© Santanoo Tamuly
“Falling star, falling star.”, I shouted myself. The falling stars have rushed from the outer space. Had grandma been by the side now, she would have said, “Never watch those, they are the sinful souls. Watching falling stars is forbidden, just spit out, spit out...”.
“One more... one more... has fallen. Following a curvature path two more stars have fallen down.” Had my grandma been alive now, I would have certainly asked her, ``Being sinners how did they get passage to the heaven?”
“The sentry at the entrance of the heaven would just blow on heads of the sinners with a hot club and the sinners fall down from the heaven.”
“Grandma, where do the sinners come on earth after they fall from the heaven?”
With a long sigh my grandma would say, “Sinners as they are, where they will go? They will be simply burnt to ashes and their ashes only reach the earth causing pandemics on earth.”
That would have been the grandma’s last answer and in fact that would have made my last question to her also.
The sky is appeared to be celebrating the lighting festival of falling stars. Some more stars are continuing to fall, probably two, three or a shower of falling stars. How magnificent it looks! It is as if a festival of light of falling stars. How fulfilling to have witnessed such a wonderful event, after a long wait. All my hostel- mates must have been in deep sleep by now.
Watching falling stars by sitting on the roof-top amidst a cold night by itself is a very unique enjoyment. I am so thankful for being a witness to such a rare cosmic event in my life. After about a few minutes of the star-showers, it gradually thinned down. Just about the moment, I heard some roaring sound in the western sky indicating an imminent heavy downpour. Suddenly the sky became gloomy and overcast with dark clouds. Thunderous sounds interspersed with flashing of lightnings were so deafening to the ears. Lightnings were so blinding that I was not able to see anything clearly with my eyes. Meanwhile some burnt smell of something was spread in the air. Raindrops began to fall on my face. The festivity of the sky which existed a few moments ago has now gone. I quickly came down from the roof-top and slipped into my room. The outside ambient has turned to violently stormy with thunders and lightnings. The flashing of lightnings across the sky blinded my eyes. I switched on the lights of my room. Just then some hard object entered into my room with great force piercing through the glass window making loud breaking sound which fell on the floor of my room. So tremendous was the impact that it made a hole in the glass window. It tossed in the air and then dashed against the wall of my room. I was terribly shocked to hear the sound. If it would have hit my chest, then certainly I would have been dead. The object made several twists on the floor and then finally settled somewhere under my cot.
Through the round hole in the glass window raindrops and wind rushed in with tremendous force. The hole was of the size of a paper weight. Just at that moment the electricity went off. By switching on the flash of my mobile, I was looking for the object. A black object was lying at a corner under the cot. I pulled it out from under my cot with the help of a plastic scale to get an idea as to what it was. My sixth sense cautioned me from my within, “Don’t touch it. It may be a piece of meteorite.” “Meteorite!” - As soon as the thought came to my mind, a kind of peculiar sensation ran down through my spinal cord. It provided me an ecstasy of unknown feeling of joy and curiosity. I did not have the guts to touch the stone like thing. I examined it by stirring it to this and that side with the help of the scale. I was not able to guess whether it was hot or cold. Even if it seemed to be hot initially it might have become cold by the time. The object was round and stark black and having ridges all over its surface just like a ‘Rudraksha’ bead. I very minutely observed the piece. With the tip of the scale I was trying to cut into it, but of no avail, it was very hard and impenetrable.
The surface of the stone seemed to be ingrained with various molten metallic substances. My head became shaky for imagining vividly about the piece. Suddenly Dr Barman’s face appeared in my mind. For a moment, I was tempted to inform the matter to him. It was two O’clock at night. It was Barman Sir who informed me about the meteor-shower and asked me to witness the event. I presumed that he might not have gone to bed even at that odd hour. Giving no second thought I just dialled his number, but only to find his phone engaged. I cursed my luck. Because I considered every second of mine at that particular moment to be very precious. I can’t afford to waste my time. So I rang again. This time it said, “out of reach.” Is it likely that he is on a move to somewhere in his vehicle?” I asked myself. Then for the third time I rang. It was engaged. Just at that moment my phone started ringing. It was Barman Sir on the line. I received his call. Barman Sir straight away asked if I had witnessed the meteor shower of the night.
“Amazing, isn’t it?” he said.
“Yes Sir, I did. But, by the way Sir, I want to inform you that a piece of hard substance has entered into my room breaking through the glass window.”
“How strange! Don’t touch it. Did you touch it?”
“No Sir, I didn’t.”
“OK, don’t allow it to contaminate other things. Let it remain where it is now and don’t divulge it to anyone for the time being.”
“No Sir, I did not. I am alone in my room.”
“Very good. Right now I am in the lab and I am just moving out. You will wait till I join you,” said Barman Sir almost in single breath.
I covered the object with a drinking glass. Then I was just wondering - he himself is coming to me in such an odd hour of night means there is something really very serious and urgent.
Meanwhile the rain stopped. The whistling sound of the thunder storm also died down and the atmosphere outside became calm and quiet. What a horrifying natural calamity, so to say, has occurred in almost a split second!
Opening the door I came out of my room. All the street lights were off. It was mysteriously dark outside. I looked up to the sky. The sky was clear and the stars were twinkling. Again I saw a shooting star rushing in the sky making a long trail of bright light and then vanished.
In the distant I saw the beams of head-lights of an approaching car. Probably Barman Sir was coming. I threw open the gate and waited for him to come. There might be some very big reason behind Barman Sir attaching so much of importance to this happening. Even otherwise also the discovery of a cosmic stone by itself is not a very small thing. In fact it is a very rare event. It might be a tiny meteorite ! Usually, the meteorites are named after the names of the discoverer. I am sure that Barman Sir will name this meteorite after my name. So I think tomorrow my name will spread far and wide. Journalists from TV Channels and Newspapers will pour in for reporting. Scientists will come for making on the spot studies.
If my grandma would have been alive, what would have been her reaction! Probably she would have said, “You have got the jewel from heaven, now go and hang it on your neck, don’t ever say such stupid and ridiculous things to me. What do you think? I don’t recognise a Rudraksha bead? Of course, wearing Rudraksha is good for health.”
By then the car had stopped in front of my gate. It was indeed Barman Sir. I almost rushed to him. Stepping out of the car Barman Sir patted me on my back and said, “Lucky boy, you are really great. Where is it ?”
“Please Sir, come in.”, I said.
Just at that moment, the electricity was restored.
“You have done a wonderful job, young man.”
“I am not getting you Sir.”
“You will.”, he said.
I showed him the way to my room and pointed out to the drinking glass with which I covered the substance.
“I did not touch it. Just covered it with the glass.”
Dr Barman’s eyes were almost goggling over the glass. He simply said, “Good, I appreciate your intelligence.” He took out from his coat pocket a small device of about six inches in length. I presumed it to be some sort of a sensor. With the help of the device he beamed rays into the substance. The device emitted some ‘Ti Ti...’ sound. Throwing a look at the tiny ball, he uttered – “Oh, highly positive.”
“What do you mean Sir? Is this ...?”
“Yes, yes, it’s a piece of meteorite, an asteroid.”
“An asteroid ?”
After hearing what he had said, I was in a fix what to do and what not to do. Quite unconsciously I said, “that means it is not a bead of Rudraksha, it is an asteroid itself.”
“What did you say just now? – A Rudraksha bead? Very interesting ! It indeed looks like a Rudraksha bead. A very beautiful name you have given to it.” Reading the hectic concerns in face, it became crystal clear to me that something really very serious had happened. He took out from his coat pocket a very neat and clean glass jar. He unplugged its lid and with utmost care he quickly handled the stone and immediately closed the lid.
“Sir, if you would not have asked me to watch the meteor shower in the morning, I would have surely missed it and I would have confused this meteoric stone to be a Rudraksha bead only.”
“I shall now straight away drive to my lab. This needs to be identified soon. Tomorrow morning you come to my lab. And listen, I am liking this name `Rudraksha’ very much.” Giving a smile he put the key in ignition and started his car.
Next day, the first thing in the morning I was looking for the ‘Rudraksha’ which my grandma gave to me long back. It was in a small oval shaped box. Picking up the box I just hurriedly pocketed it and went out for Dr Barman’s laboratory. Dr Barman was not in his chamber. His assistant informed me that he had gone to the Astrobiology Department and instructed me too to go there. Soon I reached the Astrobiology Department, by the time Dr Barman along with his scientist colleague Dr Mannan were just entering into the laboratory. Both of them were seen busy examining something with the help of a robotic arm inside the glass chamber. They were wearing personal protective coverall covering from head to toes. I used to see both of them working with such carefulness on earlier occasions also. Seeing them to be so busy I also began to think - were they suspecting a whole lot of things about the meteoric stone? Or else they might be finding some valuable elements like gold, diamond and the like in it.
In the walls outside the lab I was just taking a casual look of the various pictures and notes, which were kept inside specially designed glass frames. I was amazed to go through the notes below the pictures which read as:
“Any asteroid that enters into the earth’s atmosphere from the outer space does eventually carry with it unknown virus. It is quite possible that they may provide us clues about the origin and its existence of life in the universe.”
After reading the note I felt as if the last night’s happenings are crossing my mind like I used to see in a Bioscope in my childhood days. I concentrated on the second picture. It was a picture of meteor-shower. At the bottom of it, was written -
“Geminid Asteroids - as because they originate from the galaxy of Gemini, they are named Geminid asteroids. Every year meteor showers of these asteroids occur during 4-16 December. When the earth passes through the cloud of stones and dust particles left out in the space by the comet `Phithon 3200’, meteor shower occurs on the earth due to the gravitational pull of the planet Jupiter. This meteor shower is visible from any part of India. This laboratory undertakes research on asteroids.”
The third poster was about a picture of ‘Asteroid and DNA’ and written below was –
“Seeds of life in the Universe : The tiny particles of comet and tiny planets floating in the space may be the carriers of virus and bacteria that exists in the universe. Before touching the ground they enter into the earth’s atmosphere. These sorts of virus and bacteria can cause unknown diseases in human body and other living organisms even leading to pandemics. This laboratory undertakes research on bacteria and virus of the outer space.”
After reading these, I was immensely shaken. I set back on the sofa that was laid by the side. I was getting thirsty. I could realise why Dr Barman and Dr Mannan were becoming so serious. I looked at my hands. Had I not been cautioned at that time, I would have held the meteoric stone with my hand and carried it. All the sequences like I covering the meteoric piece with a drinking glass, Dr Barman very carefully transferring it to the jar and then carry it with him to his lab have once again flashed in my mind.
My mind suddenly longed for my dearest grandma. My grandma said, “In that same year in which all the people, your grandfather, your mother and father, your elder sister died of pandemic, there occurred showers of falling stars.”
“How did you escape the deadly pandemic grandma?”
Expressing a long sigh my grandma said, “If the God is with you, then who can destroy you?” Saying so she took out her hanchoti.
(Hanchoti – a piece of small and narrow cloth for keeping betel nuts and leaf that remains hanging from the waistband of rural womanfolk)
She untied the knot of her hanchoti and took out a tiny black oval box. With her thumb she pressed on it to open. From inside the tiny box she brought out a round object. She handed over the object to me and said, “This is a bead of Rudraksha. In the time of pandemic your grandfather gave it to me and asked me to wear it.”
“Grandma, from where did you get the tiny box?”
“This is not a box as you presumed it to be. This is a ‘Safura’. Your grandfather was a goldsmith. He made it with some rare materials. That is a very old story now. Now keep it with you. I have gifted it to you. It is yours now. I don’t know how much more I will live. My days have become countable now.”
I took out the Safura from my pocket and opened it. Taking out the Rudraksha bead I put it on my left palm. I was quite unaware of the presence of Dr Barman and Dr Mannan who were so long silently noticing me doing all these. Seeing the Rudraksha bead Dr Barman became astonished and inquisitively asked me, “One more Geminid or what? From where did you get it?”
“No Sir, not a Geminid, it’s a Rudraksha.”
“Where did you get it?”
“My grandma gave it to me”
“When?”
“About ten years ago, Sir.”
“Ten years ago ? Where is your grandma now?”
“She is no more, Sir.’’
“When did she die ?”
“Ten years ago exactly on 31st December. I still remember the date. Just 15 days before the death of my grandma, in the night sky there also occurred massive meteor-shower like the one we saw last night. My grandma died of pneumonia. Many people died of unknown diseases that year.” While telling this my voice became choked with emotion and I had difficulty in expressing.
Dr Barman held his sensor over the Rudraksha I was holding on my palm. Immediately the sensor emitted the same ‘Ti Ti...’ sound. To my utter surprise Dr Barman almost jumped two steps backward and cried aloud, “Geminid, Geminid...”
I was terribly awe-stricken looking at their frightened faces. And Dr Mannan swiftly pushed the face mask up to cover his nose.
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