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| It was the hour before dawn in the forest. It was still very dark except for a crescent moon faintly hanging in a cloudy sky. Among rain soaked branches hid the winged creatures while animals took shelter in the thick bush. A helicopter whirred above the trees, wobbled and went berserk crashing on the forest floor. Fire broke out burning down the fuselage. Its fury was such that it hissed and rose to a towering inferno in minutes. Villagers from the nearby hamlets ran to the scene of fire and found nothing but charred remains of the flying machine. A few hours later, search teams descended and conducted a thorough search for the victims. News was on the air announcing the tragic death of the Chief Minister, his two aides and the pilot in the mishap. Nothing was found except for the remnants of clothing. With the black box gone and unclear signals, there was no clue to the tragic event. ------------ Siddha was a committed social worker before he became the Chief Minister of the state. He came from a poor background. His father was a laborer on the railroad. With his meager income he couldn’t afford fulfilling a basic need like buying footwear for his school-going son. So much so, Siddha developed a severe ache in his feet, which later became a constant burning sensation. To lessen its intensity he would wrap his feet with banyan leaves. Gradually, he recovered from it to some extent. Subsequently, his maternal uncle helped him to go to a commerce college and improve his financial prospects as a chartered accountant. He got married and had a son. Vladimir Lenin’s philosophy and political views supporting the land distribution among the poor, appealed to Siddha and hence he named his son, Lenin. His first love was service to people. He was mostly seen studying their problems and improving their lot by applying for government aid. His popularity was due mainly to service-mindedness. Thus encouraged by the people, he stood for elections joining his favorite political party and became a member of state's legislative Assembly. His Julius Caesar-like popularity did not go down well with his enemies in his own party. Eventually, Siddha won the parliamentary elections, becoming the leader of his party, and then was appointed as the Chief Minister of the state. The welfare schemes in the areas of health and education, which he introduced in his state won national acclaim. Two years after he took office as the Chief Minister, he went on an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas around the Nalamala forest in the south. Many suspected the hand of felony in Siddha's sudden demise in the helicopter crash. It was found out that soon after hearing about his father's death, instead of going to the site where he died, Lenin went to the Governor's house to put forth his case to become the next Chief Minister. it was also found out that the helicopter Siddha was flying in, was too old and according to rules it should not have been commissioned by the air force authorities and the coordinating officials. It was thus proved that the death of Siddha was preplanned. But it was not proved as to who the culprit was and how he manipulated to send a faulty helicopter for the Chief Minister's journey. His close associates demanded judicial enquiry into reasons behind his death. Soon the case was assigned to the Central Bureau of Investigation. In the meanwhile, Siddha’s cabinet decided to anoint Lenin as the interim CM. The latter was eventually elected to the Legislative Assembly and then became the state's Chief Minister mainly because of the sympathy vote by the people of the state after his father’s sudden death. Like a tiger that cannot hide its cruel nature in spite of being disguised as a cow, Lenin’s true colors started surfacing during his chief ministerial stint. He loved luxury and led an epicurean life, which his father shunned and knowing his son's vices, kept him away from the state. But now there was no way to suppress his instincts. Lenin succeeded in looting the state’s exchequer to the tune of crores of rupees and those who knew of his illegal amassing of money and construction of palaces all over the state and beyond were silenced effectively. People were anguished on knowing Lenin's nature too late. ---------- It was a gray day and the rain continued nonstop. After playing a two-hour video game at home, Lenin entered his office. As he stepped into his room, he was shocked out of his wits. His blood turned to cold broth, when he saw his dead father seated in the Chief Minister’s chair. There was fire all around him. Siddha looked at Lenin with an angry stare sending shock waves through the latter. Suddenly, power was out and there was eerie darkness inside and out. Lenin screamed in agony as the fire spread all over the office and tongues of fire hissed around him like tsunami waves in the sea. He ran out with his clothes on fire and was rescued by the guards outside, who were unaware of what took place moments before in the Chief Minister's chamber. Upon hearing the news, the people of the state concluded that Lenin might be paying for his sins. The investigating agency reported that the helicopter crash in which Siddha died was due to a technical error and cyclonic weather. The case was thus closed, letting the culprits go scot-free. --------- Lenin was defeated in the next elections and his party went into oblivion. However, he had his money safely stashed in the Swiss banks and his palaces were secure. He was poised to take off to a distant island, which he bought in the west by illegal means. Strange are the ways of God that dispose off man's well laid plans. Call it Divine justice or Nemesis, Lenin developed a strange malady beyond cure. His feet suffered ceaselessly with a burning sensation and his mind went crazy unable to bear with the pain. He felt little fires eating away at the roots of his body and mind. His movements were limited and he sat in a lonely dark room staring at nothingness. Dropnote ▼ |
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