Help! The Rickshaw drive, dt 02.02.2015. A short story based on true event.

Help! The Rickshaw Drive.  Dt 02.02.2015.

(A Hati series story, true event)

Akshaya!  His sudden arrival at my place surprised me. We were meeting after 24 years.  Tata`s smile train brought him here to a special reconstructive surgery drive for children with cleft lips and cleft palates. He got a happy break.Where is Dr Hati. He wanted Hati the inflated elephant to examine the latter’s communist views vs his own contrasting ideology.

Hati reached with his customary laughter, ha ha ha, oh! Akshaya the capitalist, wonderful! They embraced each other.

Akshaya teased Dr Hati's communist views and chided, “Gone with Gorbachev.”

Ha ha ha Aks, communism is a perception not a political party, it can never die, just like your feeling towards an old man without a blanket in winter will never be different than me even if you are the capitalist.

That is not enough bro; tell what the perception is and who perceived it, a failure or a success, said Aks.

I instantly guessed a story was coming. Yes.

You do not know Aks, Senapati knows, Hati looked at me for approval.

Yes, I nodded.

Your classmate Nalini Pati and Senapati`s classmate Santosh Dora all knew it, a real event in late eighties of last century during medical college days.

Hati narrated….

He was in second year medicos when the first installment of his study loan of two thousand and four hundred came as he was preparing for his university exam. He had all books by that time. No scope to spend in merrymaking, cinema, food or dresses. He remembered a friend in primary school, Muna the one who on those days was pulling cycle rickshaw in capital city of Bhubaneswar. A few days back both shared seats in shuttle train. Muna pulled a rented out vehicle at the rate of thirty rupees per one shift, out of its two such. The owner earned sixty in a day, not a bad business for such a small investment.

He called Muna and discussed with him.

The idea was, Hati purchased the rickshaw. Muna was to repay nine hundred a month till he repaid the whole amount within three months. Hati got back his money and his friend became the owner of a rickshaw. He worked for a shift to gain his livelihood and rented out the cycle for another shift to save for future.

Muna became too touched and told how his father worked as an agricultural laborer for Hati`s father and grandfather. He did not agree to work at Cuttack as he was committed to the parents of school children at school time for a year. Moreover he told he had many known regular customers.

Hati was convinced, for any profession the customers are the main capital.

Within the same day the rickshaw was purchased that came just within two thousand two hundred.

Hati became very happy. What was the fun to stack money? He would get back his money within three months and his friend became owner of his own business. He imagined a day may come when he can help his friend an auto rickshaw.

Muna moved to Bhubaneswar with the cycle Hati prepared for examination. 

   After his examination,in the summer vacation he went home.

None of his family members knew the matter. By that time four to five months passed, Muna was never seen. Hati went once to meet him in Bhubaneswar at the backside square of Rabindra Mandap. It was just after finishing a theory paper when all his friends went for a movie.

Hati discovered Muna after some effort. He behaved as a good host, brought a plate of cheese well sprayed with the tasty rabidi. He presented himself in a very difficult situation. He remained ill for about a month, his father then suffered from tuberculosis.

The later information was a fact as his father once came to Cuttack for consultation in TB department.

He had to spend a lot, to send more money to his parents.

Hati was easily convinced and man always believed the next day would be brighter.

He came back.

During the vacation he went to Muna`s house to meet his father. He was too depressed. He blamed Hati for his difficulties. His son was not coming home, was not sending any money even did not tell him that Hati was not paid a single pie. Muna told his father that Hati was being repaid at an enhanced rate so he was not able to send any money to him. His father was a simple illiterate man did not know how many days it took to repay a loan of a rickshaw at an enhanced rate. Hati felt very sorry for Muna`s father the man who worked for a very long time for Hati`s family. The neighbors confirmed the pitiable condition of him. There was news to them Muna had become too irresponsible, not coming home, remaining drowned in alcohol and so on.

Hati dedicated his feelings to Karl Marx whom he never read but always felt he was a Marxist. He cursed himself. Felt there was no difference between the understanding of Muna`s father and he himself, both could be easily bluffed.

Raja the festival of monsoon arrived at mid June, this created a little longing in Muna`s mind to come to village when he was asked face to face in presence of his father and some neighbors. Muna had no words.

 In the evening he was found drunk in the village. In those days to find someone drunk in a village was big news. The whole of the village discussed it and Hati`s parents and elders were in fire to find the stupidity of their chap, self proclaimed Marxist.

The next day Muna in normal mind prayed one more chance and promised to repay within next three months.

As it was, so it remained, Muna hided himself if he was searched at Bhubaneswar. He never came back to village. His father was betrayed not financially but to his loyalty to a particular family.

Hati lost a friend and an old man lost his son. What a help? A new word was invented mishelp. He mishelped an youngman.

Hati one day went to Rabindra Mandap where he could not recognize the rickshaw, he discussed with many other rickshaw pullers. They could identify the cycle, told that Muna comes at about nine thirty pm and goes to an infamous sahi where he gets good business. He had mortgaged the rickshaw to a pimp for some money and now worked for him as a bonded man. They also warned it was too dangerous for Hati if he wanted a recovery. They suggested Hati to return before the news was learnt by the pimp.

Hati lifted the cushioned seat to discover several empty small bottles of whisky a particular brand. Muna had developed brand preference too.

Hati once more uttered in silence comrades red salute.

He discussed the matter with Kishore his younger brother who by nature was ready to take any challenge.

Both of them went to Rabindra Mandap backside square in the evening and waited there. Muna was seen at about ten pm. Just when he unlocked the cycle he was asked to drive to Cuttack. He was taken aback to find his friend and the younger brother. He pretended to be unwell and not in a condition to drive twenty five kilometers. But the duo was too adamant. There was no mobile phone on those days and he could not call the pimp or maybe he still had the humanity intact or the feeling towards fellow villagers, or he still remembered it was Hati`s property. No one came to his aid. His only plea was he was sick. Hati told him not to  worry he would be helped by himself. Muna knew Hati can ride rickshaw, had seen him so in village .

Soon they were on the national high way to bring back the property.

Hati had to drive more than fifty percent of the roads including some portions of Cuttack, of course it was too early to be noticed by anyone.

It was dumped at new gent’s hostel to end the first part of the statement, “Communism is a perception not a political party.”

It was too disheartening to dump the rickshaw not knowing what to do next. More awkward was to answer any related question by anyone.

A duplicate cash memo was procured from its store at Tinikonia Bagicha. A rickshaw for a medical student was just like castor oil on the wools of a sheep. Nothing could be planned till another rickshaw puller from Hati`s village who also worked at Bhubaneswar was approached. He priced it to be twelve hundred rupees and promised to give it in installment to Hati`s father at village.

All the pictures were not gloomy, this man paid as per his promise, an escape of Hati`s communism. He learnt a lesson @ a thousand rupees when a house surgeon`s monthly salary was only six hundred.

Of course he could never forget the unique experience of driving a rickshaw for more than twelve kilometers.

The only good news here is that Muna now a days is seen in the village may be with a little drinks he affords he is very happy, neither Hati nor Muna feel sorry to discuss the matter when they meet. The perception is there not the politics. Aks listened to it as did Senapati.

(Dedicated to my two roommates Dr Nalini Pati now in Australia, Dr Santosh Dora now runs twenty one kilometers at a stretch in Mumbai marathon works as a proud colleague of Padmashree Ramakanta Panda at Asian hearts both of whom also suffered for my many absurdity and Dr Akshaya Rout my friend a plastic surgeon who asked the original question, with love to all)