Helping Ka Mabta (Life in Motion) is the latest in a series of self-help and personal growth books from Rajanhendra Kumar, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Manjishtha Prabhu Deshpande and Girish Rai. The book helps the readers identify and overcome some of their insecurities such as the fear of public speaking, social anxiety, doubt about their own ability to do good in life and insecurity about themselves. Helping Ka Matlab is similar to other similar books such as Managing Polarities in the Work Place and Taking the Lead. The book is oriented towards employees who need to manage workplace stress successfully in a high pressure situation. It talks about ways to help your colleagues and co-workers to deal with unexpected problems such as arguments, conflict resolution, conflict avoidance, work related problems, lack of clarity on tasks and goals, lack of motivation and even the frustration caused by an unproductive work day.
Let us take a brief look at the story of “Tummy Tuck” and how it influenced the young Rajanindra Chandrasekhar, our protagonist in Help Ka Matlab. One night, Chandrasekhar was asleep on a bed near his office when he suddenly felt pain in his lower abdomen. Feeling the movement of stomach muscles he peered upwards only to have his head mashed against the bed door. Looking up, he saw that he was lying on the helpful resources abdomen six inches thick of gauze and that there were sharp, ragged edges sticking out of the sides of his stomach.
He immediately felt very uncomfortable and wanted to vomit. When he tried to stand up, he saw that the muscles in his legs had gone stiff and were stuck behind his knees. Looking down, he saw that the skin on his thighs and buttocks were pale and he felt very dirty. Looking at his hands, he saw that they were covered with callus and he wondered what had happened to his fingernails. In that moment, a cold sweat started to form on his forehead and he began shaking uncontrollably.
When the Indian Emergency Response Team (IEDT) reached Chandrasekhar’s home later in the day, they were shocked to see Anjali’s badly decomposed body lying on the bathroom floor next to her bed. Anjali had been bled on the floor of her room. The smell of blood was also present in the room and Anjali’s father had already pronounced her dead on arrival. The IED had targeted her throat and had caused extensive damage to her internal organs including her kidneys and her spleen.
This was the beginning of Anjali’s nightmare and it was only the discovery of her body that prevented her from being declared a corpse and buried with the others. The self-help meaning of “ka matlab” was never far from her mind. Even as she convalesced at the hospital, she continued to search for answers to the mystery of the explosion that had claimed her life. Her death would not be any closure to the grief that had consumed her entire life. She wanted to know who had done this and why and what had happened to her so that she could at least help those who had been affected by the attack.
What happened to Anjali during the attack is unknown. What is known is that after this incident, Anjali developed a deep and intense hatred for both Indians and Muslims. Muslims in particular refused to accept her death and tried to mock her by posting cartoons of her on their respective websites and social media pages. Her mental state was so bad that even her own family members were unable to help her. It is possible that she died trying to flee to Pakistan or other South Asian countries like India and Sri Lanka.
Although Anjali had a steady job previously, the loss of jobs at the time of her death left her with no income to support her family. The irony of it all was that Muslims were quick to anger when their women were killed in a war that they started. A post-traumatic stress disorder expert confirmed to a newspaper that Anjali was at a high risk of developing depression and stress after the incident.
Some say the attack was carried out by a group of terrorists who may have also targeted Indian soil. However, the government has ruled out the involvement of international terrorist groups. The only possible explanation thus far is that a disgruntled Muslim lost her husband and relatives and entered Pakistan in search of a job. There are several unemployed Kashmiri youth who are in constant search for opportunities abroad and without a doubt, Anjali’s case is not an isolated incident. If you or anyone you know need help, you can contact Kaikoo Naad, a prominent counselor who runs a counseling center in Srinagar, to find out how he can help you.