The Chain
âJohn, I canât find my chain. I am sure that, I had kept it in the drawer when we went to my sisters' house day before. But, when I came back, it is not there. I donât know what to tell Appa. It is a ten sovereign chainâ said Susan. I could sense the fear in her voice.
I was on my year end vacation to Lagos. This is my second last semester of engineering. I am studying in Hasan College Bangalore. Susan is my paternal aunt and her husband, Kathir is a
Politician in G.R.A, Lagos. Right now, he is a corporation council member and he is the designated candidate for the next TamilNadu assembly elections from his constituency.
Like my father, I hate politics. But, I always enjoyed the extra attention I received wherever I went to Lagos, as my uncle is a politician. Politicians are servants to the people on paper. But, in reality, people are servants to the politicians.
âBut Aunty, if you wear ten sovereign chain on your neck, wonât you get neck pain? Why are you keeping a pain on neck?â I couldnât resist asking.
âI never wanted to wear that. I usually keep it in the drawer most of the time. But, when your uncleâs higher circuit people comes, anything less than 10 sovereign is considered to be a disgrace for the political partyâ said Susan
Hmmm.. Interesting.. So, it is a âPolitical Chainâ, I thought.
âYeah, after all, if anybody steals it, the thief also must get the benefit for the risk he is takingâ I said sarcastically.
âYou mean to say, some thief might have stolen it?â asked Susan.
âLook at this âG.R.A timesâ local news paper. The main news is that. I looked.. âThieves are roaming in the streets of Kandanchavadiâ is the headline.
âOh My God! But who will dare to steal from a politicianâs house? It is like cheating your own kindâ Susan was also not bad in sarcasm.
âWhat should we do now?â I asked.
âWell, first we have to inform uncle. But, he is on the field now. There are lots of compliant from the residents because of the December rain. Rain water has accumulated in the low lying areas and people are stranded. He has gone there in the morning itself. Yesterday, I saw him turning to green after the call with the minister. Obviously, Minister has asked him to do something. So, he has gone to do somethingâ said Susan.
âGive me his number. I will callâ I said.
âNo point in calling. He will not pick up the call if he is in field. His close friends have gone to their natives. So, I donât have a number through which I can reach him. You have to go to the rain affected area and meet him directly. If we lose time, the thief may get farther away. Then, your uncle will do âShivathaandavamâ when he gets backâ said Susan.
I decided to go. When I reached the spot, I could see almost fourteen to fifteen JCBs were at work. Uncle is standing in the middle of JCBs with a group of white dressed people. There are few small groups of local people standing here and there and talking. My uncle was screaming at the JCB drivers. Most of the road was under water and there are few flats (those were constructed in the middle of the lakes) which has become islands because of water clogging.
At first I didnât understand anything. All fifteen JCBS were at work. They were digging and making canals here and there. There was no connection between the canals. Some of the canals were getting dug right across the road. There was absolutely no direction on what they are doing. But they kept digging. There was a photographer clicking photos and a local news channel and a videographer was recording the video of the procedure.
I understood the scenario. It is just a political gimmick. My uncle is desperate to show the minister and the people that, he is in the âthickâ of the things and doing whatever possible for the people. But the reality is, he is making things worse. Because of uncontrolled digging, the road became useless and now, even trucks cannot pass through the road. With rain, people were isolated for two to three days. Now, because of this digging, people will be isolated for next one month. Politics at its best!!
There is no pointing in airing my opinion. Better to leave politics of âdiggingâ to the politicians. I went near to my uncle and told him the situation at home.
âI told her thousand times to lock the drawer. She never does it. Now, in between serving the people at the time of this calamity, I have to handle problems at my home alsoâ He was shouting at me.
âIf a thief can reach to the drawer, what is the use of lock in front of him?â My Engineering logical mind was trying to reason with myself. But, I didnât raise it as question.
My uncle thought for a minute and then asked me.
âDo you have a photo of the chain on your mobile?â
âI donât have. But I can ask aunty to WhatsApp that to meâ I said.
âDo It now⊠â He instructed.
I called Aunt and she sent me the picture of the chain from one of her photos. I showed the picture to my uncle. He took my phone and forwarded that photo to somebody else. Then he dialed a number from my phone and said.
âI sent you the photo of a chain. It is stolen from my house. I donât know what will you do or how will you do. I need the chain back by today eveningâ.
My Engineering logical mind understood that, it must be the police inspector. Then he gave back my phone and said. âGo back home. Tell aunty that, she will get her chain by eveningâ.
Then he started shouting at the JCB operators againâŠ
When I reached back, I saw at least half dozen policemen at my Uncleâs house. They were showing the photos of local thieves to the servants at home and were asking whether they saw any of them near the premises of the house in the last few days. One of the servants identified a thief and said that, he saw him 3 days back. Then the policemen drove off.
At 4:00 PM, the thief in question came to my uncleâs house in disguise. He was wearing Purdah. He straight away went to my aunt and apologized. He has handed over the chain to her and said that, he will go hiding for few days. Else, if the police catch him, they will break all his bones. He requested aunty not to tell anybody that, he came there at least until 6:00 PM so that, he can cover a safe distance and escape.
At 5:00 PM the police inspector came and gave aunty another chain of the same type and same weight. He claimed that, they caught the thief and got the chain from him. He apologized for inconvenience and left. My aunt didnât tell the policeman that, the thief has already come. She wanted to keep her word to the thief that, she will not reveal it until 6:00 PM.
At 5:45 PM, My Niece came back from college after the Xâmas celebrations and she brought back the chain and said âEverybody liked the ethnic gold jewelryâ
âBut, Aarathy, why didnât you tell me that, you were wearing it?â asked my aunty.
âIt is only for a day. Anyway, I am bringing it back in the evening. When I left, I searched for you. But you were in the garden. So, I left. Why? What happened?â asked Aarathy.
Susan took out the chains which the thief and the police gave her. She kept all three chains together and asked.
âNow, whom do the other two chains belong to?â
I hope you like the story
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La cadena
âJohn, no puedo encontrar mi cadena. Estoy seguro de que lo habĂa guardado en el cajĂłn cuando fuimos a casa de mis hermanas el dĂa anterior. Pero, cuando volvĂ, no estaba allĂ. No sĂ© quĂ© decirle a Appa. Es una cadena de diez soberanosâ, dijo Susan. PodĂa sentir el miedo en su voz.
Estaba en mis vacaciones de fin de año en Lagos. Este es mi penĂșltimo semestre de ingenierĂa. Estoy estudiando en Hasan College Bangalore. Susan es mi tĂa paterna y su esposo, Kathir es una
PolĂtico en G.R.A, Lagos. En este momento, es miembro del consejo de la corporaciĂłn y es el candidato designado para las prĂłximas elecciones de la asamblea de Tamil Nadu de su distrito electoral.
Como mi padre, odio la polĂtica. Pero siempre disfrutĂ© de la atenciĂłn adicional que recibĂa dondequiera que iba a Lagos, ya que mi tĂo es polĂtico. Los polĂticos son servidores del pueblo en el papel. Pero, en realidad, las personas son sirvientes de los polĂticos.
âPero tĂa, si llevas una cadena de diez soberanos en el cuello, Âżno te dolerĂĄ el cuello? ÂżPor quĂ© sigues teniendo dolor en el cuello? No pude resistirme a preguntar.
âNunca quise usar eso. Normalmente lo guardo en el cajĂłn la mayor parte del tiempo. Pero, cuando llega la gente del circuito superior de tu tĂo, cualquier cosa menos de 10 soberanos se considera una desgracia para el partido polĂticoâ, dijo Susan.
Hmmm... Interesante... Entonces, es una 'Cadena PolĂtica', pensĂ©.
âSĂ, despuĂ©s de todo, si alguien lo roba, el ladrĂłn tambiĂ©n debe obtener el beneficio por el riesgo que estĂĄ tomandoâ dije sarcĂĄsticamente.
"ÂżQuieres decir que algĂșn ladrĂłn podrĂa haberlo robado?" preguntĂł Susana.
âMira este periĂłdico local âG.R.A timesâ. La principal novedad es esa. MirĂ©... "Los ladrones deambulan por las calles de Kandanchavadi", es el titular.
"ÂĄOh Dios mĂo! Pero, ÂżquiĂ©n se atreverĂĄ a robar en la casa de un polĂtico? Es como engañar a los de tu propia especieâ Susan tampoco estaba mal en el sarcasmo.
"¿Qué debemos hacer ahora?" Yo pregunté.
âBueno, primero tenemos que informar al tĂo. Pero, Ă©l estĂĄ en el campo ahora. Hay mucho cumplimiento por parte de los residentes debido a la lluvia de diciembre. El agua de lluvia se ha acumulado en las ĂĄreas bajas y las personas estĂĄn varadas. Ha ido allĂ en la mañana misma. Ayer lo vi ponerse verde despuĂ©s de la llamada con el ministro. Obviamente, el Ministro le ha pedido que haga algo. AsĂ que ha ido a hacer algoâ, dijo Susan.
âDame su nĂșmero. Voy a llamarâ dije.
âNo tiene sentido llamar. No contestarĂĄ la llamada si estĂĄ en el campo. Sus amigos cercanos se han ido a sus nativos. Entonces, no tengo un nĂșmero a travĂ©s del cual pueda contactarlo. Tienes que ir al ĂĄrea afectada por la lluvia y reunirte con Ă©l directamente. Si perdemos tiempo, el ladrĂłn puede alejarse mĂĄs. Entonces, tu tĂo harĂĄ 'Shivathaandavam' cuando regreseâ, dijo Susan.
Decidi ir. Cuando lleguĂ© al lugar, pude ver que entre catorce y quince JCB estaban trabajando. El tĂo estĂĄ parado en medio de los JCB con un grupo de personas vestidas de blanco. Hay pocos grupos pequeños de gente local parados aquĂ y allĂĄ y hablando. Mi tĂo les gritaba a los conductores de JCB. La mayor parte del camino estaba bajo el agua y hay pocos pisos (que se construyeron en medio de los lagos) que se han convertido en islas debido a la obstrucciĂłn del agua.
Al principio no entendĂa nada. Los quince JCBS estaban trabajando. Estaban cavando y haciendo canales aquĂ y allĂĄ. No habĂa conexiĂłn entre los canales. Algunos de los canales estaban siendo excavados al otro lado de la carretera. No habĂa absolutamente ninguna direcciĂłn sobre lo que estĂĄn haciendo. Pero siguieron cavando. HabĂa un fotĂłgrafo haciendo clic en las fotos y un canal de noticias local y un camarĂłgrafo estaba grabando el video del procedimiento.
EntendĂ el escenario. Es solo un truco polĂtico. Mi tĂo estĂĄ desesperado por mostrarle al ministro y a la gente que Ă©l estĂĄ en el âespesorâ de las cosas y haciendo todo lo posible por la gente. Pero la realidad es que estĂĄ empeorando las cosas. Debido a la excavaciĂłn descontrolada, el camino se volviĂł inĂștil y ahora, incluso los camiones no pueden pasar por el camino. Con la lluvia, las personas quedaron aisladas durante dos o tres dĂas. Ahora, debido a esta excavaciĂłn, la gente estarĂĄ aislada durante el prĂłximo mes. ÂĄÂĄLa polĂtica en su mĂĄxima expresiĂłn!!
No tiene sentido ventilar mi opiniĂłn. Mejor dejar la polĂtica de âcavarâ a los polĂticos. Me acerquĂ© a mi tĂo y le contĂ© la situaciĂłn en casa.
âLe dije mil veces que cerrara el cajĂłn. Ella nunca lo hace. Ahora, entre servir a la gente en el momento de esta calamidad, tengo que manejar los problemas en mi casa tambiĂ©nâ me gritaba.
âSi un ladrĂłn puede alcanzar el cajĂłn, Âżde quĂ© sirve tener un candado frente a Ă©l?â Mi mente lĂłgica de ingenierĂa estaba tratando de razonar conmigo mismo. Pero, no lo planteĂ© como una pregunta.
Mi tĂo pensĂł por un minuto y luego me preguntĂł.
âÂżTienes una foto de la cadena en tu mĂłvil?â
âNo tengo. Pero puedo pedirle a la tĂa que me lo envĂe por WhatsAppâ, dije.
"Hazlo ahoraâŠâ instruyĂł.
LlamĂ© a la tĂa y me enviĂł la foto de la cadena de una de sus fotos. Le mostrĂ© la foto a mi tĂo. TomĂł mi telĂ©fono y le enviĂł esa foto a otra persona. Luego marcĂł un nĂșmero desde mi telĂ©fono y dijo.
âTe enviĂ© la foto de una cadena. Me lo robaron de mi casa. No sĂ© quĂ© harĂĄs ni cĂłmo lo harĂĄs. Necesito que me devuelvan la cadena hoy por la tardeâ.
Mi mente lĂłgica de ingenierĂa entendiĂł eso, debe ser el inspector de policĂa. Luego me devolviĂł el telĂ©fono y dijo. "Regresar a casa. Dile a la tĂa que ella recibirĂĄ su cadena por la tardeâ.
Luego comenzĂł a gritarles a los operadores de JCB nuevamente...
Cuando volvĂ, vi al menos media docena de policĂas en la casa de mi tĂo. Estaban mostrando las fotos de los ladrones del lugar a los sirvientes de la casa y preguntaban si habĂan visto a alguno de ellos cerca de las instalaciones de la casa en los Ășltimos dĂas. Uno de los sirvientes identificĂł a un ladrĂłn y dijo que lo vio hace 3 dĂas. Entonces los policĂas se marcharon.
A las 4:00 PM, el ladrĂłn en cuestiĂłn llegĂł a la casa de mi tĂo disfrazado. Llevaba Purdah. Inmediatamente fue donde mi tĂa y se disculpĂł. Ăl le ha entregado la cadena y le ha dicho que se esconderĂĄ durante unos dĂas. De lo contrario, si la policĂa lo atrapa, le romperĂĄn todos los huesos. Le pidiĂł a la tĂa que no le dijera a nadie que Ă©l llegĂł allĂ por lo menos hasta las 6:00 p.m. para que pudiera cubrir una distancia segura y escapar.
A las 5:00 PM vino el inspector de policĂa y le dio a la tĂa otra cadena del mismo tipo y del mismo peso. AfirmĂł que atraparon al ladrĂłn y le quitaron la cadena. Se disculpĂł por las molestias y se fue. Mi tĂa no le dijo eso al policĂa, el ladrĂłn ya vino. QuerĂa mantener su palabra al ladrĂłn de que no lo revelarĂĄ hasta las 6:00 p. m.
A las 5:45 p. m., mi sobrina regresó de la universidad después de las celebraciones navideñas y trajo la cadena y dijo: "A todos les gustaron las joyas étnicas de oro".
âPero, Aarathy, Âżpor quĂ© no me dijiste eso, lo llevabas puesto?â preguntĂł mi tĂa.
âEs solo por un dĂa. De todos modos, lo traerĂ© de vuelta por la noche. Cuando me fui, te busquĂ©. Pero estabas en el jardĂn. AsĂ que me fui. ÂżPor quĂ©? ÂżQuĂ© sucediĂł?" preguntĂł Aarathy.
Susan sacĂł las cadenas que le dieron el ladrĂłn y el policĂa. Mantuvo las tres cadenas juntas y preguntĂł.
âAhora, Âża quiĂ©n pertenecen las otras dos cadenas?â
espero que les guste la historia