Monday, November 08, 2010

Lost and Found

Long, long ago...when I just started to walk, and maybe when I realized that my legs could actually take me wherever I please...my life played out like a nightmare.

My dad was deputed on the auditing job, so we literally travelled country-wide back then - Dad, mom, my sis, and myself. It was some place in Andhra Pradesh, if I remember right. We didn't know the local language (Telugu). Dad & Mom managed with English and the spatter of Hindi they knew.

It was just a week in this new place. My mom gave me an oil massage and left me for maybe about 5 minutes to get some hot water for the bath. Meanwhile, I ventured out of the bathroom. Reached the gate, opened the lock and wandered about the entrance (Not sure what exactly happened here, because this is a third person account that I am relating here).

Our milk-maid was walking down our lane to deliver milk at our house, when she saw this stranger carrying me and walking in the opposite direction. He didn't look related to us and she'd never seen him in the vicinity before. By instinct, she realized there was something wrong. She immediately approached him and enquired who he was, how he was related to me and where he was headed with me in his arms...He muttered something under his breath, but was visibly shaken. She threatened to report him to the police unless he handed me over to her immediately. He couldn't get himself to say anything, since this must have been something he had least expected. He thought he could get away scotfree. He did eventually. But at least he was frightened enough to put me down and make his escape while he could.

Back at home, my mom was all anxious and wondering where I had vanished. Her eyes were welling with tears and flooding down her cheeks. She didn't know what to do. The Bank Manager came down and consoled her saying they'd do everything they could to help find me. And then, the milk-maid made a grand entry, with me in her arms. She narrated the whole incident.

I was lost and found. It was a miracle indeed. My angel in disguise! I still wonder what would have happened to me if the milk-maid hadn't come there that very moment . He would have probably whisked me away, given me a begging bowl and sent me out in the streets to beg. It's big business I hear. It happens, really! Hundreds of children are, this very moment. It's sad, but it's the truth. Wish we could do something to stop this horrendous crime!

40 comments:

Gayatri said...

- This blog gave me the shivers..
- God Bless the Milk-maid
- Lately I have been hearing so many cases of kids being kidnapped for money :(...ways of making fast money ...totally scary *shudder*
- I guess we need to be aware and attentive of what's happening around us (like the milk-maid in ur case) and react immediately in such situations..if ur rite u've saved a family ..and if ur wrong its still a happy ending

radha said...

That was scary!

Jon said...

Totally agree to Gayathri...just imagine a blogger witha begging bowl!!!

Unknown said...

Oh my! That was close.

That milk-maid changed (or may be rewrote) your destiny. A honest lady indeed. Makes me remember about the story of Sunil Gavaskar, who had experienced (or may be too young to experience), something similar. A missed-by-whisker lost and found kid he was.

See, that is one trouble with the packaged milk; we don’t have milk-maids anymore.

Anonymous said...

I got goosebumps while reading this... No child deserves to fall into wrong hands. Thank God you were saved in the nick of time...

~G said...

Oh my god! Reminded me of that wicked looking guy in Slumdog Millionaire. But very scary indeed. God bless the maid and I applaud her presence of mind.
Phew!

~G said...

And I like the line.. "I'm on my knees, begging you please..."
:D
I mostly hold a gun to people's head for comments. Anything for seeing those comments on our blog no? :):)

Shilpa Garg said...

OMG!! Thank God for sending the milk maid at the right time!! :)

dr.antony said...

Wow..that is a real story. Scary.
Dont ever think about what would have happened.You were destined to be a blogger!

Kavita Saharia said...

I got goosebumps reading this RGB !God bless that milk-maid for appearing at the right time and doing the right thing .TC :):)

Insignia said...

Oh God! That was scary. Blessed be the milk-maid.

Balachandran V said...

Gawd! RGB,you almost had me jumping into the computer and come running after you! Seriously!

Life is really made up of coincidences, isn't it?

Nethra said...

It seems that even I had kinda same experience except for I went to my aunt's place on my own that was 2 streets away from my place and I was just 1yr old. And I'm glad that you didn't end up with that thief guy. :)

Ire said...

God bless that milk-maid!

Kavi said...

My goodness !! What a scare !!

Sometimes its just too difficult to imagine what could have been !!

SY said...

Wow... you are so lucky.. It's great that you had someone looking out for you.. that creepy S.O.B. I hope that somehow the universe has stopped him from getting away with that with anyone else...

I am like enraged now... otherwise that was a great post :)

peace

walk2write said...

What a frightening story! Wouldn't it be wonderful if the milkmaid saw it now and realized what a blessing she bestowed upon you and your family with her simple act of kindness and the courage to confront that man? A lifetime of blessings.

sm said...

good
interesting story

Nona said...

Shocking! All elders have scared us giving these kind of stories. This is the first time I'm meeting someone who has nearly escaped from being a victim. Speechless!

Anonymous said...

That is a scary thing to happen. And it happens a lot! Angels in disguise are walking around everywhere. It just shows that we need to be nice to everyone, don't know when we might need their help. :)

Tomz said...

Oh..my god ..that was too close..if the Milkmaid dint have that instinct, today we could nt have read 'This n' That'

Rachna said...

Wow, great end and scary story. I was lost once in childhood too, but noone took me away. I just wandered away from the house all lost. And a good sabziwala actually went around shouting that someone's son is lost. I had boy-cut hair and was dressed in shorts and a shirt. I was around 3ish. So, this guy turned out to be nice or else I would be a sabziwali today!

Unknown said...

luckily i have never been lost..on a funnier note,mom says,even if a person kinapps me, we will come back and leave me at home..cauz its quite a task to manage a prankster like me..:P

Anonymous said...

I would have missed this blog.






TD

The Holy Lama said...

Thank God, you were returned. You see, I don't like tall beggars:D

Bikram said...

wow is there anything that you did not experience :)

oh boy now that would take some thinking if you were not found..

But glad you got found, and you are here and we are reading these interesting things that happened in your life :)
thank you

Bikram

RGB said...

First things first. I'm honoured by the instant response on this blog by my many blogger friends. It's the first time since I started blogging that I received 26comments within 24 hours of publishing the post. So thanks guys! It's truly encouraging :)

Sandhya said...

It is really scary, even now, after reading this post and knowing that you had been returned safely.

Yes, these things happen in reality too!

God bless you!

Destiny's child... said...

RGB, now you know for real, people just love sensation! ;)
On a serious note, thank God you were restored.
*struggling to maintain a straight face thinking of our traffic signal joke on this incident*

RGB said...

@ Gayatri,
Scary indeed! I guess I was lucky. Can't imagine what would have happened if the milkmaid wasn't there that very moment. Agree with you, we got to be more aware of our neighbourhood to identify strangers and report them if found suspicious.

@ radha,
Very, very.

@ Jon,
Beggar with a begging bowl, couldn't have been a blogger then ;D

@ sreejith thampi,
Guess all famous people (ahem!) had a close brush with fate in childhood, but destiny chose to be kind instead :) God bless the milkmaid! Yeah, we're living in an area where things are ordered off the net, that soon we will have no contact with real people, living in our virtual world!

RGB said...

@ Choco,
Yeah, wish people who live by hook or crook realize that and try and earn a living by hardwork instead! My milkmaid was a Godsend.

@ ~G,
God perhaps had something better in store for me and chose the milkmaid to rescue me. And for the comments, yes I'm all out for the alms, coz I'm a poor-poor 'blogger' (rhymes with 'begger' doesn't it!).

@ Shilpa Garg,
Thank God! And God bless the milk-maid. Wonder where she is and what she does now!

@ dr antony,
Yeah, guess my destiny was to be what I am now. And to blog and find such wonderful blogger friends :)

RGB said...

@ kavita,
Yeah, the milk-maid had some presence of mind to tackle that situation and rescue me from that mean 'kidnapper'. Thank God for that!

@ Insignia,
Guess I'm blessed. The milk-maid must have been my 'guardian angel' in disguise!

@ Balachandran V,
I still shiver just thinking what would have been, if not for the milkmaid. God proposes, man disposes!

@ Nethra,
You ventured out on your own, two streets away, when you were just 1? Lucky you landed safe at your aunt's place! Yeah, me lucky too :)

RGB said...

@ Nikita Bannerjee,
Welcome to my blog. Yeah, every time I think of the incident, I send up a prayer (of gratitude) for the milk-maid.

@ kavi,
Yeah, just glad that I am here and well.

@ SY,
Thanks for stopping by. Yeah,perhaps God had other plans for me. But I'm quite sure that the 'kidnapper' must have received his punishment in some form or the other!

@ walk2write,
Yeah, a lifetime of blessings indeed. I would love to know where the milkmaid is now, if she remembers this incident (her act of courage) and how she would react when she sees me now, more than 32 years after!

RGB said...

@ sm,
Thank you :)

@ nona,
Yes, a real life story. And boy, am I glad to have escaped his clutches! God bless the milkmaid and other such kind souls.

@ Jyothi,
Agree. For instant gain and selfish pursuits, people tend to forget that we are all social beings and need each other's help to keep going!

@ Tomz,
Yeah, so here's this special tribute on 'This n That' to the angel who rescued me!

RGB said...

@ Rachna,
Ha, ha...sabziwali...imagine that! God bless the milkmaid, God bless the sabziwala!

@ Madhu,
Ah, I can imagine that! I would probably say the same thing to my 2year who is a handful!

@ TD,
Lost and found, huh?

@ The Holy Lama,
I would have perhaps become rich (a 'model' beggar) and got an entry into the guiness book of world records - for being the tallest beggar! hee hee;D

RGB said...

@ Bikramjit,
I'm glad too, that I am what I am now! And thanks for being a part of my experiences, by reading my posts and commenting :)

@ Sandhya,
Guess I was fortunate. And the incident reminds me to make good use of the life given to me. God bless the milkmaid!

@ Destiny's child,
That would have been a sight indeed. A tall beggar, crooning 'pardesi, pardesi....' with guitar in one hand and becky with leaky nose in the other...ha, ha!

R. Ramesh said...

thanks ya

Chapters From My Life said...

We all tend to believe that all living creatures walking on two legs having hair on their heads and two eyes in front of their face are humans.. How wrong we are. Actually there are many demons dwelling amongst us in human disguise.
Begging would not be the worst thing that could happen to a naked oily little girl who got kidnapped.
I cannot imagine the horror of parents who loose their little girls ...
spank yourself on my behalf for the momentary sorrow you caused your parents.

Destiny's child... said...

ROFL :D

RGB said...

@ Farila,
Very true. Wonder why humans resort to such crimes and can't live a hard-earned life instead. OK, here...spanked myself for causing that temporary grief ;)