Sipping a large cup of tea and feeling the cool breeze, hearing the birds chirp, and observing the sun to rise from my roof is a meditational experience. I thought it would be a great time to think of a story for my next toastmaster’s speech. But something disturbed my attention.
I saw a young boy, possibly in his 20s, standing on his balcony, was tearing a paper. I could see him worried, and him looking at the sky made me feel that he is desperately praying god for something.
Although I could see a little from a distance, I could imagine his teary eyes. After a few seconds of glance, he looked at his mobile phone and started dialing a number but disconnected.
He was wiping his face, making sudden movements of his head towards the sky, and his drooping shoulders made me convinced that he is disturbed. I ensured that I do not continuously look at him as it would make him feel I am tracking him, but I did not take my eyes from him for a second.
By now, my tea was over, and my undivided attention was on him. He got a call, and loudly said ‘NO’ and went inside his house.
I knew its something personal, and during COVID time, it’s usual for anybody to get into depression. I have noticed him staying alone and have never seen anybody coming to his house and imagined that his parents are in a different city and this young man must be here for a job. But his loud ‘No’ made me believe that something is wrong. Possibly one of his parents is tested positive. Perhaps somebody at his home died. Maybe he lost his job.
As he went inside, I diverted my attention to beautiful nature. Suddenly another visual got my 100% attention. I saw from one of his window he has climbed on a stool and reached to the fan with a long lungi type cloth in his hand.
I am now nervous as I think he is trying to commit suicide. I did not delay a bit and went running without a mask or shoes to his house. I ran all three floors up to reach his door and banged it while ringing the bell.
The security guard was behind me as I entered that apartment without following the COVID formalities. But I was in a life-saving mode and did not think of anything or anybody. They came running behind me, and looking at me, banging the door; they too started banging the door like crazy.
A few minutes passed, and no response from inside made me get convinced that he is trying to commit suicide, and I started banging the door more intensely.
Looking at us, one of the neighbors called 108. They came and asked me what happened. I narrated the entire observation and my imagination. All started talking about how challenging this time is, how we are not taking care of each other as neighbors and letting people get into depression.
Suddenly the door opened, and that guy was out.
We got a great sigh of relief to see him alive and healthy.
Then I observed he was perfectly fine and told somebody over the phone that he will call back later and it seems there is a mess around here.
He took his headphones out and asked, ‘what happened.’ I was busy talking to others then, and others narrated the story with little more details that I told and more intensely that what I told them.
He explained each of those incidents, and there was nothing emotional about it. I slowly tiptoed out of the screen and went to my house.
Since then I have not left home.
Life as Sakti 