Finding God in Unexpected Places

It was 9th April, and the news channel flashed the report of government sealing 15 districts of Uttar Pradesh, including Lucknow. Being 5 km away from the border of Lucknow city, I panicked as my thoughts went to mom's medicinal inventory. Hurriedly we rummaged through the capsules and tablets only to realize that the medicinal inventory is fast depleting, and it will barely last three days. Everyone started to panic as mom suffers from hypertension, diabetes, and Chronic Kidney failure and is on regular hemodialysis.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, I drove my two-wheeler as fast as I could to the city to procure the medicines. Soon I realized that the roads have been barricaded and are manned by stick-wielding policemen. Approaching the barricade, I further understood that the police had sealed the roads long before I woke up to the news flash. Soon I was waved down by a policeman who had an imposing physique but foul mouth as he was chewing tobacco and was spewing expletives. With imploring demeanor, I explained my quandary to the policeman, but my words fell on deaf ears. The more I implored, the more his decibels rose. Frightened, I took a step back and decided to turn around when suddenly his superior officer came to take stock of the hullabaloo. The officer, who had an air of sophistication and authoritative body language, heard me out and waved me off towards the city. As I said heartfelt thanks to God and the officer, I saw a faint smile spreading on the stern face. 

Is it not true that we find God in unexpected places?

With much hope, I throttled full tilt to reach the street lined up with pharmacies only to witness the maddening crowd of people pulling and pushing to stand in single file in front of every shop. Parking my scooter between two haphazardly parked bikes, I too joined the queue. And after 25 minutes of impatient waiting, I was told by the pharmacist in plain two words, "stocks finished." Frustrated, I stood in another queue to be given the same answer. After three hours, I had enquired at almost all shops and heard the same answer. 

Absolutely dejected and angry, I turned my scooter around to return home, and my mind started to get flooded with myriads of unpleasant thoughts. But I drove slow so that I should not miss any pharmacist where I have not enquired. Finally, I reached a stretch of the road lined up with small grocery shops and losing all hope I throttled up. Suddenly with my peripheral vision, I saw a shop that looked like a pharmacy, and I braked myself to a screeching halt. Turning back, I saw a tiny shop on the first floor of a dilapidated building tucked between two grocery stores with no advertising board. I parked my scooter on the road and climbed the rickety iron staircase.

I had no hope that this obscure shop could supply any medicine when the bigger players have turned me away. I pushed my prescription towards the salesperson, and he quipped, "I don't have much stock, but whatever is available, I will give you." And I shot back with a smile, "the lockdown is till 14th (April) I just need to survive till that day." Taking the prescription in his hand, he rummaged through his inventory and came back with a huge grin on his face, exclaiming, "Sir, you are very lucky I have enough medicines to last you 4 to 5 days." 

We indeed find God in unexpected places.