1998,

Bangalore. . .

"Chaitra, I am asking you once again, have you packed the diapers?"

"Yes Amma," replied the familiar-scent lady. Everybody was walking across the room. I mean why does everybody have to copy me? I feel like asking them can't you come up with something original?

I see them taking big bags and me inside some yellow-black vehicle. The person sitting in front shook his head. "Aiyyo saar! You said three people and I said okay. But you never mentioned luggage. I will charge ten rupees extra."

The honey-bottle lady got angry and screamed, "What do you think we are keeping luggage on you? No! We're keeping at the tiny space in your auto. If you charge us even one rupee extra, I am not boarding this auto."

"I am not demanding anything more-"

"More? You are clearly robbing us! What makes you think that we won't get an auto to Majestic Bus stand? Are you the only auto driver in this entire world?"

I was looking at awe but the familiar-scent lady was whispering to her to calm down. The honey-bottle lady got down and said, "I am not boarding this auto until you promise us to take the bus stand on the meter. We are not paying before said fifty rupees. Do you understand?"

He nodded.

"Do not take some long routes because I know shortcuts from every route you take," she added.

The grumpy auto driver took us to the bus stand where there was a lot of chaos. Seeing many people walking, screaming, laughing, running and pushing, I freaked out. I did the most obvious thing- which is to cry. I don't know how to react in such situations.

We boarded a bus where two people were screaming something. It had three seats on one side and two seats on the other side.

The moustache man sat next to the window, the familiar-scent lady sat next to him, I sat on her and the honey-bottle lady sat next to her. It took a lot of time, jumps and sweat to reach this place called SriKalahasti.

We went inside a huge building. The moustache man took something on the table and we walked to one of the doors. He used that thing to open the door. There was some sort of tension because the familiar-scent lady was screaming, "First of all you paid ten rupees extra to that auto driver, then sit next to the window seat-"

"I was feeling nauseous," the moustache man defended.

"I understand that but you had no right to ridicule my mother. Of course, during sudden turns, she had to clutch that rod next to her seat. She cannot hold the window like you did."

"Which is not the point-"

"Exactly. When I was continuously telling you to book in a hotel my friend suggested, you said no. Just because some friend of yours suggested staying in this extremely small unclean hotel, you booked it. Why can't you ever listen to me?"

"That hotel room was hundred rupees costlier!"

"Maybe if you wouldn't lend money to your worthless friends, we could've booked three rooms in that same hotel."

"Enough is enough!"

There was a knock on the door which stopped them. What a relief! Once they start talking, they don't stop!

Again, there were some discussions which I was not interested in listening to. These big people! They need to talk when everybody is there and also when someone is not present. I decided to sleep peacefully.

***

I could literally feel the bright light hitting me. It was very difficult to open my eyes.

"If we go to Tirupati, it will be late to go to Sri Kalahasti," the honey-bottle lady said.

"What if we go to Sri Kalahasti first and then go to Tirupati if we finish it early," the familiar-scent lady asked.

Moustache man shook his head. "They say Tirupati and SriKalahasti are head and tail. You can visit head and then tail. But you cannot visit tail first and then head."

A serious debate ensued but I was more interested in the squirrels that were running down the tree. They are picking something. But what? I wish I could see it. I tried to pull the moustache man's ear but he just smiled.

I rolled my eyes and saw them running back on the tree. How I wish I could run like that! When I was staring at them, I saw a big tree falling down with a loud thud. The moustache man covered my ears; the spot where it fell, a woman was standing and crying.

"Balaji! You saved the woman!" somebody shouted and rushed towards them.

We walked in the opposite direction, boarded a bus and reached another place. I saw a man, dressed like the man who muttered under his breath, walking towards us. He talked about something and led us to some place.

I was made to sit on a moustache man's lap. For some odd reason, I felt him holding my shoulder a little tight. It hurts! Both the familiar-scent lady and the honey-bottle lady sat in front of me. Suddenly, they started smiling. Why do I feel something is wrong?

A man sat next to us and smiled. Why is everybody smiling? He held my forehead with his one hand and some shiny object in the other hand. After a few seconds, I felt something sharp stinging my head. What is happening? Why is it hurting so much? I don't want this torture!

I started moving away from their grip but it only tightened. I couldn't take the searing pain on my head. I started crying, very loudly but it was of no avail. The grip tightened as the pain intensified. At a point of time, I stopped crying because my eyes didn't have water and my nose was watery. I sobbed, shivered for what felt like eternity.

I felt them lowering my head. The part that was burning with pain felt a sudden gush of blood. I felt very weird and tried to loosen from their grip. The grip that was loosened a bit was tightened yet again. I felt my ears being pressed; something poked my face too but nobody seemed to care.

At last they put some water on my head after which my head felt a little cool. They again took me somewhere and I had a proper head bath. I touch my head to play with my hair and that's when I feel there was none.

I was made to sit in front of the mirror and I saw- there was no hair on my head. I tried touching it to which they laughed horribly loud. Do you think this is funny? I was very sad. It was a good source of time pass and now I don't have any.

After sometime, there was this photo session where I was made to smile but I didn't. I was very angry with them.