Abhijeet
had made up his mind to join Life Biotech, and this time as he walked into the Life
Biotech tower, his stride was more confident. He had been contemplating joining
the organization weighing out other job prospects. He originally hailed from a
village near Noida and shifting to Panchkula had looked difficult.
But
the salary package was good enough to outweigh every other offer he had at
hand. He had spoken to his school buddy Sanjog, who lived here and was
convinced that it would be a good organization to work with. That the city
smelled and looked great would be an added advantage.
He finished his joining formalities and walked out feeling
rather proud of his decision and couldn’t wait to let his wife Sahana in on the
good news. He couldn’t wait to enter the research lab and do what he had always
dreamt of doing. He would have a discovery of his own one day and have an
exclusive patent in his name. The world
famous scientist Abhijeet Sharma!
***********
For the first time in 28 years, Abhijeet felt like a free
man. His mother had worked at a garment factory and his father was a taxi
driver. He was fortunate enough to be sent to the government school at Rampur village near
Greater Noida. Abhijeet had been a bright boy, always topping his class.
Studying in a government school had never been a setback for a boy of his
caliber, and he had been quick to learn the subjects. There was a fire that raged
within him, a hunger to achieve, to free himself of his humble background.
His teachers had been proud of him. The local MLA had
magnanimously offered to finance Abhijeet’s higher education if he wanted to study
further. Step by step, Abhijeet had climbed the ladder of education and had
completed his B.Pharma degree and his M.Pharma in pharmacology.
He walked into his office wearing starched new clothes and
a white lab coat, looking every inch the scientist he had come here to be. He
was ushered into Mr. Narayan’s chamber and they got busy with the various work related
technicalities.
He was taken for a tour of the whole building upto the 4th
floor. He wondered what was beyond it, the tower seemed to be eight floors
tall. The research units had a 3 door entry where they got sanitized and
disinfected and changed clothes and wore protective gear to avoid any
contamination and infection. He did not even have enough time to have lunch,
not that he minded.
************
It was almost 6 months since his joining and Sahana had been
complaining that he had been so busy with his work that he not even bothered to
go on an outing with her.
“I know of a lovely place,” she said animatedly, “Morni
hills. Shall we go there for the weekend?”
They drove to Morni hills in their brand new car and spent
the day loafing around the place. Among the spurs of the hills were two lakes
and a hill divided the lakes, but locals said there was a hidden channel or
tunnel as the level of waters in the two lakes remained the same.
Abhijeet and Sahana had reached one end of the hidden
tunnel, and Abhijeet suggested that they venture in and swim across to the
other end. Sahana was not as enterprising and suggested they race instead, she over
the hill and he through the tunnel.
“Let’s see who reaches the other side first,” she winked.
“Ok then, let’s start.”
Sahana climbed up the hill slowly and steadily and Abhijeet
entered the tunnel. There were very few people inside, hardly 4 or 5. It got
darker as he waded through the waters and that is when he felt a gentle tap on
his shoulder. He couldn’t see who it was and he felt a stranger tap him gently
on his shoulders.
“Hello Abhijeet.”
