DANCING DELUSIONS
(By Subbaram Danda)
A posh car screeched to a halt at the in-gate of a famous star hotel. A young woman stepped out of it and staggered inside. The vehicle moved on at a slow pace. After a few moments she rushed back in her birthday suit and ran after the car. About a hundred metres away, the vehicle stopped and somebody pulled her inside amidst loud giggles from its occupants. It sped away in a jiffy.
The time was about 8 a.m. There was not much of traffic on the road. Some passersby watched the entire incident in shocking disbelief. They could not make head or tail out of it. It also failed to attract the media attention.
The young adult was Samhita, an M.B.B.S. student doing her final year in a reputed medical college in Bangalore. After the episode she was dropped at the hostel, where she was staying, as if nothing had happened. None of her friends came to know of it. Days and weeks passed.
A brilliant student, she had been a class topper. The college dean had been hoping that she would get the first rank in the university. But her performance started slipping gradually. Even her health appeared to be deteriorating. One day, a team of doctors examined her and found to their dismay that she had become a drug addict.
Exhilaration
Her parents rushed to the city and got her admitted in a de-addiction and rehabilitation centre. There she disclosed how her curiosity had taken her to a rave party, where she had her first brush with mild intoxicants. Subsequently, her progress to “getaway substances” was fairly fast. Finally she became a slave to addictive drugs. She had experimented with all types of hallucinogens. She had inhaled a few, smoked some, orally consumed several and got injected many others. They had generated in her strange feelings of fantasy, elevated excitement and incredible euphoria. It was always interplay of exhilarating delusions. She had reached a stage where she could not remain any more without drugs on a regular basis. When she ran out of money, she would beg with drug peddlers for free supplies. They would ask her to do demeaning things and she would obey them helplessly to get the substance she badly needed. The horrific 100-metre streaking incident was one such.
Fortunately, she responded well to the treatment at the de-addiction centre. Her recovery was miraculous. Within a few months she became almost normal. Her rehabilitation did not pose any problem. With an unusual determination she got back to her studies, completed her degree and joined the centre as a doctor. She devoted herself full time to the care of addiction patients and also research. This gave her an opportunity to understand the changing contours of the drug demon.
Samhita was distressed to learn that young professionals in India, particularly in the Information Technology industry and call centres, were increasingly falling prey to the temptation of drugs. The segment of women in this horrendous circle was not insignificant. New-found affluence, unbridled freedom and peer pressure were the prime contributing factors. An emerging trend was that illegal outlets calling themselves pharmacies sold drugs through internet and arranged for their delivery by couriers.
Over the years, the types of drugs consumed had undergone a dreadful transformation. In the past the most commonly-used drugs were naturally-derived mood changers like opium, ganja, and hashish. In course of time synthetic substances took over the reins. Every city in the country had its preferred potion. Mumbai raved wildly on Ice, Delhi on Ecstasy, Chennai on Ketamine, Calcutta on Meth and Lucknow on Yaba. The last one, highly popular in Thailand, was supposed to be four times more powerful than some of the others. There were also “designer drugs.”
Unusual case
Samhita, an erstwhile drug user herself, was aghast at the new developments. This redoubled her resolve to be of unstinted service to her patients and wean them away from drugs permanently. Her attention was drawn to a male inmate, whose case history made unusual reading. He was Robert, a handsome youngster. He hailed from a devout catholic family. His grandparents and close relatives were all highly religious-minded. They went to church every Sunday. But his father was a jarring exception. A steam engine driver, he fell victim to drug abuse. He refused to undergo treatment and became a critical consumer of hard drugs. The most shocking part of it was that he constantly used Robert, even when he was a small boy, to run errands for him and fetch drugs from peddlers. In course of time he passed away but Robert partly acquired his habit. Fortunately he took drugs only occasionally.
After graduation from a Jesuit-run college, where students were held on a moral leash, the young man got a job in a call centre. His position involved working in different shifts, including night. Long hours of grinding work, abusive callers and rigid targets made him a distraught person. He was pulled to drugs -- on a regular basis this time.
Samhita took pity on Robert. She paid special attention to him. She reasoned that a young man wrongly introduced to drugs by his own father should not be allowed to destroy himself. She counselled him frequently. She narrated her own story to drive him away from the bad habit. He appeared psychologically convinced. Gradually, a strange chemistry developed between them and blossomed into love. As his condition improved, they went out often together. Their relationship grew from strength to strength. She also sought his cooperation to realize her dream of working towards eradicating the menace step by step in co-operation with the authorities.
They drafted a plan of action and got it approved by their centre. Accordingly, it adopted a five km radius area around it and sought to make it a drug-free zone. Schools, colleges, civic authorities, district administration, corporate entities and the police were roped in to clean sweep the area of drugs. Public lectures, distribution of leaflets, surprise checks on suspected vendor outlets and stringent punishment started showing results.
Special commendation
At an international conference on “Drug Eradication—New Challenges” held in New Delhi, Samhita’s pet project came in for appreciation. Several non-governmental organizations offered to adopt it as a model for implementation in their respective areas. The Union Government announced special grants to the centre for sustained action. “On this occasion I swear it will be my endeavour to drive the drug traffickers out lock, stock and barrel,” an emotional Samhita declared.
On return, one day she was on her night shift. While doing rounds around midnight, she heard a cell phone ring. It was from the bed of Robert. He was fast asleep. The mobile instrument lay by his chest on the bed. After ringing for ten seconds it went off. Half a minute passed. It rang again. He was still in his deep slumber. With trepidation, Samhita picked it up but before she could answer, it fell silent. Could it be a very important call for him? It rang again but differently. This time it was an SMS.
Samhita read the message. It said: “Operation White Rose will begin at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow. Do as planned. No failure or slippage will be tolerated – Red Rocket.” Something flashed in her mind. The name was familiar to her. Yes, it was how the Chief Drug Handler in South India was known in his circles. In fact, she recalled, it was this rogue and a few others of his tribe that had forced her to run mercilessly behind the car in the attire of the primeval beings for 100 metres on that fateful day.
She started thinking feverishly. What was the role that Robert was going to play in the Operation White Rose? Certainly, it should be a major assignment. Otherwise, the local chief’s call-name would not have appeared at the end of the message. She wanted to find out everything -- in her own way, discreetly. This was very important for her because at stake was her relationship with him. She went to her room quietly without disturbing him.
Stroll by the blossoms
Next morning around 7:45 a.m., when she was getting ready to go home, Robert entered her room with a strange smile on his face. “Good morning, doctor madam! Today I am in a very good mood. Let us go out for a walk in the park at the end of the road. I was told that white roses are in full bloom there. It will be a pleasure to take a stroll by them.” A bell rang in her mind.
“With pleasure,” she replied without displaying any anxiety on her face. She was sure something terrible was going to take place there. She was prepared to face any eventuality. Following the SMS message the previous night, she had arranged for two private detectives to shadow Robert and report to her all developments. Now she would also be going with him.
The road was deserted. As they kept moving on the sidewalk heading for the park, a white sedan with tinted glasses fully raised stopped suddenly by them. A tall burly figure emerged from the driver’s seat, rushed towards them and stood in the front blocking their way. It was Red Rocket. With a derisive laughter, he growled at Samhita: “Hey, you think you have become an angel? Recall your past. Don’t imagine you are smart. You want to remove us from the scene? Forget yourself. Robert is your death knell. We have placed him in your centre. He is our man.”
The head trafficker’s face turned ghastly. “We are in the process of kidnapping you. Soon you will be dead and Robert will be rewarded….” Before he could complete his monologue, the two security guys pounced on him and immobilized him. Strangely, Robert did not try to escape. Nor did he try to go to the help of the drug chief. Soon he and Red Rocket found themselves behind the bars of a police lock up. A pistol was recovered from Robert.
A new turn
Next night, when Samhita entered her room at the centre, she found a letter on her table. It was from Robert. He should have left it before they went out together for the fateful walk, she thought. It read: “First of all my apologies to you. You have been taking good care of me and I know you want to make me turn a new leaf. I am beholden to you. But now, I am in a mess. Drug Handler Red Rocket, whom you also know well, wants me to trick you and hand you over to him. Yes, I have been planted here by him. Twice in the past, I managed to foil his attempts. But he has threatened to kill me, if I fail this time. I am putting into place a plan of action to save you and myself. Trust me. My pistol will not betray me.”
The letter helped Samhita to bring Robert out. No charges were framed against him. Yet, she was not prepared to trust him in full measure as in the past. Could he be playing a double game? She wanted to wait and watch. As he became totally normal, he was discharged from the centre. He tried to keep in touch with her, but diplomatically she managed to maintain a safe distance from him.
During the interrogation Robert co-operated well with the police and disclosed everything he knew about the drug distribution networks around the hospital, near his residence and his call centre. This led to many arrests and seizure of a variety of substances. In the special narcotics court, where Robert was the main prosecution witness, the case progressed fast. Ultimately, the kingpin Red Rocket and ten others were sentenced to life term. The judge commended Robert’s role.
Robert felt happy that he had come out of the muddle unscathed. Now his plan was to join hands with Samhita and lead a contended life. He formally proposed to her to tie the knot but she sought time to respond. She was in a dilemma, whether to marry him or not. Though his credentials had now been proved, there was a new complication. Every drug cartel was well-entrenched and had its own international connection. After a setback it would lie low for a while but soon would rear its head in some form or the other. Once a man had testified against a drug setup, she knew, it would track him down ruthlessly and kill him sooner or later. Robert was one such person.
Divine cause
Her thoughts continued. For all she knew, she had disappeared from the hunter’s radar. If she moved closer to Robert now, she would also be targeted. Her dream of eliminating the drug menace would be shattered. After days of agonizing deliberation, she decided to stay single and devote herself totally to the cause very dear to her. This threw Robert into total disarray. Her desire was to live like Mother Theresa, serve the afflicted humanity and deal a death blow to the perpetrators of the drug crimes.
One day, when she was in the Out-Patient Ward, a disheveled man in tattered clothes with an overgrown beard was brought in a stretcher. He had been found lying in a semi-conscious state behind white rose plants in the park near the hospital. It was Robert. He cried out looking at Samhita, “Don’t save me. Your rejection of my hand was the least I had expected. Though the drug lords have apparently wound up their operations in this part, they have been after me to taste my blood. I could go nowhere for support or solace. I decided to end my life, instead of facing their bullets. I have consumed a heavy dose of sleeping pills.”
He gasped, paused for a few seconds and resumed his talk in a feeble voice, “Don’t let your vigil drop. They can set shop again at any time. Please carry forward your good work with renewed zeal. May God be with you!” They were his last words.
November 03, 2012
(2,370 words)
