Peace After Turbulence

The glittering rays of the sun bathed the city of Bangalore to mark the beginning of a new day. Wagging their tails, street dogs messed up the garbage to find some food amidst the nauseating stench. Ranjan slumped on the balcony chair to pick up the newspaper. Sipping a cup of coffee, he gobbled up the words peppered on the paper through his eyes. His wife Amrita stood against balcony rails allowing the glistening sun rays to dry up her wet hairs. They had a highly sensitive son named Karan who barely went outside the house. He didn't know what it meant to do business with the outside world since he had always immersed himself in the castle of his inner world. He used to spend a lot of time composing music thanks to his creativity churned out of solitude. Karan didn't dare to exhibit his talent to the outside world. He never cared about name and fame nonetheless. The four walls of the house looked like a paradise for him. Stepping out of the house made him anxious which he didn't like one bit.

One day, Ranjan and Amrita chalk out a plan to venture into another state through sea travel. They wanted their son to sync with nature since he had always locked himself up in the house. After a lot of cajoling, Karan gave in to their plan and the trio set out to explore Goa through sea journey. They assembled near the ship amidst the lashing of the wind God. Clouds accumulated together to eke out overcast conditions promising to unleash their fury. They had their booked cabin which invited them in. It was a new experience for Karan altogether as he had barely stepped out of the house. The mighty waves exuded elegance through it's perennial presence. The sound churned by the sea sounded music to his ears. He picked up on the cue of the waves and started composing songs. He had no idea about what was to come next. Something unexpected shrouded in mystery was about to unfold in some time. 

Out of nowhere, the storm appeared to create turbulence not only outside but also inside the mind of young Karan. The concoction of rain, thunder, lightning and strong winds caught the ship off guard. Karan and his parents had hearts in their mouths as it became clear that they would not be able to slip out of this chaos. Things went awry when the passengers had themselves tossed out of the ship courtesy of a storm. Karan had tears lingering in his eyes as he clutched to his parents but the latter got swept away by the mighty storm. Karan's worst nightmare indeed came true. Shockingly, after the storm receded, the only person who was alive on the ship was Karan. He had lost consciousness the previous day after seeing his parents fall prey to the storm. He slowly opened his groggy eyes when the mild sunlight cuddled him. When he looked around, there was no one to save him from the ordeal. He broke into tears since the images of his parents flashed before his eyes. He had been a pampered child and he had a very strong attachment to his parents. To even imagine a life without them felt surreal. He thought of jumping out of the sea to end his life once and for all but the words said by his parents lingered in his ears. They had said that a person who kills himself will become a ghost and will suffer like hell. The atmosphere outside was in contrast to what it was the previous night. Life had thrown a curve ball. After a lot of attempts, he navigated the ship in a particular direction not knowing where it would land him. Eventually, the ship reached the brink of the sea and he jumped out of it exposing himself to the searing heat. He missed his home and the creative world he had built. He turned around and glanced at the large sea that had become his villain the previous day. Out of nowhere, a huge whale jumped up in the air and drowned inside taking him aback. He almost lost his balance and felt threatened by its colossal size. His shuddering heartbeats had no control whatsoever.

Karan trudged through the jungle having no desire to see the future. He very badly missed his beloved parents who always supported him when he went low. You simply can't survive without food. Karan's tummy confronted him to take risks so that it wouldn't trouble him. Where shall he find food in this dense jungle? To make matters worse, the jungle tribe stole a glance at him. They never liked human beings and whenever they found one they used to cook and devour him or her. This was certainly not the place Karan wanted to end up with.

"Catch hold of him!" one of them screamed. 

"Let us toast him and devour!" another said.

Karan's heart skipped a beat when he saw a bunch of men storming towards him. He sprinted forward but he had no knack of how to navigate in a forest filled with impediment. The jungle tribes who knew the intricacies of the place caught hold of him. They bound him by the ropes and took him to their secluded spot. Karan cried drying up his tears but the tribe had no iota of compassion. He saw some animals being bound to a wooden log and dangling on top of the fire. Are they going to do the same to him? He blamed himself for not having jumped into the sea. This would be a brutal end to his life given the circumstances. They conversed in their language which he could not comprehend. 

"Tie him to that pole," the captain of the tribe ordered and others followed his words.

Karan couldn't reconcile with the reality. Why did I leave the house? Why did I agree to go on the trip? Why didn't I kill myself? A plethora of thoughts bit him hard making him overwhelmed both physically and mentally. At any moment, they can come and make a toast out of him. He recounted his mother's words when she had asked him to continue to chant God's hymns during a chaotic situation. He chanted God's verse but one of them came and thrashed him for making sound. Everybody fuelled their body with food and hit slumber. Karan had to run his mind to come up with a plan to escape or else he would certainly die a dog's death. He darted his eyes down and happened to see a sharp object. Slowly he moved his toes towards the object and pressed it between his toes. He used it as leverage to cut open the ropes and the heavy work made him pant. Some of the tribal men were turning and tossing on their couches. 

Karan glanced around to make sure no one was awake and slowly took steps away from their yard. As soon as he went far away from them, he picked up the pace only to fall. He had not eaten anything and his body conspired to hand him over to the tribal men if he didn't fuel it. He finally clambered upon a tree following repeated failed attempts. He plucked some fruits and leaves and pushed them inside his mouth not even determining whether they were edible or not. After a while, he saw the ship that sat at the edge of the sea as if waiting for him. Just when he was about to take a step forward someone touched his shoulders sending shivers down his spine. His mind hit the panic button. He thought the tribal men were back to haunt him. When he turned his neck, all he could see was a branch of the plant that nestled against his shoulders. He heaved a sigh of relief for the reprieve and without wasting a minute he quickly jumped into the ship to evade the prying eyes of the jungle. 

Karan barely escaped being cooked by the tribal men. He switched on the lights and steered the ship in a different direction hoping to reach some safe place. Tears trickled down his face reflecting his plight. The haunting night was replaced by the morning sunlight as he reached towards the brink of the sea. Here he could see a large number of people clamouring and basking in the sunlight contrary to what he witnessed in the jungle. Foreigners, city folks, and people from all walks of life had come to the beach to take a breather from their busy schedules. What next? How do I survive here? I don't even know how to interact with people. Where do I find food? It's so embarrassing to beg for food here. Karan's mind had become a breeding ground for anxious thoughts. Someone who seemed to be in an intoxicating mood, pushed him as he fell on the sand. The relentless chattering of the people was too much to bear for a person who found comfort in the silence of his house. He hesitated but went inside a hotel to ask for food.

"I have been starving and I need food. Please satisfy cravings," he asked the hotel owner.

"Do you have money?" 

"No, I was caught in a storm and lost everything."

"I am not here to heed to your cooked-up stories. Pay money for food or else get the hell out of here," he seemed to be pissed off.

Karan had tears welled up in his eyes as he never experienced such embarrassment before. Some of them giggled looking at his plight. He begged his parents to come back but the reality was so bitter to grapple with. He caught the crabs crawling over the sand to fill his stomach. The hoarding erected on top of the pole had this inscription.

"Welcome to the city of Goa"

 

Karan felt so miserable being alone and lost in an unknown city. It became clearer to him that nobody would render any sympathy or empathy; nobody would freely give him food. No use cribbing, whining and complaining. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Am I a useless moron who is over-dependent on someone to live? Don't I possess the talent that I could use to eke out a living? His mind was now gripped by his musical talent. Has he relinquished his creativity? He had spent years and years within the confines of the four walls to hone his craft. Can't he use that here instead of begging for sympathy? All the anxieties that had plagued his mind had to die down. If that has to happen, he needs to take a plunge and jump out of his comfort zone which is the only available option. Coincidentally, he saw a concert going on where people exhibited their talent. He was denied the entry but when he sang loudly nobody could deny him access. There was a magical touch in his songs and people waved their heads which was a testament to his artistic talent. His career which he thought would never come to the surface took off. Some of the celebrities identified his talent and gave him the chance and the platform to excel. He continued to churn out melodious songs which earned the praise of musical lovers. He never damn cared about name and fame but they chased him and clung upon him. His career graph reached a peak when he won the Best Music Composer award. People showered him with praise for his magical songs and more importantly for his humble personality. He came to Goa not even having a penny but metamorphosed himself into a genius music composer amassing abundant wealth. He launched his own foundation and used much of his wealth for the improvement of underprivileged children and also a free musical lessons to the wannabe musicians. 

There will be turbulence in everybody's life which happens for a reason. Never get bogged down by the tough phase which comes only to make you mentally strong and to bring your life back on track.