Of Those Seven and a Half Years

Born on an amaavas ki raat in 1949, my zodiac sign is Cancer.

Without bringing out the astrological charts and talking about the traits of me and my fellow Cancerians, what I can confidently say is that despite a lack of a surface-level visible ambition, Cancerians do have desires and goals that are deep and profound.

But it was in 2000 when I was forced to give my astrological charts a second thought. Unbeknownst to me, somewhere out in the universe, Saturn entered the house of Cancer. And stayed put for seven and a half years, a period called Sade Satti.

The jury has always been out on whether the period is a boon or a bane.

But this is how it began for me.

In the quest for material prosperity, I have time and again changed profession during freelance jobs across industries, including hotels and hospitality, and even entertainment and media.

After a disastrous move to the Gulf in the hotel industry in the 80s, I made a foray into film advertising, documentary and TV production in the 90s. This latter phase was eclectic, and even satisfactory to some extent, financially.

In the May of 2000 I was in Jammu doing a recce of prospective locations for a Canadian network advertisement. The ad was supposed to show that the network kept its customers connected even in the remotest of locations, for instance the Himalayas.

So I set out in a car with a videographer and a driver. The brief from the client was to explore as much as possible. We first headed out to Patnitop and its surrounding areas. On the second day, we headed to Mansar Lake. Gulmarg and Pahalgam would have been ideal locations but for the turmoil there.

On the third day, we started towards Reasi and Rajouri. The driver took the upper Jammu route to reach Akhnoor, even as the videographer continued shooting at every possible opportunity. The route was a luscious green due to unseasonal heavy rains, and through clear environs you could see Tawi River flowing in distance.

It started raining heavy and we found a tea shop near a massive barricaded gate, and decided to wait for a bit there, in the company of some hot tea and snacks.

As the rains slowed down, we got ready to leave, but a dramatic moment was on the cards, as a few uniformed security persons with rifles walked towards us with intent.

The three of us were soon surrounded by these Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. And in no time, we were inside the barricaded gate, which happened to be one of India’s highest security prisons – Kot Bhalwal.

The prison was in news as most-wanted terrorist Masood Azhar was an inmate there till a year ago. Azhar had made an attempt to escape from the jail through a tunnel he had dug. While the CRPF had managed to foil the attempt, it had put the spotlight on the CRPF and many had blamed them for their laxity. (A month later, after the Kandahar hijack episode, Azhar was released in exchange of the hostages.)

So we were produced in front of the Superintendent of the prison, who understandably wanted us to explain our presence in the area.

After almost three hours of grilling, I was able to convince him about our visit and even showed the entire video that was shot. He asked for us to be released.

However, while the internal security was in the domain of state police headed by the Superintendent, the CRPF commander was in charge of external security, and the latter refused to release us. Given the scrutiny on them, the CRPF did not want to take the blame of being irresponsible as was done earlier.

We were hauled into a van and handed over to the local police station, and instructions were given to file an FIR against us and to keep the commander informed about the progress of the case.

Meanwhile, all the investigating agencies were alerted and they all started their parallel probes. The SHO of the local police station was kind enough to not file an FIR as the videographer and the car driver – two local boys – were known to him.

I being a Kashmiri Pandit (KP) also helped, since for the SHO believed, we couldn’t be involved in anti-national activities.

While talking to him, I told him that the local boys should be released immediately as they were only helping me in my assignment and I was the one who had hired them. I also urged him to investigate me till they were satisfied of my innocence.

We were put in a makeshift tent that was full of broken furniture and other stuff. The police station was situated in an open bushy and barren area with no concrete building around. To make sure that we don’t make any attempt to escape, they warned us about the poisonous reptiles and animals that inhabited the surroundings.

As the night got darker, and in the absence of any distractions, I had a moment to introspect. Was it all happening because of the Sade Satti?

Sure of my innocence, I resolved in my mind that I should not worry about the outcome. It was my belief that I would be released honourably soon. With that in my mind, I fell asleep.

After some sound sleep, the next morning brought some new hope as the investigation brought nothing adverse. The videographer and the driver were released after their parents bailed out.

Despite my good words with the SHO, one of parents also blamed me for putting their kids in this situation. After listening to their bashing for some time, I lost my patience. I countered, that the only reason I had hired their sons was because they were locals and were supposed to know the area well. So if we are in this trouble, it’s because of them, and not me. I had not lured them for anything scandalous but was paying them for their services.

The various agencies that were investigating me were CID, military intelligence, CBI, etc. I gave them a detailed account of my travel from Mumbai to Delhi and then to Jammu.

The second night in the same makeshift tent alone was even more peaceful with no company at all. I neither cried nor pleaded for my innocence. All I requested them was to probe me thoroughly as fast as they could.

The third day brought some relief as some of the well-wishers, who came to know about my misadventures, used their clout to bail me out. Their help and the positive reports from Mumbai were enough to convince the authorities about my innocence.

My family was very much convinced that Sade Satti was the root cause of this misadventure.

On my way to my brother’s house in Jammu, my brother told me about how one of my friends, Rakesh, was in Jammu on his way to Vaishnodevi and wanted to meet me urgently.

Rakesh had signed a project as a line producer for an English feature film to be shot in India by a British production house. He wanted me to join him and immediately proceed to Rajasthan to hunt for locations and then to Himachal Pradesh. It was a five-month project and was very lucrative. It seemed God-sent and unbelievable given the much popularised adverse effects of Sade Satti.

The following years were also rewarding as every year brought a foreign project that kept me busy professionally and also helped me financially.

Does Sade Satti really bring you bad luck? In my case, it did show me prison for two nights but also brought me good fortune that got me to work in international projects, and paid dividends and accolades as well to keep in good stead.

Sade Satti and astrology aside, one thing about those two nights in custody were that they were the most serene and peaceful nights of my life. I could not have helped myself by thinking or worrying about the outcome of the investigation, and so I didn’t. I knew that I was on the right side of law, and that realisation was good enough to get me some good sleep.