Holi ke Rang

Holi ke rang...

Was it because of some dye in the Holi colour or was it something to do with that wash of pinkish light I had walked through?? But my life wasn’t the same again…

Though I wasn’t keen on playing with colours, couldn’t escape the traditional Holi revelry of Navy Nagar. My brother-in-law, Commander by rank but a doctor, head of INHS Ashwini, was given respect in a traditional way, a kind of leftover ritual from Raj era. Everyone put a respectful tilak on his forehead which he reciprocated. But I, the honoured brother-in-law, had no such respect extended. I ended up in a drum full of coloured water. In fact virtually drowned in it when they dumped me into it, head first.

The next day being a Sunday I went for a late night show. An old Kishore Kumar movie. It was those times before the advent of Multiplexes and small screens, and the ‘Malls’ were yet to make their entry and poke holes into our wallets.

After the movie I went to fresh up and coming out found the usher in the process of pulling the shutter down and I had to run out before he did.

After that ear shattering noise of the shutter rolling and crashing down, it was ‘mind shattering’ silence in that narrow side passageway one normally exited to in most cinemas which connected to smaller unlit alleyways behind them that mostly doubled as a free parking lot for the people coming to the movie. This one stretched nearly half a mile before it joined the main road. Buildings on both sides had its rear gates opening into it and next to such gates were garbage bins overflowing with stale household litters and full of huge grunting rodents which even chased the cats away. So I walked exactly through the middle of the road. And then it dawned on me, the road was absolutely empty and very dark…

Conscious of being alone and the city’s reputation, and singing ‘khoobsoorat hasinaa, jaane jaan jaane man, rang jiske labon ka, dhoondhta hai chaman…’ just to keep me company, I stepped up my pace to reach the main road as soon as possible. ‘tu nahin, tu nahin who haseen to sanam, koi aur hi to hai...’ and then, I heard footsteps behind. So I wasn’t alone after all. Comforted, I looked behind. There were two of them and from the way they were walking, I became a bit apprehensive and very casually crossed the narrow lane and walked towards an area awash with a pinkish light. I heard their footsteps and looked behind; they were also crossing the lane.

I reached the wash of pinkish light in the hope that someone’s rear door may still be open and found it wasn’t. I started speeding as I crossed that lighted area, almost jogged forward and nearing the main road felt the footsteps wasn’t following anymore. I slowed down and looked behind. Standing beyond the light were those two with a curious and confused look. Ok, they weren’t following me at all and, now, probably wondering what this silly guy is running away from.

Thank God, I thought, and walked towards the station and was in time to catch the 12:35 local and was home in half an hour. I freshened up and changed and went to bed in the comforting feeling that, tomorrow being a Sunday, I don’t have to wake up before 8.00 am when the milkman arrived. Just before 8.00 I woke up and, humming another song from yesterday’s movie ‘mere mehboob qayaamat hogi, aaj ruswa teri galiyon se mohobbat hogi…’ went to brush my teeth. I switched on the mirror lamp, and…almost jumped out of my skin, if there was any skin.

What I saw in the mirror was nothing, just nothing. No face or hand or…

Alarmed, the brush fell off my hand. I looked again, nothing… an empty mirror with just my favorite Warli mural reflecting silently behind. As I kept staring in shock, the doorbell chimed. I turned around, picked up the bottle from the kitchen, and opened the door and extended my hand holding the empty bottle towards the milk man.

To my surprise I found the milkman bending and peeping inside and he shouted; “saab doodh”.

Annoyed, I said “Abey udhar kya dekh raha hai, kal ka bhang utra nahi kya??”

I don’t know what happened then. The milk bottle fell from the boys hand and crashed to the floor, glass and milk splattered all over the landing and as I was watching that, the milkman took off like an arrow and all I could hear was his receding footsteps.

Now I was really nervous. Have I become invisible?? I went back and looked in the full length mirror on the dressing table. Nothing, not even the night pants I was wearing could be seen, in fact I could actually see through me, not even my own shadow blocking the view behind. So is this what happens when one is invisible?

After the added chore of cleaning up the staircase landing, I went to shave and, to my utter dismay, was unable to. Finally taking a wash without actually able to see whether I had soap suds left on my body. I dressed up without seeing because as soon as I wore pants or shirt or socks, they too became invisible. Nothing visible once it was on me, not even talcum powder. Phew!! How can I live like this?

Aghast, I decided to take a trip to Navy Nagar, back to my sister’s. Jeejaji, brother-in-law, may be able to help.

Deciding to go by public transport and not use my scooter, lest I created mayhem on the street with a scooter without a rider. The police may even use their guns to shoot down the ghost rider, if so, will the bullet just pass through me?. No!! I didn’t want to experiment with that, so I took a walk to the local station.

At the ticket counter I was the fourth in line and as soon as the man in front got his ticket, the guy behind me extended his hand through me and said ‘VT return’ as if I wasn’t even there. Wow!! Why should I buy a ticket as no one could see me anyway. So I just boarded the next train to VT and walked out to the bus station to board a bus to Navy Nagar.

I sat down pondering what really happened the previous night after that movie. More people boarded the bus, and I couldn't believe it, an old lady looked at me and sat on my lap. My lap, for god’s sake??? I just stood up and decided to travel all the way to my destination, standing. The conductor didn’t even look at me.

I walked the last mile or so to my sister’s house and rang the bell. She opened the door, but I waited quietly. She looked left and right, finding no one, started closing the door when I pushed the door open and walked inside. She shouted ‘kaun hai’ loudly enough for jeejaji to come running out. Finding no one at the door and the mysterious look on my sister’s face he asked what was that all about.

Then I spoke; ‘jeejaji, its me’. He asked; ‘is that you Ken?’ I said yes and went on to narrate everything that had happened since yesterday.

He went inside, rummaged thru his bags and came out with a contraption that he connected to the plug point and switched it on, and, like a torch, focused it on me.

There I was, glowing in that ultraviolet glory. Jeejaji laughed out so loudly that even my sister, still not out of the shock, couldn’t stop herself from laughing. I joined their laugh a bit sheepishly but with relief.

Jeejaji described the event as once in a lifetime aberration, when a particular type of pigment got synthesized and which absorbed all kinds of light. So, in a way, that made me invisible which should normally wear off in a couple of days by the bright sunlight. His use of ultraviolet light that normally did not deflect light back had made me glow.

Wonder was that what made those two goons so confused…?? Was the colours used by the sailors mixed with some cloak-and-dagger stuff of the navy, some kind of ‘Stealth Warfare’ item???

Oh!! And how was I able to see through me in the mirror??

DISCLAIMER: The invisibilty dye is a product of the fertile mind of the writer and is not to be linked to any similar item or product of the navy, if it exists.

                    .............................Ken Featherlite.............................