Rahim stood near the cultural section, staring in bewilderment and searching for the core. I could see him, continuously speaking on the phone with Meghana; She is already at the park, keeping an eye on every individual accompanying Siraj. While, Ashok, making sure, if everything from his end is equipped.
Rahim, patiently scanning the entire museum. He is wearing a black batman cap, that he borrowed from Ashok; hiding from the police department. Children are impossible to handle; they don’t seem to understand simple instructions. I was running back and forth making sure, no kid is left out at any corner of the museum. Meghana gave us the live commentary over the Bluetooth device from time to time. Rahim, was constantly checking if the team has located any of the bombs and was also continuously reminding not to diffuse them; be careful. My head is whirring with voices, facing difficulty to breath. ‘Come on, Aditi. You can handle it.’
*****
The Bhau Daji Museum houses a large number of archaeological mysteries, maps and historical photographs of Mumbai, clay models, silver and copper ware and costumes. Its significant collections include a 17th-century manuscript of Hatim Tai. I fell in love, when I started working here. I used to exhibit my paintings at the Grand Gallery every year. This is a sensitive place for the attack. If destroyed, we can never recover the most prestigious cultural collection of Mumbai. Rahim planned to destroy our precious pride. Art can never be compared to valuable things; it would be a disgrace, if we price the art. It should be available to everyone. I believe, humans can cease to learn from the traditions and culture we have, art teaches us lessons in our life.
Meghana on the call ‘Siraj team had already found two of five.’ One of them was found at the iconic Kala Ghoda statue. And the other one outside the museum near the monolithic basalt elephant sculpture recovered from the sea.
‘So, he has targeted the five statues and sculptures outside the museum.’ I said ‘Meghana, ask them to concentrate on the architectural sculptures at the back of the museum.’
‘Thank you, Aditi.’
‘Guys, I guess I found the core. It is placed on the roof, just above the central statue.’
‘Great, Rahim.’ Meghana claims ‘Then diffuse the core bomb and we are done.’
‘But we have a problem here. He is smarter than we thought.’
Sound of a blinder countdown, all of us could hear that sound from Rahim’s location.
‘I detonated the bomb.’ Rahim said in disbelief.
‘What are you saying?’ Meghana screamed.
‘I have disconnected all the five bombs from the core and the timer started ticking on it.’
‘What is the countdown?’ Ashok exclaimed.
‘Rahim, seriously, you diffused the bomb without asking us?’ Meghana yelled.
‘Ten minutes to explode.’ he whispered.
‘Fuck you!’ Meghana hung up the call.
We all got disconnected. Ashok rushing the things and Meghana informing Siraj to evacuate the children immediately. Only 10 minutes left for the explosion. I hurried and informed the committee members to help everyone evacuate and pressed the emergency alarm. It set off the people to panic and run for their lives. Within seconds, everything has gone chaos. Running towards the exit at the back. The only place where Rahim can get out. Why did you do this Rahim? We all believed you. You just didn’t even care to ask. Are you really Rahim from mirror universe or just faking everything?
Only 7 minutes left for the explosion. I reached the back door and saw Rahim, getting down along with the bomb, which seemed heavy. ‘Why did you diffuse the bomb?’ I yelled.
He hurried ‘Because there was no other way, we can get rid of this bomb.’
‘What?’
He rushed towards me and hugged momentarily, everything around slowed down like it happens in the movies. ‘I love you, Aditi.’ he whispered in my eyes and broke into tears. I held him tight. His love dripping through his naked heart which felt real and nothing like the body of my husband which slithered mine in the name of love.
‘The bomb cannot be diffused! There isn’t any other way we could stop the explosion and I have no other place to go.’ he said, tightening his grip with each word that he said.
He continued to kiss me hard, as I was letting him to continue, he stopped, he pushed the diary into my hands and looked into my eyes; smiled.
‘There isn’t any other way to do this,’ He thrashed me to the ground and started running with the bomb in his hands ‘Aditi, run!’ screaming loud ‘Run away!’ I saw the love in his eyes and care in his actions, he is not the Rahim, I knew. He is someone else, the person I always wished Rahim to be. I slowly picked myself up. Watching him, running towards the Crocodile Lake, which is closed from two months. Only three minutes left on the timer. Meghana grabbed me from behind. ‘Aditi, Come!’ She took me away dragging me, while my eyes just gazing Rahim, who is almost invisible now.
‘That fucker, cheated us.’ Meghana said ‘Let him go.’
‘No.’ I broke down. ‘He knew from the start that bomb cannot be diffused, even then decided to take it into his hands and run along with it; because he didn’t want any of us do that.’
‘We could have saved him as well, if he told us.’
‘Maybe he didn’t want to be saved?’ I turned to the last page of the diary,
The most capacious measure is filled at last. An end in itself. This is my instance in time where the world didn’t seem real...and life just hit differently. I know that I am going to die tomorrow; The only way, we can save everyone, is by someone sacrificing their life. There is no other way, we can diffuse this bomb. I’m writing this down in the diary because, every time Rahim executed any bomb, he pens that down in this diary. I know its ironical that I’m using his diary to tell you that he is also going to die tomorrow along with me. Because I have faith in in Raghunathan Acharya’s theory of parallelism and every step we take, somehow interprets the same in our mirror universe. I know that I cannot return to my universe as karma messed with me. But what If I still have some control over it. If someone dies in this universe, they will die in the mirror universe too. Maybe with a differed reason, but ultimately, they will die. I don’t know what Rahim is doing in my universe... But if I die here, I can kill him and save many lives.
Before that, I have two stories to unfold.
One. You can consider the lie that I’m your Rahim with changed behaviour after met you again and hope this helps you to recover from your past.
Or ponder on the truth that I love you as Rahim Razak from Runisia, consider me as a friend who loved you for real and now sacrificing his life for other people as my existence is also real. If you are in hesitation, I would say that the last night was real and truthful.
I want you to be happy, whether you choose the lie or the truth. Remember that you were never at fault.
Whoever I am – wherever I am from – I’m happy that I could save lives of many people and could also kill the person just by ending myself, who planned to kill the innocents. Maybe I was destined to be here.
We heard the blast that echoed from the distant. Meghana held my hand, as we see the smoke rising. Dipping into tears, closed the diary and we left the place. He had a terrible past in my perspective, which marooned into a lurid future now. I have a reason to remember him.
Meghana Saxena
Khoja Kabrastan (Graveyard)
16th August, 2011. 6:30 AM.
How could a place be so full and empty at the same time? All around are the tombstones with their faded etching. Placing the lilies over the white marble grave with was inscribed “In the memory of Rahim Razak”. Today I stand with in the watery light of the early morning, living, breathing and life stretching ahead and a secret which I would bury under your grave. You have saved thousands of lives sacrificing yours. But nobody knows you are the saviour.
I have written about you, as an article in Times of Mumbai. There is one person who will remember you th
roughout her life. You gave her the reason to smile. She incarnated her life into happiness because of beautiful memory spent with you “Memories are beautiful, if it brings a smile on the person you love.” Rahim Razak of this earth would never have done, what you have done for Aditi. You left a note asking her to choose between the lie and truth. She chose the truth. She only loves Rahim from Runisia. Now, Aditi is a different person, her perception towards love has changed. There was a longing when she left Rahim. So, he didn’t want that to happen with Aditi again when he leaves her. Both the Rahim’s from their respective universes are the person with similar history, the only difference is what they chose to become, deciding their personality based on the choices they made in their lives. A person is always treated the same way on how he treats the people around him.
I hope, Rahim was right and his sacrifice was worth it. I wonder if Rahim of this universe is alive or dead in the world where Runisia exists. I can just hope, everything is safe in the other universe.
“There are countless hidden parallel personalities within you, Life becomes beautiful if you able to make the right choice”
Times of Mumbai
Who was the mystery man from Runisia or is this just an elaborate legend?
On a Rainy day in the month of August, at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai. Likely began as just another excessively busy day for the cabin crew. A weirdly dressed gentleman who visited to meet his wife. In the stiff security conscious days aftermath of horrific tragedies, he must have done or said something that garnered extra attention from the Airport Authority. When pressed, he stated that this was just another casual trip for him, one of several that he had made during the course of the year. Concerned about the possibility of him, posing a national threat, officials began to question the man.
When asked where he was from, he casually informed the officials that he hailed from the country Runisia. Not familiar with such a place, they enquired for further details. The traveller appeared happy to provide all the additional data; He says “Runisia, one of the biggest nations in the middle east, which had been in existence for ages.” Security officials were adamant that no such place existed, still the adamant passenger was insistent that he belonged to Runisia and not fooling around. He even produced his driving licence, passport, and other general identification documents he carried, issued in Runisia, as proof. His previous trips to India and elsewhere did appear in his passport as he had claimed; the contents of his wallet had currency from several Middle eastern countries. In an effort to clear all the confusion and expedites matters for them, officials offered their bizarre passenger the chance to indicate where he was from. He pointed to the country we know as Iran on a map. Nothing like this had happened before, at least not to them. The officials freaked out see that he pointed Iran. Which is dangerous, terrorist prone and a sanctioned country.
The only real course of action was to investigate the matter further. To do so, they agreed with the man to spend the night at a hotel, where he had a booking along with two armed police officers monitor his moves 24X7, while their inquiries halted for the night. Mumbai Police Department still had no idea, if this man was who he claimed to be. However, when his hotel room was opened, the next day morning, there isn’t any trace of the man to be found. There isn’t any other way out of the closed room, the lack of a balcony, police officers in the adjacent connecting room and an unrecognized escape attempt which was never solved. Neither guard noticed movement within the room. Police has searched all the places, but he was nowhere to be found again. People believed, he disappeared into thin air. Except for his flight ticket, nothing has been restored from Airport Authority. From that day to this, the Legend from Runisia was never heard of ever again. The case of closed due to lack of a strong evidence.
Article by
Meghana Saxena, Times of Mumbai.
August 30th, 2011.
Afterword
To My Readers,
Thank you for taking the time to read the book! I hope the characters Meghana, Aditi and Rahim transported you to their world of mysteries.
To the ones who write encouraging emails, meaningful comments and valuable suggestions or speak to me in person – your feedback means the world to me. Thank you!
Also encourage your family and friends to read it. You are multiplying the impact of the books. If you loved the book and have a minute to spare, I would really appreciate a short review on the site.
You’re all amazing!
With profound gratitude,
Vishal Kadiri
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank all my proof readers, Ratna, Chandu, Tejas, Kamal Rajit for all the valuable support and everyone at Amazon Publishing for their enthusiasm, hard work, and belief in my book.
Last but by no means least, my family and friends for all the encouragement, support and enormous love.
Special thanks to my friend, Tanmayi Behera, for discovering the writer within me.
Thanks to all my typewriter buddies for keeping me inspired.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishal Kumar Kadiri from Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh who had a beautiful journey from a blog writer to published Author with his First book The Legend from Runisia. Also, a Digital Graphic editor who loves to spend his time with books, movies and music. He immerses himself into fictional stories and gets inspired by real personalities. Posts his thoughts on Instagram as "vishal_storyteller" and analyse movies on his YouTube channel – Cinespire.
Developed a passion for writing while working as a full-time employee at HSBC. He initially started with short poems, haiku’s and quotes on multiple online platforms like Poetizer, HaikuJam, YourQuote, Pinterest daily and continued to write short stories. He also started a community with budding writers called - The Typewriters Blog.
The Legend from Runisia Page 8
