Pocket Money

Ravi and his friends were backbenchers in their class. Others tried to join their group of five students but did not manage to do that. Except all the boys in his group, Ravi was a miser. While his friends used to get decent pocket money, Ravi never had a penny – and that was the prevailing opinion in the class about him. There were occasions when Ravi had some pocket money, but he never really paid for anything. Among his friends, Ravi was popular as someone who didn’t believe in spending money.

Ravi belonged to a middle-class family and his father was a soldier in the Indian Army. The group of five boys was quite notorious among teachers, who always encouraged them to do well. At times, teachers tried other ways like sarcastic comments to jolt those boys from their reveries, but the group never had anything to say in their defence. They would blink at each other during such incidents and then the entire group would pose with smirks.

Every day during recess, one of the boys from their group would buy some sweets or candies for the gang except Ravi. While eating sheepishly with others, Ravi sometimes said that one day, he would throw a grand party. That didn’t happen for a long time except one day!

One day after the first period, when the bell rang, Ravi announced to his group that today they would enjoy some fruit chaat, lots of sweets and candies – and he would pay for all of that. It was a moment of elation and surprise for his group. The boys had a terrific time that day, as they gratified themselves with fruit chaat, Ice cream and Jalebi. Ravi was carrying a few notes of 100 rupees that day and he happily paid for everything. Boys were happy and didn’t bother to ask Ravi about the source of money. 

It was during the seventh period when Hindi teacher Mr. Praveen was elucidating a poem; a burly man entered the classroom. He had a big moustache and broad shoulders. He greeted the teacher and quickly announced that his son Ravi studied in the same class. Teacher greeted him and called out Ravi. Students craned their necks to look back, as Ravi timidly stood up from his seat with his head bowed down. Before Ravi’s father could mutter anything, his teacher said that he could wait outside at the reception and meet Ravi after the class. All this while, Ravi’s father kept staring at Ravi. Then he said, “I want to take Ravi to the Principal and please you also come with me.”

The teacher felt a bit surprised and reiterated that he could wait outside and meet Ravi after the class. Well, Ravi’s father finally left and after five minutes, a peon came and announced that Principal wanted to have a word with Ravi and his four friends immediately. As the boys entered the office, they saw that Ravi’s father was talking to their class teacher and principal was patiently listening to them. The very sight of Ravi made his father furious this time and he snarled, “You thief, how dare you to steal 500 rupees from your home, now you will be punished properly.” Class-teacher intervened and said that he should calm down and then looked at the group and asserted, “So, boys, did Ravi tell anything about money?” He added, “Where did you go during the recess and did Ravi buy anything?” There was a stunned silence in the room for a few moments.

Ravi’s appearance rendered pessimistic because of his stooped shoulders and bowed head. A few beads of sweat began to dangle over the uppermost part of his forehead. The class teacher stared at Ravi’s face in search of those eyes, which could have elicited something, but that did not happen and then he yelled, “Did you do that?” Nothing happened and Ravi stayed stuck to that spot even the principal asked the same question twice. All of a sudden, Ravi’s father stood up, rushed towards his son and slapped him. A sound of thud roared through the office, but Ravi managed to stand his ground. His head bent down and tears rolled down his cheeks. He did not reply again. Everyone was left astounded by that outrageous act of Ravi’s father. Once again, class-teacher intervened and asked Ravi – the same question.  

With steamy eyes, Ravi raised his head and looked at his class-teacher and just for a second, he managed to exchange glances with his friends. As their eyes made contact, all the four boys instantly blinked at Ravi, who was struggling to control a flood of tears. He mumbled a few words and once again his father snarled, “You rascal, you think you can get away with that?” Principal intervened and told Ravi’s father to calm down and then he ordered the peon to bring the class monitor to him. Meanwhile, Ravi managed to exchange glances with his friends and they repeated the act of blinking at him.

Class-monitor Manish entered the room and as soon as he heard about the incident, he said, “Sir, I overheard from other students that Ravi threw a party today and his friends had ice-cream and some sweets.” After he left the room, Principal asked Ravi to tell them the truth. Before Ravi could open his mouth, one of the boys from the group said, “Sir, we were joking about a lot of things today, our monitor must have overheard that.” Yes, we have had ice cream today, but I paid for that. Principal once again asked Ravi, whether it was true or not. As soon as Ravi lifted his head, the blinking game started again and then Ravi said, “Yes sir, he did.”

Now, all the eyes were on Ravi’s father, who growled, “If that is the case, then how it is possible then? I had to pay 6000 Rupees to someone today and I kept that money behind the idol of Lord Krishna at our home yesterday. Only Ravi and his mother knew about that. Today, when I counted the money after Ravi left for the school, there were only 5500 Rupees.” Ravi’s father could not utter the next word, as another boy from the group snapped the conversation and said, “Uncle, did you count that money twice?” Even the stoic principal smiled after hearing that comment. Ravi’s father was furious. He wanted to say something but then looked at Ravi again.

Then, the principal said, “Please Mr. Kumar, now that it has been proved that Ravi didn’t pay for anything, you should just go back home and calm down. You might have misplaced those rupees.” Ravi did not say anything. His father said that he wanted to frisk Ravi, but Principal quickly objected to that and said, “Mr. Kumar, I think your son has had enough already and I don’t want my student to cry again.”

The principal called out for the peon, told him to fetch two cups of tea for him and Ravi’s father, and then ordered boys to return to their class. When they reached halfway, one of the boys quickly held Ravi’s hand and asked other boys that how much money they have had. They needed 5 notes of 100 Rupees and luckily they collected those. They gave Ravi that money and said that he should leave the school immediately and reach home before his father. Well, Ravi returned to his class and told his teacher that he was not feeling well and wanted to go home with his father. While his father was sipping tea with the principal, Ravi quickly left the school and ran towards home. Next day, when Ravi returned to his class, the class monitor smiled at him and chuckled, “So Ravi, can we also join you today for another party?” Ravi looked at him, smiled and said, “No dear, I only enjoy with my friends.”

My Friend

Precaution: Long Post (Though its a short story) with some errors! 

There was a lot of commotion in the house of Chawla Family that day – peals of laughter and sporadic shouts of children could have heard from a distance and the gathering of many people stirred the interest of the village folks. Usually, keeping to themselves, Chawlas were one of the wealthiest families in the village and their palatial home was like a forbidden palace for the village folks. It was the stature and influence of the Chawlas that kept other folks impassive towards their daily lives. Even the most inquisitive folks did not care or dare to say anything about Chawlas. Though, many of them were kind of interested to know more about that particular ruckus. Something like that happened five years ago!

Five years ago, Kanchan eloped with her boyfriend Prabhat and what followed afterwards turned Chawlas home into any other house in the village. It was a rare opportunity for many village folks and each one of them visited that home to give some false or true information about Kanchan.  Things had changed in five year – Kanchan was coming to her maternal home and the whole family implicitly agreed to celebrate. They cursed Kanchan for a long time for what she did, but finally they accepted that gnawing decision and went on to convince themselves that all happened for some good.  Kanchan’s mother talked to her daughter after five years and after the initial tear-laden conversation, she invited her to see the ailing grandmother. The oldest member of the family or Kanchan’s grandmother was eagerly waiting for her grandchild, who was once treated like a princess in that home. Kanchan agreed to visit her grandmother  – within a couple of days, the brightly lit and recently painted Chawla house looked alive and quickly filled with relatives, who came from the far and wide corners of the city not only to be a part of this celebration but also to meet Kanchan – and to see, whether she was happy or not. Many were surprised that Kanchan’s father had made peace with his daughter. It wasn’t easy at all, but then a daughter’s love overpowered everything.

It was not going to be a kind of typical after-marriage ceremony, but for Chawlas, it was that much awaited occasion to celebrate and wholeheartedly accept the decision of their daughter – in front of those who had a lot to say five years ago. They did not forget to invite all of their relatives and above all Kanchan’s best friend Sanchita.

Kanchan was supposed to come home in the evening and all the members of the family were waiting for her. Old memories invigorated and more than joy – it was a moment of relief for the Chawlas – though they disowned their daughter, verbally in front of the society but never really accepted it – themselves.

Kanchan’s brother Ramesh, quickly got Sanchita’s phone number from her maternal home, but before giving her a call, he consulted his mother. It was an odd moment for him and his mother. In fact, his mother said that Kanchan might not like it because it was Sanchita who first broke the news of Kanchan’s elopement to the Chawla family. Sanchita and Kanchan were considered as the best friends by many. They went to school together, studied in the same class and shared every secret – two grown-up girls typically do. On that day, when Kanchan decided to elope with her boyfriend, she did not tell anyone about her plans except Sanchita – her best friend. But, that did not go well! Somehow, Kanchan and her boyfriend Suraj made a last minute change in their plan and that somehow helped them to keep Chawla and their clan away – or it would have been a disaster for the young lovers. Kanchan’s enraged brother and father had used all of their resources to get the information about the couple but they did not succeed. And, five years changed their perception.

After pondering over the implications, Kanchan’s mother told Ramesh that he should call Sanchita because everyone had moved ahead with their lives.  

Kanchan’s brother Ramesh called Sanchita many times that day, but she did not pick up the phone. The phone kept on ringing and finally Kuldeep picked up the phone. Kuldeep was Sanchita’s husband. He was a senior inspector in the state police department.  

Kuldeep, hello.

Ramesh, “hello, Namaste Ji, can I talk to Sanchita?”

Kuldeep, “Who are you and why are you calling on this number again and again.” Before Kuldeep could have shot a few expletives, Ramesh quickly took him through the back story by explaining everything.

After listening to that he said,  “Ok Ramesh, Kanchan will call you.”

Kuldeep was a bit short-tempered fellow. Due to his erratic behavior most of the people used to avoid him. But, that was tolerable to a great extent, but then he had this knack of turning into a monster after getting drunk. Sanchita got married to Kuldeep four years ago – a year after her best friend eloped with a boy. Initial outbursts of Kuldeep quickly turned into trails of ugly fights which sometimes appeared sadistic.

Kuldeep had a tendency to fight over trifles and a couple of times, Sanchita went back to her parent’s home but only to return after a few days. And, then it became a usual affair and Sanchita got used to it.

Kuldeep started drinking a bit early that day and Kanchan could sense that something nasty was in the offing. Her keen knack to gauge the frequently changing behavior of her husband had made her very alert as an individual. Those four years with Kuldeep, had given her two daughters and a submissive will to tolerate everything for the sake of her daughters. A few times she contemplated the options of committing suicide but then quickly changed her mind. Who would look after her daughter, if she would kill herself?  Kanchan had made peace with herself and expected the norms, which included, subject to frequent beatings and unnecessary rants. Kuldeep never hesitated to humiliate her in front of others.

After finishing half of a bottle of Rum, Kuldeep mumbled.  “How can I trust a woman like you, why did  you not tell me about this friend of yours earlier?”

Kanchan knew that it was coming, but she did not say anything. Mentally she prepared herself to take  another beating. Then the memories flashed before her eyes. Just like another girl, she had those dreams and aspirations about her would-be husband and life after marriage, but things got worse just after the honeymoon. She felt that her bad times started when she said yes to Kuldeep’s proposal. May be it was that police inspector’s charm!

Kanchan went into another room, where her daughters were watching a cartoon series. She picked up the remote, increased the volume of the TV and came back into the same room to face her drunk husband with assurance that her young daughters would not hear anything of it.

Another day, another beating. Kanchan took all the beating, waited for Kuldeep to sleep, who used a few more swearing words, crashed on the bed and soon started snoring. She washed her face, picked up the phone and called Ramesh. They talked over the phone for sometime and then Ramesh broke the news of Sanchita’s homecoming and asked a few more details before inviting Kanchan.  

Once again, memories flashed before her eyes, as she recalled those days, when she and Kanchan were the best friends, hugely popular for their bonding in the school. They shared every little secret they had about their first crush, fears, things they admired, things they hated and everything that could have been discussed among girls. Sanchita admired Kanchan for her courage. Like any other typical friends, Sanchita and Kanchan have had their share of fights with each other, but it was Kanchan who always took the initiative to patch up with her friend Sanchita.

Sanchita went on to the terrace and giggled alone by recalling some funny moments - she and Kanchan enjoyed together. There were many sweet memories. Kanchan smiled many times, while sitting alone on a plastic chair on her terrace but then she started crying.

She clearly remembered that day, when Suraj came to her home at night to asked about his sister. It was the third  and last year of their freedom in the college.  Sanchita was well-aware about her friends’ affair. She always encouraged Kanchan to meet her boyfriend Pradeep. Sanchita was just like Kanchan in playing pranks and cracking jokes, but it was her rigid nature and at times a very blunt attitude, which created a kind of borderline around her – and nobody dared to cross that. A few times, Sanchita was approached by a few boys, who wanted to take her out on a date, but once again it was her rigid attitude which kept them away. Sanchita always felt happy about those encounters but never moved beyond a casual conversation. She believed that she deserved a far better prospective groom for her than any other boy from the City College.

When Kanchan and Pradeep were dating, Sanchita has had those lonely moments to contemplate a lot of things. At times, she wished that someday they might get caught and then Kanchan would learn the greatest lesson of her life that to lead a peaceful life, we had to play by the rules created by others. Well, that did not happen.

On that day, when Kanchan eloped with her boyfriend Pradeep, Sanchita was more shocked than the family of her friend. Once again, Kanchan’s audacity surprised her best friend. How could a girl like Kanchan elope with a local boy? She certainly deserved a better choice!

Before Chawla family could have pressed Sanchita – she readily gave away the address of that temple, where Kanchan was supposed to get married next day. Everyone in the Chawla family thanked Sanchita who was absolutely convinced now that the moment of reckoning had arrived. And, now Kanchan would learn the greatest lesson of her life. But, that did not happen!  

Kanchan and Pradeep was supposed to get married in that temple that day, but then Kanchan suggested that before going for that they should get married in the registrar’s office so that legally they would become a couple and get the police protection.

Sanchita felt a quivering chill down her spine as she recalled her action and felt that how would she face her best friend after what she did to her, five years ago. All her life, Sanchita hated the guts of her friend. Kanchan was upfront, spontaneous and a free-spirited girl, Sanchita wanted to become like her but she could not and all that hatred erupted in the form of that revelation that night when she told Ramesh about the whereabouts of Kanchan.

She looked at her watch, it was 1’O Clock. Kanchan came downstairs, feeling nauseated, heard the snoring of her husband,  and then a thought struck her – she instantly made up her mind that tomorrow she would pretend of feeling sick, and did not go to meet Kanchan.

But that did not happen. In the morning, Kanchan’s brother Ramesh came to their home to pick them up. Kanchan’s husband was also coming with her and now she did not have enough time or space to fake any illness.  

Finally, that auspicious moment arrived, when Kanchan came home. Entire family greeted the couple. Sanchita met her friend Kanchan and could see that her friend was very happy. Tears welled up in the eyes of both friends as they hugged each other and shared a few quick words regarding the whereabouts of each other. Kanchan hugged her friend tightly and said that she has a lot to tell her.

Kanchan was soon surrounded by her relatives and then she sat with her grandmother. Sanchita was sitting in a corner and kept a close eye on her husband, who was gulping alcohol in another room, with Ramesh and his friends. Finally, both friends sat together and Kanchan said that she missed everyone so much but did talk to her mother regularly over the phone. But, she never dared to comeback because she knew her father would never agree.

After a few more rounds of drinks, Kuldeep got drunk and indulged in an animated conversation with Ramesh’s friend. Soon, that animated conversation turned into a verbal fight. Before things could have gone out of hand, Kanchan went straight into the room, threatened her brother that she would leave immediately, if this would continue. Interestingly, Kuldeep did not say anything after that.

Kanchan came back and could see that her friend was sobbing in a corner. She held the hand of Sanchita and said, “Its ok Sanchita, there is nothing to feel embarrassed about, he is ok. We all are your family. Don’t worry, Its ok. It happens to everyone.”

Well, Sanchita then broke down in tears, lifted her face and tried to speak.

“I am not thinking about that dear, but I want to say something.” I want to tell you something important. I thought I will never ever see you again in my life, but now that you are here. I would like to tell you something dear. Before Sanchita could say anything, Kanchan held her hand and said, ‘dear, thank God, you told my brother about our plan and gave away the address of that temple. It kept them busy there and we could get out of this district. I will be eternally grateful to you for that.’

Then she hugged her friend Sanchita and whispered in her ear. “Dear, life isn’t fair to anyone, but yes we can do our bit so that there wouldn’t be any regret.”

The Joys of Delhi (Delhi ke Majje)

Contrasting views on some common village issues or matters of importance at times led to some animated verbal-fights between Pyar Chand and Jaisi Ram. Other boys in their group always enjoyed that but those fights never turned into physical bouts. Others in the group always coaxed and tried to manipulate Pyar Chand and Jaisi Ram to pave the path for some action but that never happened. They were not close-friends, but one factor that worked as a cohesive force between them was that they were used to each other’s company. Every day they had to walk together three kilometers to reach their school and three kilometers back home.  Though they tried to join other groups, ultimately the two were left to seek each other’s company, because in other groups they never had anything to say. They studied together till 8^th class and knew a lot of secrets about each other, which somehow bound them.

While Pyar Chand was more of a dreamer, Jaisi Ram had a practical outlook towards life. While many youngsters of their age were fascinated by the world and things around them as they were contemplating the changes in their lives according to their age, our protagonists never paid much attention towards anything. Things were not going to change till they were in school – that’s what they believed.

Pyar Chand was indifferent towards his image as a dull-headed boy in the eyes of teachers and other students and it did not affect him ever. Jaisi Ram was slightly better than Pyar Chand and that notion of superiority kept him content. Rarely did they talk about studies, but whenever they did, Jaisi Ram compared himself with Pyar Chand and the matter settled quickly. They were in eighth class and somehow things took a drastic turn. Everything started to look so colossal, as they were going to appear in the board exams. Initial fervor and discussion at home and school made Pyar Chand a bit alert towards exams, but gradually he lost interest.

Jaisi Ram cheated well in board exams and got the passing marks, while Pyar Chand could not do that. Things did not change for Pyar Chand for the next two years and finally he gave up and mustered enough courage to tell his father that he was not interested in studies anymore. Jaisi Ram passed his tenth exams and during one of his discussions with Pyar Chand, he said then that he wanted to become a professor. Pyar Chand looked in bewilderment and said, “but for that you need to study a lot, what you say. They say that these professors are half-mad.” Jaisi Ram, “oh, you know better than anyone else, they earn a lot of money and once I will become professor, I will buy a big car.” Pyar Chand shook his head in his typical approval-giving style.

Jaisi Ram’s dream of becoming a Professor could not take off as his elder brother thought otherwise and sent him to Delhi to work with his maternal uncle, who was a mechanic in an iron-casting company. His brother made it clear that Jaisi Ram could study further but meanwhile, he would have to work to support the family like he was doing. And, Jaisi Ram was sent to Delhi.

Pyar Chand’s drunkard father took his son to work as a daily laborer on road. It appeared a harsh decision for many but Pyar Chand’s father had a big vision in his mind. In those days if you worked for PWD for 10 years, there was every possibility that one day you would be confirmed as a regular government employee – a dream job that would ensure fixed salary and pension. Six months passed quickly and one fine day our protagonists met.

Pyar Chand was returning from his work. While Jaisi Ram waited for an hour at the same place to meet Pyar Chand, he acted as if he was going somewhere, when he actually met the daily-wage laborer.

Pyar Chand, “Good to see you Jaisi. You are looking good, so how is Delhi?”

Jaisi Ram, “Delhi is very good, so you are working as a laborer, how are you doing there. I am here for three days as there is a lot of work in Delhi.”

Pyar Chand did not say anything for a while, and then he said , “see you yaara.” Meet me tomorrow morning at the pond, where we used to take bath and tell me about Delhi City.”

Jaisi Ram had a lot to say, but Pyar Chand just left. More than Pyar Chand, Jaisi Ram was excited to tell his old pal about Delhi but now he had to wait till morning. When they met early morning at the pond, Jaisi Ram spoke a lot until he felt satisfied – as usual, Pyar Chand listened to him patiently.

 Pyar Chand carefully tried to weigh in every word that his friend had said and then he could comprehend that people enjoy a great life in Delhi. Big buildings, trains, lot of cars, - a city where Prime Minister and President of India live. For the first time in his life, Pyar Chand felt really bad about his condition. And then he wanted to go to Delhi.  

After three days, Jaisi Ram went back to Delhi. Usually engrossed in his routine work, Pyar Chand could not focus on anything for the next few days. While cleaning a ditch near the road during his work, Pyar Chand hurt his leg badly. He could not hold it for long and finally shared his thoughts with other colleagues, who were working as PWD daily wage workers. They listened in amusement as he vividly described everything to them and felt relieved.

The same thing happened again after six months when Jaisi Ram visited the village. Once again, he told some elaborate stories about Delhi and Pyar Chand felt more and more longing for the capital of India. Jaisi Ram did not shut up until he felt satisfied that he had said everything that he wanted to say at the village pond and then left in a hurry.  

This World had become a dreary place for Pyar Chand – every day he dreamt of going to Delhi to live a great life. If there was a heaven – it was in Delhi. Pyar Chand thought. Oh, I am not intelligent like Jaisi Ram, but I also deserve a good life. I just want to go to Delhi. And then something good happened for the PWD worker - Jaisi Ram came to village for a couple of days and besides telling compelling stories about the city, he also gave a phone number  to Pyar Chand with an important note that he could only call him on Sunday – every week.  

Well, Pyar Chand had something else in his mind, he waited and saved some money after three months and booked a ticket to Delhi. He knew his father would never agree to send him away to Delhi. So, he told his mother that he would find some decent work in Delhi and rest would be taken care of by his friend Jaisi Ram. Though, Pyar Chand waited for the next Sunday and made a call on that number which Jaisi Ram had given him. He dialed that number with huge anticipation and carefully queued up all the words in his mind he wanted to say over the phone.  He called up and a woman on the other side picked up.

Woman with a hoarse voice said – “Hello, who.”

Pyar Chand was speechless for a while but then he managed to say something and said, “Madam Ji, please call Jaisi Ram, I am his Friend from village.” The Woman instantly snapped – “oh, Jaisi Ram is not here, call at Nine in the evening.”
“Madam Ji, give me his address,” said Pyar Chand quickly.

The Woman did not waste much time to give him the address. Well, Pyar Chand could see his dream was coming true. With hopes and aspirations, he left the village.

He boarded the bus two hours before it was supposed to leave the bus stand. As the bus started for Delhi, his heart sank, he was leaving his home-district for the first time in his life. He did not talk to anyone on the bus and did not go outside to drink tea or to eat anything, when bus stopped for breaks. And when everyone slept in the bus, Pyar Chand managed to beat ill-thoughts and apprehensions by painting some exquisite pictures of the city in his mind – consequently, he managed to sleep peacefully.  Finally, he reached Delhi and saw a big crowd and a lot of vehicles – as told by Jaisi Ram. With a mixed feeling of happiness and apprehension, he boarded an auto.

There was so much to see – Pyar Chand dodged curious glances at everything – from ugly DTC buses to yellow autos. Riding high on his train of thoughts, his reverie was disturbed by the stench erupting irrepressibly from the rotting roadside garbage. He put a handkerchief on his nose and continued with sight-seeing.  At times he forgot to blink as he did not want to miss a single scene. He was new to the city, but did well by hiring an auto after a reasonable bargaining on fare.

Finally, he reached the colony, as written on the address. It was a congested housing complex and as the auto penetrated into the narrow street, Pyar Chand saw a few piglets playing in a small ditch. Kucha road made it a bumpy ride and Pyar Chand had to hold tightly to the roof supporting rod of the auto to maintain his balance on the seat. The pungent stench which caught up with Pyar Chand in the halfway after he left the Bus Terminal grew stronger in this colony. 

With address note in one hand and other hand on his nose to counter stench, Pyar Ram reached a shop. He wanted to buy something for his friend – just then he saw jaisi Ram. Well, Pyar Chand looked thrilled and absolutely overjoyed to see Jaisi Ram there. He rushed towards his friend and shook Jaisi Ram’s hands. Both couldn’t say anything for a while. It was a feeling of sheer joy which kept Pyar Chand silent for a while and he expected his friend Jaisi Ram to say something, who could not move his limbs or lips and it appeared as if he had suffered an instant stroke of paralysis.

They exchanged a few words and then Jaisi Ram bought bread and four eggs from that shop and did not say anything on the way as Pyar Chand followed him. Finally, Jaisi Ram said, “how did you reach here? you left your job, your father will kill you now. Who gave you the money to buy bus ticket?”

With a big smile on his face, Pyar Chand said, “No no..I saved some money and like you said then that if you want to do something big in life, you need to leave that village, so I am here now.”

A storm of thoughts and words was heaving inside Jaisi Ram – he wanted to puke it promptly on his patient listener, but he could not say much. Finally, they reached near a house. Pyar Chand felt a bit surprised that Jaisi Ram was not saying anything- something he was not used to. They entered a narrow staircase, which led towards the terrace of the house. Well, the walls of the stairs were stained with red color – displaying different shapes of obscure images created by Paan and Gutkha spit. Stairs finished on the Terrace of the building. There was a small room on the terrace with an adjacent bathroom – Jaisi Ram unlocked the room and invited Pyar Chand inside.

It was the month of April and anyone who has ever spent time in Delhi during this period of the year must be aware about the treacherous summer, which begins to show its ugly face in this month and then turns into a sadistic monster in the forthcoming months of May and June. Jaisi Ram, who used to dominate and initiate the conversations between them, did not speak a single word for the next half an hour.

They entered the room, which looked big as there was not much in there, except a bed, a table fan and a few other things. Pyar Chand just sat in front of the fan and continued with observation – his favorite pastime, which he had not been able to enjoy since morning.

Suddenly, he saw that there was a medium-size suitcase there and he clearly remembered that – that was the one suitcase Jaisi Ram used to bring to the village. Finally, Jaisi Ram said, “if you want to take bath there is a bathroom.”

He gave three slices of bread to Pyar Chand, some tea and half of the egg omelet, he cooked quickly. Pyar Chand had a lot of questions in his mind, but failed to get the start. So, it is Delhi…ok the same Delhi. What…lost in his thoughts, he did not realize that Jaisi Ram was ready to go to work.

He spoke again, “look I will come in the evening.” Pyar Chand nodded in approval. And, then Jaisi Ram left.

Pyar Chand, tried to sleep during the day but could not. He tried to increase the speed of the table fan but could not. As the day progressed, Pyar Chand found that heat had turned into something really worse – well, he couldn’t find the right word for that. The overhead roof was burning and it seemed that fan had literally surrendered to the situation, as it was blowing hot air. He drank enough water from the pitcher that Jaisi Ram had placed in the corner, but just could not get any relief. Next four hours were spent in gulping a few more glasses of water. Pyar Chand felt that he had turned into a machine, which was drinking water and producing sweat as a by-product. Finally, he decided to go downstairs but then changed his mind quickly.

It was an extraordinary day in the life of Pyar Chand who experienced every minute of it – in a way he couldn’t have imagined ever, he had a lot of time to ponder over a few important things. Finally the day  ended. And then Jaisi Ram returned from work.

It was just another day of April in Delhi, but Pyar Chand was looking enervated. He had a whole day to think about Jaisi Ram and Delhi and above all Delhi ke majje (the joys of Delhi). Jaisi Ram did not look at Pyar Chand since returning from work. Before he could say anything, Pyar Chand asked, “Yaara, do I need to go for advance booking to book my tickets for Himachal or can I get them directly, when I would board the bus.”

Jaisi Ram swiftly replied, “No, no, you can get when you would reach there. There would not be much rush these days.”   Well, Pyar Chand saw that old glow and smile on the face of his friend Jaisi Ram for the first time since he came to Delhi.

Both slept on the terrace and shared a single mattress – hardened by the overuse. Jaisi Ram gave mosquito repellant to Pyar Chand, who applied it and slept peacefully. Next day, he gave 100 Rs. to Jaisi Ram and said sorry for all the trouble. And just when Jaisi Ram was leaving for his work, Pyar Chand picked up his newly bought bag and followed him. Pyar Chand did not say anything. Both reached the main road, where Pyar Chand hired an auto. Just then Jaisi Ram said, “Why are you going so early – the bus will leave in the evening?” Pyar Chand did not look back, he did not say anything. He looked at the  Auto-driver and said  - let’s go.  

That guy with Ektara

While wiping out the dust from my old diaries today, I got hold of something interesting, a small piece of writing, filled with some hastily written lines – well, I recalled that day, when I wrote that quickly because I didn’t want to forget about that experience. Actually, almost nine years ago I wrote that. It was the time, when I used to save every penny to buy those music cassettes with a price tag of 120 rupees. It was a flourishing time for all those boy bands (Boyzone, Backstreet Boys and a few others). Well,  my only source of English Music, Channel V and MTV -  were also showing their tracks most of the time. So, whatever was hit on TV or coming more often on TV – was hit for me. Though, I didn't understand the lyrics of many of their songs, I hummed them in the bathroom and tried to imitate those good looking boy-singers, when no one was watching me. Well, I started this post with this small introduction to recall that what I was listening during those days, when I met that guy on that day.

Now, lets’ come straight to the point here. It was one of those days, when I was going to my friend’s place, I boarded a bus in South Delhi (Madangir – the exact place) and after the bus reached the fourth bus-stand, I saw a guy standing, facing the passengers of the bus. He was using the metal rod cover of bus-bonnet to support his body – with his back sticking firmly to those rods. He had a unique kind of musical instrument in his hand. I quickly related that one instrument to Ektara, I once saw in a play in my school titled “Meera”. Actually, it was an Ektara or one string guitar as I would like to call it with a big base or head made of pumpkin. It was a blue-line bus and anyone who lived in Delhi during those days must be aware about that killing fleet of buses, which were driven by pokerfaced drivers, who were always competing with others to get more and more passengers and very rarely I saw them saying anything. Whenever they opened up their mouths, either it was to abuse someone or to order conductor to do something – sometimes to change the side of the cassette in the music player - something I always liked!

Let’s come back to our protagonist or the guy with Ektara. Like he used to do with every other passenger, conductor approached that guy and asked for tickets, this guy smiled and balanced himself as he was preparing to play and gave a few coins to the conductor – who counted them and immediately shifted his focus on another passenger. Interestingly, our protagonist was not playing it like Meera (as I saw in that school play), as he had another stick, which he was using to play it like a violin. Initially, I didn’t notice it as I was busy enjoying the race between our driver and other – as both were stepping on the accelerator every now and then to reach to the next bus-stop quickly before other. My head was moving to and fro every now and then with the frequently altering speed of the bus – but that guy was standing firmly there, with his back-body sticking to those metal rods – meant to keep the passengers away from the bus-bonnet or driver. That guy stretched out his arms, held the Ektara like a violin and started playing, with the utmost focus. Passengers were boarding and alighting, but this guy was right there with that Ektara – and he was playing the tunes of some popular Hindi tracks. While balancing my head with the wobbly speed of the bus – I tried to concentrate on those tunes and found that he was changing the tunes without any break. So, I had to focus hard as he quickly shifted from Pardasiyon se na akhiyan milana to tu mera jaanu hai tu mera dilbar hai.

He was absolutely focussed on that Ektara and gradually, I found myself in a kind of trance created by that music – sometimes those tunes were crushed by the cranky horns of the bus and other vehicles - but I didn't lost my grasp on those quickly altering tunes. I must add here about those interruptions by the conductor, who was pushing that guy every now and then to accommodate more and more passengers in the bus. Those pushes were nothing as compared to the abrupt alterations in the speed of the bus – but this guy was skilfully balancing himself while his Ektara and he looked as one – both were working as a perfect unit to captivate me and others, who were listening to those tunes, seriously.

As the bus reached the fourteenth bus stop this guy stopped playing and opened up his palm before passengers. A few guys sitting in the front tossed up a few coins in his palm and then he came to me. Gradually coming back to my real-self, after experiencing that pure ecstasy of music for a while, I seriously took notice of that guy – a man between his forties, looking somewhat dishevelled in those sweat-laden dirty clothes, with a few wrinkles emerging at the edges of both sides of the eyes and a few white hair on his beard further worsening his looks. He had dark lips – which were looking parched may be due to relentless smoking or cruel Delhi weather of May. Then I noticed his petite smile – not the one you see on the faces of those who ask for the money after performing something in public. And, if you don’t give anything to them – they come up with that wry smile to leave you with a biting-thought – What the hell, I didn’t ask you to perform that. This guy had a very assured smile and he didn’t stop smiling before those who didn’t even look at him.

I gave him a five rupees coin and then he got down at the next bus-stop. I travelled on that route many times after that but never saw him again. That day I didn’t feel any pity or sympathy for that guy. Good Music attains sublime form – no matter, where you play it. That guy had every good reason to smile and feel too good for himself because he played like a virtuoso during those ten minutes or so and touched my soul with his music.