FLAME

The inferno was at its peak. 

Fanned by the strong winds it was raging. 

The tongues of the flame were dancing in leaps and bounds. 

It was everywhere.

Starting as a burst gas cylinder accident it already had the wooden structured bungalow with its fixture and furniture as manna.

Yellow, orange and blue flames leapt from different areas as the oxygen sucked into the scenes fuelled the appetite of its huge blazing belly. 

The fire brigade had not yet arrived.

People had formed a chain and cordoned off the fire scene. It was dangerous to enter.

Buckets of water were being passed around to try and quell off the flames.

It was an attempt resembling the first droplet of rainwater from a floating cloud falling onto the dry parched sands in a sun stroked burning desert.

The water just evaporated out taking the form of a steam fizz. 

The intensity of the flames was not reducing.

The house would be rendered to cinders. 

The house had been cleared of most of its inhabitants. 

Unfortunately, one kid had got left behind.

”Bachao -- koi tho mere munna ko Bachao”

In all the din, the shrieking shrill voice of the desperate wailing mother permeated all sounds and struck a chord.

Paramjeet sat drinking as he took in the scene and heard this call for help. 

Until now he was oblivious to his surroundings.

Now as his retina captured the fire scene outside there was another fire raging within him. He was bring engulfed in the flames of turmoil.

He could not make up his mind.

Yes-- He was physically there at the right place at the right time.

But --- was he mentally present.

At this stage, he knew he was inebriated.

Driving away from his inner fears he had decided.

He would take the leap of faith.

Drunkenly cradling his Yamaha he kick-started her and revved her up to noisy eardrum bursting vroom vroom.

        

                    

                --------///-------

Paramjeet was a fan of Sunil Dutt.

He was a kid when Mother India was released.

He had lapped up the story of how Sunil Dutt had saved Nargis life during a tragic accident on the sets of the movie.

During the shoot of a fire sequence, winds had changed direction and had gone haywire.

Realising that Nargis who was playing the role of his mother in the movie was trapped in the blazing fire, Sunil Dutt putting his own life at risk and without thinking of his safety jumped into the heart of the flames with a blanket and saved Nargis. 

She was saved but he was hospitalised with burn injuries.

As he recuperated they slowly fell in love.

These filmy flames had started a real classic love story leading to matrimony.

                    --------///-------

Paramjeet as a teenager learnt to ride a bike and slowly developing friendship with some road performers started presenting his act of leaping with his bike through the flaming ring of fire.

They were a travelling act and moved from village to village advertising and presenting the night show in tents pitched in open grounds.

His was the gobsmacking act.

Health and safety being the least of their worries it was a daredevil performance and people loved it.

People thronged to this act with family and friends making it a very profitable show for him and his associates.

In the middle of the ground, a ramp would be set up leading to a huge circular metallic frame.

The frame which was wrapped all around in rags soaked in kerosene would be lit up for the act -- flames and black smoke billowing from its skeleton 

The death-defying biker would rev up his engine and circle the small arena which had his ticket paying live viewers.

Whipped up to ecstasy they were pepped up and screaming their heads out prodding him to take the leap with their hails and shouts.

After a couple of rounds, he would approach the ramp and in full throttle speed up to its end flying into the circle of fire. 

Against the backdrop of the dark skies it was a visual treat. 

This spectacular act of fire, smoke and daredevil action always pumped up the viewer's adrenaline.

Paramjeet would glide safely on to the other side. 

Back on terra firma he would ride around once again collecting flower and money garlands and rounds of applause from well-wishers. 

As his act progressed his love life also progressed.

He fell in love with the very beautiful Madhu who assisted in his show.

She was the love of his life and they soon tied the knot to be a very lovey-dovey couple.

When she gave him the good news about her pregnancy he was on top of the world.

Unfortunately a few months into her pregnancy she was diagnosed with lymphosarcoma of the intestine.

Her health started deteriorating and he took her from pillar to post trying to treat her.

All the doctors and all the money that he had accumulated could not save her and she finally breathed her last in his arms.

His baby in her womb also could not be saved.

He never recovered from this separation and hit the bottle to try and forget his grief.

This drinking took a toll on him and after few months when he tried to get back to riding through the circle of fire the flames licked and injured him due to his lack of control of his bike. 

It left him a wreck and for his safety, his friends had to terminate the Circle of Fire roadshow.

This drove him to further depression and the vicious cycle of drinking more to come out of depression.

However, he could not forget his Madhu.

He had lost her and their kid.

He had to find and get them back in his life

He made a ’Vachan’ (promise)

He would find his Madhu and unite with them.

He was now an alcoholic but somehow managed to dangerously travel alone from one village to another on his bike in search of his Madhu.

It was in such a state that parking his bike outside this village alcohol den that he sat drinking and immersed in his thoughts of his Madhu.

He subconsciously heard the gas cylinder blast and hazily saw the tongues of flame from the far-away house.

What he heard next shook and brought him back to reality.

He felt he could hear his Madhu.

”Bachao -- koi tho mere munna ko Bachao”

                    

                   --------///-------

Revving up he throttled his bike and dashed unsteadily towards the fire. 

The cordon of people gave way as they saw this madman wavering on a bike approach them on speed.

He vroomed past them straight through the flaming door of the house.

Riding through room after room he suddenly heard the child's scream.

Viewing through the daze of his alcohol and also the fire smokescreen he saw crawled and trapped under a bed a small crying boy.

The mattress was in flames and the wooden post was smouldering around the kid.

Dropping the running bike on the floor he somehow managed to crawl under the bed framework and pull out the kid.

He himself got badly hurt and burnt in the process.

Removing his shirt he clasped the boy around his body and used his shirt to tie him up tightly to his torso.

Picking up and straddling his Yamaha he was now the Sunil Dutt saving his Nargis through the wall of fire.

He was the also the  daredevil rider, back in his arena and he could feel the shouts and cry of his viewer fans.

Making a U-Turn he revved and got ready to make his leap.

Vrooming he burst through the deathly flames of the house and once through into the open he skidded down where the fire fighting villagers were gathered.

They hurriedly unknotted the shirt and united the kid with the ever grateful mother.

The child was hurt with few burns but safe and alive.

Besides his bike, Paramjeet lay crumpled - a deathly sight.

He had a cracked skull and a dislocated shoulder.

He was bleeding and bruised.

As he breathed his last villagers saw a smile creep into his face.

On his death bed Parmjeet remembered his hero’s words -- Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye.

He had fulfilled his VACHAN as he had now found and would be united with his Madhu.

The flames could not stop him.