you di.”

Before Sathvika could voice her doubts, he continued - “He likes you very much di. I have never seen him talk about anyone like this. You must be very lucky to get a guy like him, you know.”

“What nonsense? I don't even know him and you are talking as if I am already engaged with him. Kedhaar, have you gone nuts? Wait till I get hold of you.” - she seethed and disconnected the call.

Thinking about what Kedhar had said on the phone and wondering how Vidhyuth would have gotten so involved with her just by one formal phone call, she accelerated her way on the GST road.

A black pulsar flashed past her very closely and again almost unseated her. She sweared angrily and every cell in her brain screamed that it would be Abhi in action again. She didn't want to slow down and give up on him this time. She wanted to give him a chase and teach him a proper lesson. But before she could make her mind up, the black pulsar had vanished from her view.

She decided that she would definitely stop him short if he comes back for a second round of provocation. She was ready for the attack that was unlikely ever to come. For the next few minutes, every person who rode on a black pulsar looked like criminals to her.

Suddenly, there was a deafening screech, a volley of bangs and an almighty crash. Several people screamed on top of their voices and the next thing Sathvika knew was that she was being held tightly by very strong hands and shaken vigorously.

“Sathvikaa.. Sathvikkaa.. open your eyes.. can you.. can you hear me?” - a male voice said, torn in panic.

He slapped her face lightly and shook her aggressively. Sathvika's eyes flickered open and Abhi's terror-stricken face swam in and out of focus in front of her.

“Sathvikaa..” - he whispered, his face was so close that she felt his hot breath on her.

“Abbhii.. Abhii.. You.. you crashed on me at last.. hap.. happ.. happy now?” - she tried connecting one word with another with difficulty.

Abhi shook his head from left to right as if he wanted to shed water from his hair. “Noo.. Sathvikaa.. it.. it wasn't me.. you are.. you are bleeding.. ambbulancee..” - he stuttered, gaining a little strength and fumbling in his pockets for his phone.

People crowded around them uttered random things like - “Looks like this guy knows the girl”. “Lucky he was around when the other two wheeler hit this girl and sped away”. “He should take her to the hospital”. “If only she had worn a helmet, she wouldn't have got hurt in the head”.

The ambulance was to arrive in ten minutes. Meanwhile, Abhi tried to keep Sathvika awake by trying to make a conversation with her. He pulled his handkerchief out and tried to wipe her face off blood. A small, thick, square plastic card fell on Sathvika's face from Abhi's pocket. In her semi conscious state, Sathvika tried to shove it off from her face but in that attempt, the thick sky blue tag attached to the card got entangled with her bracelet.

It was Abhi's Icard. He tried to remove it from her bracelet but gave up when she flinched hard. “Easy now Sathvikaa. The ambulance is on the way.” - he kept saying over and over.

The blaring siren announced that the ambulance had arrived. People moved away from the path when Sathvika was laid on the stretcher and wheeled towards the ambulance with Abhi on the wake.

Sathvika was not sure whether she was awake or seeing things in her dream. She could feel the rocking of the ambulance, the sound of the siren and Abhi talking to random people on the phone in a hurried but controlled voice.

She felt a sweaty palm pressed tight against her and swayed her other hand to prise the fingers off as it was causing pain. The Icard intertwined with her bracelet swung hopelessly in front of her eyes. With all her might, she focused her eyes on the Icard.

Abhi was smiling down at her from it wearing a maroon formal shirt but the name on the card rang a feeble bell on her numb brain.

“Vidhyuth.. Vidhyuth Kaustuban..” - she breathed and her eyes flickered in tiredness.

“Kedhar, please make them understand that Sathvika has met with an accident and the rehearsal is canceled. Bring her parents to the hospital....” - he stopped speaking and looked around at Sathvika when he heard her weak voice.

He dropped the phone down and leaned close to her, “Sathvikkaaa” - he called tenderly. He touched her shoulder and caressed gently.

“You are.. Abhi.. Vidhyuth.. Kedhar said..” - she said without being able to string one word to another and fell silent. They reached the hospital and Sathvika was admitted into the ICU immediately.

*********

“Machaa, I am not sure whether she realized that I am Abhi da. She became unconscious.” - Vidhyuth said, looking gloomily at his untouched glass of tea.

“You never told me about all these drama da Macha.” - Kedhar said, shaking his head as he sipped his tea and thrust Vidhyuth's tea glass into his hand, insisting on him to drink it.

“I never thought of seeing her like this da. I had imagined a happier scene when I'd reveal to her that Vidhyuth and Abhi are one and the same.” - he said.

Before Kedhar could open his mouth to console Vidhyuth, Sathvika's mother came up to them and held Vidhyuth's hand and thanked him tearfully.

“The doctor said you admitted her at the right time kanna. She's out of danger now. Thank you so much.” - she said, apparently at loss of words.

Before he could stop himself, Vidhyuth blurted out - “Aunty, if you don't mind, can I go and see your daughter please?”

*********

Heart pumping in his throat, Vidhyuth entered the room wearing a sea green kurtha still covered in Sathvika's blood; he was a wearing mask to cover his mouth and nose.

He stood at the foot of Sathvika's bed and looked at her silently. Her face was calm and relaxed; number of wires were running from her body to many monitors around her. He extended his hand slowly and touched her feet. It was cold as stone. He knelt down and held both her feet together between his sweaty hands.

He rubbed his thumb along her feet gently and whispered silently - “Sathvikaa, Please get well soon and come back. We have a long life to live together. We have many duet performances ahead of us. We have a long road to walk hand in hand.”

He squeezed her cold feet and said desperately - “Sathvikaa, soon I want to look into those expressive eyes you have got there and tell you how much I want you in my life. Sathvikaa, I love you.”

**********

Sathvika was sitting on the stage wearing a blue saree and traditional accessories. She turned towards her right and looked at Vidhyuth, who was sitting with his Mridangam in position, wearing a white kurtha and pyjama. She raised her eyebrows at him and he winked back at her and gave the thumbs up, his charismatic smile lighting up his face.

She winked at him in return and smiled calmly. She switched her mic on and spoke into it. “Ellarukum Namaskaaram..” - she went on and explained about the show. After finishing her short speech, she looked at Vidhyuth again. Kedhar spared a sarcastic glance at the pair of them and cleared his throat pointedly; he switched his mic on and started with the prayer song.

**********

“Sathvikaa..” - Vidhyuth called following Sathvika behind the screens while she walked from one end of the stage to another.

Butterflies churning out from the pit of her stomach, Sathvika turned on the spot and looked up at Vidhyuth's dimly lit face. Vidhyuth stood very close to her and she did not retreat. He looked into her dark eyes steadily and asked softly - “Sathvikaa, when are we meeting next?”

Sathvika held his gaze intact and whispered, barely moving her lips - “Oh I don't know.”

Vidhyuth caressed her cheek gently and said - “I will miss you till then.”

Before Sathvika could speak, he bent his head down and pressed his lips softly on her pouty lips. They kissed passionately; Vidhyuth held her against him tightly while Sathvika had both her hands inside his hair, at the back of his head.

***************

P.S: Thank you all for reading my story patiently.