A Pride of Lions
Extraordinary!
Despite the in-ordinary image the word creates in our minds, stumbling upon extraordinary events on any day is commonplace.
Allow me to prove this.
As I was writing this email, the TV news reported the story of a fifteen-year-old Indian girl who found herself in the media glare for a feat that her desire to survive compelled her to undertake.
The Covid lockdown forced her invalid father out of work. Caught in a city 1200kms from her home village, broke and with an unwell parent, she took the bold decision to return home, on a bicycle (since all public transport had stopped functioning and her father couldn’t walk due to ill-health).
Eating only when free food was available, this child endured hunger, the scorching heat of the Indian summer, exhaustion and countless other perils, and pedaled her father back home in about a week’s time.
I admit, adversity drove her actions, but if you stop to think, you will agree that we are surrounded by ordinary people accomplishing extraordinary feats driven by the most basic of all instructs, survival.
This week’s True Fiction is a toast to the extraordinary human spirit that always rises to the occasion. Let ‘A Pride of Lions’ bring you much joy and keep you on tenterhooks.
This edition of True Fiction is brought to you by The Rig Chronicles: The Secret of the Sudarshan
‘The Rig’ is a team of highly skilled intelligence operatives. One day, the team captain receives a threat call. That night, his boss is murdered.
The Ajayas are a society guided by Indian Mythology. Their latest plot could destroy the word order.
Is there a connection between the murder and the Ajayas’ evil plan?
When the two sworn enemies go head to head, what will triumph, tradition, or patriotism?
This fantasy thriller will transport you to the magical world of ancient Indian myths while keeping you firmly anchored in the modern Indian landscape. Read this one for the magic and the adrenaline rush.
With a rating of 4.7 /5 on Amazon, Siddhanta Bora’s The Rig Chronicles: The Secret of the Sudarshan comes highly recommended. Check it out here.
She eyed the clock for the umpteenth time. As an Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA), she handled the well being of women and children in the village. The moment she received the call from the house, she had rushed over. As soon as she arrived, she knew they could not wait.
The person she saw, a young woman in advanced stage of pregnancy, was about to go into labor. The nearest primary health care center was 18 kilometers away. Without wasting time, she called the ambulance. That had been about forty minutes ago.
It should have arrived by now.
As the clock struck 10:00 and the woman’s discomfort grew, the ambulance drove silently onto the street and stopped outside the house. The driver and the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) rushed indoor with the stretcher, as the woman’s father held the front door open.
Waving aside the stretcher, the mother-to-be offered to walk the few steps to the ambulance. Her mother and the ASHA worker approved. The ambulance driver and the EMT watched without commenting.
Both men were worried about something else.
Before starting out, they had received a warning from the forest department that lions had been sighted in the area. The route from the village to the nearest health center crossed through the parts that the lions had last been seen. Neither man felt that the young woman was in any condition to handle this development. So they kept mum and led her into the ambulance.
As soon as her mother and the ASHA worker had made her comfortable, the EMT jumped aboard and shut the door, waving to the driver to get going. They set off without delay.
The driver maneuvered the vehicle onto the dirt road that ran through the Gir lion sanctuary, said a prayer and hit the accelerator as hard as he dared. He kept the sirens off, but he had to keep the headlights on. Since this was a forest road, there were no streetlights, and the dim headlights were the only means to see the path ahead.
In the back, the woman’s contractions began. The EMT, who had been through many similar situations, held his nerve and reassured the woman that they would reach the doctor before the baby was ready to come out. She hadn’t reached the point where she could no longer hold back her screams of pain, and he was grateful for that. If she stayed quiet and the lions didn’t see their headlamps…. Hope painted blissful possibilities.
A hundred meters away, right in the middle of the dirt road, four ions stretched out as though basking in the sun. The alert driver spotted them and instantly killed the engine. Too late, the pride had seen his vehicle.
Suddenly the pregnant woman had a contraction, and she shouted in pain. A loud roar echoed in response. Everyone inside the ambulance went stock still.
Another roar, closer and louder this time, filled the air.
Without wasting time, the EMT jumped into action. No matter how the standoff with the lions ended, one thing was certain. They wouldn’t reach the hospital in time for the delivery. He dialed the gynecologist and apprised her of the situation. Then, putting the phone on speaker, he did as she instructed.
The woman would have to deliver her baby in the ambulance, the lions not objecting, of course.
Outside, the pride approached the ambulance. They listened every time a sound escaped from the rear and roared in response. Even the doctor who was miles away shivered at their loud repartee.
The young woman could not help herself. She tried to muffle her cries, but as the pain increased, so did the volume of her shouts. On the one hand, the doctor was giving her instructions, reassuring her that she was in capable hands, on the other hand, meters away giant carnivorous beasts prowled around her isolated vehicle. All kinds of scary images flashed across her eyes, but the most frightening of all was the thought of losing her child to the animals.
For twenty minutes, the scene replayed itself; the ambulance driver sitting still as stone watching every move the pride made, the woman’s mother praying to the Lord for mercy, the ASHA worker holding the young woman’s hand and encouraging her to push harder, the EMT scampering about to do the doctor’s bidding and the young mother-to-be fighting a losing battle to keep her cries subdued.
For twenty minutes, the lions stalked the ambulance, putting a paw here and letting off a roar there.
Then the cries of the newborn joined the cacophony of sounds in that deserted forest track. The lions listened to the fresh addition and then continued their stroll around the vehicle. Inside, the exhausted mother fell into a tired sleep, and the babe became quiet as well. The others sat still, praying for the lions to move on.
Five minutes of silence later, the ambulance drive saw them make their way into the foliage. He waited for a few more seconds until they were out of sight. Then, sending up a silent prayer of thanks, he started his vehicle once again.
If you thought that such a scene was right out of a poorly scripted movie, think again. Such incidents have happened in the Gir region more than once. Here are two occasions on which they were documented. May 2020 and June 2017
Spot the Deep Fake
From the following list, pick the ONLY fake fact
A. Cleopatra, one of the most famous Egyptian Queens, wasn’t Egyptian
B. Abraham Lincoln was a successful wrestler in his youth.
C. King George V was euthanized so that his death would be announced in the morning papers, instead of the evening editions
D. When informed that the poor were starving without bread, Mary Antoinette replied, ‘Let Them eat cake.’
Book Tok
As you know, a month ago, I released a brand new Special Forces Spy Thriller, Operation Turquoise. Are you among the wonderful readers who could not stop praising it? If you are then, you may find references to your words of appreciation in this Book Trailer. Thank you, Deepti Kulkari, for creating this spectacular trailer for Operation Turquoise.
While we are on the topic of spy thrillers, what is your favourite novel in this genre? What makes it extra special? Drop your replies in the comments below. I’m hoping to update my TBR with your recommendations.
Answer to Spot the Deep Fake
A. Cleopatra was of Macedonian decent and not Egyptian by origin. But the Egyptians loved her, if that’s any consolation.
B. In his youth, Abraham Lincoln was famous in his county for his wrestling skills. Grapple this!
C. According to a journal belonging to the physician of King George V, he administered morphine to the dying King to make his death painless and faster. He wanted the Royal passing announced in the morning papers instead of the less popular evening ones. Read the strange details here.
D. There is no evidence that Mary Antoinette ever made such a flippant remark. If you thought trolling was a modern art, think again.
It’s a wrap.
Until next time,
Happy Reading.