I found out later that over thirty thousand people lost their lives. That is a
stadium full of people. In Bhuj, ninety per cent of homes were destroyed. Schools
and hospitals flattened to the ground. Overall in Gujarat, the quake damaged a
million structures. One of those million structures included my future shop. In
the large scheme of things, my loss was statistically irrelevant. In the narrow,
selfish scheme of things, I suffered the most. The old city fared better than the
new city. Somehow our grandfathers believed in cement more than the new mall
owners.
Compared to Gujarat, Ahmedabad had better luck, the Ty channels said. The
new city lost only fifty multi-storey buildings, They said only a few hundred
people died in Ahmedabad compared to tens of thousands elsewhere. It is funny
when hundreds of people dying is tagged with 'only'. Each of those people would
have had families, and hopes and aspirations all shattered in forty five seconds.
But that is how maths works - compared to thirty thousand, hundreds is a
rounding error.
★
I had not left home for a week. For the first three days I had burning fever, and
for the next four my body felt stone cold.
'Your fever is gone.' Dr Verma checked my pulse.
I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
'You haven't gone to the shop?'
I shook my head, still horizontal on bed.
'I didn't expect this from you. You have heard of Navaldharis Dr Verma said.
I kept quiet.
'You can talk. I haven't put a thermometer in your mouth.' 'No, who are they?'
'Navaldharis is a hardcore entrepreneur community in Gujarat Everyone there
does business. And they say, a true Navaldhari businessman is one who can rise
after being razed to the ground nine times.'
'I am in debt, Doctor. I lost more money in one stroke than my business ever
earned.'
There is no businessman in this world who has never lost money. There is no
one who has learnt to ride a bicycle without falling off. There is no one who has
loved without getting hurt. It's all part of the game.' Dr Verma shrugged.
'I'm scared,' I said, turning my face to the wall. 'Stop talking like middle-class
parents. So scared of losing money, they want their kids to serve others all their
lives to get a safe salary.'
'I have lost a lot.'
'Yes, but age is on your side. You are young, you will earn It all back. You have
no kids to feed, you have no household to maintain. And the other thing is, you
have seen less money. You an live without it.'
I don't feel like doing anything. This earthquake, why did this liappen? Do you
know our school is now a refugee camp?'
'Yes, and what are the refugees doing? Lying in bed or trying to recover?'
I tuned out the doctor. Everyone around me was giving me advice, good advice
actually. But I was in no mood to listen. I was in no mood for anything. The
shop? It would remain closed for a week more. Who would buy sports stuff after
an earthquake?
'Hope to see you out of bed tomorrow,' Dr Verma said and left. The clock
showed three in the afternoon. I kept staring at it until four.
avery
(avery)
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