Sunday, November 4, 2007

All of a Sudden


Kal ka din aur dino jaisa hi tha. Humne The Last Emperor aur Farewell My Concubine dekhi. Julia hume Hsin Kuang lunch ke liye le gayi theen. As usual people ordered for manchurian and American chopsuey. Thank God Julia completely rejected the idea of American Chopsuey in a Chinese restaurant. Anyways we ordered for some shrimps with mushrooms and vegetables(my choice and I ended up eating it the most). Rest of the food was as per what everybody else wanted. Some really Gory vermilion sauce which was thick with the kilos of cornflour in it. Well I cleverly ate what I ordered for.
I had a late evening and was hoping for my plans to go buy a dress for Diwali do not get ruined again. As I was getting own from the rickshaw, guard chacha told the driver chacha that emergency has been declared. I was scared and confused and lost apart from being upset about being unaware of what was happening around me. what does that mean. what will happen in an emergency. I saw Suraiya sitting the in the warden's room. That meant that there was something serious happening.
In a few minutes I got ready to go to the market and as I stepped out of the room Noor forbidded me to step out of the hostel, though she was getting ready to go to a party. I wondered why. I was relly scared by now. suddenly some girl announced that the news channels have been cut and the internet and phone lines will be soon cut too. I had by this time somehow managed to convinve Azra to come with me to the market. I tried to show that I was not scared. I sent a mail to Ali, Ma and Papa informing that I was safe and sound.
We stepped out, me scared but not showing and Azra scared but comforting me that nothing will happen.
We walked till the market and what do we see? There was no difference. I was hoping to see the fear on people's faces but everybody appeared as if nothing had happened. In a minute I also forgot that there was something like this that happened. After succeeding in what I had come here for and making note of the palcement of shops, we hurried back to the hotel. We didn't want to miss dinner.
Th warden was serious and told us not to step out just like that. The lost fear was suddenly found. I called up papa and pap toild me to do what salima hasmi would ask us to do. He also asked me to keep my baggage ready, just in case they asked us to leave the country.
I was a reality blow. Could that really happen? I even dreamt later that night that I had been sent back to Bangelore. Luckily for me it was only a dream.

I was still in Lahore and I still am.
Allah ka shukr hai!

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