Treading

....dangerous ground

When I was in the Indian Express, I wrote a story of a 10-year-old girl who was rescued from a borewell when a bureau mechanic was reminded of a Malayalam film, later dubbed into Tamil and dragged his oxygen cylinder to the well, pumped in the gas and the fire service rescued the girl and two others who got down to save her.
The next week, I read a story of how a child was rescued from some pipeline in the US. A couple of years ago, a child fell into a borewell in Chennai's Mannady and after a five day rescue drama, the police could just get the body out. This is one for safe pedestrian space.

The Perilous Path

What a cherubic boy was he
Barely five and raring to go
His eyes had just opened
To the joys of this Earth.

Tamilmani, he was named
By hopeful parents
That one day he will adorn
His mother tongue, like a jewel in the crown.

Only cheer knew he when
He was trotting home from school
Satchel yoked behind
Eager to gorge on mama's evening delicacies.

He knew not what was in store
When eyes gaping and heart jubilant
He set foot on soil loose
Down he went and eight feet deep.
And thus began a saga
That brought inconspicuous Mannady,
A tiny spot in North Chennai
To hog the international flashlights.

Was it for this that the fateful path
Was named Aadiya Padam Street?
Nataraja danced, but surefooted
He did not fall into a
Thirty feet borewell.

And when Tamilmani did fall
Every tongue wagged
About how peruilous
Our city roads are
Lip sympathy, the easiest help.
Sure there was assistance.
For the milk of human kindness still flows.
They tugged at his shirt
And his collar was ripped off.
Not content with hilding him at eight feet
Mother Earth sucked in the lad
Loosening her innards
Into her 30-feet long mouth.

There he stayed for two days and nights
As humanity worked above
Pumping gallons of oxygen
Digging and re-digging wells about him.

When the whole world watched
On television and newspapers
Fire service remaining hopeful each minute
At 1.30 past midnight, they sniffed death.

Onlookers aghast, their prayers in vain
When personnel in mask drew out of the cruel earth

Chirpy, joyous and bouncy Tamilmani

Secure in a jute sack.

When it was all over - the three-day drama

All went back home

Like dispersing after a thrilling school game

Letting Tamilmani into the hospital morgue.

The Government announced solatium

Of a few lakhs of Rupees.

But the grief of loss

For the dear parents, can it ever replace?

Here was one case of social apathy

an illegal borewell covered

Like a camouflage trap

Laid in the forest to catch an elephant

But how many we have

In our cities, towns and villages

Pushing the poor pedestrian

To the edge of extinction.

Let us think now if

One Tamil Mani is enough

For safer walkways to carry us bipeds.

- Swahilya.