The first...

Drag; verb: Pull (something or someone) along forcefully, roughly or with difficulty; take (someone) to or from a place or event despite their reluctance; noun: the action of pulling something forcefully or with difficulty; act of inhaling smoke; clothing more conventionally worn by the opposite sex.

Mumble; verb: Say something indistinctly and quietly, making it difficult for others to hear; noun: A quiet and indistinct utterance.

Penetrate; verb: Succeed in forcing a way in or through (a thing); infiltrate an enemy or group to spy on it; (of a man) insert the penis into the vagina or anus (of a sexual partner).


The words came back to her, time and again throughout the day. It seemed like a distant call from a beloved and at times the intensity magnified a hundred times roaring. Blood penetrating through Adya's veins boiled and at times froze. She felt her feet seemed to drag her in opposite directions and her thoughts were filled with the 'gray haired boatman'. The lecture on anatomy seemed like a background playing faraway. Adya's mind seemed to refuse the reality that lay ahead and further dissolve in a world apart. She felt at once disconnected and torn from the present world. Her eyes fell once again on the cover page of Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha. For a minute the whole world seemed to liquefy into silence. She covered the book with few sheets that lay ahead and continued to pretend as if taking notes. Sitting in last benches are useful for introspection. Adya's eyes searched for Nikhil who passed her the book yesterday. He seemed normal, through the thick rimmed glasses he winked at her. 'My God! He is normal. Why is this happening to me?' she asked herself, slowly wiping her brow where beads of perspiration formed. 'Breath... take deep breaths. Calm yourself. It's only a book' an inner voice helped. She closed her eyes, emptied her mind of Siddhartha and took deep breaths. 'Fool, what are you trying to run away from?' another voice mocked at her. And then she started to breath fire again. At that moment all she wanted to do was run away from the lecture hall. Her feet seemed  involuntary... and jumped. The whole class looked at her, 'Adya? any trouble there?' Dr.Varnekar's astounded voice succeeded waking up a few sleepy heads and she had the attention of the whole class... Embarrassingly she mumbled 'My head is reeling mam and I am hearing voices.' Dr.Varnekar's facial expression changed drastically from that of anger to sympathy. 'Oh! Geetha please escort her to the medicine OPD (Out Patient Department)'. Adya excused herself for the day and went away from the large brown building.

It was relaxing to be out in the fresh air. Adya caught a bus to her favorite spot in Bangalore city, the lal bagh lake. En route she forced her mind to concentrate on the trees and greenery on that cloudy august afternoon. She offered her face to the chilling winds and let it play with her unruly hair. She was feeling better, the chaotic day started to appear relaxing atleast temporarily. The majestic vidhana soudha stood, on the right with lush green lawns thronged by tourists. Looking at the building always filled Adya's heart with pride and so it did today. She quickly turned to look at the red high court building with hundreds of pigeons over the lawns. The pattern of their flight filled her with excitement of a child. Nature can be appreciated even in cities, it depends on the eyes of the beholder she told herself. As a loner, Adya got used to being nature's friend rather than a people's person.

As the west gate of lalbagh approached closer, Adya realized that she was in a lover's paradise. She wondered at her strange plight and let a smile pass through her lips. 'Let's see what the lake has in store for me today...' she told herself as she bought a ticket and brushed against the rotating gate.

TO BE CONTINUED