Score: Me=100, them=0

Dhud-dhud-dhud-dhud-dhud..Drrrrrr rrrrrrrr drrrrrrrrrrrr...thudd thud thud thud!!!! Enough I screamed. My head was being drilled into and smashed at the same time. My ears continued to ring..first far and then slow, louder and then softer. I put my hands over my ears but I couldn't shut out the feeling. Even with eyes closed I could see the drill entering my head.
Opposite my home, 2 cranes had made my life a medley of obnoxious sounds since the past 3 weeks. Days and nights I was dragged to their horrid party. Our request to stop the drilling after 10 p.m. fell on deaf ears.  Blatant violation of the law and a cocky attitude was their modus operandi. I bet that people must have suffered sleepless nights but not one had the thought of stopping them.
So here is what happened next:

11.45- Dialled 100. Phone rings.On the 8th ring the phone was answered.
Him-Hello
Me- Hello. Main Wanowrie se bol rahin hoon. Mere ghar ke paas roz raat ko construction ka kaam hota hain... petrol pump ke samne.
Him-Aaarey madam. Te road construction asel. Te allowed aahe.
Me- Nahi! Te road che kaam nahi karat aahe. Ani te pan 10 nantar allowed nahi aahe!
Him- Okay Madam. Tumcha phone number ani naav sanga.
Me-Pranietha Mudliar ani phone number **********
Him-Okay madam. Thank you.
Me- Tumcha naav kay aahe?
Him (Long pause)- Bagha Madam. Tumhi police control room la 100 dial karun majhyashi boltat aahe. Fakta he garjecha aahe. Baaki sagla soda.
Me (Rolling eyes)- Okay. Thank you.
Now I was restless. I paced my room like a caged lion.
00.00-Voila! They came! I ran to the window. Saw them wield their power. Within seconds the crane shut itself off. Now the only sound I could hear was the men and the police talking. A group gathered around the police with a bunch of papers. The police gave some damming instructions I think because nobody dared to say anything.

Police at work

00.12- The police sat on their bike and zoomed off. The silence persisted. No sounds now, just men moving in the dark that looked like stunned shadows.

There has been no drilling today. One crane is not to be seen. Everything is peaceful and quiet once again.
Normal? Just need to wait and watch now.

Walk the Rock

A walkathon had been organised by Connecting NGO 25th July to spread awareness about suicide prevention. CYDA was also participating in the walkathon and I too jumped in at the prospect of trying out something new and I truly experienced an evening worth remembering.

The walkathon started from Dastur Girls' High School (I am an ex-student of this school) and nostalgia crept up the minute I stepped inside it's premises. We took a circuitous route from the school, passing by Victory Theatre on East Street, crossing over to M.G. Road, Aurora Towers, LandMark and then back to school.

My friend and me lead the walkathon, keeping up the tempo by shouting out slogans. It was certainly a new for me to have so many people on the street stop and stare while we were walking. People came running out of shops and a huge crowd gathered outside SGS Mall while we passed by. We sure did create awareness and I do hope the message did reach people. And speaking of shouting, by the end of the walkathon I had yet again lost my voice, reminiscent of my days in Bengaluru last year when my voice had left me for a week. Now my voice has yet again become scratchy and my throat hurts as if needles are being shoved down it.

While walking by, I met an old school-mate and she was curious regarding our initiative. I explained to her about her walkathon and got a thumbs-up from her. It feels good to be part of doing something worthwhile.


After the walkathon, a rock concert had been arranged by a band named Jet Set. They put up a terrific show and I let my hair down after nearly 7 months-the last being New Year's Eve. They played killer songs and our group did some good shaking of the leg. We danced for 3 hours non-stop and by the end of it I was all set to drop down dead.

I also met my school's Principal and it was a pleasure to speak to her again after 6 years. She was glad to see me a part of the action and I was surprised to know that she is the trustee of Connecting. What a small place after all! All in all an evening well spent notwithstanding the terrible throat ache!