HULLABALOO

I had one of the most harrowing experiences of a lifetime yesterday. It was all about commotion, chaos, clutter, disorder, uproar & panic. While the city was setting up celebrations for Diwali, the leaders of the nation conspired against. We left office early to shop for Diwali. Streets were thronging with thousands buying & selling knick-knacks for the occasion. The rains too couldn’t dampen their spirits of festivity. Knee deep waters & the city suddenly seemed paralyzed not knowing how to wade through the waters & reach homes. Braving rains was an attitude and never a dampener. It were leaders of various political parties & cadres of thousands who needed to demonstrate their support for the Sri Lankan Tamils & to press for India’s intervention to stop the military offensive against the Tamils. They raised slogans & carried placards, as they formed a human chain disrupting traffic on the roads, inside streets & most importantly human lives. I have been through couple of such instances of chaos & disorder that gets attention to get sorted immediately. But this was staged under the attention of the ruling govt. The traffic in the city came to a stand still as if someone had pressed the Pause button leaving most helpless. Hapless souls screamed for help since most of the autos decided not to take it at petty sums agreed with their passenger & dropped them midway. I had such company from an elderly woman. It is rightly said that bigger the trouble stronger are the chances of fighting it since we found ourselves constantly trying to find some ways of battling all odds & get out of the encumbrance. Ambulance sirens hopelessly pleaded cars & buses to allow space to rush patients to the hospital that needed immediate medical help. A pregnant woman desperately needed attention while her husband kept running around the commotion seeking help. Corporate executives hoping against hope to catch their late night flight, college kids trying best routes to reach the station & bus stops to be able to get home for Diwali. Sweet-sellers carrying loads of Diwali orders on their bikes to lose it to the dampness of the rains. Like the rest, I could do nothing but quietly watch & silently praying to reach home safe. TV, print & other media arrived to cover the situation asking office goers what prompted them to take this route today. Unruly mob, brawls, tumultuous traffic conditions & unsettled state of minds – these were difficult times as a bomb scare or extremist attacks where you would just want your family to be safe home. 6 hrs in the hullabaloo to safely reach homes, I heave a sigh of relief but didn’t feel happier since it couldn’t make any life better but affected thousands of them.
I do not know if the human chain impacted Tamils in Sri Lanka but people in the city were drawn to a state that they detested this govt. wishing them ill fate, misfortune & disaster for the misery that it caused millions.
This was yesterday & I still carry it within not knowing if this makes a human out of me or takes away most of it.

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