THE RING OF DEATH

Few days ago, I made an important decision. This decision was made around 4:30 am that morning. The relates to making an external item becoming a part of my body! This is a ring, a platinum simple looking ring. Purchased 10 years ago at Muscat. Originally it was purchased for daughter Parvathi on her success in the class 12 examination and for securing admission in a course and college of her choice. The other reason was that she never wears jewelry, especially Gold. Hence this steel looking platinum ring was purchased. She wore it for a year – from 2012 – 2013, after that she gave it back saying ‘You keep it. I don’t like wearing it’.

Few years later, I kept my diamond studded gold solitaire in safe, began wearing this simple looking platinum ring. I have been wearing this ring on my right hand, ring finger; however, I have the habit of removing the ring before I go to bed. The chief reason was I cannot imagine someone struggling to remove the ring from my finger, if I were to die in sleep. Somehow, I do not feel comfortable. This habit continued for years. Whenever I stayed at hotels on work, I used to be extra cautious, lest I may lose it!

I am unaware of the changes in my body. I do not even know if they were gradual or sudden! The changes were so silent and sudden! My fingers suddenly became thicker. It’s not that these changes are perceptible. For any other person my fingers may look the same, as they were before. The thick finger issue made the habit of removing ring before I go to bed difficult.

I used to struggle removing the ring at least for 5 minutes every day. Slippery ingredients such as the coconut oil, Boroplus or Boroline were applied to make the ring slip off the finger easily. Even that took over 2 minutes! What is happening to my fingers? Am I becoming fat? Or it is it the old age? Or both? Hence the last Friday I took the decision of making the ring a permanent part of my body. This means this ring will be on my finger till death, unless my fingers become thin, enabling an easy slide out.

If my fingers were to remain as they are, either of the following two things will happen, after my death. My successors may leave it on my body during cremation, it may go back to earth; or after cremation, and they find the molten piece in the ashes, if they were to search carefully. If they find it or for that matter any finder may get a fresh ring made out of the material. This could be either in my memory or may become just a piece of jewelry. There is also another fat possibility that it goes back to earth, none finds it. Earth to Earth.

It is not possible to take it out of my finger after I am gone, due to thick fingers. I had taken out a golden ring from the ring finger of my brother’s body in 2018. His wife told me ‘Brother, let it go with him’. But I did not pay any attention. My brother’s fingers were thin; it took less than 30seconds to take it out. My brother’s eldest daughter lovingly wears it today. She feels her father in that ring. It is her feeling, her attachment and her respect to her father.

I am aware that in my case it may not be possible to separate it from my body. With this knowledge, I made it a part of my body. A miracle may happen, I could be wrong. If this happens, the wearer will be blessed with quick wit and enormous courage in life!

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About the Author

Dr. K. Raja Gopal Reddy is a seasoned internationally qualified Insurance professional.

What you are reading here, may not answer all the questions we have, but has the absolute power of asking unsettling questions which increase the interest in the strange world, and show the contradictory wonders lying just below the surface of the commonest things of life. Look at this disturbing but beautiful thought of Friedrich Nietzsche “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him”.

Dr. Reddy can be reached at: raja66gopal@gmail.com