It has been more than 2 years since the rat and the rotten heat. Now as then a beast approached, patient and confident, savouring the scent of the meal to come and this beast is exactly like the one I had encountered years ago. It was the inmates of my room that provoked it.
While in the kitchen I spotted two rats on the kitchen slab. Those rats saw me but decided not to budge from their place until the time I threatened them. Calling upon Dinesh and George I decided to make a plan to terminate the rats. My roommates were not too keen on killing manually and decided to use rat poison instead. I, finding myself without any support had to forfeit the plan of making a plan. So I let go of the plan and got back to finding Economics in the Economics of IT course.
By this time the rats had begun their monkeying around in the kitchen again. Sensing an opportunity to do something more interesting than studying I walked in to the kitchen. This time too the rats took no notice of me and continued with their skulking around. The disdain with which the rodents treated me spurred every dram of self respect in me. This is when I immediately made a mental team of lethal rat hunters and proclamined myself captain of the team with George and Dinesh being in the team for moral support. I stormed out of the kitchen and spoke to a studying Dinesh, I said "Yeh chuha aaj marne wala hai". Dinesh looked at me suspiciously and gave me a "do not ask me to join your hunting party look". This is when I took the responsibility upon myself to get rid of the rat. After having found the perfect weapon I entered the kitchen armed with the weapon-a phool jhadoo and a torch light to make the battleground war ready.
All exits were cutoff. The kitchen slab cleared of all cooking and non cooking paraphernalia. I switched off the light and switched on the torch light. The trap was set. With bated breathe I waited in anticipation to unleash a lethal strike with my weapon. But that SOB rat did not come out in the open this time around. I was beginning to feel hot and took matters into my own hands. I switched on the light and removed newspapers from the stack behind which the rat was hiding. Sensing trouble the rat ran out in order to escape through the window.The window was closed. Finding a good chance and an opportune moment I took aim at the rat and unleashed a punishing blow. The impact of the broom was so hard on the slab that the broom broke leaving only a piece of the handle in my hand. Ofcourse I had missed my target.
Now I was in a battlefield with a non functional weapon and the enemy within striking distance. I was in a dilemma. I had to chose between running away from the rat and living with the ignominy of having fled from the battlefield or fighting to the death. I remembered that dying in the battlefield was the greatet glory that a spartan could achieve in his life. So I decided to stay and fight even when I had lost my weapon figuring out that beyond this epic battle immortality awaited me and it was there for the taking. I fought for my room, for glory and for the one place in my hostel that stood for cleanliness and neatness. With savage force I struck the rat with the broom's handle. This time my stike met its target. The rat was still mobile and was scampering around. I even think that it was trying to retaliate by biting my foot. But before it could come near me I used my height to my vantage and sanitized the rat with another strike. The rat lay motionless on the floor. I stood looking at it for signs of life.
I combed the entire kitchen to look for the rat's accomplices. The areas was clean. Having reduced the rat to a piece of carrion I channelized my energies to restoring the broom for I feared that the loss of a broom would not go down too well with maids. I succeeded partially in restoring the broom to its original health. For now I can bask in the glory of a battle win. The war is not over yet and I fear that the rats will return will re-enforcements. I am going to be watching my back and this time around I will try to involve George and Dinesh in the expedition for I feel that being my freinds and roommates they too deserve a shot at glory. As for me, I am etched in the memory of the rats as the greatest gladiator that ever lived.
While in the kitchen I spotted two rats on the kitchen slab. Those rats saw me but decided not to budge from their place until the time I threatened them. Calling upon Dinesh and George I decided to make a plan to terminate the rats. My roommates were not too keen on killing manually and decided to use rat poison instead. I, finding myself without any support had to forfeit the plan of making a plan. So I let go of the plan and got back to finding Economics in the Economics of IT course.
By this time the rats had begun their monkeying around in the kitchen again. Sensing an opportunity to do something more interesting than studying I walked in to the kitchen. This time too the rats took no notice of me and continued with their skulking around. The disdain with which the rodents treated me spurred every dram of self respect in me. This is when I immediately made a mental team of lethal rat hunters and proclamined myself captain of the team with George and Dinesh being in the team for moral support. I stormed out of the kitchen and spoke to a studying Dinesh, I said "Yeh chuha aaj marne wala hai". Dinesh looked at me suspiciously and gave me a "do not ask me to join your hunting party look". This is when I took the responsibility upon myself to get rid of the rat. After having found the perfect weapon I entered the kitchen armed with the weapon-a phool jhadoo and a torch light to make the battleground war ready.
All exits were cutoff. The kitchen slab cleared of all cooking and non cooking paraphernalia. I switched off the light and switched on the torch light. The trap was set. With bated breathe I waited in anticipation to unleash a lethal strike with my weapon. But that SOB rat did not come out in the open this time around. I was beginning to feel hot and took matters into my own hands. I switched on the light and removed newspapers from the stack behind which the rat was hiding. Sensing trouble the rat ran out in order to escape through the window.The window was closed. Finding a good chance and an opportune moment I took aim at the rat and unleashed a punishing blow. The impact of the broom was so hard on the slab that the broom broke leaving only a piece of the handle in my hand. Ofcourse I had missed my target.
Now I was in a battlefield with a non functional weapon and the enemy within striking distance. I was in a dilemma. I had to chose between running away from the rat and living with the ignominy of having fled from the battlefield or fighting to the death. I remembered that dying in the battlefield was the greatet glory that a spartan could achieve in his life. So I decided to stay and fight even when I had lost my weapon figuring out that beyond this epic battle immortality awaited me and it was there for the taking. I fought for my room, for glory and for the one place in my hostel that stood for cleanliness and neatness. With savage force I struck the rat with the broom's handle. This time my stike met its target. The rat was still mobile and was scampering around. I even think that it was trying to retaliate by biting my foot. But before it could come near me I used my height to my vantage and sanitized the rat with another strike. The rat lay motionless on the floor. I stood looking at it for signs of life.
I combed the entire kitchen to look for the rat's accomplices. The areas was clean. Having reduced the rat to a piece of carrion I channelized my energies to restoring the broom for I feared that the loss of a broom would not go down too well with maids. I succeeded partially in restoring the broom to its original health. For now I can bask in the glory of a battle win. The war is not over yet and I fear that the rats will return will re-enforcements. I am going to be watching my back and this time around I will try to involve George and Dinesh in the expedition for I feel that being my freinds and roommates they too deserve a shot at glory. As for me, I am etched in the memory of the rats as the greatest gladiator that ever lived.
11 comments:
The rat catcher is a story by roald dahl. The intimate, details of your battle with the rats reminded me of that short story. I like the epic allegorical device. enjoyable post. :)
cute blog.. ur experience with the rat sounds quite interesting.. the great economist does smthn other than studies as well.. waah.. :P
hilarious :-) i read it at work and it was a great detoxifying agent!!!
To the late rat and a triumphant Anand : Pick on someone your own size! :P
hilarious... u shud start "the adventures of anand the economist" series :D
well, one more to add to your list of 'time-engaging' activities at madras school- bet you gonna miss this once your done with this place!
kya re! so jobless! but no, your defence would be, "I glory in glory, glory be mine, unto death!"...so we might have to come up with a nice long warrior song for our Ratbuster(s)...:)
but nicely done.
so now i finally know what happens in the famous "GUEST FLAT"...i din't know you had the "killer" instinct in you...good you killed them. i hate rats!!! but dude i dont think georgie is capable of hurting a fly let alone a rat...if you can convince him into killing one then you shall have a "glorified glory"!!!! :)
even i have had my own share of rat experiences in my room......infact once a rat went and died inside my music system:( everytime a rat visits my room, i disinfect my entire room with loads of dettol..this way at least once a while, i clean my room ;) i am petrified of rats...but lizards are nice and friendly...i have a lizard staying with me since thrid semester... :D
Nice post. Smirky.
I was reminded of the rat in your delhi flat, that story went on for days. :)
hahaha.....KILLER!!!this battlefield story is much more exciting than the IPL matches.but, hey...six feet man vs rat wars dont deserve glory..the poor rat had unfavourable odds:)but I should say one man army chasing a rat..very good attempt :)
Post a Comment