Kartikeya is 42 and works as a Taluq officer in a government department. His wife, Karunima, is a homemaker, and his son, Kamaleshwar, is a college student.

Kartikeya's office deals with various records about people. It gets the records from the concerned village officers. He issues certificates based on these reports. Sometimes, his higher-ups influence him to issue certificates to the undeserving.

*

A complaint was made against Kartikeya on one such issue. An internal enquiry committee of three members was appointed to address the complaint. Kartikeya feared the consequences, though the higher-ups assured him they would save him from the problem. But he was suspended prima facie until further orders.

Kartikeya came home with the suspension order and wept that day. Karunima advised him to meet the officers, at whose insistence he initiated the certificate.

He met all of them, and everyone told him to face the enquiry committee. They promised he would come clean about the issue and get his job, but Kartikeya was worried.

*

The next day morning, he felt severe pain in the heart and informed Karunima. She and their son Kamaleshwar took him to a hospital. At the hospital, they tested and found out he had a heart attack. He was admitted to the ICU. He was put on a mechanical ventilator till further tests.

The doctors prepared for his bypass surgery. The hospital staff informed Karunima of the same. She prayed to God to save him. The nursing staff changed his dress to an operation theatre dress.

While this process was going on, Kartikeya lost his consciousness. The nursing staff called the specialists to test him. The team of doctors tested him and declared that he had gone into a coma. They continued his mechanical ventilation and postponed his bypass surgery.

The doctors told Karunima that "They will take up his bypass surgery only after his recovery from coma."

Karunima and  Kamaleshwar had no option but to wait as per doctors' advice. Kartikeya was under the doctors' care. Karunima and Kamaleshwar attended the hospital in turns.

*

Kartikeya is 5 ft 7 inches tall, 65 kg in weight, and slim. He gets up at 6 a.m., takes tea after brushing, walks for thirty minutes, bathes, meditates for 45 minutes, and has breakfast at their dining table with four foldable steel chairs. By then, his son Kamaleshwar leaves for college with his lunch box. Karunima joins him for breakfast.

He wears a half-hands shirt over his pants. He keeps a pen in the shirt pocket and a purse in the pants' back pocket. He wears leather chappals and goes to the office on a scooter. He carries his lunch box containing rice, curries, and curd. There will be a plate in his table drawer for eating. The attendee will clean the dishes. He returns home on his scooter after office hours. He did not learn to drive a car, as he felt it was unnecessary. He moves occasionally with colleagues or friends.

Kamaleshwar goes to college by the college bus and returns by the same. Kamaleshwar is brilliant in his studies and always in the top five of the class. Kartikeya gave him an old phone with only a talking facility.

Kartikeya gives his wife his monthly salary. She maintains all house expenditures and deposits some money in the post office savings deposit scheme. Karunima pays Kartikeya some amount for his pocket expenses.

*

Another patient, Modugula Kumar, was in the ICU when Kartikeya was admitted. Kartikeya was given a bed beside Modugula Kumar’s. Modugula Kumar was admitted to the ICU last week. The group of doctors were struggling to save Modugula Kumar. He had a heart attack.  The doctors did bypass surgery. After two days, he developed a breathing problem. The doctors told his wife, Samyukta, that his survival chances were less. The doctors were treating him for heart blockages. Modugula Kumar was unable to breathe with the ventilator.

He breathed his last before the group of doctors. The doctors informed the same to Samyukta and said, "They would hand over the body after all hospital formalities and the death certificate." The body was covered with white cloth and kept on the same bed in the ICU ward and cordoned off from other patients.  

It took two hours to complete all the hospital's formalities regarding the death certificate, bill clearance, and insurance claim payment. Modugula Kumar's son, Dev Kumar, cleared all the bills. Then, the male helpers were informed to deliver the body to Samyukta. The helpers tried to shift the body onto the stretcher and to the Ambulance waiting outside the hospital. Samyukta and Dev Kumar were by the side of the body.

*

When the helpers were about to lift the body from the ICU bed, they sensed movement in the body. They uncovered the face of the body. To their surprise, they found his eyes open, and he signaled for water. Astonished, Samyukta shouted, "My husband is alive. Doctors, please come and help." The helpers ran to call the doctors.

Meanwhile, the duty doctor and the nursing staff of the ICU came running and found Modugula Kumar alive. Everyone in the ICU was surprised. The duty doctor tested him and found his heart function normal. He immediately informed all the specialists who had earlier declared Modugula Kumar dead. All the Doctors at the hospital came and tested and were surprised at this happening. They said it was a miracle. Samyukta and Dev Kumar thanked God for Modugula Kumar's survival.

The doctors disbelieved his return to life and kept Modugula Kumar in the ICU for two days. They further investigated, conducted all the tests, found him in good health, and discharged him. During these two days in the ICU, he moved around the ward beds, talking to other patients. He frequently asked nursing staff to check his blood pressure and temperature. He attended to nature calls independently.

Modugula Kumar behaved as if nothing had happened to him. The doctors, the nursing staff, and the patients were surprised at his behaviour change. Samyukta and Dev Kumar thought he was happy about his relief from all the diseases.

*

After his discharge, he went home with his wife and son. His house was in a posh neighbourhood of the city, about 3000 sq. ft. built-up area on a half-acre of land. It was on three floors with a porch. The stilt floor had rooms for attendees and a waiting room for drivers—a lift connected all the floors. Every floor had two bedrooms and a hall. There was a 70-inch TV in every bedroom.

Samyukta stayed in the ground-floor bedroom, Modugula on the first floor, and their son on the second floor.

Several attendees and maids attended to cooking, purchasing daily necessities, housekeeping, watering, and plant maintenance, and attending to guests.

Modugula Kumar and Dev Kumar's vehicles were parked under the portico, and Samyukta's vehicle was on the stilt floor. Samyukta and Modugula had drivers, and Dev Kumar drove his car.

Modugula Kumar was 5 ft 2 inches tall and  75 kg in weight, with a projecting belly and a half-bald head. He was brownish black, with a short nose, small eyes, and a broad forehead.   He dresses with a full-hand white handloom shirt folded just above the wrist and wears a white handloom pant. The shirt is transparent so that his inner upper body wear (banian) is visible through the shirt.

*

On arrival at home, the maidservants arranged for Harathi. They applied Kumkum to Modugula Kumar's forehead and asked him to put his right foot first and then enter the house. He went inside and sat on the sofa.

Samyukta said, "You better rest in your bedroom. I will send tea and biscuits to you." With these words, Samyukta left him to take a bath and freshen up.

Modugula Kumar did not move from his sofa. Then a maidservant, Santoshi, said, "Sir, we will go to your room." She approached him, put her hand around his waist, and walked up to the lift and then to his bedroom on the first floor."

Santoshi was 25, whitish, slim, tall, beautiful, and unmarried. She had been working here since she lost her parents in an accident. She looked after Modugula Kumar's day and night requirements.

*

When she put her hand on his waist, Modugula Kumar was surprised and uneasy. He tried to remove her hand, but she resisted. On entering the bedroom, Santoshi hugged and kissed him. He wanted to distance himself from her. She felt a change in Modugula Kumar's behaviour. Earlier, before his hospitalization,  whenever they were together in the bedroom, he hugged and kissed her. She thought he must not be well. She asked him to take a hot water head bath. She prepared for the sesame oil body massage before the head bath. When she entered the bathroom with him, he was amazed at her behaviour and politely said, "I do not need a massage, and she can leave."

She looked at him astonishingly and said, "Sir, what is your problem? You were close to me earlier, and now you are behaving differently. I am leaving, and you take hot water and a head bath. I will keep your dress ready."

Modugula Kumar and  Samyukta had dinner and went to their rooms that night. Dev Kumar did not turn up.

Modugula asked  Samyukta about Dev Kumar. She said he was studying with his friends and would have dinner with them.

*

But Dev Kumar was busy in a pub with girlfriends. He came at about 3 a.m. and got up at 11 a.m. His routine was different. Every night, the pub owner sent a driver to drop him at home, as he was in an inebriated state.

Samyukta gets up at 5 a.m., takes a bath, does pooja, meditates for an hour, and instructs the staff on what to prepare for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Samyukta, a civil engineering graduate from an orthodox family, came with many hopes for life with marriage. After two years of their married life, Dev Kumar was born. When she went to her parent's house for care during and after pregnancy, his behaviour completely changed. She got anguished at his behaviour and told him not to touch her with his polluted body and mind. Since then, they have lived in the same house in separate rooms, and she did not bother about his movements.

*

Modugula Kumar's routine was to get up at 8 a.m., get ready, go to the office at 10 a.m., come for lunch, take a nap, get up at 4 p.m., and go to the office again.

Modugula Kumar was in the real estate business, constructing multi-storeyed buildings in the city. Vinod Kumar was his partner in the company and his friend from high school.

He and Vinod Kumar discussed flat deals with customers and finalized them. At night, they had drinks and biryani and went home. Santoshi would be waiting for him at home.

At about 6 p.m., when no customers and all the office staff left, Modugula Kumar prepared to leave for home. Vinod Kumar was surprised. Earlier, Modugula was the first to order snacks and open the whisky bottle. Today, he is going home.

*

Vinod Kumar asked, "What is the problem?" Modugula Kumar said, "I do not drink."

Vinod Kumar said, "Why do you bluff? You were drinking every day before hospitalization, and today, I could not believe your words. It is surprising for me."

Vinod Kumar noticed Modugula Kumar's change in behaviour. While dealing with clients, Modugula Kumar is flexible with transaction amounts and payment terms. He said today's clients are tomorrow's friends, so let us not be stringent with them. This thinking was quite opposite to earlier thinking before his hospitalisation. His friend thought the change was due to hospitalisation.

*

To everyone's surprise, Modugula Kumar came home at 7 p.m. He was normal, without any signs of alcohol drinking, and went to his bedroom, bathed, came to the ground floor, sat on the sofa, switched on the TV, and watched  BBC news. He asked his wife  Samyukta to come, sit, watch the news, and understand international happenings and the war between Ukraine and Russia. She never thought of these happenings in other countries. She was only watching some TV serials. Today, Modugula Kumar exposed her to world affairs. Earlier, he never watched TV at home or with Samyukta. This was a new behaviour of Modugula Kumar for her.

She told the maids to prepare dinner for him. He said, "I will only take two chapatis with a vegetarian curry, followed by a cup of milk with Horlicks."

When Santoshi came to serve, he asked her to keep away and asked  Samyukta to serve.

Samyukta thought there was a complete transformation in Modugula Kumar.

Santoshi left into the kitchen.

That night, Santoshi came to his bedroom. He politely told her, "Santoshi, here afterwards, you need not visit this room at night." Understanding the change in him, she promptly left the room.

Samyukta observed Santoshi coming to the ground floor and resting. She understood the changes taking place.

*

That night, when Dev Kumar came home drunkenly, Modugula Kumar was waiting in the hall. He slapped Dev Kumar and told him, "You must come home every day by 7 p.m., under any circumstances, and stop drinking and concentrate on your studies. Otherwise, you would be sent out of the house."

With these warnings, Dev Kumar's behaviour changed. Samyukta was happy that Modugula Kumar was correcting the house affairs.

*

In the morning, Modugula got up at 6 a.m., took tea, and bathed. He searched for a photo of Lord Sri Venkateshwara Swamy for his meditation and could not find a photo of any God. He then called Samyukta and asked for the picture. Samyukta was shocked that Modugula Kumar asked for a God's Photo. He had never believed in any God earlier. She provided him with a photo from her pooja room. He meditated for half an hour, then dressed up and came down for breakfast.

Everyone followed this schedule, and it went on for a month.

Samyukta was happy about the change Modugula Kumar brought about. One night, she went to his room with a glass of milk. Modugula Kumar was surprised and was in a dilemma. He asked her to sit on the bed and said, "I am happy with your change, but the time is not yet ripe. You have waited for so many long years for a change. Now you wait for two more months."

Before that, I want you to visit the office daily and get acquainted with the accounts. 

Understanding his words, she went to her room on the ground floor.

*

The three-member committee investigated the allegations against Kartikeya, found no fault in his actions, and ordered his reinstation into the service with full salary for all these months.

Lord Sri Venkateshwara answered Karunima's prayers for all these days. She had yet one more prayer to get  Kartikeya out of the coma and offered prayers daily.

*

As Samyukta started controlling all financial dealings, Modugula Kumar made her vice president of the company. Since then, Vinod Kumar's economic management has been affected. Before Modugula Kumar's hospitalisation, Vinod Kumar was a superpower, and Modugula was a dummy president. He did not look into the company's financial aspects.   Samyukta started keeping an eye on Vinod Kumar's transactions, and Vinod Kumar did not like this.

One day, Vinod Kumar asked Modugula Kumar to visit the construction site on the city's outskirts. Vinod Kumar said he would meet him at the site, and Modugula Kumar went in his car with the driver.

On the way, the driver received a phone call. He stopped the car on the side and told Modugula Kumar he would answer the phone call and return. He went far away, seeking privacy, as if to pass urine. Modugula Kumar was waiting for the driver in the car, looking at the WhatsApp messages. At that instant,  a bomb blasted under the vehicle, and Modugula Kumar was injured and heavily bleeding. The driver immediately rushed him to the hospital, where the doctors tried to treat him. 

After bandages to the wounds, they kept him on a mechanical ventilator for a day. He breathed his last in the morning. Samyukta and Dev Kumar were by his side.

*

Karunima and Kamaleshwar waited daily at the side of Kartikeya's bed for his consciousness. The doctors said, "They need not stay at the ICU; they will inform them when he regains consciousness."

But they were daily waiting at the hospital.

When the nurse tried to change his bedsheets that morning, she noticed a movement in Kartikeya. He was not fully conscious and was murmuring, "That fellow Vinod Kumar killed me with a bomb in my car. I will take revenge on him."

Samyukta, beside Modugula Kumar's body, heard these murmuring words and thought it was Kartikeya's soul till that day in Modugula Kumar's body.

*

Karunima whispered to Kartikeya, "Dear, we are waiting for you. Your suspension is revoked, and you are reinstated."

On hearing these words, Kartikeya opened his eyes, saw Karunima, put his palm on hers, and pressed it with all his love and affection. His son came near him with tears in his eyes. He signaled him not to weep and took his palm into his. All three were happy.

*

Before Modugula Kumar breathed his last, he called Samyukta to his side and said, "I am leaving this body. The real Modugula Kumar died three months back, and I had a temporary swap taking shelter in his body for these three months. My original body is lying on the other bed in a coma. I am joining my body. I thank you all for your cooperation. Bye, Bye. He breathed his last."

Just then, she found movement in the body, lying in a coma on the next bed. It was of Kartikeya.

Samyukta congratulated Karunima on gaining consciousness of Kartikeya. Samyukta thanked Kartikeya for entering Modugula Kumar's body upon his death three months back and setting right her home.

Karunima paid her last respects to Modugula Kumar and thanked him for temporarily accommodating Kartikeya's soul in his body when he was in trouble.

*

Samyukta doubted the car blast because the driver was safe. She filed an investigation with the police. The police questioned the driver in their unique way,  and the driver revealed Vinod Kumar's plot. He gave the details of the bomb supplier. The police arrested Vinod Kumar, the driver and the bomb supplier.

When Vinod Kumar was imprisoned, Samyukta became the company's President. Modugula Kumar, with Kartikeya's soul, took Samyukta to the office and trained her for two months, which helped her manage the company. Dev Kumar took an active role in the company.

*

After a day of observation, the doctors said Kartikeya was fit and discharged him. He went home, had a head bath and breakfast, took his lunch box, and started going to the office on his scooter.

Karunima took him into the room, hugged and kissed him, and he was happy. Then he went to the office.

Everyone in the office was waiting for him. The office staff welcomed him with a garland and congratulated him on coming out clean and fair in the inquiry. He started his job.

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