19

The other day, Pune police found the body of a man brutally murdered, with injuries on the head, on an open space near a hospital where he worked as a housekeeping staff. Or, shall we call him a boy, since he was all of 19? And I was thinking, this boy, at 19, had done everything he possibly could, given the circumstances, and now, he’s dead. Now, that’s what you call living life on the fast lane.

(And I’m 35, and what have I done?)

So, here’s a criminal in police records. He had six offences, including a body offence, registered with a police station in Mumbai. The scene was so bad that he was externed from the jurisdiction of Mumbai. He came to Pune, got married, got a job, and settled down in a small-time job. He was all of 19. Now, he’s dead.

The other day, while leaving his job with his wife, who also worked in the same place, he met a man, an acquaintance from the Mumbai days. Perhaps there were animosity before, but it was all forgotten now. The other man invited our 19-year-old for a party; the reason being, the man had got his salary and he was in a mood to celebrate. The 19-year-old agreed. He told his wife to go home, and said that he’d follow her in a while. When he did not turn up till late night, she called his cellphone. It was switched off. The morning found her at the police station. By then, however, everything was over. And, he was all of 19.

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On an unrelated note, British singer Adele released her first album at the age of 19, called, what else, ‘19.’