Celebrate The Moment

Reward of Idiotic Analysis

Sunil Shekhar switches off his lap top, he gives cursorily look at  recent edition of tabloid and arranges it in corner over the table. He looks at his clock it is 10.15 pm. He comes out from his room, heads towards the kitchen, brings out a bowl of vegetable from the fridge, heats it over the  stove, pour some out of it with the help of spoon  on his plate and came back in another  room along with couple of breads from the hotpot kept over the fridge.

He keeps two plates on dining  table with other stuffs. He goes back to kitchen and brings a mug with filtered water.

‘Come Baba ‘ Sunil calls out pulling a chair and sit over.

‘No, Sunil, I shall not eat. Get  me a cup of milk after your dinner is over.      

     

‘Baba ! Nowadays maid was not making food properly. See how much oil and chilly powder she had put in  vegetable. Because of it I had stomach pain yesterday ’ Sunil said loudly munching morsel      

‘Yes, I told her but she didn’t listen’  Sudhir Gupta replies in same tone from other room.

After finishing the food he heats milk in a saucepan, pours it into glass and enters into his father’s room. 

Sudhir Gupta  removes his spectacle, keeps it over the book on the table adjacent to his bed and leans back on the wall with the help of pillow.

‘So how is your activity ? Did you apply somewhere’ Sudhir Gupta asks slurping.

‘Yes Baba, I have applied. But this time I might have to go out f the town for interview.’ Sunil says  making a place to sit on his bed.

‘Good, But what about other activity. I mean that rubbish tabloid. I don’t like your this activity. Leave this habit I think because of your affinity to such absurd activity you fail to get through in interview’

‘Baba,  It doesn’t pertain to interview creating any hurdle  searching of job. You know it is just my hobby I want to keep it continue. In recent edition I have highlighted the corruption in road and street construction through my column and also in one of my poems’

‘Do you get any benefit  in highlighting such things?’ Idiot, Go and sleep’

‘Baba, It is just my hobby, you may say it bad  but I am sorry ‘ Good night. ‘ Sunil switches off  the light, closes the door and comes out.

He switches off his room light and on the night bulb just then he hears the sound of thumping on main gate. 

He cranes towards the room of his father  perhaps he didn’t hear thumping sound at the main gate.

‘Who is here at this hour? ‘ Sunil mumbles. He searches for sweater then he remembers it is still wet lying on up stair he puts on coat and moves out hurriedly from the gate buttoning it carefully.

As soon as he comes out from the gate he finds a Scorpio standing in front of his house with red flush light.  

  

He saw three strange faces coming towards him. He looks around nobody is visible barring few dogs sitting across the road in front of the shops. One vapor lamp was illuminating the silent, foggy deserted road.Noises of programs of TV from the houses was breaking the silence of desolated atmosphere. 

  

‘It’s you Sunil Shekhar ‘ One tall, sturdy man covering his head from woolen cap being escorted by two lanky youth said gruffly.

‘Yes‘ Sunil replies slowly looking at them. Suddenly he cringes when his eye stops at the metal instrument which was dangling in the hands of two lanky men escorting that tall person. He begins  trembling he remembers that he saw this man many times in this area visiting on Scorpio.  

‘How much you earn by writing in it’ He asks bringing out crumpled tabloid from his pants left side pocket, waved in front of him

‘Nothing ‘

‘Then who pays you to write such rubbish things’     

  

‘ None’ Sunil replies 

‘You want to be RTI activist. Do you know how is the end of such stupid people’ That tall man said squeezing that tabloid.

Sunil now understood that it was repercussion of his recent column published in that tabloid. He collects his courage and begins

‘See, What I observed I wrote. I have suffered while walking on this street and many times I saved myself from falling in pitfall. I have written nothing but what I saw and I faced. I wanted to draw the attention of Vidhayak and government officials towards indifferent attitude of the contractor who got the project of road and street. I am the simple inhabitant of this area and every one doesn’t have bike or car, such people realize less how an ordinary pedestrian suffer walking on such dilapidated street. By the way who are you?’

‘Gosh !’ So you want to be leader of pedestrians. You know how many people read your fucking Tabloid‘ Tall man grins, after a pause he continues

‘Tejus Lad, I  am the contractor of road and street of your area , You fucker !’ That tall man thunders ‘ you want to convey your message  to Vidhayak,’Wait ‘ He waved his hand towards Scorpio which was standing across the road. Suddenly vehicles screeches and stops in front of him. Sunil takes his step back when he saw the plate ‘Vidhayak’ written on above the vehicle number. Sunil looks around for help at this moment he was trembling from fear.

‘You Fucker, Bloody Idiot,  I have got all the details of you. You know ! Your house maid who cooks your food knows me better than you. You understand what I am telling. Normally I don’t talk much to such mad people. You don’t know what I do with such... ?’ That tall man said gruffly looking back towards his accomplices who was gazing at Sunil furiously. Door of Scorpio clinks and one gets off the vehicle.

‘Akaash !‘ Sunil snaps surprisingly.

Akaash grins. He heads towards them and stops beside Tejus Lad.    

         

‘You know him?’ Tejas asks looking at Sunil.                        

             

‘Yes’ Sunil stutters

‘Very good, take care of yourself, Boy ’

Tejas Lad grins then all of a sudden all got in Scorpio except Akaash, with a screeching noise Scorpio had disappeared from the site. Sunil stared at Akaasah, he moved towards  him to speak something but Akaash refused having said that he would discuss with him later. Sunil saw him going towards next street without uttering any words.

 Sunil comes back to his house. He cranes again towards his father’s room he takes deep breath thinking  that his father  was not aware about all happened outside the house. He put off his coat, hangs up it in almirah, comes on the bed.

He pulls the blanket over him but his sleep had disappeared completely. He was thinking about the Aakash, his distant cousin, an ambitious, shrewd, street smart and so-called social worker of his locality. He was not surprised when he saw him with such people since he knew that he was different right from school days from his younger brother who was Sunil’s classmate. Aakaash also scoffed at him when he wrote essays and poetry in magazine. Raghveer uncle who had running book shop in market could not convince his elder son to sit in the shop since Aakash had some other ambition that was the main reason he was forced by his parents to get married so that he could come on right path after taking responsibility of spouse. Sunil’s younger brother also had not liked to run the shop and one day he also left home after brawl due to his jobless status. Sunil seldom would go to Aakash’s house after the demise of his mother as she along with him occasionally used to visit at his house. Even though Aakash was his distant relative but he was not so close that he would talk openly. Tonight he got flabbergasted when he saw a new face of Aakash.

Sunil for a moment thought  that he unnecessarily stirred hornet’s net. In fact he was aghast when he interacted with such dangerous people he never imagined that his write-up will make his life hell. At the same time he said to himself he could not have changed his rout since he had to walk any how on this very road, on this very street since he had no other option and if he felt something wrong in affairs what  wrong did he do if he highlighted it for his personal benefit, personal satisfaction. Sunil didn’t know what time he fell asleep but he wakes up early morning only when someone knocks at  his main gate. He finds Gita, housemaid standing in front, Sunil gives suspicious look at her.

In evening. Sunil was preparing tea in kitchen for his father only then he hears knock at the main gate.

‘Sunil, See, Who is there at main gate’ Sudhir Gupta calls out from his room

Ok , Baba ‘

Sunil slows the flame of stove and moves towards the main gate. As soon as he opens the gate he was surprised to see Aakash’s mother Smita, wife of Aakaash. 

‘Hello Aunty’ Sunil smiles

‘How is your Baba’

‘He is fine, Come in’ Sunil says moving inside with them. Sunil was surprised at this new development since after many years  Aakash’s mother  had came unexpectedly to his home. He had never seen so close to Smita. Different thoughts were whirling in his subconscious mind because of their sudden visit.  Sunil was escorting them slowly towards Sudhir Gupta’s Room.

‘As I remember you have come second time after demise of Sunil’s mother. Almost after two and half years 

”Sudhir Gupta says keeping the pillow beside him

‘Today I have come here for a very important discussion, Brother’

‘Yes, tell frankly’ Sudhir Gupta said earnestly.

‘I have realized that you and Sunil have been facing a lot of problem in home. I know that maid prepares your foods. Brother,  how long will it continue and how far such strange maid can be trusted. I mean you must also have been realizing the difficulties and also realizing absence of female in house. So I have seen a girl which will be suitable for Sunil.’

Sudhir Gupta looks at Sunil surprisingly. ‘ But you know that Sunil is jobless, It is my meager pension which is fulfilling our requirements. How can a jobless take hold of such big responsibility.’

‘Everything will be fine once he gets married god will get a job for Sunil’ Aakash’s mother says smilingly looking at Smita.        

‘By the way who is the girl ? ‘Sudhir Gupta asks smilingly.

‘Sneha .Sister in law of Aakaash. She is beautiful, well mannered, intelligent. Brother, believe me she will make your home heaven,’

Sunil looks at his father then suddenly he rises up and moves towards the kitchen. Aakaash’s mother smilingly asks ‘Where are you going. Sunil. You are blushing like a girl’

‘I bring tea for you Aunty’ Sunil replies heading towards kitchen. He instead of preparing tea, plunged into various thought, the incidents he came across last night. The proposal had put him in dilemma. Scene of last night kept coming in his eyes like different scene of horror movie. He says to himself it is he who had made mistake in bringing out such issues, What has happened to Akaash who has sent his mother and his wife with such proposal to an unemployed, idiot  who unnecessarily creates problems for himself and others. He again opens the fridge, brings out bowl of cooked vegetable. He removes the lid of bowl, his stomach aches again when he looks in the bowl. Floating oil with reddish gravy had completely covered the cooked vegetable. His memory revolves around in history book wherein he had read somewhere that  when Mumtaz Mahal died, Shah Jahan was so devastated, sad, and in pain that when he woke up next morning his hair had become grey.          

Sunil pours tea into four cups, picks up tray, comes out from the kitchen. He keeps the tray on  table.

‘Sister, We have reached on such stages of our lives when we can count our days on fingers. In fact I want him stand on his feet, I want to see Sunil settled in my life.’ Sudhir Gupta said meekly picking up cup from the tray.   

Smita smilingly forwarded a photograph to Sunil. He looks at his father then gave a look on snap. He says to himself “Bhabhi, Is she your younger sister or Aunty’s ? He ridicules his own thought because he knows picture does not tell the truth. Face of someone is photogenic she looks beautiful in photograph but in reality she is different. Snap of that oily cooked vegetable bowl instantly come up in his eye. He immediately forwarded photograph to his father. 

‘Its you to decide’ Sudhir Gupta said laughingly.           

‘Sister. You are at this moment Sunil’s mother, sister everything so it makes your responsibility too to look after his betterment. Marriage of two is not play. By the way I have heard that father in law of Akaash is tarot card reader.”? Sudhir Gupta said having passed snap to her.  

‘I don’t know. But Sneha is just as simple, Sushil, Sanskirit  like wife of Akaash’

Smita blushes.

‘I say again I have no objection but again question rises about his unemployment.‘  

‘That is not issue of concern, Brother.’

Sudhir Gupta stares at Sunil. ‘I shall let you know within couple of days, let me know his view also’

Sunil escorted them towards main gate. Both looked at him smilingly walking away.  

      

Sudhir Gupta asked about Sunil’s view. He neither said yes nor no rather left the decision on his father. He also didn’t say about the incident of that night since it could have embarrassed him. Fact of the matter was that Sudhir Gupta was also feeling alone he also wanted  presence of a female in home. So one day he nodded in affirmative while talking with Sunil.

‘Sunil,I think you should think about yourself. I don’t have any objection from my side. Hence today I am going to finalize’.

Sunil remained silent.     

In a small ceremony marriage formalities were completed.  Sneha looked same what Sunil had dreamt about his bride unlike what he had imagined after seeing in photograph.

One week later. When Sunil came in evening he finds big cane of mustard oil with a bag full of chilli powder lying in corner of his living room.

Sneha, What is this‘ Sunil asks wistfully

Oh ! Sunil ! It is a amazing wedding gift by Aaakash Bhai. He is very jovial. He always makes me laugh. See this time also he did a funny joke. You know because of his this funny activity I like him so much. He is very funny guy. Pls do me favour, bring these stuff in kitchen’

Sunil lifts the bag and heads towards kitchen.

‘I am better cook than Gita.’  Sunil drops the bag down

‘Don’t talk about Gita’ He frowns

‘Don’t hid the things from me. Akaash Bhai told me everything.’

Sunil enters the kitchen with Cane of edible oil, wipes his forehead from hanky. He comes back in his living room.

Sneha, see your favourite show is coming on colour Channel’ Sunil calls out.

Sneha comes hurriedly, sits beside him. Sunil puts his hand on her shoulder pulling her close to him. He was watching the program but his mind was spinning around the stuffs he had just now kept inside the kitchen. He was astonished about unusual wedding gift of Akaash. Various thought was coming in his mind the way TV show was progressing.   

‘Sunil, Change the channel Pls. Show is over, what are you dreaming  ? Sneha chuckles

‘B.bb.breakfast !

‘What ?’    

                 

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