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…]