Celebrating Bapu's Birthday...

I celebrated Bapu Gandhi’s birthday in a manner he would not have approved of. Yet, I, shamelessly describe myself Gandhian. I raised my glass of a single Malt Scotch Whisky to wish his sprit life eternal and prayed: “Bapu, may our words and action be guided by you.” We know we have let you down many times; we sing Vaishanav Jan To Taimey kaheye Jo Peerh Paraye Jaaney Ray and Ishawar Allah Tere Naam. But, we do not hesitate to go for each other’s throats in disputes over temples and mosques.

Even we have named a township after you, GANDHINAGAR. The man elected from there led a march which ended by breaking down a Muslim place of worship. Gujarat, the state we honour because you were born there has as its head a man who connived at the killings of over a thousand Gujarati Muslims, forgetting that a Gujarati Muslim was your first client and took you to South Africa to fight his cases.

Even were there a growing number of bigots who believe that your preaching ahimsa - nonviolence – deprived us of material qualities and made us a weak nation. Consequently we call you the father of the nation, we are confused about your role in nation building. So all we do on your birth anniversary is take a chhuttee from work; go for picnic or zoo or a cinema without subscribing your motto: “Work is Worship”.

I persist in believing you were the prophet of our times and showed us the right path. We know more about you than we know about any of our prophets because their lives have been over laced with miracles imagined by their follower. You exposed yourself with absolute candor hiding nothing. You believed in Satya –truth- however embarrassing it was for you. So, though I do not share many of your values, I do my best to be truthful. I often fail but do not give up only because of the things I learnt from you, is to never give up. So raising a second toast to Bapu: “May your spirit continue to guide us till kingdom come”.

Written by- A common man on a common paper with a common pen on a common day.

Anand

The Entrepreneurship-I

"5 for balcony,5 for balcony....".
"I need 2 but you are quoting too much..."
"It's GUIDE sir.Dev Saahab, Wahida Rehman, SD Burman...It's already nominated for Aksar Awards"
"What did you say, which awards?"
"Ahhh Aksar Awards, it's an amrican award sir"
"Ok,Ok anyways tell me how much for 2?",the man asked drawing out his wallet.
"10 sir,it's a house full, you won't get a seat anywhere in town."
"I will pay 6", the man concluded.
"It's too low sir. I am sorry.", I rolled back the tickets in my sleeves.
"Ok forget it we will look for someone else", he turned back to the woman beside him, probably his wife who was sad already. She wanted him to pay 10 probably because Dev saahab looked better than any Indian at that time.
"This rat here speaks English, you scoundrel it's Oscars not Aksar...huh Aksar, get lost", they moved on screaming at me.
"Here Sir", they turned at once when I called them.
"6 it is", I pulled out the tickets, and he pulled out the coins from his wallet.
"6 it is? you see, I told you these rats here and there, they just overprice a movie.", he waved the tickets to his wife telling this.
"Sir you won't get them for 6 anywhere, anyways can you repeat the awards name once more, I didn't get it".
"It's OSCARS. O-S-C-A-R-S, got it", he repeated pointing fingers at me.
"Aus-Cars,Aus-Cars,Aus-Cars,Aus-Cars", I kept on repeating them as he left with his wife. I did sell them for 6 but I wasn’t overpricing earlier, I paid a price for being ignorant, it's a price for learning and nothing is more satisfying, when you earn a learning. I have paid many more prices before, even to come close to spelling Oscars...Aksars.

The Chase

"Tuntun run", screamed Raju The next moment we were running, chased after by some big boys and it was only a matter of time before we would have landed in their grasp.

"Catch them, don't lose them this time", shouted one of them.
I was running out of my breath. They were almost at my collars. He stretched out his arm and suddenly there was a left turn which was narrow enough for us to slip in. After getting out a new lease of life we ran with all what was left. We crossed the main road and they missed us in traffic.

"It was close", said Raju.
"He almost got hold of my collars...Ufff", I told with a sigh of relief.
"Like this rat...haa", and he was there. He caught both of us by our necks. We started to retaliate but after two slaps, we gave up. It was not the beating that we were worried about...it was the money they would snatch from us.

You could not trade in someone else’s place or area just like that. Elphistone cinema in Patna, Bihar was their area. Everyone wanted to trade there, as it was the place, people from upper class came and were ready to shell out those extra penny for movies. So you can understand the competition part.

With swollen faces and empty pockets we reached Agam Kuan. We used to visit this place whenever we felt low, and our attendance was quite regular at the place at least thrice a week or so.

“Did it hurt you much this time, Om?”, he gave me an annoying look.

“Watch your mouth, I told you not to call me…”

“Ok Ok Raju, I am sorry. Tell me are you hurt much?”, I asked him raising both my hands up to my ears.

The Introduction-I

[I am close to 10 years old and I share my name with the 1971 movie featuring Rajesh Khanna and Bachchan 'Anand'. No one knows or has ever cared to ask my name. . I was named ‘Tuntun’ after one of the famous comedians of the time. I used to mimic her quite often.
 There was a story behind Om's name too. He was named Om Prakash, after the famous supporting actor/comic actor of the time. He hated his name as much as he hated his parents. So he went a step further and changed his name to Raju after the super success of the recent hit Guide in which Dev Saab’s character shared the same name. Every time there was a blockbuster, he had a new name, some of the previous were Dev after Dev Saab’s character in Teen Deviyaan, Rakesh from Tere Ghar Ke Saamne, and Mohan from Dosti were the few I remember].

“Not much”, he replied.”Your face seems much swollen anyways” , he said pressing my face at various places.

“Tell me something about this place, why we feel so good coming here every time”, I inquired.

“There was a king who ruled this place once; people called him Ashoka ,the Great...They say this was the well where Ashoka threw ninety-nine of his elder brothers after killing them to obtain the throne of the Mauryan Empire.”, he said looking towards the well.

“Then why they refer hi to as Great…He was a murderer…”, I asked.

“A psycho may be, but they say his heart melted and later he took up Buddhism and did some great stuffs …” , he kept on adding until I interrupted him in middle.

“What is Buddhism, how did it change a man so cruel to a man he finally was?”

“Shut Up will you, please”, he yelled grasping his head with his hands.

“Ok Ok I just wanted to know, its fine, its fine”.

After being silent for a while we decided to return to our place.

“I am sleeping in my garage; I can’t go home with these marks or will be awarded with some more. What about you?” ,said Raju.

“Who cares, they never ask?”, we waved each other and walked towards our home.

I reached my home. Coming after 10 would mean no food so I was prepared. Drank enough water and went to my room. It was a small room about 8 by 10 just inside the boundaries of the house property but away from the building where others stayed.

The Introduction-II

I was one among the five children of my parents. Third from the top , third from the bottom. The sisters were younger than me Lata and Asha(named after the sisters with the golden voice) and they loved me like anything. My father used to run a hotel which earned quite well. I call it quite well as it was enough to feed a family of 9 (Both my elder brothers were married) and also take care of our education. I used to study.

The Dream

I loved English. I always had a dream to visit London. As I put this wish of mine one day before babuji, he smiled and patted me and asked me.                                                                   ”But how are you going to cope up, you don’t know English. If you learn English,I promise I will take you to London on one of those planes”. He sold me a dream and I readily bought it. He passed away last year and with him passed away my dream, but I didn’t give up on English.

The Entrepreneurship-II

It was hard for me to figure out how a hotel business which was sufficient enough to feed all of us suddenly turned out into a loss affair. Meanwhile every time there was a marriage in neighborhood, my sister in law’s jewelry were all flash along with matching sari which I saw was never repeated.

One day I was refused the school fees and sometime later I was told in order to earn my food I need to work in my own hotel. I remembered sitting on babuji’s lap behind the counter and making castles with the coins. I was handling castles of used plates by the customer’s now and cleaning tables at time, all this to feed myself thrice a day , that too in my own fucking hotel.

One day it came to my notice that the hotel was up for sale and my brother was relocating to some place called Tatanagar, he had landed himself some plum job in the steel factory there. He wanted to sell the hotel and take the money along with him. He always had a knack for money but he was my brother and I respected him almost like babuji. He was like 18 years elder to me. 

All this was going on when Johny Mera Naam released. Dev saab played Johny in the film,people as usual went crazy and Om Prakash aka Dev aka Mohan aka Raju , went on to you now what?

“When are we going to watch it Johny?”, I asked .

“You know how much are they paying for a ticket in Elphistone,12 can you believe, 12 for a ticket”, he smiled looking at the sky.

“I am in no mood to repeat the Guide stint, keep me out”, I said.

We went in silent mode for some time and then I asked.

“How much did you say 12 really, that is fucking too much.”, I was excited.

“Yes I bet even if we make 10 deals you know after our and Shyam’s cut we would be able to save at least…[contd.]”.

The Entrepreneurship-III

We made 20 each, that day. That was way too much without being caught. In few days I was on a train to Tatanagar. We went to a small area called Telco Colony. We were living in a quarter provided by company with two rooms and a common hall. With my brother and sister-in-law, settling in a room and two sisters settling in another, I had to stay in the hall. It was ok for me. My brother went to work and I did all the housework. I missed Om a lot.

My brother rented a shop in the local market . It was a paan shop. We all went for the puja and after the prayers it was opened. A guy named Sharma ran the shop and split the profits with my brother. Few days later the profit started to deplete and my brother’s frustration inflated. Soon Sharma was kicked out and search for new Sharma started which ended on me.

I used to wake up at 5 open the shop at 6 , return for lunch at 1 and go back to the shop at 4 only to return at 10.This happened back and forth. I heard people talking about a movie where Hema ji has walked on shattered glass pieces with naked legs. Next day after lunch instead of going back to my shop I went to Natraj to watch Sholay. It was not very difficult for me to remember OmPrakash would be Jai now or may be Veeru.

The Wardrobe

Meanwhile I was an adult now . One day I was informed that I need to stay back in shop and need not come over for lunch. The lunch would be brought up to me by my sisters. I knew I was being cut off from the family and with all due respect, it was not my brother but my sister-in-law. She thought it was hard for them to live in a house after she had two babies, a boy and a girl.

Next year when the third one was about to arrive I already knew what I would be asked for. It happened exactly as I thought.

“You need to move to your shop and stay there. Its not that we are asking you to leave but still, you are a young boy, its your time to prove to the world. Work harder”, I turned back and began to leave.

“Take your things”, called my brother.

“I have nothing to take. I don’t have anything”, I smiled and left.

“And one more thing…”, this time it was my sister-in-law. “Try to eat in a hotel instead, I won’t be able to send Tiffin through the girl,as they are grown enough and its not proper to let them go that far alone”.

I came back to them, touched their feet for the blessings and left. It was a Sunday afternoon, a pleasant one at least for most of the people.

I really had nothing. Two Shirts, a pant to wear on special occasions and two sarongs, it was my wardrobe.

The Cover Up

“Some guests will be expecting you tomorrow, so come to house tonight. Sleep there”, he said.

“Here buy some new clothes”, he said pulling out a 50 note.

“Is it necessary?”, I answered.

“Yes of course. If I have come this far to meet you it means it is important”.

“I have money. Don’t need them, thank you for asking anyways”.

Next day I was at the house. The guests arrived and I was introduced.

“He is Anand, my younger brother. He is a Supervisor in the steel plant. He is a Graduate”, my brother said.

I was not surprised but shocked. I got what was going on. They were here to marry me. I talked to my brother in the other room and he asked me to remain quiet.

In a few months’ time I was in Bihar again and only one evening I got to know it was my wedding tomorrow. I even tried to run but was caught and was made to swear for all my brother did for me.

I went to my marriage. Yes I went to my own marriage. I was not able to see her face, but was very nervous. After the ceremonies, when we two were alone. I started with an obvious question.

“What’s your name?”, I asked her.

“Anita”, she said and looked at me for the first time.

”Educated?”, I asked.

“I am a graduate”, promptly she replied.

“Is it before matriculation or after that”, I asked.

“They said you were a graduate too. You are joking right”, she was amused.

“Look I need put few things before you. I am hardly a fourth grade pass. I am not a supervisor. I am a paan shop owner, but make more than the supervisor.”

She stood up and I could see tears rolling down her face.

“I only got to know yesterday that it was my wedding .I am outside just let me know in the morning what you decided. Your decision is the most important. You are free to leave me if you like”

“Just leave me alone”, she said looking angrily at the ground.
I began to move out to the common room outside the bedroom which was decorated for our first night with flowers all over. I turned back at the door towards her and said.

“I just wanted you to know one thing. I am not an educated man. I am not even half as good looking as you are but you know I have already prayed to God whenever I had a wife, please make her name start with ‘A’ ”, I moved out telling this.

Next morning I was ready to leave. Her father instructed her to make my arrangements to leave. I looked at her. She came and placed a packed suitcase beside me.

“That’s not my bag. You made a mistake”, I said.

“That’s mine.I am not going to pack yours.You need to do it yourself”, she said. I smiled and entered and quickly packed my suitcase. We were ready to leave.

                                                                                                                                                                [To be continued…]