The Elevated Corridor

Chennai, the capital city of the beautiful Dravidian state Tamil Nadu, lies on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. It is the biggest cultural, economic and educational hub in the whole of South India. And apart from that, to every common man, it is the land of hope and dreams.

Every day thousands of migrants turn up in this beautiful city with dreams, each sky high. The city in turn has never failed fulfilling one, and has always stood in catering the needs of every needy. Being rated as the safest city in the whole of nation, there is nonstop expansion across its horizon as every new soul into the city wishes to be fondly known as “Chennaiite” and retain the title for a longer tenure.

With every progressing day, new innovations are blooming up across the city and the supporting manpower is rising on par to it too. As the city hosts a broad industrial base ranging from automobile, hardware manufacturing, and information technology to healthcare, the diversity of immigrants into the city also vary on a huge scale. And as the immigrant count escalates, so is the nativity factor that decelerates. Hence a transformation in the lifestyle of the inmates is clearly seen almost everywhere. People try to impersonate every other one and end up with a synthetic outlook upon them. Slowly the culture of using cards over cash has started ruling the economy here.

Standing amidst hundreds of synthetic characters around me, my eyes, still tired, tries very hard to get the first few glance of the train entering the station. The terminus where I am waiting is one of the most bustling localities in the city. Over the years, with the boom in Information Technology sector, this region had earned itself the title of being the most densely populated with new residential and office buildings coming up every single day. So commuting by road here is a nightmare and hence I choose the rail.

Chennai has a wide rail network, supported by the suburban train's running on EMUs and the metro rail. The MRTS (Mass Rapid Transit System), a line of the suburban network, runs across most of the clogged hot-spots of the city, thus commuting around 100,000 happy commuters every single day. It's network spans around 19.34 kms, around the city, covering 17 busy train station. It is the first elevated railway line to be brought to operation in India. One distinguishing fact about this corridor is that the rail line follows the course of Buckingham Canal, which runs in parallel to the Coromandel Coast.

Back at the terminus, dusk had taken charge over the city and with each minute passing by, the train station was filling up. People all around me looked either tired after the day’s work or were adrenaline packed, though I couldn’t guess it out how. Finally the loud horn honked and the train rolled into the terminus, just like a lazy ass. It finally puffed off and halted. 

A myriad of travelers deported madly onto the platform and they hardly showed any mercy to fellow commuters standing there, while making their way out. I had to ditch my head just in time to avoid getting hurt. So as the mad crowd slowly moved off the station, people, who were waiting to get board, were now able to move around the station more freely and find a place in the train.

Moments later the signal turned green, the train drifted off the station and very soon it picked up momentum. Rather than getting myself seated in one of the dumb seats, surrounded completely with dizzy people, I chose to stand by the door and enjoy the evening breeze. With momentum pitching in every second and the train rocking along its rails, I was having a merry time by leaning out of the rake, one hand still clutching tightly to the iron rod that was welded strongly into the frame. Unlike the metro rail, trains running on this line did not have automatic doors, which gave me the privilege to connect with the nature. With every scene unfolding very fast, it was really difficult to choose between what to see and what not to see.

As the rake rolled out of Taramani train station, it made a sharp turn, entering the city’s bustling IT corridor. With high rise building docked on either side of the corridor, innovations were overflowing out of every window there. All the Multi-National Corporation had an offshore centre in one of those buildings, which housed thousands of slaves (IT Professionals) working day in and out, tirelessly, totally forgetting the true meaning of a healthy balanced life. They just had their eyes glued onto the monitors and got their necessities fulfilled, all with just a click of a button and not moving their ass’s even by an inch.

With every passing station, people hopped in and out of the train, while I continued to stay on near the door and watch the events flatten around me. We crossed the famous Rajiv Gandhi IT expressway and the train came to a halt at one of the city’s opulent locality. 

With the Adyar River flowing gracefully around, some of the city’s finest architecture was nestled close by it. Be it the Theosophical Society or the Anna Centenary Library, the largest library in South Asia, or the Leela Palace hotel or the Sun Network Headquarters, every single piece of architecture adorned the beauty of the region. Though the average ridership in these train station were less when compared to the IT corridor, people here still preferred to take the train occasionally.

So as the train moved further, the city was glowing with the evening light. Children were playing merrily everywhere and household women were having their usual evening chat/gossips. Couple of stations passed on meantime and I checked my watch to know how long I have been travelling. To my dismay the watch had stopped working long back. I tried my luck in fixing it, but nothing turned out fruitful.

It was then that something lifted my spirits off, just enough to reroute my senses from the stupid watch. The rich aroma of grounded coffee seeds, the authentic feel of Madras, blew me off the ground. The train was closing into the suburbs of Mylapore, whose townsfolk were a separate caste of people, in the Hindu religion, called the Brahmans. They specialized in authentic South Indian cuisine and the air around Mylapore bore its aroma always, though not now but some 15 years back. All i could see now was that the place has been commercially exploited and naturally lacked its nativity touch. I could sense that very slowly Chennai was losing its true identity. With a jerk once again and bringing me back to my senses, the train departed out of the station and was now rolling along the shores of the Marina Beach, the world’s second longest beach. It is one of the most visited hangout destination for every Chennaiite.

What followed next down the line were some of the iconic buildings. Be it the M.A.Chidambram Cricket Stadium, the state of the art secretariat complex that later turned into Government Hospital, the Ripon building and the Central Railway station, each of them had a glorious history of its own and they all stood as a pride of Chennai. Closing in by the Central Railway Station, the elevated corridor came to end thereby running at grade, parallel to the main Southern Rail Network line. The train decelerated and came to a halt at the Park Town train station, one of the busiest in the entire route.

Most people had just de-boarded and there were only few who carried on with the journey. As the train moved out of the station, what I witnessed out there hit me pretty badly. It was over and all a mismatched scene to what I had witnessed an hour back, all through the way.

The Buckingham canal that ran parallel to the rail line had housed thousands of residents on its bank. The BPL (Below Poverty Line) folks had set up their shelter there, irrespective of the risks that they may encounter at any point in time. They knew the canal better than us but since they had no other place to settle in, they chose here, still aware of its dangers. 

Apart from the people over there, the canal itself was in a very bad state. Being polluted from sewage and industrial effluents, it had established itself as a breeding ground for malaria-spreading mosquitoes. As I swiftly day-dreamed on how they survived in the small makeshift there and what their daily life was all about, a scene of compassion stuck me in reality. 

I even heard from my fellow commuters that during the massive flood that stuck the city in 2015, the entire hamlet was washed away, as every river around the city was dangerously overflowing. Visualizing the river taking away the people’s life and belongings, a cold shiver ran down my spine immediately. 

6 months after the massive destruction, people still tend to settle here. They had witnessed the worst days of their life. But still they prefer to return back to the same hell, which once took away their near and dear. It was a blank puzzle for me trying to understand the people's mentality as to why they came back? As I started thinking deep about it, a plethora of question started bombarding within me.

Aren’t they given a proper place to build house? 

Aren’t they employed even to a minor wage? 

Why are they leading such a sinful life? 

Why has not the government taken any counter measure to relocate them from the canal bank? 

When the city is inflating with innovations, why are these people still devoid of the benefits? 

Are they supposed to lead such a desolate life ever?

Are the benefits of the government only to be reaped by those who are elevated in their life, in terms of economy? It makes me wonder if the elevated rail corridor itself exhibits the status of every single Chennaiite, in disguise. You ask me how? Check it out yourself.

Right from the moment the train climbs up the corridor at Taramani, the kind of people over the zone are all cash filled. They are the few who reap more than what they sow. And then half way through the line, a mixed bag of liberty is been relished. They are an assorted group of people, who still stand high in the society. And as the train rolls down at the Park Station, there is almost nothing left out of the bag, for the cash strapped people over there, to taste. This discrimination is unfair as every individual shares equal right in this democratic nation. So how come a discrimination like this rule over the land?

A binding change is vital for the residents along the Buckingham Canal!!! The government has to come up with a plan, somewhere in the near future, right before another devastation shows up its ugly face and carries away innocent lives.

And as I was desolate, thinking hard, about the plight of those underprivileged, the train gave one loud horn, bringing me back to reality and signalling me to get my ass out of the rake, as it had finally docked at the terminus and was getting itself prepared for the journey back. 

A wobbly night; just enough to bring the worst fears out of you.

Courtesy : Youtube.com

The sky was just wrapping up its sheet for the cold night ahead and with the moon, shining lazily over it. The stars had taken its covers already and clouds had dozed off, not moving its ass even by an inch.

Travelling straight down to the earth, it was a divergent scene over and all. Still narrowing down, the coordinate 18.5791° N & 73.9087° E had a really engaged mood. People were busy jotting in and out trying hard not to miss their flight. Endless car and taxi were lining one behind the other, trying to enter and exit the airport, something that is a routine scene there. The only place in the region that was devoid of traffic was the air side, which by time would be crowded too.

The ground staffs of all the airline were working their best to get each aircraft in air, on time. PNQ (IATA code for PUNE Lohegaon airport) experienced mad rush of air traffic right from dusk till midnight. Being a defense airport, rightly under the control of the Indian Air Force, it has an 8329 ft. long primary runway with night landing facility and 7 parking bays, capable of handling single aisle civilian aircraft. Hence during peak hours, getting a parking spot is really tough and aircraft were made to wait on the taxiway.

I was little relaxed as I would not be stuck in the mad rush of traffic at the airport since my flight was scheduled late into the night. My flight SG529 to MAA was to depart around 2315 hours, operated by SpiceJet, one of India’s leading low cost carriers. It was one of the last flight to MAA, though there were other departures scheduled well beyond its time from the airport and every flight in this time period mostly ran full. Credits to the inception of LCC’s in India, making travel affordable to anyone.

Diwali, the festival of lights and happiness has just wrapped up, but the festive mood amidst the local had not settled yet. The air was filled with joy, excitement and happiness all the way to the airport. Fire crackers were still found ornamenting the sky. The rich culture of India, family gathering during celebrations and the bonding that they shared with one another was very well felt in every corner of the city. I wished I just had stayed a few more days there, getting myself involved with the locals and attaining a sense of completeness; deep within me.

So as I said before, since most flights departed out of the airport post 2100 hours, I had a long queue ahead of me almost everywhere inside the airport, though luckily not outside. Be it the baggage screening or the airlines counter or the security hold, everywhere it was packed with people. Crossing each one was a triumph of its own and the airport was handling passengers beyond its capacity. Even the waiting lounge close to the gates were full, making it difficult to find a space. Time rolled out and I was finally boarded. As it was a small airport, we did not have the trouble of waiting for the shuttle to transport us to the aircraft. We could just walk past series of aircraft standing in the tarmac, to board ours..

Seated comfortably beside the window, the aircraft was slowly filling up. A kid of 10 years old sat beside me shortly, accompanied by his father. The plane was full rather fast and pushed back well ahead of its time. The cabin crew had their safety demonstration done and the fight was airborne very soon.

As it was a red eye flight, the chances of finding people moving around the aircraft was less. But my misconception was broken by an interestingly large crowd of passengers. A whole lot of South Indians, all of a single group had come on a pilgrimage trip and were returning home that night. The whole aircraft was filled with their chit chats and it gave everyone such a lively feel to be seated there, except for the flight crew, who were having a really bad time controlling the crowd. The sense of exasperation was clearly found on each flight steward’s face.

The weather was pretty good as we departed out of PNQ. However 100 nautical miles from MAA, the captain announced of bad weather and requested the passengers to stay seated with their seat belts around. Slowly the aircraft descended into MAA airspace and as announced it was a rough patch of weather outside our windows. Sparse lightning was visible and the clouds were thick, ready to shower over the city anytime.

Getting past those clouds seemed difficult but the cockpit crew was trained to handle such situation and they justified their actions. Though the aircraft was under their control, frequent violent turbulence was felt. The whole scene within the aircraft was entirely different to what it was sometime back. A dead pitch silence was felt across the aisle and everyone had a tight grip over the hand rest.

As we were going through a roller coaster ride, a mighty blow hit us all ultimately. The aircraft, which was flying steadily till then suddenly lost altitude. We could literally sense the contents of the stomach pitching up the food pipe and also a sudden loss of pressure within the cabin blowing the air out of our ears. A sudden explosion of fear burst out of everyone as if some kind of deadly spell had hit us all. Kids and women started screaming out of fear. Holy mantras started flowing out of every direction. Prayers were heard loud, pleading god not to end their life today. I believed the same amount of pressure was felt at the cockpit too. However the pilots were efficiently skilled that they brought the situation under control within seconds.

The flight had regained its stability and was descending at a slow and normal pace. Cabin crew pitched in to comfort fear stuck passengers who almost had a small panic attack. Later the captain spoke out and apologized for the series of mishap due to dirty weather outside and assured that he shall get everyone home safely. I was taken deeply by his gratitude and envied him, thinking how patiently he had handled the situation though undergoing a ton of pressure and taking decisions swiftly.

Few thousand feet’s above the ground the captain announced of the landing clearance. As I looked out through the window, the city of Chennai was sparkling beautifully and looked even fresher after the rain thus lifting my spirits higher. The aircraft made a city side entry and touched down smoothly on runway 07 very soon. Taxiing lazily around the airport, the aircraft finally came to a halt. The aerobridge was docked in and we were informed of the baggage belt.

The long line of people deplaning took a dead pace initially. Everyone were scrambling here and there looking out for their bags in the overhead compartment. The cockpit door opened suddenly and the captain was out. He went straight to one of the flight steward to have a word. Everyone who were moving out noticed the presence of captain and they stopped all of a sudden. With such happy eyes, a loud round of applause suddenly filled the air as everyone were cheering him, who had skillfully brought the aircraft on ground amidst all the chaos. The Captain was so humble in thanking everyone back that he stood there till the last passenger de-boarded.

Very soon at the terminal, people were stuffing their bags on to the cart and finding their way out. Slowly as everyone started regrouping with their loved ones outside the airport, no one seemed to remember of the shaky incident that just unfolded minutes back in the air. Everyone just moved ahead feeling relieved to be back home, but back in the aircraft the crew had a flight ahead of them still not knowing what is waiting for them up in the air. Their life may look glamorous but the hardship they face is something that we miss to notice and appreciate. Envying their lifestyle, I just moved out trying to find the vehicle that has come to pick me up taking me back into my stereotypical life at Chennai.

A New Beginning!!!

Courtesy : Shutterstock.com

The ambulance was rushing madly on the busy street with the siren loud enough to clear the way. Blood was oozing ceaselessly covering up most part of the ambulance. The victim was in her mid-twenties and got hit by a SUV. With every minute passing by she was collapsing. The doctors in the ambulance were trying hard to stabilize her, but the condition didn’t seem to normalize at all.

Meanwhile far away, Rishak looked tense as he rode through the streets of the city. He stopped in by few stores, enquired hurriedly and moved over feeling let down everywhere. Right from dusk, he had been searching for his wife Pravalika, an IT employee working for an MNC at the electronic city, who has not turned home. Sita aunt who was passing by the street noticed Rishak tensed and hence she approached him quizzed.

“What is it Rishak, I could sense fear on your face. Is there something wrong?”

“Pravalika is not back home aunt. I tried reaching her mobile, spoke with couple of her friends and even searched the place she visited often. No sign of her anywhere”

“Don’t worry my son. She might be held up with some work. Check if she had left any message for you”

Actually aunt, this morning we had a small argument and out of my ego I just walked out of the house without saying a word. She was very upset then and I never tried speaking with her all through the day. My instinct says something worse could have happened. “No son, don’t give up your hope. She will be fine.” I suggest you better lodge a complaint with the police and they might trace her.

The ambulance had made it to the hospital meantime and Pravalika was being treated. Doctors moved in and out of the theater but her condition had not improved since. The viability of making through the operation was very thin, yet the doctors did their best. Meanwhile Rishak lodged a complaint with the local police and with the help of his friends he started looking out for his wife.

Away from all this commotion, a lady in her mid-thirties was trembling out of fear. She kept looking out for someone, still ignoring the tears rolling out of her eyes. From her attire to the decors on the wall, a sense of richness was felt everywhere. Within minutes a car rolled in and she almost stormed to the entrance. Shaking madly from head to toe, she hugged her husband and confessed of the accident that she caused this evening. Her husband understood the seriousness of the issue and took control of the situation still consoling his wife. He took the wheels straight to the hospital where the young lady was being treated. He dialed in few numbers and with his authority he made sure that the lady survived.

As the clock ticked away, Rishak’s fear kept building. The group had almost swept the city clean searching for Pravalika, but no traces of her. Leading hospitals were searched too including the Global hospital, where she was being treated. But when Rishak had described of her identity there, the hospital staffs declined any such patient being admitted under Pravalika's name. However she was treated there with a different name, since none of her ID was recovered from the site.  

It was midnight and still no signs of her. Rishak slowly started acting madly. He started blaming himself for her missing. All possible ways of pacifying Rishak went in vain. It took almost an hour for his friends to get him under control. So as they were trying to get him back on feet, a police vehicle came halting in front of them. The Inspector informed Rishak that they have found an accident victim matching his wife’s description and that he come with them to identify her.

Back at the hospital, the operation was a success and she was moved to the ICU. Closing in on her bed, Rishak almost lost his balance as he couldn’t see his wife in such a state. He was almost lost in words as he had caused too much pain to Pravalika. Only if he had let go of his ego that day, she would not have ended up here. Though many tried consoling him, he was defiant. He wanted to be by her side always and budged anyone trying to move him away from her. Hours rolled on and he still had his face close to hers, waiting for her eyes to open.

It was almost day break when one of his primary sense “Touch” sent electrical waves to the brain. He could slowly feel the wetness on his hand. He slowly lifted his head only to find Pravalika’s tear rolling down her cheek and splashing on to his hand. Rishak was dumbstruck looking at his beautiful wife in such a condition. His happiness knew no boundaries but at the same time felt sad on her injuries. She smiled weakly at his husband and asked him to come close.

“Did you panic when I didn’t make home sweetie?”, still struggling with words as she spoke.

“I almost died not able to trace you anywhere baby.” I am really sorry for all my evil acts. I should have called you and apologized. Pardon me sweets. I cannot look at you in this state. Please get well soon and come back to me; almost crying wildly.

“You still get a better chance of marrying another hot girl if I die, right!” smiling wickedly at him amidst all the wounds on her face.

“I love you the most my sweets”, caressing her hair gently. I will do anything for you but please don't ever think of leaving me alone.

“Ahaan, so what if I tell you to jump out of the train, will you do it for me?” asked Pravalika, remembering how Rishak used to follow her day and night, trying to lift her off her feet with his charm.

“I will not jump baby, smiling naughtily and kissing on her forehead” I wish to spend the rest of my life holding your hand.”

And that is how a new relationship blossomed. It’s always hard to realize the importance of a person when they are close by your side.    

Sitting by her side; first and the last.

The semester was closing in and each corner of the hostel was bustling with student activities. Everyday witnessed a different scenario as each exams unfolded. Too many emotions were expressed. A few had their paper highly challenging; while few had an easy go. Over and all it was an active atmosphere round the clock. Days rolled on and it was the final exam day. A sense of relief was about to hit us, not because the exams were wrapping up, but that we had a weeklong vacation to cherish about. And it was even more to relish for the hostellers, as we would be returning home after a long time.

Three long hours of pain staking exam and then we were all free. The first ray of smile and joy were to be seen on almost every hosteller’s face. I quickly rushed to the hostel just in time to pack my bags and head out, as I had a different itinerary ahead. Once reaching the bus terminus, I bid adieu to my buddies and was looking out for that one person, who had asked to me meet there.

Walking almost the length and breadth of the bus station, I could nowhere find her. Then suddenly I heard my name being called aloud, just loud enough to make all passerby turn their heads. I turned around along with them only to find her standing at one of the shops, at a distance.

“Deepak, over here” came in Payal’s voice again, waving her hand signaling me.

I moved my lazy ass towards her and as I closed in I saw Mithi too, standing close to her. Payal and Mithi were my classmates. More than Payal, it was with Mithi with whom I shared a great bond of friendship. During most of the lab session, Mithi and I used to be in the same group as our names came one after the other on the roll. So over the days we grew closer and almost shared everything.  

But with Payal, it was a different kind of interest that I had. She was good looking, modern and well yes she had crush on me right from the first year. I liked her too but neither of us had plans of getting into a serious relationship then and we hardly spoke to each other, be it at the college or elsewhere.

Actually it was Payal’s idea to meet that day. I closed upon them and we started chatting instantly. It was mostly Mithi and I who spoke the most, while Payal remind silent listening to all the crap that we spoke. Very slowly the bus that we were waiting for turned up at the station and we boarded it, just in case to find the best seats. Mithi took the window, Payal in the middle and I at the aisle. That was the first time that Payal and I were sitting so close. She was both shy and excited to sit close to me, which i found it clearly reflecting in her stunning eyes.

Minutes later the bus drove off into downtown and all through the way we had fun. All three of us had the best time of our life as we never had such a time at college, especially with all the rules around you. However the fortune did not last long. Half way down the journey, I had to change place as I had to offer the seat to an old women who was struggling with the heavy crowd. Looking me standing lonely Mithi too stood up from her seat and joined me. She was always there to support me, however many a time I had let her down, even during her most important moments, to which I had regretted a lot.

Getting down at our stop, we were greeted by one of Payal’s close friend. Introducing herself casually, she took us all to a nearby restaurant where we had decided to meet initially, as per the plan. Getting to the restaurant, Payal and her friend were having their own time while Mithi and I were left out with nothing but to just stare at each other. Then and there we spoke of about the usual college stuffs while the other 2 girls were having their time off. Occasionally they used to look at us, gave a weird smile while still conversing.

It was very clear from their facial expression that they were making fun of us. Time was ticking away and I was bored of staying there further, so was Mithi. Finally to break the silence I told the other two  girls about leaving, but then Payal’s friend pitched in.

“Why don’t we have something before we leave”? What do you say Deepak, still with a weak smile on her face?

I was getting furious with each minute passing off, yet did not have it get reflected on my face. “Yeah, we shall. I prefer something light and so I will go with a shake. You people order the ones that you prefer”.

The waiter brought in our order after some time and I totally lost my mind is speaking with Payal. I was fully busy speaking with Mithi as she gave a nice company to me. The girls witnessed my displeasure and they slowly brought down their speech. Payal did try once or twice to grab my attention towards her so that I start talking with her. But I purposely avoided her and was more comfortable with Mithi. The girls quickly whispered amidst themselves and spoke out.

“It was nice meeting you all”, said Payal friend to which I gave a weak smile as if I didn’t care WTF was she doing there. Minutes later we stepped out of the restaurant. I just waved at Payal, and took Mithi with me as we were to take the same bus back home. Payal was completely taken back with my sudden firm act and I was sure that she might pull up a fight for this. But who the fuck cares as I had already made up my mind that it won’t work between us. Without even turning back I just went ahead pulling Mithi along with me, who was completely unaware of my actions and ignoring Payal's repeated call. That meet was the first and last between us, though Payal tried to come up with many later, I had already moved on.

Hello 6E!!!

It was a cold winter morning at the nation’s capital. The city posed a dead silence almost everywhere as the fog had spread its chunky blanket right upon the city, turning down the visibility to near zero. Nowhere could the India gate or the Parliament house or the Delhi Metro or the local shops to be seen even from a mile away.

It has been incessant over the decade that Northern India had been witnessing colder winter, making livelihood a challenge throughout the season. The Delhiites always enjoyed the warmth of staying indoor but it were the street dwellers who suffered the most, battling the strong gusty winds. Over and all it was going to be a lazy day as hardly anyone would wish to hit the streets.

With such a weather across the region and a nice warm blanket encrusting me, I wished to be not disturbed till the next season turns up. However my wish didn’t seem to last even for few minutes as the alarm in my mobile went off ceaselessly. With my eyes still shut, I tried finding the mobile and turn it off just not to interrupt my blessed sleep. Half opening my eyes just to hit the right button, I saw the time as 6am and I had a long journey ahead of me to take. So thinking of it and with a heavy heart I just pushed off the blanket away, wondering when I would get back into it again. Moving on to the living room shivering right from top to bottom, I found my parent busy with work. My father was getting the bags packed up and my mom was busy preparing the food to be carried.

I was never an early bee right from childhood and so getting up early in the morning was the greatest feat of all. Half asleep, I went around the house to check if my brothers had woken up too or if they were still sleeping. When it comes to my brothers, I had always wished the best to happen with them and so I did not wanted them to get out of bed so soon just for the reason that I was travelling. I ensured they slept comfortably and went off to get ready, as my father had sent out two warning calls of me missing the flight. An hour later I was dressed up and ready to leave. My father loaded the bags onto the car and my mother handed over the meal box along with a big list of do’s and don’ts to remember. Nodding to everything that she said, I laced up and went straight to the car.

Leaving our apartment we were instantly welcomed by the thick layer of fog, which had barely ceased since morning. Navigating amidst it was a tough challenge that we even lost track of the airport quite often en route. Finally taking the right lane and turn, we were greeted by the early morning traffic that was heading towards Gurgaon, the next emerging metropolis. 15 minutes of drive then on the highway we were greeted by the mighty sign board leading towards the airport. Taking a diversion from the mad crowd of vehicles, we entered the perimeter of the Indira Gandhi International Airport. At a distance Terminal 1D was gleaming beautifully with mist covering the steel and glass terminal. This terminal is the home base for some of the leading Low Cost Carriers in India. And the Full Service Carriers had their very own dedicated terminal, the world famous T3 or Terminal 3.

The early morning rush was rightly visible from the very entrance and so I docked my bags out of the car far from the terminal and bid goodbye to my dad. As I pushed the trolley towards the mad crowd, the level of excitement within me kept rising because it was going to be my first solo flight. I have this habit of being distinct always and so i wish every flight journey to be unique in some manner or other. It would be mostly like I pick up a new destination, a new airline, a new aircraft type every time, which altogether sums up to a new expectation of what is going to be ahead of me.

Cutting past pack of people and vehicle, I made my way into the terminal after a long wait. Once inside, it was entirely a different world. People were rushing up in all the directions around me. The urge to catch their flight was almost witnessed in everyone’s eyes. And so were the airline ground staffs too, who were pitching into the scene every single time an incident turns up. It were the ground force team who were actually responsible for the quick and prompt turnaround of each aircraft. And in airports across metropolis, it was kind of a double shift that each of the staff encounters. Their work load and the stress level is relatively higher than other minor airports. I checked on my watch and felt little relaxed as I had almost 2 hours 30 minutes for my flight to lift off. So not rushing up, I slowly moved towards the baggage screening and off to the check in counter, which had the most beautiful staff seated.

The LCC market in India was predominantly occupied by IndiGo, followed by SpiceJet and GoAir. Though 20 plus checkin counters were available for IndiGo at the terminal, the morning rush had taken its toll across the counters.  Indigo’s primary hub was (IATA Code: DEL) and so most of the day’s first flight took off from the capital be it right from dawn. Witnessing a huge passenger turnaround during the early hour of day was a routine to the ground force team and they were trained in accordance to handle it.

Well it took another 35 minutes for me to reach the counter that I was looking for. A gorgeous young lady, in her mid-twenties greeted me with a stunning smile. I instantly got knocked over with her beauty, yet managed to stay steady and answer her. She verified the ticket, made an entry of my PNR in her system, and had my name cross checked as Rithvik with the driving license that I provided her. Once verified she tagged the bags and handed me the boarding pass instructing the gate for departure, all with a broad smile, enough to knock me down completely. Smiling back at her, I collected the boarding pass and walked off weakly wondering why not I consider taking up a career in aviation.

As I closed in at the security check, I was not taken back looking at the never ending queue. The Central Industrial Security Force, who took care of the security at the airports were at their best trying to move the queue forward, but people came turning up over and again. Spending an ample amount of time there watching each scene unfold, I slowly moved around in the queue only to get cleared off after a long wait and head towards the beautiful cafeteria, located on the top floor of the terminal. This cafeteria gave a splendid panoramic view of IGI’s airside. The view was breathtaking as you could see large number of blue and red birds docked next to one another. It was really hard to count the number of Indigo and SpiceJet aircraft's parked, one after the other. The ground force of both the airlines were on their top trying to get each flight, on air on schedule. I opened the box of roti and panner mutter masala that my mom had packed and sat with the mesmerizing view of airside ahead of me. The food was delicious as usual and I never found a food tastier than my mom preparation.

Twenty minutes down the line, I heard the boarding call of my flight. I packed up my bag and looked over for the flight information display, just to ensure that I heard right. As I gazed over the flight information board, I found SpiceJet and GoAir too had a flight departing to (IATA Code: MAA) closely around the same time as that of my flight. After a minute wait my flight detail “6E454 DEL to MAA – BOARDING Gate 10” was flashing on the screen. Relieved to know that there was no delay due to the fog, I moved on looking for my gate.

The blue bird that was about to fly me back to Chennai was parked majestically at a distance and posed stunningly with the first rays of sun. Welcomed once again by adorable ladies as I boarded, I went straight to my seat 17C, cut passing fellow passengers who blocked the way trying to sort different issues. Mine was an “Aisle” seat and I was able to witness all the people moving around, well of course the flight stewards too.

IndiGo had the best “On Time Performance” amidst its competitors and I experienced it right on that flight. Within minutes of boarding, the aircraft was pushed back and was ready to fly out still ensuring highest level of safety. IndiGo maintained a single aircraft throughout its fleet, the Airbus A320. A single aisle narrow body jet, it was the most efficient aircraft in the segment than its competitor, the Boeing 737. Not only with the aircraft but IndiGo was also famous for having the all-female cabin crew service, which not many carriers choose to follow. This policy of maintaining a single fleet had helped the aircraft stay on top consequently and reap profits YoY right from its first flight.

As the captain had announced of a short taxiing, the cabin crew had to demonstrate the safety procedures swiftly and buckle up in their jump seats for takeoff. In the next 3^rd minute, the aircraft had centered itself onto the runway 28 and was ready for takeoff. IGI was the only airport in the country to have a near parallel 3 runway with CAT III-B ILS (Instrument Landing System). And with the inauguration of runway 11/29, the longest and the most effective one in the country, the number of aircraft's departing and arriving has doubled over the time. During peak hours, it has helped in reducing the stress and delay experienced over the other two runways.

 I had heard most complain of nausea and vomiting while takeoff. But believe me the sensation you get when the Prat & Whitney engines come to life is adventurous and thrilling. And especially the thrust it produces, Oh god!!! You just get the feel of a roller coaster ride. The captain announced the takeoff clearance and the engines roared into life taking us into the air within seconds. I was enthralled and I could not have asked for anything better than that. I enjoyed that feel of getting into the air.

The total flying hour was 3 hours and 30 minutes, with a 45 minutes layover at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (IATA Code: HYD) en route. Shortly after takeoff the inflight service commenced. As it was a LCC, meals were to be purchased separately and there were few who enjoyed having a hot sip at 35000 feet. I was left out with options to wade my time off as I was travelling alone. Then and there the cabin crew would go past me, which was of little soothing to my eyes but that too lasted for few seconds. With very little hope, I started off a conversation with my fellow passenger. Luckily he seemed interested in one and so we were on talking over and about everything. The conversation was really interesting as not many would turn to speak out to a stranger. He was a budding entrepreneur who was on his way to Hyderabad to promote his venture.

Time flew swiftly as we spoke and an hour later the captain announced the decent into Hyderabad airspace. Minutes passed and the mighty bird touched down on to runway 27L. The turnaround time was 45 minutes right from the time 6E454 docked at the gates and so I had ample time to stretch. Reaching the rear of the aircraft I got out on to the ramp and instantly the smell of ATF (Air Turbine Fuel) aroused me. I was warned of not to get far away from the aircraft as it was treated as a security breach and so I stayed close to it, witnessing the activities taking place around me. Couple of Domestic and International carriers were parked away from our aircraft and the weather outside was little hot, as winters were not so extreme in the south central India.

Passengers travelling from HYD to MAA had boarded in the meantime and one of the cabin crew lady signaled me to get in as it was time to push back. The aircraft taxied onto the runway on time once again and took off as scheduled. The second leg of the flight was relatively short compared to the first and so we were expected to touch down at Chennai in another 90 minutes without any delay. The seats next to me were empty as were most around. Over all it was not a full flight that day and passengers had the privilege to move around the seats. I took over the window seat just to enjoy the sublime view of the earth below me. The clouds sparkled with the sun’s ray and the aircraft was gliding gently above it. Time flew off swiftly and we were descending into Chennai. The city’s bird eye view was scintillating. And on final approach, 6E454 was instructed to make a sea side approach rather than the city side and get in through runway 25.

The view of the sea waves hitting the shores of Marina beach, the world’s second longest beach, was absolutely stunning. I was awestruck with nature’s beauty and the perfection in god’s creation. Nothing can replace it and I could not lose to erase the view off my mind. Though i had been to the beach many a time, this particular view of it was engaging. Other notable landmarks of Chennai too gave an artistic view from the top. Very shortly the plane entered the airfield and made a smooth landing at the Anna International Airport (IATA Code: MAA). The weather was sunny and there were couple of domestic carriers taxing out, ready to fly while few others were parked around the airfield. Once 6E454 got its slot at one of the gates, the aircraft drifted in and halted turning down the engines. I quickly approached the cabin crew for a picture with them. However they refused to pose as it was against the DGCA rules then. So with a heavy heart I disembarked the flight, turned back to have one last look at the blue bird hoping to take control of it as a commander, some day. With that in mind I moved my ass off to the arrival hall, just in time to collect the bags and head into the humid city.

Though the first solo flight was not so interesting, I enjoyed the flight overall and the urge to become a Pilot kept blooming. Till date I would have taken 50 plus flights and every time as I look at the crew take the cockpit, my desire to sit there shoots up thinking when will that one day turn up?

End of the road and there she stood devilishly !!

Early in the morning as the city prepares itself for the hectic day ahead, especially after a long cold peaceful night, somewhere close to the Bay of Bengal, the alarm bell goes long and loud at a house. Half asleep I try to find and turn it off, just to continue my romantic dream with Celine (Madonna Sebastian) without any interruption. Turning off the alarm, i tried to reconnect with Celine but she had gone offline. So with nothing much left out, I got out of my bed still preserving the sleep within my eyes thinking about the lost wonderful dream and to put on the shoes to hit the road for the morning workout. After hours and hours of shedding sweat and burning down calories with the jog, a cup of fresh juice is all that refreshes me. The juice stall is off the beach and that is where my first interaction for the day kicks up. The guy who sells the juice is friendly to almost every customer that he interacts with and so naturally he does a good business too. He almost brings out the day’s laugh, hidden within each one of them visiting his stall. It is actually a good trait or to term it well, a kind humanitarian service offered by him that almost many lack off.

Getting back to my apartment and drying myself, I quickly peek over the happening contents in the newspaper and set off to get ready for the office, hoping not to get stuck in the traffic. Twenty past nine, I am off the apartment and on to the roads, hitting the throttle to the maximum and abusing drivers who take the road for granted as I had to drive past them with frequent rude glance. These riders usually annoy me as they do not understand the traffic situation of the city and often lack the basic driving sense. They never let go others ride past them and all we had to do was to keep trailing them. It’s either they or none who takes the track. Cutting past them somehow and constantly checking the watch on the other hand, i had to rush a bit as the clock had moved past the safe zone. That indicates the traffic density has unfolded over the main lanes of the city and I will be late to the office. Adding to the worry would be the weather. The scorching sun hits right upon the head, literally sucking up all the energy out of you. 

Riding further down the lane, just quarter a mile to my office, I witnessed the greatest havoc of the day as i had expected. A long queue of vehicles were held up on the road, without moving even by an inch. It was a sight well enough to devastate  your morning. But with no other option left out, all that i could do was to just turn off the engine and wait there. I slowly start sweating and wish the traffic clears up much soon, however that was never to happen. Tired of sitting under a hot sun for a long time I just wonder how the fellow common man on the road felt waiting there. But on close observation I could find that everyone around me didn’t seem much bothered waiting there, as these common man were reaping the benefit of the high turbo air conditioning system of their vehicle. Well as they have shed close to seven digit for that luxury quotient, they ought to enjoy its benefits and had nothing to complain about waiting there as the air conditioning system has over powered the heat. 

So as I keep envying those few around me, at a distant land the first ray of hope hits us finally. The traffic had begun moving slowly and I was very desperate to get out of the pack ASAP and reach the office. I was out bound from one of the four cross roads of a main junction and with just 20 meters ahead of me was the lane to the office. I was focused on the road to take and well of course the traffic besides me too, when all of a sudden the devil turned up its red hot face right in front of me. I wished to get pass under its hood but it was highly efficient in holding me there. With no fight to put up against it, I just had to come to a hold once again and was furious of course for its arrogant act. Gleaming majestically in the hot sun, the traffic signal, which always gave a devilish look, never bothered to hold up a vehicle even with the highest power man crossing it. Standing right opposite to me, it would take another 10 minutes for it to change its face bright green. That means another long wait under the sun, which was pretty enough to ruin my whole day that was already devastated. With such a beginning for the day, I was confident enough that the day’s productivity level would be at the bottom, no matter how hard I work. Cursing badly of how the day had begun, the devil finally turned green allowing me to pass it and head to my destination. This was not the kind of beginning I would wish to have everyday, however most of the days were the same with the devil smiling devilishly whenever i cut past it.

Drifted Away, yet Chose to Ride...

Life does not just turn up as easy as one would wish it to be. There are frequent speed breakers, roadblocks, showstoppers and of course a bumpy, dirty, rugged road to travel upon. Yes, it is tiring and painful; yet cheering, once you traverse it and hit on the “cruise” mode just to enjoy the seamless drive ahead. Well it’s always the human tendency to wish for the later part, but that is when “luck” pitches in and help them out. However luck was unwilling to show its face right in front of this engineer, who had just stepped out with the sky high dreams, midst other hundred thousand fellow engineers. So how was he able to sustain with the elements out there? Well it was couple of other factors which actually helped him understand the new dimension of life.

First of all, the road towards Cognizant was not an easy feat, as how others would have thought of or would have experienced. Constant struggle, many a rejection, too many false promises, peer humiliation, hardly few to truly guide and with just a handful of penny enough to suffice 2 meal a day was all to come across. In a nutshell, it was a rough patch over and all. Day in and day out of shedding sweat, walking across the hot lanes of the city and finally getting selected as one among the fifty from a highly talented and competitive crowd of eight hundred, believe me I just walked out of the building, turned around facing it and gave a huge sigh of relief looking at the block letter of “Cognizant” etched on top of the building. It was really a moment of great achievement to be cherished, as uncountable months of hardship had finally yielded a result. Six months of off the topic training to the one’s taught over the four years at college and moving down to be inducted into a project which was once again unconnected to what we were trained for, I realized this is how businesses run and you just need to hit the right nail to clear the initial assessment. Once done, it’s all what your bosses think of utilizing you, in any possible manner, extracting all of you for their benefits and finally discarding as a residue. However, I do not complain on these transitions, as it helped me connect and converge with people from different zones within the organization and learn to cope up with the peers. It was actually a well-deserved handover over the years.

Second of all, the amount of hard work and dedication towards the work helps one lift off from the ground and touch the sky someday. Hence to lift off, you need the right amount of thrust, the medium and well of course the right balance to stay afloat without being stalled. And to me it was well backed off by a man of value, who had once struggled a lot to reach his current role. Being a Team leader is itself a big feat and to manage a team full of trainees is a milestone of its own.  It requires not just technical but also human management skills. A single wrong move can be disastrous, often. But he was a perfect blend of the both and knew when to hit the right string. Well it a universal fact that your future is chiseled by your first leader and I was fortunate then. Two short years of shadowing him right in and out, I believe there are certain characteristics that one cannot pick it up right from the books, rather it is all by observing and following. And so I picked up a few and tried to sharpen it up day by day. Apart from that our team had the best time of the life under his leadership and I wish I had a pensive, where I could visit those golden moments over and again. So as the days were sailing smoothly, turbulence was never to be found in a near land. However it was not long before when major blows stuck me at the right time, from every single direction, not leaving a room to stabilize.

Completely devastated, I needed the strength to stand up and rebuild the damages caused. But the blow had made its impact to the core and wiping off the debris was a time taking process. Recurrent trials of re building were all in failure. I could easily sense myself drifting off the track, but I was determined of not to lose control, which would otherwise land up in total devastation, leaving no traces to re-surge. Slowly moving, I was shifted to a new location. New place, new people, new environment and everything should have actually cheered me up, however it did not. I felt completely odd surrounded myself with people, off my type. It was really hard to spend each and every day enclosed within a small cubicle, with no one to interact. All that I was left out was to gaze through the window and feel myself connected with the nature and of course occasional sighting of flights, which were on its final approach to the airport. I feared if I would stay up the rest of the years in the same manner then it would be hard to regain the energy and strength to stand up and fight against the odds. But a small ray of hope finally hit me. It gave me a new design, the necessary materials and the right platform to rebuild and set sail once again. Well if that is what destiny means, then it is time for me to hit the floors and lay hands on the draft board, in order to come up with a perfect design that is capable of withstanding any kind of blows, in the future.

Rise Of The Dusk - Part 4

Greg Palo, 26, resident of 2873 Sunset Park 5^th avenue, student with Long Island University and a procurer by profession. Is everything right? Yes Detective, except for the last part that though I am a procurer, it is not my profession. You see paying bills hasn’t been easy these days and that too with just a handful of money in New York City, you should always have something to supplement you. As you are aware, with the buildings of the city kissing the sky, so are the cost. Hence I had a handful of customers who mostly cheated on their spouse, just to dig the pleasure elsewhere while I reaped the benefit out of them. That’s it and I had never gone beyond that detective. Ahaa! So that gives us the motive to kill Leena. What!!! What do you mean? As she was rich, you trapped her down with your charm, only to make your life comfortable and once she found what a piece of shit you were, you panicked if she would move away from you and also let out your secrets. You had to silence her, else you would be into great trouble. But only that you went a step ahead of your plan and thereby silenced her once for all. So a day later just to erase the trace of doubt over you and pretending to be caring her, you turned up at the precinct to report her missing so that uniforms don’t suspect you in the fore run. Am I right Greg? No no, I never killed her and nor would I. See detective I loved her truly and the relationship was the best thing happened in my life. Though I knew about her richness, even in my most despondent time I paid it out of my pocket and never borrowed a single penny from her, though she insisted on paying it many a time. You can always check my financials if you are uncertain about my words. We are already on to it, but you got to tell me first the reason for murdering her, as we have witnesses claiming your presence on the night of her murder. Do you think you can cover it up too with a good story, Greg? Detective I am not lying and you got to believe me. No not at all, after all that you did to her. Confess your crime and I shall ensure the DA minimizes the charges upon you. So it all lies in your word. What say? Detective I am telling the truth that I loved her all out of my heart and I never intended to kill her. I shall tell you everything and it is all the truth.

That evening I had called her out to our usual hangout spot, the Hyacinth’s in the downtown. She turned up around 7pm and over the course of meal I confessed to her that I had decided to go clean by hitting the rehabilitation center. I was a drug addict, as hanging around my community demanded the usage of it extensively. But right from when we started dating she disliked it and would often ask me to get rid of it. And then when I told about my decision she was extremely happy. So after the dinner I walked her out all across the street towards the 137^th street City College Station and even stayed with her till she boarded the train. What time was it when you were at the train station? I believe it was quarter to 10. So where were you past 11? As she took the train, I headed straight to the City College of New York, where one of my friend was hosting a LAN party and it was supposed to be the finals that day. Online gamer's from across the city were present there. You can check it out yourself detective. I shall ask units to confirm it, meanwhile in the recent days did Leena seemed disturbed or was annoyed by something? Nothing much that I remember off, except last week she appeared distressed and when I asked what it was, she mentioned about a guy turning up at her apartment every other day and annoying her. Did she mention a name? No but she mentioned that he was an African and said that she could handle it. So I did not insist beyond that. It could be Naobi (Natz mind voice). But there was something more than that two days back. I was off to the restroom at the restaurant and when I returned I was shocked to find her in a furious rift with a women. I could not see the other woman’s face as she had walked off the door by the time I closed up on Leena, but I seem to remember that she had dark hair and was surely an Asian by complexion. It took almost a while for Leena to settle down and she wouldn’t even tell me what the quarrel was either even after repetitive pleads. So to turn her mood off from the incident, I started talking about the rehab, which elated her and we were on to it discussing. Fine Greg, there has been no suspect cornered so far with your description of Asian dark hair. However till we find a dig on this case do not leave the city, I warn you. Natasha comes out of the room furiously as she could not possibly frame Greg killing Leena, only to find a surprise visitor sitting cross legged beside her desk.

You liar, she shrieks at Roger as she reaches her desk. Whoa, whoa, whoa, ease off detective. I just got a word from the cops that you had summoned me. Did you call me just to show off your resentment? Oh!! If that is what you have come here thinking off, then I am pleased to say that you are such an idiot Roger. I could have easily charged you for the murder of this poor girl but as nothing turned up in the fore run I let you go then, but not now. Ahaa!!! So what makes you now think that I am the killer? Well as a matter of fact we came to know about your dirty side that you hid from us earlier. Dirty Side, me. Oh holly god!!! You cannot just pretend to be holly unless you had not sneaked into other’s personal life, scumbag. So that enlightens me now detective. I am pretty confident from your words that you have taken up Mr. Damon’s word too seriously. Well thank you Damon for ruining my reputation. I owe you a whiskey man (punching into the air as a sign of winning a bet). Roger, I am going to send a report to the District Attorney regarding your arrest for the murder of Leena. That’s really bad detective and what motive do I have? Well it’s very simple, blackmailing. Oh, so you think I would have pictured Leena with her guy during their intimate moments and later extort money for it. See you just told me one part of your murder scene while I shall narrate the latter half. So when Leena decides to go ahead lodging complaint about you, you panicked and out of options decided to make her vanish. Since you were an expert with the migratory bird’s behavior, killing her at the park and then dumping into the woods was the right move as it could easily attract the Cooper’s hawk and they could feast upon her leaving a little or no trace. You also knew that she hardly had any relatives here in NY, who would actually come looking out for her. Detective you are way past to what I thought off but as a matter of fact, I swear on god, I never laid hand upon her. I have no idea of changing my mind about you Roger unless some strong evidence turns up in favor of you. Oh no detective, you got to change it, else you ought to carry the burden of confronting an innocent man. You and innocent, oh! Just go to hell man. Natasha suddenly hears heavy footsteps behind her, only to find that it was Christina. Natz, I have something for you. Please let it be something important as I am already enraged dealing with this guy. Yes, of course it is Natasha. The Dickens reported that their daughter had no trouble right from the day she stepped into the country, until lately she was having rough days. Rough days!!! Did they specify on anything? Like her academics or the relationship or something else? No, nothing with the academics but from what they said, Leena was having trouble with some female whom they had overheard once during a call with their daughter. They confirmed hearing fuming voice of a teenage women in the background and when enquired with Leena, she asked them to stop worrying about her and ignore it as she knew how to handle it. Did the Dicken’s mention about when it happened? Christi flips the pages from her notepad and pulls out the date. It was a week before the death. Also they mentioned that the female’s accent didn’t sound native. Fine then check with the tech experts from the CSU, ask them if they can pull out a match for the female’s voice in the background as heard from the call. Natasha returns to her desk only to find Roger approaching her tensely. Wait a minute detective, I completely forgot a piece of information which will lead you to the death of the girl. This morning as I was on my way to the precinct, my junior called me stating that she had found some offbeat pics, from the hidden camera that we had placed at the park. I remember her mentioning about 2 females captured randomly in the frame. See Roger as I said you are a piece of a shit. Having hidden cameras in the park and sneaking in on people, this is how you do it huh? Seriously apart from the murder charge, you will face trail for Public Prosecution too. Detective, did I humiliate you any time in the past. Why? Not that I remember of. Then what makes you so insensitive against me. Right from the moment I stepped in, you are bombarding all the charges against me. I am done with it and if you are planning to charge me for the murder, so you shall. I can prove innocent during my trial as I am pretty confident that you do not possess a single evidence to plead me guilty. How dare you let a word against me (Natasha charges against Roger, only to get held up by Christi)? Loosen up Natz and we cannot have him charged for the murder just for the reason that he is a pervert. Roger gave a furious look at her and as he was about to leave, he turned back facing the detectives and said, “With no suspects in hand, I know that you are back to square 1 with the case and I could observe it clearly from the board (pointing a finger at the crime board opposite to Natz’s desk)”. Good Luck detective with your moves and try to be less irate the next time we meet. And as a matter of fact, we set up hidden cameras just to capture the bird’s behavior in their natural habitat away from human intervention, which most photographers do. Good Day to you ladies and so Roger walks off from there.

Dusk seemed to conceal over the city much sooner than expected and the precinct was bustling with activities. Natasha was going through her file when she sensed someone standing very close, behind her. She made a hasty turn only to find Roger, gazing onto the file very acutely. Natasha shuts her file and bangs on the desk. What the f*** are you doing here now? Detective I am very clear that I did not come here on anyone’s invite but all out of my own interest in helping you solve the case (pointing his finger once again towards the board). Christi and Jade turns up at her desk since her bang shook the whole precinct. Natasha gave a furious look at him, wishing he turns up into ash with her stare. Chill out Natz, let’s see what our shutterbug has got. Well as I mentioned earlier about the suspicious human activity captured in my camera, I had in printed out just for you, and I want you to look at it. He picks up a brown cover from his bag and hands it out to the detectives. Initial pictures had an out of focus shot of the human’s, however as they kept flipping over the pics, the image became very clear as if someone had shot it standing right beside them with every event unfolding at the park. In an instant Natasha drops the handful of pictures on to Jade and rushes towards the stack of file, searching for Greg’s interrogation report. Christi, as per Greg’s statement he bid adieu to Leena at the 137^th street station by around quarter to 10. You run down the security camera footage from the station around that time and check for the train that Leena had boarded. Also with the help of facial recognition go through everyone who were present there during our timeframe, with past record of criminal charge. Minutes later Christi gives out a call and all three rush towards her desk. Natasha, this footage is around 9.45pm and there is Leena and Greg entering the station. No one is following them and there are just few who are seated at the platform. Slowly fast forwarding the clip, they now saw Leena boarding the train exactly at 9.58pm. Good, now check with the MTA subway time table for the exact arrival of this train at the Van Cortlandt park 242^nd station. Christi, runs down some search and brings out the timetable to get the arrival time as 10.20pm. Now run down the footage from the 242^nd station around that timeframe. Running through the records of clips, they finally come down to the one recorder around 10.18pm. Play it from here Christi. The train will probably arrive in the next 2 minutes. Meanwhile run down other cameras to check for any suspicious activity going around the platform or the station. Yeah ok Natz. The platform is empty and we still have a minute for the train to show up. The clock ticked away and a series of events turned up on the monitor screen. Natasha’s face contracted with each minute and she rushed towards her board, listing down all the points and to grabs her key while signaling Jade and Christi on what they ought to do.

In next 5 minutes Natasha’s car roared as it crisscrossed amidst the slow moving NY traffic. She made couple of calls on her way and later some 10 miles off the precinct, she parks her car outside one of the Costa Coffee outlet. She makes in her way, only to find the person whom she was expecting there waiting. The person was sitting all alone at a far corner, distancing from the regular crowd who hit the place and close by the windows facing the street. Hi Adara, sorry to make you wait for a long time. Not a problem detective. Why did you want to meet me urgently? Have you found the suspect who killed my friend? Well we are half way through it and I am sure we shall wrap it up at the earliest. Now Adara, can you tell me where you were between 9 and 11 on the night of murder? Detective is it something related to the murder? Why are you questioning me suspiciously? Adara, we are trying to interrogate everyone who were closely involved with her. And you being her roommate do fall under our suspicion. So why don’t you tell me where were you on the night of the murder? I was with couple of my friends at a restaurant in the downtown. Hmm, but the other day when we spoke at your home, I remember you mentioning to me of meeting friends at the central park. But now you say it as a restaurant. Detective, we gathered up at the park initially, hung up there for some time, later headed down to the restaurant and finally departed off. Oh!!! So is there someone who can vouch on it Adara? Yes, you can check out with all of my friends and the doorkeeper of the apartment too. Well then by what time did you turn up at your apartment? I remember it was closely around quarter to 12. Well that is all I have got for now Adara. I believe I shall meet you very soon to reveal who murdered your friend. It was nice meeting you Adara and let me make a move. Sure detective, ensure you catch him soon. Back in the car, Natz rings up Christi to know their position. Once done listening to Christi’s statement, she instructs them of their next move while she drove back to the precinct.

It is very clear that she is lying Jade, placing Adara’s picture in the center of the board and marking her as the prime suspect. We found the torn robe along with few radioactive materials locked up in her apartment, Natz. The robe has been sent for traces of any DNA match and one of the bottles labelled as Arsenic, which seemed lately used, was also recovered by the CSU. We found finger prints on it and a search for a possible match is in progress. Results are to be out shortly, Natasha. See Windy mentioned about the traces of Arsenic found in Leena’s blood. So if we hit a match with that of Adara’s then I shall get an arrest warrant from the DA and we can nab her down. Minutes later Christi approaches them smiling. Yo folks, I think we got the killer. The results have turned out positive as per our expectation. Good, so let’s catch this bitch before she lays hand upon someone else.

Homicide detectives along with uniforms turn up outside Adara’s apartment. They storm into it only to find the house completely clear of human movement. All the items were disoriented, as if someone had hurriedly picked up the requisites. Natz, the doorkeeper claims seeing Adara leaving in a rush an hour back. So Windy was right. What (Exclaimed Jade and Christi as they did not understand)? Back at the lab, Windy mentioned that the killer had purposely dumped the body in the woods so that it stays there for a short duration, until which our suspect can make an early move out of the city unnoticed. Jade, alert the TSA and the other precinct about the movement of our suspect and do circulate her photos across airports, train station and bus terminal. She is on the wind and we need to catch her before she crosses the border. Got it Natz and Jade hurries out of the apartment. Securing the house as crime zone, the detectives look out for any other suspicious materials. Little later as uniforms took control of the house, the two ladies hit the street thinking of the possible ways by which she could have made an exit. Christina receives a call on her cell phone. She answers it, gets the information which was passed on and hangs up in a swift. Call from the precinct and they just found a credit card transaction made by Adara on 2 flight tickets. Well then alert the TSA and the Customs & Border protection authorities at the JFK to get a hold of her before she boards her flight. Actually Natz this is where she had acted cleverly or she thought so. She knew very well that we had found our suspect and anytime we will come looking out for her. She also knew that with our authority we shall track all the flight heading out of New York to Syria, mainly out of JFK and Newark International Airport. Hence to divert us off the track, she is making her way out of NY by an “American Eagle” flight, bound to depart in another hour from the Westchester Airport that is heading to Chicago’s O-Hare International Airport. From there she has her “Royal Jordanian” flight heading to Amman-Queen Alia International Airport in Jordan, which is 125 miles off Damascus the capital of Syria, making an easy entry into her country. Well if she is so smart then why don’t we surprise her with some hot towels and a refreshing drink after such a long run, right in the flight deck? Yippee (Exclaimed Christi).

An hour later, back in the interrogation room, the two ladies were facing each other, in complete silence. Adara, you ought to speak now. We know that you were the one who killed Leena. Sorry detective, you have got the wrong person and I do not hold any possible motive for killing her. So don’t waste your time on me and get your ass’s down onto the street to find the real suspect while I can head home to treat on my ailing father. Well if that is all that you have got to say, then let me draw this picture in the right form. You claimed being at the restaurant very late with couple of your buddies on the day of murder. Yes I do detective. So what made you all stay late there? It was actually a reunion party and we girls were having all to ourselves. So you claim that nothing else happened after you left the party. However let me enlighten you on what actually happened there that night, Adara. The landlady claims of seeing you indulging in a quarrel with another women at the restaurant and you left the place much earlier than you quoted. Ahaa!! Yes I remember having a quarrel with one of the waitresses, as she spilled hot sauce on my new robe. As the quarrel drew much attention, my friend pulled me out from there and I was off to her place before I turned up home. Adara, enough of your stories. We have strong evidences to prove your act on the night and it was not the waitresses with whom you quarreled. As I could see that you hardly remember any events from that day, check out if I am being true as I shall narrate on what actually happened.

At the restaurant, you were in a rift with Leena and as Greg appeared out of the restroom, you left the place. And later around 10.20pm, Leena and you continued your argument back at the 242^nd station, as recorded by the CCTV camera from the platform and outside the station. Even the security guard at the station has turned affirmative seeing you disputing. As the dispute grew bitter, you confronted her to the park sneaking it unnoticed by the guards on duty that night, took her near the woods and killed her by injecting Arsenic into her blood. You panicked seeing your friend lie breathless on the muddy ground. So to get her out of others sight, you dragged her all the way into the woods and left her there. And once you reached your apartment, you took the fire escape stairs right to your place and made out a scene as if you were early home giving zero suspicion to anyone. As Natasha finished her narration, Adara couldn’t hold her guilt further and eventually confesses of murdering Leena. Natz signals the uniforms waiting outside to cuff her off and take her into custody while she collates her report.

Placing the homicide report on the captain’s table, she turns to leave the room when Cpt. Roy stops her. Got the suspect finally? Yes sir, actually the sensitive part in this case was that our suspect Adara was a Syrian resident and who was involved with nuclear medical technology here. In the recent past, couple of charges were even framed against her at the college on possessing and handling radioactive substances outside of the college, which were deemed only for laboratory use and highly contagious. Investigating closely on the issue, we found that our victim Leena, on the day of her murder found Adara in deep conversation with few men who looked suspicious. As she followed them into the park, she saw Adara handing out radioactive materials in large quantity to those guys, an amount that is enough to bring down the whole of Manhattan. As Leena sensed the danger and therefore tried to stop Adara that is when the duel grew uncontrollable. Not able to handle Leena and to avoid the security guard’s attention, Adara picks out a syringe from her bag, fills it with Arsenic and injects into Leena, which caused her to faint and hit the statue of Arthur Morris and die instantly. The torn piece of robe from the statue and the blood stains on Adara’s shoes at her resident matched her prints and the footages from the station along with Roger’s secret camera at the park actually led us to corner out on our real suspect. Well done detective. So what about the criminals who had collected the radioactive substance from Adara? Regarding that sir, we narrowed them with the traffic footage found close to the park. The Elite teams pitched in, nabbed the suspects along with the radioactive materials from a dungeon off the Washington Heights. Meanwhile the 32^nd precinct have sealed the area under suspicion of any radioactive leak until they get a clean chit from the CSU. Well it is a good catch then. Thank you people and a great relief off the ass before the weekend. Good day to you sir and Natasha moves out to her desk. As she steps out of the captain’s room, she finds the same guy sitting cross legged at her desk. Not again (seeming annoyed). What are you doing here Roger? I just passed by the alley and thought why I don’t pay you guys a visit. After all I helped you solve a case right and so I deserve a medal, don’t I Christi (Giving a wicked smile at her as she approaches too)? Yes of course, a special jury award for annoying Natasha. Oh, come on Christi I don’t do that (a side look at Natz as he says), do I? Fine, just wipe it of your mind detectives. So as the case is closed now, why don’t we kick our ass out and grab a bite? Wow!!! That seems to be a very good idea to me Roger, came in Jade’s voice from behind. Hey Christi, drag in Natasha with you when you come, while Roger and I shall head first and grab the best seats.