The Hidden Transmitter

  .....................................

  By Bishwadeep Mukherjee

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  Just as a mass of clouds had gathered its nest in the sky, so too had clouds nested in Swastik's heart. He had not the slightest desire for the work he had to do today. Swastik did not like any kind of cuts or wounds on his body. Despite this, the government had made it mandatory. Yet Pragya had said,

  "There's nothing to fear, Swastik. You won't even realize it. It's just a matter of moments."

  Pragya was enthusiastic. Swastik didn't want to hurt her. So, even though he didn't want to get up early on his day off, he did. He looked at the time on the wall clock: seven in the morning. He looked out the glass window of his bedroom in his eighty-story flat. Black clouds had gathered in the sky. Swastik turned off the air conditioner and opened the window for fresh air. At this height, the possibility of clean air was higher. His 3D mobile phone rang. A reminder for today was set on his mobile. Swastik looked at it with annoyance.

  While getting ready after his bath, Pragya called. During the video call, Swastik asked Pragya,

  "So, Pragya, on which part of the body will your device be attached?"

  Pragya giggled. Her beauty increased a hundredfold when she laughed.

  "Near your waist. And that device has a name, Swastik. You might know it."

  "I know. Hidden transmitter."

  The country's population is nearly four billion. Attaching transmitters to everyone's body is not an easy task. But it is inevitable. This work has been going on for the past two years. It's impossible to say how much longer it will take. The responsibility for internal security has fallen on them. They are carrying out this work quite efficiently. The internal security people decide on which day the hidden transmitter will be attached to whose body. A week before, the person is informed by phone that the device will be attached to their body on such and such a day. The work is completed in government hospitals in every city. Here, the question of trust comes first. So, doesn't the government trust the citizens of the country? A minister said,

  "The question is not of trust or distrust. The question is of security. The security of the country or your security."

  Swastik sat in his battery-powered car. Nowadays, all cars run on batteries. The cars are not very big in size. Four people, including the driver, can sit together. Swastik hadn't been able to eat anything due to the rush in the morning. There was a good restaurant a little further away. He would have breakfast there. Good food is still available here at reasonable prices.

  As he went up the stairs and placed his foot in front of the glass door, the door opened automatically. Security was standing in front of the door. As soon as they noticed Swastik, they gestured for him to look to his left. There was a small camera on the left wall. The camera not only took Swastik's picture but also scanned his entire body. It took a few seconds. Then Swastik moved forward. He had to struggle a bit to find an empty table. Today was a holiday. Almost everyone waits for this day. There was a time when government or private employees used to get at least one day off a week. Mostly, it used to be Sunday. The situation has changed. Now, after two or three months of continuous work, the government announces a holiday one day. On that day, people give their full time to their families. Many have come to the restaurant to eat with their families.

  "Will everyone finish their lunch by ten in the morning?" Swastik thought to himself.

  He saw a table. A round table surrounded by four chairs. A person was sitting on one chair, with their back to him.

  "One can sit here. There's no point in delaying." Thinking this, Swastik quickly walked towards it.

  A menu card is attached to each table. It lists various dishes. After deciding on the food, one has to touch the 'Submit' button after entering the table number, and the desired food arrives shortly.

  "Can I sit here?"

  Swastik asked, standing behind the person sitting on the chair.

  The person stopped eating, turned their head, and looked at Swastik. Both were startled.

  "Hey, Nirbhoy, is that you?"

  Swastik said, patting the person on the back.

  Swastik had known Nirbhoy for almost six years. They were college friends. Swastik sat down at the table in front.

  "You never get out of bed before twelve o'clock on a holiday. Where are you suddenly off to, all dressed up so early today?" Nirbhoy asked.

  Swastik ordered food on the electronic menu card.

  "There's no peace, brother. There's a great lack of peace in life."

  Swastik said in a slightly disappointed tone.

  "Are you going somewhere with Pragya?"

  "Where does she have time off? Doctors don't get holidays. She's been called from her hospital."

  "Called meaning?" Nirbhoy asked.

  "They will attach a hidden transmitter," Swastik replied.

  Part - 2

  .........................

  "Oh! Right. Go on, get it done,"

  Nirbhoy said.

  "You've probably already gotten it done, haven't you?"

  Swastik asked.

  Taking a sip of his coffee, Nirbhoy said,

  "It's been almost a month. Since then, life has changed quite a bit."

  A waiter came and served the food. A cup of coffee and a burger.

  "What do you mean life has changed?" Swastik asked, taking a bite of his burger.

  Nirbhoy was almost finished eating. Taking the last sip of his coffee, wiping his mouth with a tissue, he said,

  "When the device enters your body, you'll understand too. We achieved independence almost two hundred years ago. But the question is, where is the freedom? Twenty-four hours a day, some invisible eyes are watching you. Is this called freedom? If there's any deviation from your daily routine, you'll get a call. 'Why have you been at such and such a place for so long? How long will you stay?' You have to give explanations at every step. I'm fed up. But there's no way out. There's no escape, brother."

  Nirbhoy's last words were full of sadness. Swastik was listening to his words attentively.

  "You won't have any privacy left," Nirbhoy said, looking Swastik in the eye.

  "Even if you have sex with your girlfriend, you'll have to explain it to Internal Security."

  Nirbhoy smiled sarcastically after finishing his sentence. Nirbhoy's words had started a turmoil in Swastik's heart. Swastik hadn't thought so deeply about it. The value of the word 'privacy' was very high in his life.

  Swastik got proof of everything Nirbhoy said right there. While they were talking, Nirbhoy's mobile rang. Nirbhoy smiled faintly, looking at his 3D mobile. A video call started.

  A voice came from the other end,

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  "We can see that you have been at a restaurant in Lake Town for the past one and a half hours. May we know why?"

  "I'm having breakfast,"

  Nirbhoy said, his voice tinged with annoyance.

  "Excuse me, sir, but breakfast doesn't usually take this long."

  Swastik couldn't see the person whose soft voice was coming from the other end of the mobile, which was right in front of Nirbhoy.

  Nirbhoy made a strange face. He said, "Actually, I ran into an old friend. So, we were just chatting."

  "Okay, sir. Thank you."

  The phone call ended.

  "Did you see that, Swastik? This is our freedom,"

  Nirbhoy smiled sarcastically again.

  After Nirbhoy left, Swastik sat there for quite some time. He couldn't eat the food he had ordered. He was lost in deep thought. He couldn't accept the fact that his privacy would be lost. There was some privacy in his life that he couldn't share with anyone. Swastik hadn't even told Pragya about his privacy. Once the hidden transmitter entered his body, that privacy would no longer exist. The government had been issuing new rules every day under the pretext of national security. Swastik had never paid much attention to all that. He had accepted everything with a smile. But this time, Swastik was hesitant to obey the government's rule. But he couldn't see any way out. If he didn't obey the government's rule, he would fall into the hands of Internal Security. Falling into the hands of Internal Security meant almost the end of life. Swastik's phone rang twice and then stopped. Pragya had called. No, there was no way out. Swastik had to go to the hospital, he had to get the hidden transmitter.

  By the time he reached the hospital, it had started to rain lightly. The main gate of the hospital was quite large. The security guard at the gate asked Swastik for his ID card. He went into his small cabin, did something, and then came out. He had a round iron medal in his hand. He put the medal around Swastik's neck and returned his ID card. Swastik saw that the medal had '146' written on it.

  "That means there are 145 people ahead of me," Swastik thought to himself.

  Pragya was waiting for Swastik. As soon as he entered, she came forward. Seeing the medal hanging around Swastik's neck, she said,

  "146, that means there's still time. Number eighty-two is currently underway."

  "Don't you have work?" Swastik asked.

  "I was working all this time. I just got a break. Come, let's go sit somewhere."

  Pragya took Swastik's hand and almost dragged him into a room. The room was quite large, with many desks and chairs. Swastik saw a blackboard on the wall. He quickly realized it was a classroom. Several people were sitting here and there. They had also come to obey the government's orders. Pragya and Swastik sat down on two empty chairs. Seeing Swastik's slightly pale face, Pragya asked him,

  "Are you feeling unwell? Your face looks dry."

  After finishing her sentence, Pragya placed her hand on Swastik's forehead. Swastik jerked his hand away.

  "Does a dry face always mean one is unwell? Don't you doctors understand anything other than illness?"

  Pragya was surprised by Swastik's behavior. Swastik had never behaved like this with her before. What had suddenly happened to him today? In today's world, the word 'love' is almost extinct. People believe that the only relationship between a man and a woman should be a physical one. The social custom called marriage, which has been going on for a long time, still exists, but only for the purpose of procreation. Few people still want to keep the word 'love' alive. Emotionless people are like mechanical robots. Swastik and Pragya didn't want to turn themselves into robots. Pragya felt bad about Swastik's words, and so did Swastik. In an instant, Pragya's smiling face turned pale. Swastik realized his mistake.

  He placed his hand on Pragya's hand and said,

  "I'm sorry, Pragya."

  "What's wrong with you, Swastik?"

  After a moment of silence, Swastik asked, "Can you answer one question, Pragya? What does the government want to prove by inserting hidden transmitters into people's bodies?"

  It was a strange question. Swastik had never asked such a question before. How did such a thought suddenly come into his mind today?

  "You know why the government is doing this, Swastik. It's not just for the security of the country, but also for the safety of every individual. If anyone ever gets into trouble, Internal Security can immediately rescue them," Pragya said.

  "People today are advanced enough. They can help themselves. And if something serious happens, the incident will be over before Internal Security can even reach there. Science hasn't advanced so much that they can teleport. This is just an argument to deceive the public. Don't give me this logic."

  Pragya's astonishment was growing.

  "What do you mean?" Pragya asked in a serious tone.

  "Just some simple things. You probably know them too, or you're pretending not to."

  Pragya was trying to unravel the mystery of Swastik's enigmatic words, but she couldn't.

  "Pragya!" Swastik started speaking again.

  "Do you know what the real issue is? It's about trust, which the government doesn't have in us. You surely don't need me to tell you what happens to a country whose government loses faith in its people. What do you think, Pragya? Am I involved in any dishonest activities?"

  "Neither am I, Swastik. Yet, I've done this."

  Swastik smiled faintly at Pragya's words.

  "Do you want to hear the truth? It will sound bad, but you need to hear it. You've sold your freedom to the government. Whatever you do today, they will have all the information. You have no privacy left."

  Pragya's face turned pale again. Composing herself, she said,

  "I don't have any such privacy that would make me betray the government."

  "Maybe you don't, but others might. The government has no right to interfere with the privacy of the public under the pretext of national security. If the government can't find any other way to ensure the country's security, then that's the government's incompetence. This isn't a hidden transmitter, Pragya, it's a dog collar."

  Swastik got agitated.

  "Calm down, Swastik. Don't make a scene here."

  Swastik calmed down. Pragya didn't want to prolong the conversation, so she said to Swastik in a calm voice,

  "Anyway, we don't need to think about whether it's right or wrong. Everything has two sides. There's nothing we can do now. We have to finish the work."

  In a firm voice, Swastik said,

  "No, I can't."

  Part - 3

  .........................

  Pragya was startled to hear 'No' from Swastik.

  "No means what? Do you want to protest?"

  A hint of terror could be clearly heard in Pragya's voice.

  "Someone has to protest, Pragya. What's the harm if I do it?"

  "Have you gone mad? Do you know how dangerous these Internal Security people are? Do you think they'll let you go?" Pragya became agitated.

  "Do you know the punishment for breaking the rules?"

  "I know, still I will protest. I cannot share some privacy of my life with anyone."

  "What kind of privacy do you have in your life that I don't know about? And from what I know, there's nothing that you can't share."

  Swastik remained silent.

  "Swastik, answer me. Who you are, who your parents were, not just I, everyone knows. What you do, where you live, everyone knows that too..."

  "Pragya!" Swastik interrupted Pragya mid-sentence.

  "There must be something that I don't want to share."

  Pragya looked at Swastik with suspicion.

  "What is it?"

  Swastik was silent again.

  "Tell me, Swastik. I want to know what you're hiding from me. What kind of secret do you have that I don't know about?"

  "If I tell you, what privacy will be left?"

  "Don't be cryptic. I'm getting angry. Answer what I'm asking."

  Pragya was losing patience.

  "Forgive me, Pragya. I cannot tell you."

  Swastik stood up from his chair.

  "What's going on, Swastik? Why are you making a joke of this?"

  Pragya's whole body was trembling with anger. She also stood up. She said,

  "Do you know my job could be at stake because of your drama? Countless cameras are watching us. Stop your drama."

  "I'm not acting, Pragya. I cannot sell my privacy."

  "Is your privacy more important than me?"

  After a moment of silence, Swastik said,

  "You could say that."

  Swastik left the room.

  "You won't be able to get out, Swastik. Don't create unnecessary trouble."

  Pragya said almost screaming. Perhaps Pragya's words did not reach Swastik's ears.

  Pragya pressed a button on the watch on her right wrist. The sound of sirens was heard all around. Swastik quickly moved towards the elevator. But it was no use. The elevator had stopped. He quickly went to descend the stairs. But it was too late. Internal Security personnel, holding state-of-the-art guns, surrounded him. Swastik lost control of himself due to anger. An Internal Security guard took light steps towards him.

  "Put your hands up,"

  He said to Swastik.

  Swastik not only didn't put his hands up, but instead, he kicked the guard hard in the stomach. The guard sat down right there, injured. Suddenly, Swastik felt a terrible pain in the back of his head. Darkness slowly enveloped his eyes. His body felt weak. His legs seemed to have no strength. Swastik collapsed unconscious on the ground.

  A senior Internal Security officer arrived at the scene with Pragya. Looking at Swastik's unconscious body, he said to Pragya,

  "Can you tell me why Dr. Srijon Majumder's son did this?"

  Pragya did not answer. She kept staring at Swastik, tears in her eyes.

  Part - 4

  .........................

  Swastik learned the harsh truth from his own father. Dr. Srijon Majumdar was Swastik's father. He was once a renowned doctor in the country. He had earned considerable fame by discovering medicines for several difficult diseases. After seeing patients, he would spend the rest of his time working on drug discovery. Swastik was his only child. His wife, Swastik's mother, had passed away many years ago.

  The day Swastik learned that truth, his father was on his deathbed. One day, he called Swastik and said,

  "Swastik, before I go, I want to entrust you with a responsibility."

  "What is it, Father?"

  He sighed deeply and said,

  "You probably don't know, but I have a house in Behala. It's a very old house. My grandfather built it. No one knows about that house today, not even you. You could say it's my secret address. After my death, you will go to that house."

  Swastik couldn't understand why he had to go to that house. He looked at his father with questioning eyes. After a brief pause, Srijon Majumdar began to speak again,

  "There is someone in that house. You have to take responsibility for her."

  "Who is there?"

  "Your sister."

  Swastik was startled. His sister? Where did she suddenly come from? He knew he was his father's only child. Swastik looked at his father in astonishment.

  "You can't call it my mistake. I couldn't bear to see someone's sad face. If a wife's husband doesn't have the ability to be a father, then her grief is unbearable. I couldn't bear to see your aunt's sorrow either. I filled her empty lap."

  Swastik's whole body was burning with anger and hatred. Swastik knew his uncle had committed suicide. So, this was the reason behind it! A man who had a name and reputation throughout the country and the world, this was his misdeed?

  At the time when Srijon had placed his hand of affection on his deceased wife's sister, his mental state was not very good. He used to be busy with various drug research all day, as a result of which he had slightly lost his mental balance. Although he recovered later, it had an impact on his infant daughter. Until the age of six, when her mental development did not occur, Srijon became worried. He applied a drug he had discovered himself some time ago to his daughter. It had the opposite effect. His daughter became terribly angry and violent.

  "I didn't know a human could be so violent before. I realized my experiment had failed. There was nothing else to do then. Since then, she has been confined to my Behala house."

  "You could have gotten her treated in a bigger place." Said Swastik.

  "I could have. But I didn't. I hid her identity. I was afraid of my own infamy."

  His father's fear of his own bad name had ruined a girl's life. The man who had tirelessly worked his whole life to save the lives of others, he had ruined his own daughter's life!

  A few days later, Srijon passed away.

  Swastik performed all the rituals, including the cremation, but only for the sake of formality. Dr. Srijon Majumdar had lost his respect in the eyes of his own son even before his death.