Sunday, March 25, 2001		Life Ties

BHAIRAVI and Jatin had known each other since they were knee high. She recalls their first meeting fondly. She was six years old and awaiting her turn on the swings in the community park. For a long time she had been standing meekly watching the boisterous bunch of slighter older girls, hoping they would take notice of her and give her a turn. Every time she tried making a request, she would be curtly told to ‘wait!’. At one point, in their excitement, one of the bigger girls knocked down Bhairavi. Before she could pick herself up, a lanky boy of about 10 rushed in from nowhere and gave her a helping hand. He caught hold of the girl who had pushed Bhairavi and insisted she apologise. He then gave them a severe tongue-lashing. Within minutes, the swing was freed and ready for Bhairavi to use. Whether it was his being older than the girls or the fact that he was a boy or his fiery indignation at an injustice he had himself witnessed, he succeeded in actually making the girls feel sorry about being inconsiderate. He flashed a brilliant smile in Bhairavi’s direction and as a parting shot said: "Stand up for yourself. I won’t come to your rescue every time". Bhairavi knew that she would turn to him every time she was in trouble.

She was like Mary’s little lamb, following him with an adoring look and an ever-ready-to-please manner. They made an odd pair with her being so tiny and diminutive and he towering over her. As the years rolled by, Bhairavi learnt to assert herself. Although she turned to him for advice every time she was in doubt and he unfailingly played the role of the mentor, he gently showed her how not to take nonsense beyond a point, how to speak up and take a stand. He was a few years her senior and after Class XII moved on to do his engineering from Roorkee. She went to Ahmedabad to study design. They met every year when they came home for holidays. On one such vacation, strolling in the same park where they had met the first time, talking about life in college and trials and tribulations that came with adult life, they found themselves gravitating towards each other romantically. In that one month they met every single day. They were engaged and got married the moment Bhairavi finished her studies.

There were times when she felt that he was too good for the people around him. He had a certain naivete and innocence which was incongruent with the selfish and often violent ways of the world. He never hesitated taking up for what he believed to be correct and honourable, irrespective of the consequences. When his much-married boss was having a rollicking affair with his secretary, Jatin was the only one who instead of sniggering behind his back and indulging in vicious gossip actually walked into his cabin and told him what a spectacle he was making of himself. Bhairavi was sure that he would either lose his job or be sidelined. She was pleasantly surprised to find that he had been elevated by being included in the Managing Director’s core team.

Born after three daughters, Jatin was the fourth child of his parents. An undisputed favourite, he could never do any wrong. When his parents passed away and their will was made public, he was surprised to find himself named as the sole heir to all the property. His sisters had known from the beginning that their parents would leave behind all their land, real estate investments, fixed deposits and ancestral property in Jatin’s name and they had no complaints. Jatin, however, was aghast. He couldn’t digest the fact that his sisters had been left out of his father’s will and much to the surprise of the family, he made sure that everything was split into four equal portions.

Whether it was gender bias at the workplace or callous treatment of old parents or men being abusive towards their wives or people ill-treating their servants, Jatin never hesitated in expressing his anger and in helping people get what was their due. What was particularly endearing about him was the gentle and genuine way in which he went about doing what he believed to be correct. Most of the time the perpetrator felt ashamed and wanted to make amends.

The only time he couldn’t convince violators about the extent of their wrongdoing was when they were driving back from a late night film in their brand new Esteem. Bhairavi was sitting by his side and their seven-year-old daughter and five-year-old son were sitting at the back, discussing the movie. Out of nowhere, a red Gypsy drove past them with a bunch of drunken revellers who pushed Jatin off the road. It wasn’t easy but he ignored and drove quietly on since his wife and children were with him. At the next traffic crossing while Jatin stopped out of habit even though no traffic cop was on duty, the Gypsy jumped the light and waited ahead hoping to catch him and have a few more laughs at his expense. Jatin drove past. They tried getting him to halt but when he didn’t, they zoomed in from the left, honking and making obscene gestures. Jatin knew that trying to pump sense into a bunch of drunks would be foolhardy and jeopardise the safety of his family. But the hoodlums were deriving vicarious pleasure by harassing him. Driving on the road became impossible when they brought their car bang in front of his forcing him to get off and walk across to them. As he strode purposefully towards them, they switched on their engine. Amidst a lot of hooting and whistling, drove the car straight into him in full view of his paralysed family uncaring of the havoc they had wrecked.

By the time help arrived and Jatin could be rushed to the hospital, he had lost a lot of blood. Surgeons were summoned but they couldn’t save his legs and both had to be amputated. It was a miracle that Jatin had survived. The hostile road rage of his perpetrators who had vent their spleen without any provocation on a law-abiding citizen was incomprehensible. All Jatin’s goodness and fairness had failed to bring the culprits to book. For a person who had stood up for all that was unethical and immoral, this was most demoralising.

His distraught daughter pointedly asked her mother the futility of her father’s goodness. If goodness could not beget goodness of what use was it? Her innocent mind questioned, if there was a God why had he not taken care of her papa? Almost as if to reply, while being wheeled out of the hospital Jatin told Bhairavi, "I will be walking soon, even if it is with a pair of artificial legs. I have to bring such goons to book. The nurse who has been attending to me is a similar victim of road rage. Just because she was driving her moped slowly, an impatient Maruti driver knocked her down from the left damaging her vehicle and her self-confidence. I don’t how but I intend to mobilise public opinion and do something about this." Seeing the optimism and fire in him Bhairavi was relieved to see that it was the same Jatin who was coming back to her — not a crushed, embittered soul.