While I wait to complete some background research on my first manuscript, I am producing here the first few chapters of a new work that I have recently begun...I have the helmet on, so let the tomatoes begin....
Chapter-1
“So,
this is it, then.”
“Yeah.
Four fucking years. Just went away in a swoosh”, Rajan swooshed the air with
his beer bottle.
“Wasn’t
it just yesterday that we were sitting here, pissing in our pants, wondering if
we belonged here?” Sanjay looked out the big porthole into the distance, as if
reliving a long and tiring journey.
“Yeah!
It was. But guess things turned out alright”, Rajan said.
“Yeah!
Couldn’t have asked for more, I guess”, Sanjay agreed.
“So,
when are you guys moving out?” I asked.
“As
soon as today’s gig’s over; have got to board a flight to Tirupati this
evening”, Rajan said, taking a long, deep swig on his bottle.
“Tirupati?
And you?” I was surprised.
“Yeah,
yeah; sometimes you’ve got to do certain things for others”, he replied.
“And
who’s it you’re doing it for?” I asked.
“My
mother. She probably wanted it more than I”, he said.
“What?
Your graduation?” I asked.
“No re. My selection to IIM Ahmedabad”, he
admonished me. “Who cares about this degree anymore? The real thing starts at
IIMA.”
“Humm…”
“And
what about you, Sanjay?”
“Well,
I fly off to the US next week. Mum and dad are already here. Uncles, aunts,
nephews and nieces would join in by this weekend. A little parting party of
sorts”, he giggled.
“Yale,
here I come”, he lifted his bottle up and achieved a mid-air high five with
Rajan.
“Now
that leaves you”, Rajan bore his eyes down on me.
“Yeah.
What’s your plan?” Sanjay joined in.
“You
know that”, I replied.
“No,
we don’t”, they said in unison.
“C’mon
now. You both do.”
“Don’t
tell me you’re taking up that shitty dump house of a job”, Rajan said.
“But
why, Arun? What the fuck’s wrong with you?” Sanjay bore in too.
“Why
can’t you screw your idealism for god’s sake and think about the future?” Rajan
asked.
“You
guys have it all figured out; not me”, I thought I said the truth.
“Don’t
give us that shit”, Sanjay said.
“No
really. I don’t know a damn about business; would be wasting my time at IIMs”,
I looked at Rajan.
“And
I don’t think I’m particularly interested in researching the causal
relationship between an economy’s unemployment rate and inflation”, I tried my
best to answer Sanjay too without offending him.
“Well
ha, ha”, he was offended all-the-same.
“You
think I do?” Rajan began.
“I
know shit about investment banking; and yet, I knew from the day I set foot on
this campus that one day I would be heading to one of the IIMs, to make a
career in finance”, he said.
“Ditto
with me. I’m not going there coz I’m dying to know what drives wages and
inflations- who cares? I’m going there coz I want to get away from this crapper
of a country; America’s where all the fun is”, Sanjay, the future economics
scholar from Yale, replied.
“Well
guys, let’s just say that I’m wired somewhat differently”, I said.
“The
shit you’re. There’s a big gob of cow dung stuck inside your head. It’s not
gonna come out till you’ve faced the realities of life”, Rajan was livid.
“Hey
guys; now don’t you go after me. C’mon, today’s not the time to revisit our
discussions of the past”, I said.
“No
shit, it is. You’re screwing yourself with your own hands. We can’t see that
happen”, Sanjay put an arm around me.
“Must
we go through this gig again, guys?” I implored.
“You’re
the goddamn topper of our class, Arun. You deserved to be at MIT or Stanford.
What are you doing with your life?” Sanjay asked.
“Guys,
we’ve gone over this, together, many times before”, I said.
“We
have. But you just don’t seem to understand”, Rajan said.
“Yeah.
You’re screwing yourself”, Sanjay agreed with him.
“Well,
what do you want me to understand? All I knew when I came here was that I
wanted to study Metallurgical Engineering. I’ve done that and loved every
second of it. The course’s over and I’m on my way out. I don’t fancy myself
carrying out phony research at some well endowed US university; I’m not a Ph.D
material, guys. I just don’t have the patience for that”, I said.
“You
think we’re phony? You think you know more than we do?” Rajan was indignant.
“Now
don’t you two start behaving like disgruntled wives. I didn’t mean that”, I said.
“We
know what you mean”, Sanjay said, turning his face away from me.
“You
think you’re some smart alec going
out in the world with the illuminating torch of metallurgical engineering
lighting your path and showing you the way. Guess what? Reality will hit you
before you know it”, he added.
Though
I had not wanted it, I knew that at some stage our discussion would wear off
this way. I hated having to go through it, all over again.
“Metallurgical
engineers are a dime a dozen in this overcrowded country. And what are they
really paying you for all your troubles? Ten thousand rupees a month? You can’t
sustain yourself for even a week on that”, Rajan showed me the mirror.
“I’m
used to that guys”, I replied.
“The
shit you are, Arun”, Sanjay began.
“That
was before you came to IIT Bombay. Your scholarships’ve fed you nicely here.
You are no more that sorry, hungry and confused teenager who’d come to this
city with his tail firmly between his legs”, he added.
“Yeah.
We of course love and respect you for what you’ve achieved given your humble
beginnings. No one can do anything about his birth. That deck’s just handed
down to you from the heavens. But, what you’re about to do now is something for
which only you’re to blame”, Rajan remarked too, giving me his elder brotherly
attention as always.
“Your
concerns touch me a lot, guys. But I just can’t fancy myself doing something
I’m not inherently interested in. Perhaps life will teach me a few tough
lessons. Perhaps I’d evolve in my thoughts. Perhaps I’ll change for good. Perhaps
one day I’ll figure out what I want to do with my life.
“But
right now, all I want is to put the stuff I’ve learned here to practice.”
“And
what about Aarti? Have you ever spared a thought for her?” Rajan enquired,
putting his bottle down.
“She’s
over me, Rajan”, I assured him. “She’s all yours.”
“This
isn’t about me, you idiot. I didn’t mean it that way”, Rajan said.
He
directed his searching stare at me, as if to judge my reactions.
“Honestly
Rajan, I was always too much of an anomaly for her”, I said. “I don’t know what
she saw in me.”
“Your
humbleness is touching, Arun. But, you know that she was hopelessly in love
with you”, Rajan said.
“May
be she was, Rajan. But it was never going to work out. She was too good, too
sorted out and just too smart for me.”
“All
she ever wanted from you was to be with her, along her way”, Rajan said, a
touch nostalgically.
“Guess
you’re going to give her a good company at IIM Ahmedabad”, I looked at him to
see if that’s what he had wanted to listen.
“Now
c’mon, Arun”, he raised both his hands in the air. “We’re talking like friends
here.”
“I
know we are, buddy. And that’s why I’m so happy for you. I’m sure one day
you’ll win her over.”
“Arun…”,
Rajan started.
“Cut
it out, folks”, Sanjay intervened. “We’re not going down that road just now.”
An
uneasy silence filled the empty bar.
“You
guys fancy another round?” the diminutive bar manager shouted from behind his
cash register.
“That
would be great, anna. Let’s all have one for the road”, Sanjay thumped the
table.
Chapter-2
“Hello
Aarti, you look beautiful”, I saw her sitting outside the Lecture Theatre,
immersed in deep thoughts.
“Hey
Arun, you found me out, finally”, she lifted her light brown eye lids.
She
looked beautiful in her sensuous blue chiffons.
She
was the rage of IIT Bombay’s outgoing class of 2002- a bona fide head turner. And
she carried an incredibly intelligent head on her beautifully sensitive
shoulders.
“Of
course I did. It’s our last day here, Aarti. Wanted to thank you for the great
times we’ve had together.”
“You
sound so formal, Arun; almost apologetic.”
“You
haven’t forgiven me yet, Aarti, have you?”
“What
do you know, Arun?”
“I
just know that I’m very happy for you. You always wanted to go to IIM Ahmedabad
and that’s where you’re finally headed.”
“I
wanted something more, Arun. I wanted you.”
“Aarti..”
“Why
Arun, just tell me why you couldn’t even try to see the world from my eyes”, she
said, looking through me.
“What
was the point, Aarti? I belong to a different reality; a reality that would
find no resonance in the world you inhabit.”
“I
never cared if you had any money or not”, she protested. “Never cared about
your pedigree, your past, your…”, she stopped herself from adding something
more.
“All
I cared about was you and me and our future”, she said after a moment’s pause.
“Aarti,
our futures weren’t meant to converge.”
“But
why, Arun? Why not? If only you’d spared a thought for me, things could’ve
turned out so different.”
“Spared
a thought? For a long time, all I’ve done is think about you; about us. Aarti,
we were an unlikely pair and I guess we both knew it from the beginning. You
and I were always as different as the night is from the day.”
“Arun,
please. This is not a stage and you’re not anchoring a goddamn play. This is
real life. When would you ever get real? You’re squandering away a great
opportunity to have a glittering career. You’re giving it all up; for what? A
stupid job in an aluminium foil printing plant? Why couldn’t you’ve taken the CAT
along with me? You could’ve easily beaten the day lights out of it.”
“That’s
probably right, Aarti. But my heart was never in it.”
“Your
heart was never in me, either.”
“That’s
not true, Aarti. I liked you a lot.”
“Arun,
the difference between you and me is that I loved you”, she said and began to
get up.
“Wait
Aarti. Don’t leave.”
“You’ve
lost the right to demand that from me”, she said with a stony touch in her
voice.
“You’ve
let me down badly, Arun; let me down badly, not just in my own eyes but also in
the eyes of my parents who were really looking ahead to meeting you today.”
“They
are here?” I asked.
“Of
course they are. Their darling daughter is graduating today. What would you
know…”, she stopped midsentence and looked at me.
“I’m
sorry Arun. I didn’t mean that”, she said, taking a pause.
“It’s
ok, Aarti. Don’t feel bad. You were just going to state the truth. But, I hope
you now see what I’ve meant all along.”
She
stood silent, her dark green eyes a militancy of battling emotions.
“Now
listen to me carefully, Aarti. Rajan’s madly in love with you. He reached
beyond himself to get admitted to IIMA, burning the heck out of the midnight
oil. He wanted to prove a point or two to his family. But I guess he also
wanted to prove it to you. He’s done that, Aarti. Don’t ignore him.”
“Thanks
a lot, Arun. I see his marks all over you, not just of his generosity in those
shoes you wear, but also of his crassness in that smell of shit you were
drinking with him before coming here to meet me.
“I
admit that you’re great, Arun. And I admit I’ll continue longing for you;
perhaps forever. But I’m not going to let myself be a pawn in your apostolic
display of selfless friendship and self-destruction.
“I
don’t think I’ll be able to touch your greatness, ever”, she said and got up
finally.
“Aarti,
please stop, Aarti….”, I saw her walk away in the billowing haze of her crimson
blue dupatta, wondering when in life
would I ever talk to her again.
Chapter-3
“Ladies
and gentlemen, I welcome you all to the forty third convocation ceremony of
this great institution. I’m honored to have with us on the stage, Mr. Narendra
Malpani, CEO of Infusion technologies Ltd and a proud alumnous of IIT Bombay,
as the chief guest of this morning’s proceedings. Please give him a big hand”,
the institute’s Director began his valedictory speech.
The
entire arena blew up in a fantastic din of hand claps and bench taps.
The
sea of humanity, students and their proud parents alike, rose in deference,
welcoming Mr. Malpani on his new homecoming.
Out
in the front rows, Rajan and Sanjay sat with their parents, shouting and
clapping in appreciation. Out from my vantage position on the elevated decks
meant for the institute’s 2002 medal winners, I saw in those eager hands an
abiding promise of a future that would hopefully be as successful as that of
the institute’s favorite son.
I
craned my neck to my right to see what Aarti was upto. She was there, at the
far end, perhaps looking at me. She drafted her gaze away the moment my eyes
met hers.
I
felt a weight lower itself on my heart.
“Twenty
five years ago, I sat where you all are today, wondering what life held in
store for me”, Mr. Malpani began.
“My
mind was devoid of answers. It was blank. It was scared too, for beyond those
imposing gates of IIT Bombay lay a big, confusing world.
“I’d
always wondered how I’d cope up once I was out of the protecting shelter of
this institution, this cocoon of happy memories, mid-night cack-sessions,
soccer fields, friendships and camaraderie.
“I’d
made no plans for how my life would pan out, how I’d like it to shape up, how
I’d like to nurture it and so on. In short, I just didn’t feel up to it.
“I
still remember, lying awake at night, thinking about it and having interminable
headaches. I didn’t have any one to guide me out of this self-destructive
frenzy of militant thought and emotions. Then one day, as I was on my way from
the central library back to the hostel, I saw a laborer on the curb side, picking
up bricks from a huge dump and transferring them to the construction site over
yonder.
“For
whatever reasons, I just stopped there to observe him at work.
“It
was as well that I did for that afternoon gave me a template of how I’d spend
the rest of my life.
“I
can see you all looking at me with wondering eyes at this stage- what lesson
could a lowly, uneducated laborer have possibly taught me that long ago
afternoon?
“Well,
the lesson was of patience, of living in the moment and of dividing my work in
manageable and measurable quantums of effort, banishing all worries of the load
that’d still need to be carried in the future, and forgetting all about the
painfully burdened past that was dead and gone.
“Living
in the moment as if it were the last;
“With
no thoughts wasted on the future or the past-
“This
then is what I propose to you as a mantra that would hold you in good stead as
you embark on this journey called life.
“It
has worked wonderfully for me; I don’t see why it wouldn’t for you”, he
concluded.
Perhaps
expecting something more from him, the audience gave him a tepid, half hearted
cheer, making it sound more like a jeer.
“Aw,
bullshit! What about all those billions he’s made?” Shamit, the Electrical
Engineering silver medalist sitting next to me, quipped.
“Or
that helicopter he’s flown here in”, Rajini, the Computer Science topper and
the institute gold medalist, mocked.
“I
bet he didn’t earn all this with that puny little laborer’s picture plastered
on his desk”, she whispered further.
I
shrugged my shoulders. The rich and their ways were beyond me.
I
liked the lesson, however.
Living
every moment as it were the last sounded like a great way of going about it.
Chapter-4
“Treasure
these moments for they’ll never come back”, the Director patted me on my back.
He
signaled us all to pick up our glasses of beers and whiskeys and,
“Here’s
wishing the medalists of the outgoing class of 2002 a roaring success in life.”
We
clanged our glasses together, Aarti being the only one not to join in.
She
stood morose in a corner, nursing an untouched glass of apple juice.
“So
young man, how are you kickstarting things?” Mr. Malpani put a hand on my back
and asked.
“I’m
joining the kalwa works of the Integrated Aluminium Company in Thane, sir”, I
replied.
“You
are, are you?” he asked incredulously.
“Yes
sir.”
“A
most curious choice, I must say.”
“Why
do you say that, sir?”
“Well,
I guess any US university worth its name would’ve been honored to have you as a
research scholar. And then there were the IIMs- you obviously didn’t think
along those lines.”
“I
don’t think I’m cut out for research, sir; am a tad too much of an action
oriented man for that.
“And
I don’t understand a thing about businesses and management. Probably, I will in
time.”
“Ha
ha ha. I like that, young man. At least you are clear about some things. I’ll
wager a thousand rupees that a lot of bright chirpy folks you see out there
don’t even know that”, Mr. Malpani said.
“And
who’s that beautiful lady sitting in that corner, all by herself?” Mr. Malpani
moved over to strike a conversation with Aarti.
“Pompous
ass”, Rajini, the gold medalist, moved over to me with her glass of beer and
said.
“Was
saying he probably knows more about computers than all the professors at MIT
taken together”, she added without my asking for it.
“Was
he?”
“Yes!
What a balloon”, she said.
“The
guy owns one of the largest software services firms in the world. Guess he
probably knows a thing or two about computers”, for no apparent reasons, I was
moved to come to Mr. Malpani’s rescue.
“He
might have gotten lucky in that. But by education, he’s just a lowly civil
engineer”, she said, clearly irritated.
“Does
that really matter, Rajini? You don’t build something so big without passion. To
me, he looks like a really passionate man.”
“Pow
wow, farting cow”, Rajini quipped. “He’s a farter. And looks like you too have
sniffed the poisonous hydrogen sulphide coming out his ass.”
“Shh..be
quiet, Rajini. He’s still within an ear shot”, I held her gently from one of
her elbows and walked her over to a chair in the corner.
“Shh..shh…handle
with care, Arun; MIT Media Labs’s future is riding in your arms tonight”, the
heavily inebriated Rajini flopped down in my arms.
I settled
MIT’s future gingerly down in the chair and unclasped the empty beer glass out
of her hands.
It
was a strange world and I wondered whose pomposity to bow to.
Mr.
Malpani’s approach lighted up Aarti. Like the well kindled flame of an aarti lamp, she got up from her chair
and greeted him with a firm handshake. She presented her full arrayed smile to
him and moved a delicate, well accessorized hand through her hair, as if to
clear off the few tafts that might block her ear’s approaches from the pearls
of wisdom Mr. Malpani was shortly going to throw in her direction. I liked her
ability to achieve these fantastic mood modulations; almost admired her for
that. This probably was one more thing that set us apart.
“Young
lady, what’s your thing then?” Mr. Malpani asked Aarti.
“I’m
off to IIM Ahmedabad next week, sir.”
“Aha!
Crème de la crème.”
“Thanks,
sir.”
“What
do you plan to pursue there?”
I
picked up my last glass of beer for the evening and settled myself down on the
chair that Aarti had occupied all evening. It was our last evening on the
campus and I was determined not to leave without giving her my own, personal
send off.
“Finance
would be my forte, sir. Corporate finance and investments.”
“Looks
like you’ve got it all sorted out in your mind, already.”
“I
have, sir. If you don’t plan to succeed in life, you plan to fail”, she said
and I thought she gave me a sideways look.
She
looked raveshing as
always. She wasn’t one for make ups and that was something I admired her a lot
for. Really, she didn’t need to. She probably had the sharpest of noses I’d
ever seen on any human female. It sat prettily between her two dark green,
almond sized eyes which were in turn protected by two high arched eyebrows that
had been transported straight from some Ajanta mural on to her glittering face.
Her
nose met her lips through a harmonized valley of soft, silken flesh that
occasionally had the honor of sporting a few, silvery beads of perspiration.
And what of the lips? Not only had God created them with his own hands, he had
chosen the loveliest of pinks to paint them with.
As
always of such occasions, I wondered what was it she had seen in me, an
uncultured village simpleton, in the four years she had spent reminding me of
the great future that awaited us together.
“I
like your confidence, young lady. Worth its weight in gold. Here’s my card.
Keep in touch through your program at IIM. I might just have something to
occupy you on once you are done”, Mr. Malpani said and wished her good luck for
a roaring future.
“Aarti,
won’t you talk to me before we leave? I stood up to let Aarti take my seat.
“What’s
left to talk about, Arun? You’ve made up your mind”, she decided she wanted to
remain standing.
“It’s
for your own good, Aarti. You’re just too good. You don’t want a grind stone
line me hanging around your neck.”
“It’s
alright, Arun. I guess I’ll probably get over you one day.”
Her
words pierced my heart even though that’s what I had wanted to listen.
“Is
there anything else you wanted to tell me before I leave the party?” she asked.
“Just
that you’re the prettiest thing I’ve ever met in my life and a truly great
friend. I’ll always be there for you should you need me. All you’d have to do
would be to ask.”
“I’m
floored, Arun. Thanks a lot for that.”
“Why
don’t I walk you back to your hostel? For the old times’s sake?”
“That
won’t be necessary, Arun. My dad’s throwing a bash over at the Renaissance to
celebrate my graduation. The chauffeur is already there, waiting for me outside
in the car.”
“I
understand, Aarti.”
I
tried to hold her hand to pat her my final goodbye. She was however carrying
Mr. Malpani’s visiting card in that.
She
preferred to park it in her purse and w
Chapter-5
“That
would be three thousand, five hundred and eighty rupees a month”, the manager
of the bachelors’s quarters near the Kanjur Marg railway station said.
“And
you’ll be sharing the toilet with all those assholes you see around”, he arched
his arms from one end of the corridor to the other.
“Hey
man, that’s extortion”, I just couldn’t believe the prices.
“Welcome
to Bombay, son.”
“I’m
not a new comer here. Have been living at IIT Powai for the last four years”, I
protested.
“So?
What should I do then? Cry out in sympathy? That place runs on government dole,
boy. This is real life.”
“But
you’ve got to throw me some slack.”
“Why?
Are you my goddamn wife’s goddamn brother?”
“No,
I, I…”
“Well
then, off you go. Deposit a thousand rupees in advance right now and pay the
balance within the next seven days- that’s the best I can do for you.”
“And
listen.”
I
turned around.
“We
serve food two times here. Between four thirty and six thirty in the morning;
and between seven thirty and eight in the night- you miss the timings, you
manage on your own. No refunds for the missed meals. Once in a week you get to
use the washing machine in that shit house down there- you pay for your own
detergent- is that clear?”
Of
course, it was all clear to me.
I
set my tin trunk and all my worldly possessions in it down on the coarse,
mosaic floor of the burrow I had just checked myself in. I flopped my shows off
and settled down on the rickety old cot set in a corner of the room.
An
eventful day’s evening had just ended for me. I looked forward to what the next
day had to bring.
I
arrived at the breakfast dock dutifully at six twenty next morning and crammed
in all I could. I then headed out for the Kanjur Marg railway station to catch
the seven thirty slow local to Thane.
“Hey
c’mon, move your ass in, man”, the youth hanging on to the outer railing of the
compartment said. “Take it easy, fellow”, I said, looking him directly in his
eyes.
“Take
it easy my ass. Move your shit dumper in real quick else I’ll have to kick it
in myself”, the boy who by now had been joined in by his gang of four other
ruffian looking boys, said.
“Looks
new to this compartment”, one of them quipped.
“Yeah!
Never seen him before; look at those eyes”, another one said.
“Hey
Pandu, don’t stare at us like that, haan? This isn’t your baap’s property. This can of shit
belongs to the Central Railways and we’re its self appointed ticket
collectors”, the boy hanging on to the railings said.
“Aae, chal re”, even before I had a reasonable chance to protest, the
forth one shoved me in.
Close
on my heels, a torrent of humanity jumped right in, knocking me clean off my
feet. Barely able to maintain my balance mid-air, I landed mouth first into the
waiting crotch of an oldish man wearing black, blind man’s goggles.
Instantaneously,
as if waiting for such an event to happen, he landed a full blown kick on my
right shoulder, making me air-borne once again.
My
head banged against the metallic bulk head separating us from the ladies’
compartment over yonder. I came down in a heap and that was a reasonable enough
instigation for the many college going girls on the ladies’ side to run off on
a giggling spree.
“Fuck.
Old man! You just about killed me”, I tried to get my spinning head back to
senses.
“Oh!
Did I? Nah, nah, that was just a friendly little warning for you to lay off my
cock”, the old man said in a military tone.
“Don’t
talk like a loony. Why would I want to have anything to do with your bloody
cock?” I still couldn’t believe it was all happening to me.
“Well,
don’t you think I’m blind, boy. In my mind’s eyes, I saw you flying straight
for my treasures, your mouth wide open.”
This
set his fellow travelers off on their own round of laughter.
“And
show some respect, son. They call me a brigadier around here.”
“Brigadier
my ass. You look like some mad circus runaway.”
Slap.
The
fiftyish man sitting opposite the blind looking man caught me in the middle of
my left cheek. A thin cry of pain shot off throughout my body and my ear
started ringing like a runaway fire brigade truck, dashing off to answer an
emergency.
“Show
some respect, you idiot. At least look at his age”, he said.
“Enough
education for a day, Rajendran. He looks new to this route”, the self
proclaimed brigadier now came to my rescue.
“You
need a real tight ass, like mine, to be a brigadier. Yours looks rather
tender”, he pressed my bottom as I got up.
“Lay
off me, you old jerk.”
This
got Rajendran going again. He formed his fist and leapt for me.
“Hold
it!” the old brigadier barked. “Let him go.”
“Hey
you two, drag your assets a bit on that side”, he ordered two rowdy looking
guys to move over towards the window.
“Come,
sit here”, he asked me to join him on the space created.
“No
thanks. I’m fine.”
“C’mon
now, don’t act like a suckling. There’s still a lot of time for Thane.”
Though
I couldn’t see the eyes behind his outlandish goggles, I was sure he was
staring intently at me.
I decided
to join him on the seat.
“Where
are you going?” he asked.
“kalwa.”
“Where
in Kalwa?”
“Why
do you want to know?”
“Am
going there too. May be, we can share the auto rickshaw.”
“No
thanks”, I said, still massaging my puffed up cheek.
“C’mon
now, lady; grow up.”
“Will
you stop calling me all that? I don’t even know you.”
“Alright,
alright. Young man, where are you headed in Kalwa?” the brigadier said in a
make believe, fatherly tone.
“Integrated
Aluminium Company.”
“Really?
You are?”
“Why?
Is there a problem?” I asked, a touch irritated.
“We
are going to the same place.”
“You
too?”
“Yes.”
“And
what takes you there?”
“I
consult them on matters concerning security.”
“Really?”
“Wash
that smirk off your face, young man.”
“Alright”,
I conceded.
“Tell
me something; is it your first time on a Bombay local train?”
“No.
But guess I got up on the wrong side of the bed today.”
“Ha
ha ha”, the brigadier couldn’t control his laugh. “You sure did.”
For
some reasons, I found that funny too and joined him in with a little giggle of
my own.
“So
what’s this thing about security?”
“It’s
complicated.”
“Like?”
“Wait
till you get there.”
Chapter-6
“Down with the management.”
“Long live socialism and to hell with
capitalism.”
“We want a pay rise; we want dignity.”
“When we start asking our share from
this world, we won’t just stop at bread and cloth; we’ll go ahead and demand it
all.”
Punctuated
by an occasional:
“Kill the mother fuckers.”
“Set their asses on fire.”
“Fuck them dead out.”
“Hey
brigadier, I think we’re at the wrong place”, I suggested, knowing well that
the place was the right one.
“Don’t
humor yourself, son; this is it”, the old brigadier said, alighting from the
auto rickshaw.
A
sea of blue clad humanity thronged the main entrance to the factory gates,
holding placards of various shapes and sizes, with myriad messages engraved on
them. They shouted loud slogans proclaiming variously the end of management and
the end of capitalism.
I
knew what it was as soon as I saw it but I thought it comforting to confirm my
doubts all the same,
“What
the hell’s going on here?”
“What
do you think it is?”
“A,
a ..”
“A
strike.”
“But
what for?”
“Do
you really need a reason for a strike?”
“There
has to be some.”
“Doesn’t
matter. You’ll know soon. Just take care of your ass and sneak in.”
“What
do you mean? We’re going in there? But how?”
“Follow
me.”
The
brigadier waded forth through the sea of blue, sticking out his red and white
walking stick and tapping the foreground with it as he did so. In an incredible
show of showmanship, he puffed his chest out as he walked, much like a rooster
swaggering in front of his concubines. Incredibly, the crowd fell silent. I had
expected trouble but as if by magic, the sea split, giving the modern day Moses
(and his follower) a clear path to walk on and get in through the main gates.
“Hey!
What happened just now?” I asked.
“I
sent out a signal.”
“What
signal?”
“That
I’m in charge and they better not fuck with me.”
Chapter-7
“Glad
you could make it here”, Madam Sholapurkar, the HR executive, said.
“Why,
you had any doubts?”
“For
those of us who’ve hung around here long enough, we never forget to count our
blessings.”
“You
make it sound surreal, madam.”
“It
is, Mr. Kumar. Did you notice those two heavily reinforced buses outside the
main building blocks? These days, we enter and leave these premises in them.
Can’t afford to lower our guard even for a day.”
“But
why?” I just wasn’t making any heads or tails out of it all.
“Didn’t
you just see for yourself?”
“Well,
all I saw was a big group of workers outside the factory’s main gates, shouting
and sloganeering; typical filmy stuff.”
“Ha
ha. I like that. You look like someone who’s going to have a good time here.”
I
smiled at that. Madam Sholapurkar came across as a kindly, likeable lady,
somewhat reminiscent of my own mother whom I had consigned to the flames six
years ago to the month.
“Now
Mr. Kumar, I’m sorry we’re being forced to welcome you at a time when things
aren’t exactly going our way but be that as it may, you’re welcome and here’s
your welcome kit”, she handed me a big wad of documents covering amongst
themselves the company’s detailed HR policies, medical plans, insurance policy
papers and many other riff-raffs of dos and don’ts.
“But
I must caution you; you must enter and leave this factory in one of those
buses. We wouldn’t be responsible for anything if you were to decide to violate
that rule.”
I
nodded a yes and said, “wow! That’s quite a list you’ve handed me over”, wondering
where to begin.
“Ha,
ha. This is just the start. Wait till you start getting rotated on the
induction circuit”, she said, trying her best to sound helpful.
“We
of course take our HR regulations very seriously and adopt a zero tolerance
policy towards those who decide to violate them”, the way she said that brought
a little smile to my face.
She
was obviously feeling uncomfortable parroting out the crap her seniors must
have trained her for but was trying her best to dish it out as valiantly as she
could.
After
a mind numbing hour listening to her stories of the many curious ways in which
people had managed to get themselves fired from the job, I decided it was time
to come to the point.
“When
do I get my salary, madam?”
“Oh!
There’s a month to go for that, Mr. Kumar”, she said softly as if sharing some
secret with me.
“The
first Friday of every month’s when we hit pay dirt around here; and the day
when all those guys you just saw outside hit their bottoms too.
“You
don’t drink by any chance, Mr. Kumar?” she asked me suddenly.
“N..n..No”,
I stammered. “Why do you ask?”
“I
see those blood shot capillaries in your eyes.”
“Oh
those; well, I slept rather late in the night; it was our convocation, you
know.”
“Congratulations!
Of course, of course”, she sounded pleased.
“I
don’t particularly like those who drink. There’re no limits with this thing;
once you start, you don’t know where to end”, she decided to give me a lesson
in sobriety.
“Tell
you what? It’s the first time we’ve hired from IIT Bombay; at first, when I got
to know that you’d be joining us, I just couldn’t believe it”, she added.
“Why
do you say that, madam?”
“It’s
a hard place, Mr. Kumar. Not your proverbial bed of roses if that’s the phrase
to be used.”
“Humm.
So when do I get on the job?”
“What’s
the hurry, Mr. Kumar? We’ve designed this nice little induction program for
you- a lot of it to tell you about our company etc but most of it to keep you
out of here while this circus goes on outside.”
“What
do those guys want?”
“God
knows. Six months ago it was pay rise; three months ago, the new year bonus;
last month, a special inflation allowance and now…”
“Now
what?”
“They
want us to reinstate two of their colleagues we’d found drinking on the job and
whom we’d subsequently fired.”
“Wow!
Real socialism a work, I should say.”
“Real
bull shit at work”, a voice boomed behind me.
I
(and Mrs. Sholapurkar) got up in shock.
“Good,
good morning sir.”
“Good
morning, Mrs. Sholapurkar. Guess we’ve our star employee reporting on the job.”
“Yes
sir. Mr. Kumar’s just checked in. I was busy taking him through the company’s
HR policies.”
“You
never tire of that, Mrs. Sholapurkar, do you?”
“No
sir, I don’t. Guess that makes me an optimist.”
“Good
for you. Yours seems to be a dying breed.” The tall old man looked at me, “Mr.
Kumar, come on in.”
“The
place’s full of shit Mr. Kumar”, Mr. Phadnis, GM Works, Integrated Aluminium
Company- Kalwa, began. “And that brings me to the next question, “what are you
doing here?”
“I’m
reporting on my first day on the job, sir.”
“I
can see that, Mr. Kumar”, he opened his eyes wide. “The question is, why?”
“You
guys have built a tremendous reputation for yourselves in the fields of
metallurgical engineering and mechanical sciences over the years and I…”
“Mr.
Kumar, this isn’t your placement interview. That’s dead and buried.”
“I
thought I was saying the truth, sir.”
“The
truth Mr. Kumar is that this place is a dump house. I myself can’t wait to get
out of here- six months and I’ll be gone- happily retired somewhere in the back
waters of Kerala. I cross the date on the calendar first thing every morning
after getting up. And that brings me to the question of the day- what were you
thinking when saying yes to our job offer?”
“I
was thinking of putting my learnings to practice, sir. Was thinking of seeing
the theory meet the reality. Was thinking of rolling up my sleeves and letting
the dirt settle under my finger nails. Was hoping to make a difference to this
place.”
We
sat there a long time, staring at each other in silence.
“I
admire you, Mr. Kumar”, Mr. Phadnis said finally.
“Don’t
get me wrong. I didn’t mean to discourage you on your first day on duty”, he
looked at me expectedly as if hoping that I would believe him.
“But
what to do, Mr. Kumar? Life’s a bitch and we’re nothing but little teat sucking
pups, holding on to dear life. Thirty years ago I was sitting in that exact
same chair where you are today. The room was the same too and my answer to a
similar question thrown my way was something similar to the one you just gave
so eloquently.
“With
the benefit of hindsight, I can now of course say how naïve I really was. There
was no world waiting for me out there to be changed; there were no realities simple
enough for my make believe theories to work in; there was no dirt waiting to
get under my finger nails. What was there was a sea of mud and grime, lapping
at my ankles to gobble me up.
“I
got gobbled up Mr. Kumar. And since then, there’s been just one reality of my
life- survival. Survival Mr. Kumar is the mantra that’s going to take you long
and far in life- be it this job or any other. You learn to survive in this
world and you learn to do that real quick. You don’t learn it and you end up
the way those poor unfortunate deer fawns do in the wildlife movies on the
Discovery Channel- you end up in the mouths of mad and hungry predators who
would stop at nothing to tear your flesh off your bones.”
I
kept string at him in amazement, wondering if I was in the right place.
“I guess
I know what you’re thinking at the moment, Mr. Kumar. You must be thinking
what’s a big loser like me doing here, sitting on this chair. Isn’t that true,
Mr. Kumar?” he looked into me.
“Well
guess what, each one of those luminaries you see hanging on that wall were
losers too”, he raise his index finger at a big, heavily warnished board
proclaiming the tenure of all past GM Works along with their pictures.
“If
anything, they were all bigger losers than me. And yet, have a look at their
tenures- long, smooth and comfortable”, he continued.
“They
survived because they knew how to work the system and they were successful
because they’d perfected the secret- maintaining the status quo.”
“But
sir that flies in the face of all …”
“Bull
shit, Mr. Kumar. Nature loves equilibrium”, Mr. Phadnis cut me out.
“And
nature loves status quo, too. When did you last see a stone roll up the mountain;
a blade of grass become an oak tree; a cow eat meat?”
Mr.
Phadnis went on late into the morning, enlightening me on many other dos and
donts of successful career building.
“Mr.
Kumar, I admire the courage and foresight of our top management in creating
opportunities such as these for young people like you to come stir things up.
Welcome to the fold. You look like an intelligent man, Mr. Kumar. I’m sure
you’ll spend time thinking about the valuable lessons you’ve learnt from me
today.”
Chapter-8
“Whew!
That was really something’, I came out sweating from Mr. Phadnis’s room and bumped
into Mrs. Sholapurkar.
“Hod
did it go? Mr. Phadnis is always the first one on to address the new joinees.”
“I’m
sure he is”, I said.
“A
career Integrated Aluminium man; he literally lives in his office.”
“Really?”
“And
an eminently practical man he is. You need that to last here.”
“He
sure is and you’re probably right”, I said and asked, “how long have you been
here?”
“Eighteen
years.”
“Wow!
That’s a long time- you are a survivor, alright.”
“I
sure am. Survived an alcoholic husband and an abusive, broken marriage”, she
said.
I
thought for a moment that her eyes were wet.
“Are
you alright, madam?”
“Yes,
I’m Mr. Kumar. Thanks. Eighteen long years. Have seen many like you come and
go. Let’s see how long you’re able to stick out.”
“Would
you like some water?”
“No,
don’t worry about me, young man. I’m fine. It’s just that you reminded me of
someone. Anyway, here’s your visit plan for today. You start by visiting the
security office.”
Chapter-9
“Alright,
so that’s the second time in the day”, I said.
“Yeah!
Right now, we’re the most important department here.”
“Quite
an office, brigadier..Oh hell, I don’t even know your name”, I remarked,
looking at the myriad military memorabilia hanging on the walls of his
impressive decked up, first floor office. The office looked out on the
factory’s main gates.
“Brigadier
Kohli’s the name”, he said.
“So
you’re a real brigadier!”
“I
thought that was simple enough.”
“Well,
everything here looks anything but that.”
“Ha
ha ha. You’ll get used to it- settle in, lie low and survive.”
“Why
the hell’s everyone here teaching me that same lesson? I mean what the hell’s
this place? Some goddamn military post or what?”
“It’s
an insecure place, boy; a really insecure place with lots of assholes in it.
They are no good and they know that. They also know that they’re not wanted
anywhere else. So they dig in and remain burrowed.”
‘Humm.
That much looks clear.”
“Good
for you. Now here’s the security drill…”
As
with everyone else I’d met that morning, he took me a long list of dos and don’ts,
the exits to be used, the entrances to be avoided and a lot of other
knick-knack.
“Sheesh!
Don’t you guys tire of this thing?”
He
stared at me from behind his thick black glasses.
“Have
you noticed Mr. Phadnis? He moves around with three of my best men and I have
armed them with the best ammunition that money can buy. He’s already been
attacked thrice this year. I’m now providing him a round the clock cover.”
“Wow.
Are these guys outside really all that dangerous?”
“Usually
they are; many a times they’re made out to be.”
“Meaning?”
“When
did you last hear socialism and capitalism go together- hand in hand?”
“Never.”
“Exactly.
The point is, the relationship of a worker with his management is strictly need
based- a marriage of convenience. You need them so they can shovel your shit.
They need you so they can finance their alcohol and other things of lesser importance
such as school fees, food, medicines etc.
“You’re
getting the drift right?”
“I’m,
sir”, I saluted him.
“Good.
Now, aluminium extrusion isn’t exactly a high margin enterprise, or at least
that’s what the management wants everyone to believe. And this fact doesn’t go
down well with these guys you see outside.
“That
in short is the crux of it all.”
“Simple
enough”, I said.
“Yeah!
When you really look at it, that’s all there is to it.”
“I
wonder if you yourself believe that baloney.”
“Ha
ha ha…you a smart kid, my boy”, he slapped me on my back. “Why do I feel that
the two of us are going to go far?”
Chapter-10
The next month was a whirlwind of factory visits, vendor
appraisals and inventory taking. As Madam Sholapurkar
had promised, I hardly had a chance to spend a full day at the kalwa works.
The workers’ agitation ended the way many others
before it had ended. The management
Early the following month, I finally had my
opportunity to peep into the big bad world waiting for me at Kalwa.
Late one night my third week on the job,
“The
extruder’s rotor is jammed. Looks like there’s some debri clogging the coolant
pipes”, I said to Prab, the shift superintendent.
“Bullshit!
The motor’s fallen apart. We’ll need to replace it”, he countered.
“Now
c’mon! Look here, the motor indicator’s working fine. It’s warming up nicely
too. You’re looking the wrong way”, I said, a touch impatiently.
“Pup!
I’ve been working here since you weren’t even born. So don’t tell me what’s
wrong with my whore”, the superintendent got off his fork lift and moved
towards me.
“Seriously
man! You’ve got to take a look at the coolant tubes. They are..”
“Cut
it out, Kumar. Enough. I’m shutting it down and removing the motor. We’ve got
to get a new one. That’s it”, he declared the matter close.
I
out my hands up in exasperation.
What the hell’s wrong with this man?
Why won’t he even listen to me?
Just
behind my back in a dark corner way, I heard the suppressed giggles of two
shift workers rubbing the sleep off their eyes.
“Hey
you two- why are you sleeping on the job?” I approached them.
“What
the fuck do you want us to do? Thrust our rods in that extruder?” one of them
tried to zip open his fly and thrust his penis at me.
“First
start the goddamn relic”, the other quipped.
“You
mean to say that if that thing’s not working you’ll go off to sleep?” I was
incredulous.
“Of
course. Do you have an issue with that, son?” the leader of the two asked.
“Well,
if it isn’t working, then get up and do something about it”, I said.
“Fuck
off, son. We don’t get paid to do that. That’s your fucking job”, the leader
replied.
“These
machines earn your bread; and the shift has just begun”, I said.
“Bread
my ass. Our union earns us our money and our drinks, everything else is
bullshit”, the second one said. “And didn’t you just hear the shift
superintendent? The machine’s broken. Will take a couple of days to get right.”
This
got the leader giggling again.
“Now
fuck off. We’ve got some dreams waiting for us”, he said and spread he blanket
over him.
Chapter-11
“How’z
it going, Mr. Kumar?” Mr. Phadnis beamed from somewhere behind me in the
darkness the next day.
“It’s
a slow going, sir. But guess I’m learning my way around here”, I replied.
“Good.
Prab, the shift superintendent, came to see me the other day”, he said,
stepping out into the illumination under the big way lamp now.
“Am
glad he did”, I said. “I was myself thinking of coming and seeing you on the
matter.”
“Why
don’t we go to my office and discuss it out?” he offered.
“Sure,
let’s go.”
“Mr.
Kumar, how much do you know about machines?” Mr. Phadnis motioned me to grab a
chair and flopped his bulk into his own behind the big, mahogany desk.
“Guess
a little bit, sir”, I said.
“You
can’t run a factory on that”, he said.
“Sir..”
“Prab
is one of our senior most superintendents. He knows them damn machines like he
knows his wife”, he offered. “You’ve got to give respect where it’s due”, he
added.
“Sorry
sir; Prab got it wrong this time. The problem with the extruder’s a simple one
but he’s stuck on replacing the motor. It’s going to cost the factory dear”, I
said.
“I’m
the one in charge of the factory’s health here, Mr. Kumar”, he replied with a
touch of impatience. “And I’m warning you not to go around disturbing my apple
cart”, he added sternly.
“Is
that all you wanted to talk to me about, sir?” I asked.
“No.
There’s something more”, he looked down at me from the apertures of his thick,
bi-focal glasses perched precariously on his fat nose.
“I’m
planning to acquire a new bauxite mine down in Orissa- my little parting gift
to this company. I want you to go, be a part of the survey team there. Your
assignment starts next week and Madam Sholapurkar would make all the
arrangements. That will be all.”
Chapter-12
“Baby boy, young and gay;
Phadnis wants you out of the way”
Brigadier
Kohli sang in his baritone on our way back to Kanjurmarg that evening.
“But
why, Brigadier?” I probably knew why but wanted someone to confirm it for me.
“You’re
threatening his retirement purse, my child. People don’t take kindly to that
sort of thing.”
I
sat there quietly, listening to his singing and watching the tin-roofed
shanties speed by.
“By
the time you’re back, the entire factory’s machinery would have been replaced”,
he said after a while.
“A
bit of a tradition, is it?” I asked.
“Yep.
The managers look out for their kinds, especially those who are about to
retire. As it happens, it’s the big man’s turn this time. What better occasion
to give the factory a brand new face lift? Lots of new materials ordered; lots
of over-invoicing; the spoils will be shared around, of course. All’s well that
ends well.”
“I
wonder how you manage to remain so cocky and sanguine amidst all this; do these
things even matter to you?” I took a shot at the blind man.
“Now
hold it, cadet. I’m not about to be sucked into your guiles. I’ve had my share
of battles; fought them valiantly, like a man. I’m tired now. This isn’t my
war. It shouldn’t be yours too- you have your whole life ahead of you.”
“He
wants me to go to Orissa; next week”, I said.
“I
heard that from Sholapurkar; that’s another one of his pet projects. Wants to
complete the transaction before he retires.”
“You
reckon some game’s afoot there too?”
“Of
course kid. Everything happens for a reason. That bauxite mine is going to help
a lot of them retire peacefully.”
“Shit
man! What have I gotten myself into?”
“Shit;
knee deep shit! Heah heah heah…”, Brigadier Kohli roared out.
“I
wonder why he’s sending me there- he isn’t really fond of me, if you know what
I mean.”
“Hey
hey hey”, the old man was still laughing. “He’s sending you off to the cooler
to cool; the decision to buy that mine’s already through. Your visit there is
just one more formality completed; one more box ticked for the top management.”
“I
won’t let this happen to me”, I said.
“So,
what do you plan? Running away- are we?
“Let
me know in case you need some help drafting your resignation letter”, he quipped.
“I’m
not a looser. I won’t run away. I’m going to stay my ground and face it like a
man”, I heard myself shout over the din of the humanity ejecting out at the
Kanjurmarg station.
“We’ll
see about that, boy”, the old warrior got off the train.
“Hey!”
he turned around and exclaimed. “You sound lonely tonight. Why not come over for
a drink?”
I
thought for a moment. It didn’t sound so bad after all.
Chapter-13
“Who are they?” I pointed to the black and white pictures of
two young and handsome looking boys.
“My boys”, the brigadier replied, his back turned towards me.
“You guys don’t live together?” I asked.
“Together? In this rat hole? Heah, heah, heah…”, he was
hysterical.
I saw the point. A small and crummy, two room dump on the
third floor of a decrepit, four story building without an elevator, Brigadier
Kohli’s apartment looked like a sad, open eyed corpse of a war horse, dead more
out of exhaustion than a wound.
“Nah. They live in the US”, he marched on to his revolving
chair and dropped down.
“So what’s your thing here, in this city?” I asked.
“Getting by”, he said with uncharacteristic sadness.
“But on my own terms”, he added immediately, as if to make
up for some lapse.
I went over to open the windows overlooking the dark and
lonely street below. A thick gust of salty sea breeze flowed in.
“What happened?” I asked.
“She wanted out- didn’t want to be stuck with a blind bat
for the rest of her days. Got hooked to a businessman and sent the legal
motherfuckers over for a chat. I didn’t dwell on it; just wanted to be left
alone. The boys knew their priorities. They chose wisely.”
I sat down on the sette
beside his chair and patted his hand with an understanding nod.
Something snapped inside him.
Springing off from his chair like a cornered dog, he held my
right wrist in his hands and cartwheeled me over on to the big couch occupying
the far side of the wall. He leapt on me again, impaled me under his strong
legs and started pressing my throat with both his hands. I was blindsided
completely by his animal reflexes. Partly out of shame and partly because of
the hard jolt my head had just received, I lay there trembling, numbed out
completely in body and mind.
“Never ever try pissing your kindness over me again, Santa
Claus”, he breathed his brackish, military breath into my nostrils.
The commotion had flipped his goggles away. And so, for the
first time in many months of knowing him, I saw myself staring at the two white
disks that must have been his irises a long time ago. The horror in that face
wasn’t something to behold. I closed my eyes shut.
“I’m sorry, boy. Are you hurt?” he suggested gently.
“Nah! Don’t worry about me”, I said, still wringing my neck
to get the blood flow going.
“You sure?”
“Ya”
“Let’s drink then”, he said and opened the stow-away bar
built into a nearby wall.
“I like it neat; how about you?”
“Neat too”, I replied.
“Big man, haan?”
I remained silent.
“Life’s a bitch, my boy. But the show….”, he said, pouring
out the whiskey.
“What’s your story, then?” he asked, handing me one of the
glasses.
“What do you want to know?”
“Your parents, may be. What does your father do?”
“He’s dead.”
“What?”
“My father’s dead.”
“Oh!” he nodded but thankfully, he spared me the melodrama.
“Was a soldier like you”, I added. “Died fighting the Pakis
up on the Siachen.”
“Funny! I always thought you had a little bit of a military
man inside you”, he chuckled.
“Lucky man!” he added with a faraway look. “What a place to
die.”
“And your mother?” he enquired further.
“Dead too”, I replied, gulping down the warm liquid.
“Fuck! You must be one- sad- sonofabitch!”
“I guess I’m, Mr. Brigadier, but just like you, I prefer not
to dwell on the past.”
“Bullshit!” he said. “Your past never leaves you, boy. It
follows you like a stink, wherever you go.”
“Perhaps. But what’s the point dwelling on something you can’t
go back and change? Why not live in the present, instead, and hope for a better
tomorrow?”
“Looks like you’ve been stuffing up on that Dale Carnegie
garbage. Your present looks fucked, son”, he poured us a second drink, “and by
the look of it, your tomorrow doesn’t seem encouraging either.”
“I don’t want to talk about office and work right now.”
“Suit yourself. Don’t whine later that I didn’t warn.”
“I don’t understand what sort of warrior are you- why do you
keep prodding me to run away?”
“Why not? Who cares a hoot what happens to that goddamn
factory? Now here, gone tomorrow.”
“It’s not about the factory. It’s about the principles”, I
said.
“What principles? And whose? Out there, it’s a dog eat dog
world. You join the pack or you’re all alone, waiting to be shredded apart.”
“You sound so much like Phadnis”, I chuckled.
“Don’t compare me with that bastard.”
“Why? Reality bites- is it?”
“You’ve got a sharp tongue for your age, lad.”
“I think I try to speak the truth.”
“Truth, my son, is a whore that everyone tries to bang his
own way- some like to enter from the front, others prefer the rear.”
“Ha ha ha….”
“Hey boy, have you ever laid a girl?”
“Nooo..”, perhaps I blushed.
“Caught you there- tell me the truth.”
“No, seriously. Never.”
“God! What a waste. At your age I was plowing three a night.”
“Bullshit!”
“Believe me, son. I used to be one heck of a sonofabitch.”
“And now?”
“The flame still flickers, my boy. You saw that dance bar on
your way up? I still have a few admirers there”, he replied with a big gulp. “And
if I’m not wrong, we have just got ourselves a few visitors from there”, he
drained his glass and got up to open the door.
“Hello brigadier! How do you always guess that I’m there?” I
heard a lady chirp in the hallway outside the apartment.
“Your fragrance travels ahead of you, paving your path, my
love”, the brigadier ushered in a sensuous looking woman in her thirties. A
young, twentyish girl trailed her in. She looked ravishing too.
“Meet Pinki, my sweetheart from the bar below. Pinki, here’s
my colleague from the factory- say hello to him, Pinki.”
“Hello dear”, Pinki extended her beautiful hand. “So young
and handsome”, she lingered.
“Hi!” I managed.
“Ahumm..And who’s that? She smells like roses”, the
brigadier cleaned his throat and sniffed the air around him.
“Bubbly! Joined us recently”, Pinki replied.
“Well Bubbly, I’ll tell you what- you’ve got a handsome
young man for company tonight. How about making some magic?”
Bubbly giggled, I thought a tad nervously. She came and sat
beside me on the sette.
“What do you want to have, Pinki?”
“Royal Stag- large, with soda and ice”, she clarified.
“My girl, she knows her needs”, he pulled her by the arm and
plunged a kiss on her face.
“Be patient, Brigadier. There’s a long night ahead of us”,
she protested.
“Alright, alright- first things first”, he poured her a
drink.
We shot the crap late into the night, laughing, giggling and
listening to Briagadier Kohli’s recollections of his heroic deeds in Kashmir
and in the bed. Pinki surprised me with her ability to drink. Bubbly chose to
remain kosher, satisfying herself just by rubbing the palms of my hand. She
smelled terrific, exactly like the deep red roses the brigadier had suggested.
“Hey Pink, what’s your definition of truth?” the brigadier
popped up the question suddenly into the night.
“My truth is what I take with me to bed every night and what
I get up with the next morning”, she replied after a moment’s pause. “As for
the rest of it, I don’t give a shit”.
The brigadier and she cheered to that and gulped down some
more in their race down the bottom of the barrel.
From a corner of my eye, I bore down on Bubbly. She looked encouragingly
at me, as if asking me to hurry up.
“My truth tonight is that I want to get laid, Brigadier”, having
won the bottoms up contest, Pinki declared.
“I want that big fat military cock of yours inside me- right
now”, she giggled and dragged the Brigadier to his bedroom.
“Well, that leaves the two of us”, I said to Bubbly.
“Where’s our room?” she came to the point right away.
“I think it’s over there”, I pointed towards the far side of
the hall way.
“I love you”, she said to me as we lay looking at each other
in the light of the bedside lamp.
“What? But we met just two hours ago”, I protested.
“So what? I like the way you look at me”, she whispered.
“Well alright! Let’s take off our clothes then”, I suggested
and turned off the lamp.
