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| Tuesday, 18 January 2005 |
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Waiting for Sunita
"Why don't you see a doctor before you go home," I told her. " It is a headache and I think it will go off once I am with my family members." Sunita came from Galle. I was not too sure of her home address, but she gave me her hand phone number, which I wrote down in my pocket note book. After getting the final examination results from the University, Sunita got a temporary job with a private media firm. The media firm was planning for an all island quiz competition and she wanted my help to plan some of the questions. As a result of this consultation I was drawn into her project as a resource person. She used to visit me at least once a week but kept on telephoning me daily. I was not too sure as to why she wanted to contact me so often. It was a sort of a routine on her part to contact me and talk to me all about the project in the first instance and then shift the attention to various other things like the new trends in media world and cultural issues like the book launches. "I wish I join the tutorial staff of my university." She told me once. I knew that she had a first class pass with honours, so I felt that her future lies there as a scholar and not elsewhere. Perhaps the closeness between us rested on these issues of scholarship. But I found that she was gravely disappointed, as she was not selected in the final interview. "That was quite unfair on their part not to have selected me, as I was the one who had the best results and the best extra activities" she told me once in a lamenting tone. "Are you really worried? Why don't you be satisfied with what you are doing at the moment?" I responded in order to pacify her. "I cannot say that I am not worried, for this is a grave injustice". "So what are you going to do now?" "Even the Vice Chancellor was on the interview panel. At least he should have seen this injustice," she said lamenting more, nearly welling her eyes with tears. "It is always better to be patient and talk to them personally," I said. "No, that is not allowed because anybody who so plans to go against the decision will be victimized more and I don't want to be a victim". "So then why don't you ask for a rescrutiny of the process" "I don't think it is possible". "So then you should bear the agony in a positive manner". "That is what I am trying to do now ... But there is something that prevents me ... I don't know what exactly has happened to me ... because when I get up I have a certain headache which lasts throughout the day... sometimes I am sleepless.. and I cannot work properly...I think I should take some medicine....all in all I feel frustrated...I know this is my fault..." "Best thing would be to sit and meditate". "In my own humble way I am religious and tried my best to do that .. but I failed miserably for I go on thinking of what happened to me .... I come to think that I am lost or failed or even stranded like a lonely boat in the sea..." "These are some of the agonies one has to bear during the short span of life. But the most important thing is to take things as they come without much worry for something unbelievable may happen to us at a particular given time without any awareness or pre warning". "I believe in all what you say, and I thank you so much for pacifying me, but I feel that the life is miserable and that there is no way out. All around us is the grave injustice and an imbalance. I am out of my proper self and I cannot concentrate properly. Perhaps this is my destiny". "Sunita, you are still quite young and you have quite a lot of opportunities before you". "That's correct and that's why I am trying to get a scholarship and go to India and study for my post graduate examinations". "That's really marvelous on your part to have thought in that manner, for I know well that the destiny of a person cannot be wiped off by others just in one moment for we are born to this world with a certain plan embedded within us". "Do you believe in that sort of plans?" "Yes I do, and that has happened to me several times". "Thank you once again for encouraging me". "But what about your headache?" "It's still there but it will go off once I go home and return to work". "Oh I am happy to hear that". On Friday I did not get the usual call from Sunita. Perhaps she has gone from the office earlier than the usual time as it was the Christmas weekend. Then came Saturday. I did not have time to even think of Sunita as I was busy shopping with my wife. On Sunday we had to attend an alms giving at a friend's place. On our way to Kadawata from Colombo we had to stop the car on the Paliyagoda new bridge as there was a crowd blocking the roadway, to see some of them craning and peering their heads to the river below. There were signs of some unusualness lingering on. Then I switched on the car radio to hear so far unheard of a news item from a local transmission. I knew the meaning of the term tsunami, a Japanese word denoting a big tidal wave or an ocean quake. In fact long time ago I had read a Japanese short story of the journalist cum creative writer Lafcadio Hearne based on a Tsunami event which had devastated and devoured one whole village. But the lives were saved as a result of a certain grandfather who had the ability to forecast the event few hours before it. When the short story appeared in translation, a number of good friends wished me that I select more from Hearne and introduce them to the local reader. Anyway that is something besides the point. When I heard the voice of Sunita on Thursday I felt sorry for her as she had not kept up to the spirit I envisaged the previous day. "Sir, I am not feeling well, and must go home tomorrow", she told me in a desperate tone. "Yes if you are not feeling well one good solution is to go home and get some medicine", I said. "That's what I am going to do once I get home. First of all, I want to see my father and mother, then walk along the sea beach for sometime". On Sunday evening I phoned the number given by her but found that the hand phone she uses was either switched off or not in an area reachable from Colombo. I gave up phoning for few hours and tried once again to get the same response. We were all busy listening to the disaster. Then in the mid night I gave her another call. The response was the same. I was thinking as to how I am to get any news about her. The fact that the entire city of Galle is devastated came the news. Then I referred to the address of Sunita to see that she stays not in the city but far away on the land side. But there was no way of contacting her. Monday early morning I phoned the number. The telephone was ringing but there was no response. Perhaps the phone had been kept on a table or somewhere without any one responding. It may be that the phone is dropped down somewhere. Who knows what has happened? I phoned her place of work. "She has not reported to work as yet", someone said in a mild voice. "Is she scheduled to come today?" I asked the person. "Yes certainly as today is a working day". "But she comes from Galle" I said "That, we are sorry we cannot say", came the public relations voice. "Thank you and please ask her to call me as soon as she comes" I said giving my name and telephone number. "That I will certainly do Sir" came the voice once again. "Thank you." Now, I am waiting to hear the voice of Sunita. |
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"I am not feeling well, and I want to go home for the
weekend," said Sunita just a day before Christmas.
