Unforgettable Onam
I went to sleep on the Uthradam (the day before Thiruvonam festival) night with a little uneasiness. It was for the first time I am staying away from my home during Onam. Around 3 o'clock in the morning, I woke up to use the bathroom. I always hate waking up in the middle of my sleep. So I usually don't put the light and try not to open my eyes wide. So naturally that night also I just did the same. I unlatched the door very softly so that my roommate would not get disturbed in his sleep. I got out and there was complete silence outside. That was something unusual in IIT hostels and especially on my floor. My neighboring room accommodates a die-hard fan of Heavy Metal music. He has got the habit of listening to his favorite tapes at the 'oddest' hours. It always happens that whenever I am about to sleep, he plays his music, and one can imagine the futile efforts I make to catch sleep in the middle of a heavy metal concert. Again his listening style is also very much interesting. He always blasts the music to its full volume and walks out of his room to the other end of the corridor shaking his head vigorously the way heavy metal performers do in the stage. He then stays at the other end and by looking at his face you can make out that even he is unable to withstand the 'Heavy Metal Extravaganza'. So that night, I was totally surprised to feel such a silence. I had a very queer feeling that something is getting wrong somewhere. While walking towards the bathroom I was thinking what would have gone wrong? I thought over and over and finally reached the toilet, relieved myself, and walked back like a zombie, with my eyes half-closed.
I did not want to wake my roommate from his sound sleep. So I quietly and cautiously pushed the door and got inside. I was about to latch the door and all of a sudden I was frozen by a thundering roar. I am an ardent fan of Tarzan novels and movies. I have read and watched Tarzan roaring after he kills a Numa (Lion), Sheeta (Leopard), and various other ferocious animals. He always stamps his leg on the carcass, looks up at the moon (if it's night time!), places his left palm close to his mouth cup-shaped, and makes his famous roar. He has acquired this skill from his foster species- Gorillas!!! In movies, they use the sound of jet engines and drilling machines together to create such a supernatural sound. The sound I heard from my room was something more deafening and chilling than what Mr. Tarzan makes after his kill. I was sure that no gorillas were there in any of the rooms on my floor. Still, I could not withhold that thought for a moment. I really wanted to go back to the bathroom once more. But the impact of the sound was so much that I even forgot to breathe. It was a moonlit night and through the windowpane, there was moonlight falling inside the room. It's a scientific fact that light travels faster than sound. But since there was not enough light in the room on that fateful night, it took more time for my brain to give me the visual output. Slowly I was able to conceive what I was seeing. A figure was springing from the bed to the floor, on which my roommate had been sleeping. Now I was almost sure that the horrific sound I have heard came from that figure's throat. I almost yelled and was about to faint. Suddenly I heard the word "SORRY". Thank God! At last, it is a human being!!!. I managed to switch the light on. Then I witnessed one of the greatest surprises in my life. The person standing in front of me was none other than my roommate!!!. I thought that the poor guy might have had some terrible nightmare. So I placed my hand on his shoulder and tried to comfort him asking whether he had some dream. Then came the biggest shock in the whole of my life. He told me that he did that purposefully. My mind wandered in the teachings of Confucius, the great Chinese philosopher. His teachings could not give an answer to my confused mind. I kept on thinking for a while. "Why did he do this to me?"
I always love playing pranks with my friends but never tried such things to my roommate. So chances for retaliation were ruled out. What else could be the reason? Then I got the answer. He told me that he was wakened up by some sound and saw somebody turning towards the door. He looked for me in my bed and found me sleeping there. Actually, it was my blanket! So he was sure that some intruder was inside the room. He quickly made up a plan to face the contingency. So his modus operandi was to do a blitzkrieg on the person by roaring at him so that he will be startled and then he can handle the intruder in a more "efficient and effective" manner. Luckily the second step of his plan was not executed. God knows what he had in mind...Anyway, I had the most "terrific" Onam ever in my life.
I did not want to wake my roommate from his sound sleep. So I quietly and cautiously pushed the door and got inside. I was about to latch the door and all of a sudden I was frozen by a thundering roar. I am an ardent fan of Tarzan novels and movies. I have read and watched Tarzan roaring after he kills a Numa (Lion), Sheeta (Leopard), and various other ferocious animals. He always stamps his leg on the carcass, looks up at the moon (if it's night time!), places his left palm close to his mouth cup-shaped, and makes his famous roar. He has acquired this skill from his foster species- Gorillas!!! In movies, they use the sound of jet engines and drilling machines together to create such a supernatural sound. The sound I heard from my room was something more deafening and chilling than what Mr. Tarzan makes after his kill. I was sure that no gorillas were there in any of the rooms on my floor. Still, I could not withhold that thought for a moment. I really wanted to go back to the bathroom once more. But the impact of the sound was so much that I even forgot to breathe. It was a moonlit night and through the windowpane, there was moonlight falling inside the room. It's a scientific fact that light travels faster than sound. But since there was not enough light in the room on that fateful night, it took more time for my brain to give me the visual output. Slowly I was able to conceive what I was seeing. A figure was springing from the bed to the floor, on which my roommate had been sleeping. Now I was almost sure that the horrific sound I have heard came from that figure's throat. I almost yelled and was about to faint. Suddenly I heard the word "SORRY". Thank God! At last, it is a human being!!!. I managed to switch the light on. Then I witnessed one of the greatest surprises in my life. The person standing in front of me was none other than my roommate!!!. I thought that the poor guy might have had some terrible nightmare. So I placed my hand on his shoulder and tried to comfort him asking whether he had some dream. Then came the biggest shock in the whole of my life. He told me that he did that purposefully. My mind wandered in the teachings of Confucius, the great Chinese philosopher. His teachings could not give an answer to my confused mind. I kept on thinking for a while. "Why did he do this to me?"
I always love playing pranks with my friends but never tried such things to my roommate. So chances for retaliation were ruled out. What else could be the reason? Then I got the answer. He told me that he was wakened up by some sound and saw somebody turning towards the door. He looked for me in my bed and found me sleeping there. Actually, it was my blanket! So he was sure that some intruder was inside the room. He quickly made up a plan to face the contingency. So his modus operandi was to do a blitzkrieg on the person by roaring at him so that he will be startled and then he can handle the intruder in a more "efficient and effective" manner. Luckily the second step of his plan was not executed. God knows what he had in mind...Anyway, I had the most "terrific" Onam ever in my life.
Comments