Tales of Decapitation...
It was late in the evening on a hot summer day in May. I was in a market in Rampur in Western UP. Already most of the shops were closed and the remaining ones were preparing to call it a day. The heat of the summer afternoon had given way to a dust storm so strong that the people were forced to take shelter inside shops and pull down the shutters. Sand from ongoing constructions was being blown in waves across the road even as new waves of dust were swept along from the country-side. The commuters on bikes, unable to continue in the wind, had parked their bikes on the sides and were standing cautiously along the roadside wary of trees and electricity poles that might come down with the wind. As is expected in UP, the electricity board had cut off the electricity and except for light from some inverters, it was all dark and dusty. Most people, like me, had taken shelter inside any open shop or restaurant, waiting for the storm to abate.
A man, undaunted by the storm, passed up by in a car. The bellowing sand, as it shone in the headlights of the car, gave the moment an eerie feel. It was a brave attempt, considering that the storm was blowing up sudden bursts of sand that caused visibility to reduce suddenly. Moreover, the advertisement hoardings, now lining the roads in plenty, and the tin roofs still found on old houses and road side shanties, could become airborne and come flying out from nowhere, sometimes with enough precision to split the body in two. And it was this thought that sparked off the conversation...
One man told that many years ago, on a similar night, a man who had recklessly dared to ride his bike in the storm and was perhaps blinded by the dust, did not notice the truck carrying corrugated metal sheets ahead of him, and rode into the metal sheets that were hanging out, severing his neck. The bike not yet disbalanced, the body still being warm and upright, continued on the road for some distance. Another truck driver, coming from the opposite side, saw a headless man on a bike coming his way, lost his wits and smashed his truck into a tree...
This stimulated the appetite of the group and another man told of an instance when a man's throat was cut by a knife by some vandals but his head came and settled back in its position. This man continued his work as normal, and it was only when he lifted his head during a break to have a cold drink that his head finally fell back and the coke, now mixed with blood, starting bubbling out his severed esophagus...
I also knew a tale, albeit not as exciting as the others but different in that it happened to be true. So i joined in and here's how the tale went.
One Omni driver once took his head out the window to spit out gutkha (tobacco juice) while driving, like he had done thousands of time before, and then his co-passenger noticed the vehicle wavering on the road. When he nudged the driver to drive properly, he saw what seemed to be human brains on the window glass behind the driver. Apparently, the driver's brains had been blown off by a passing vehicle while he was spitting the tobacco juice...
The storm had abated by this time, and we dispersed from our shelter. I made my way, reminding myself that one who is destined to be drowned shall not be put to the gallows.
And anyways, one need not fear losing, that which has already been lost...
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