The streets of this plateau land wore a desolate look on a weekday afternoon. Yes, on a Thursday afternoon, the 30th of September, 2010, Hyderabad almost slipped into a slumber for reasons that seemed ridiculously trivial to me. The day was otherwise special as it was my dad’s birthday and I wanted to get a cake for him to rid myself from the guilt of not baking one at home.
Stepping out of the office at mid-day was an experience of its kind. Hundreds of people were stranded on roads, some huddled near a parked auto or two without any owner in the vicinity while the luckier lot with vehicles of their own preferred to whiz past the huddling crowd to reach the safety of their homes. This was a rare sight for me and indeed an intimidating one… I wanted to abandon the thought of having to go 2 kilometers to get a Birthday cake for my dear daddy.
This was the first time in 3 years that I witnessed such a scene in my city… and all because of a verdict awaited at a place some 1267 kilometers away from here. The fear of communal violence breaking out loomed large in people’s faces. After all, it was the verdict on the sacred birth land of Shri Ram!!
Well, nothing untoward was reported after the verdict was passed. And, I too could somehow rid myself from the guilt of not baking a cake at home. But, that afternoon has left an indelible mark in my mind that often makes me question the kind of secularism my country has.
