Coimbatore.
Murali sat in an air-conditioned waiting room, slightly away from the Thudiyalur Murugan Theatre. Outside, a board read: Dr. Chandrasekhar, Psychiatrist. Murali was waiting for his turn.
As of today, he was the cricketer expected to bring pride to India from the state of Tamil Nadu. But his face was a mask of sorrow. He looked as though he might burst into tears at any moment. The reason was Hema.
Hema had entered his life only recently. Within a short span of time, she had occupied his heart, and Murali fell in love. Choosing an auspicious day, he expressed his feelings to her. She simply laughed.
"Murali, I like you. But it’s not love. Please understand that."
Murali hadn't expected such a response. With a massive female fan following, he had been overly confident. He thought she would never reject him; when she did, he was shattered inside.
"Please, Hema... in my heart, I’ve already started living my life with you. Please accept me," he pleaded, but she ignored him.
When he called her mobile repeatedly, she blocked him. Murali became like a man possessed. He shut himself in his room, refusing to see anyone. He withered away in her memory. Seeing his plight, a friend spoke up.
"Murali, don't take this the wrong way, but you have a great future ahead of you. It’s not right to be in this state of mind. Why don’t you see a psychiatrist?"
Those words shook Murali. He decided to go. He searched the internet for someone slightly far away and found Dr. Chandrasekhar’s address.
"Mr. Murali," a woman called out. He stood up. "Go inside."
He entered. Dr. Chandrasekhar looked up at Murali and gestured toward the chair opposite him.
"Yes?"
"Sir, my name is Murali. I'm a cricketer."
"Nice."
"I haven't been feeling right mentally for a few days."
"The reason?"
"A girl."
"Go on."
"She was introduced to me a short while ago. I don’t know why, but I liked her very much. I thought she was my world. But when she said she didn't see me that way... I couldn't bear it."
"So, it’s just a love failure?"
"Sir, please don't use the word 'just'."
"Sorry... continue, Mr. Murali."
"Only I know the love I had for her. No one else can understand it."
"Okay, I can understand."
"Save me, Doctor. I’m starting to doubt myself—I’m afraid I might do something to myself." Murali suddenly clutched his head. "I can't take it, Doctor."
"It’s okay. I’ll give you a tablet. Take it and tell me how you feel, okay?"
"Yes, Doctor."
Dr. Chandrasekhar took a small box from inside, opened it, and took out a pill. "Here, Mr. Murali. Take this now."
Murali swallowed the pill. Within five minutes, his head began to spin. He felt as if his brain was firing erratic commands.
'Hema shouldn't have left you. She made a mistake.'
'Let her go... is she the only woman in this world?'
'No, she is my child. I am nothing without her. I shouldn't be in this world. I must die right now.'
Murali staggered, holding his head. "Oh God, Doctor, I can't handle this! Help me!" he screamed.
Dr. Chandrasekhar watched him calmly. "Murali."
"Yes?"
"What happened to you?"
"Some voice... it's telling me to die."
"Then go ahead and die," the doctor said with a sly smile.
Murali was shocked. "Doctor, please!"
"Tell me, Murali."
"I won't die. I am the only son to my parents. I must live at least for them. Save me, Doctor!"
"No, Murali. You can't return to a normal life. The affection you had for that girl won't let you return. If you do go back to normal, it means the love you had for Hema was a lie."
Before the doctor could finish, Murali screamed, "No, Doctor! Please don't say that!"
"That is exactly what I will say."
"What should I do to prove the love I have for Hema, Doctor? Tell me!"
The doctor looked at him intently. "Will you do it if I tell you?"
"Certainly."
"Then go and die. The first thing you do after reaching home is commit suicide."
As the doctor spoke, Murali replied in a hollow, steady voice, "Definitely, Doctor." There was a terrifying resolve in his tone.
"Okay, then you may leave." The doctor called out as he reached the door, "Murali."
"Sir?"
"In case you are afraid to die, I’ll give you another one of the tablets I just gave you. Go home, take it, and then die."
"Yes, sir."
That night, the news was flashing across every television channel:
Cricketer Murali commits suicide. Was it because he wasn't selected for the team? Love failure? Or some other reason? Police are investigating.
Dr. Chandrasekhar took a sip of whisky from his glass. "Hema!" he called out.
The Hema whom Murali had loved walked in and smiled at him. "Sir."
"I must say, your talent is extraordinary. I have no words to praise you."
"What's there in this, sir?"
"The Boss was hesitant. He doubted if this would work. But I was the one who explained it and convinced him. He spoke very happily yesterday. He might even give you a reward."
Hema smiled and asked, "Who is next, sir?"
"The envelope hasn't arrived yet."
"Sir..."
"Tell me, Hema."
"You told me to get close to Murali. You told me to make him fall in love with me. You told me to say no when he confessed his love. Now, he has committed suicide. Why all this, sir?"
"Hema, do you want a reason or do you want money?"
"I want money, sir. The reason doesn't matter."
"Very good. That’s why we selected you for this task."
"By 'we'?"
"We. Our network."
"Sir, you make it sound like something on a massive scale."
"Yes, Hema. This is a huge network. Our goal is certainly not what anyone thinks. To be honest, only our Boss knows why we do this and what we are moving toward. Everyone else just does what the Boss says."
Hema nodded as Dr. Chandrasekhar spoke.
***
Hotel Rolex. Room No. 412.
"Sir," Neeraj called out to the North Indian man.
The man looked at Neeraj questioningly. Neeraj asked, "The elections are only two months away. Do you really believe we can do something here and win by then?"
The North Indian man spoke in broken way. "Certainly. We all know that caste or religious riots won't work in Tamil Nadu. That’s why we have a different strategy here."
"What are you saying, sir?"
"In Tamil Nadu, the men love cinema or cricket. The women love serials. Therefore..."
"Therefore...?"
"We must eliminate those who are rising in these fields. If they all commit suicide, there will be chaos in Tamil Nadu. Not just that—at least a hundred youngsters in every district must commit suicide."
As the man spoke with a cruel smile, Neeraj was horrified. "Sir, all this..."
"You're asking why? Our ideology isn't taking root here. Only by doing things like this, by creating confusion and trouble for those in power, can we grow our party here."
"Must we do all this just to grow a party? Aren't the people innocent?"
"We certainly have mercy on the people. That’s why on election day, we give each person the money they need to vote for us."
"Sir..."
"Yes?"
"If we get caught, we’ll end up counting bars in prison, sir."
"Neeraj, even finding out that we are doing this is extremely difficult. Even if someone finds out, it would take them a lifetime to discover how we are doing it. And after that, will they take action against us? What a comedy, Neeraj. There is no one here capable of catching us."
***
"Don't say it in a hurry!" Aarthi playfully threatened her cousin Raghu, who laughed.
"Sister, the train is about to leave. Brother-in-law is going to miss it!" As Raghu spoke, a slight anxiety gripped Aarthi’s heart.
The long horn of the train announced its departure. Aarthi grew restless.
The train started moving. As the slow crawl turned into speed, Vishal came running alongside the train and suddenly leaped into the compartment.
To be continued