Chapter 18

“Cowards like you will make such a choice. I am not the one to be intimidated like that.” Arjun replied.

“What did you do then Arjun?” Uncle asked. His face still had a look of disbelief.

“I started to engage him in conversation. I felt that I should not make him defensive or worried. On the other side he was trying convince, rather seduce me“ Arjun started his play acting.

“Arjun, why are you worried? Let us just have some fun. If you don’t want to go to the beach we will go to my farm house. There is no body there” D’Souza was trying to convince Arjun

“D’Souza uncle. It is not that I am worried. It is just that this is not my taste or my preference. I am not making judgements about right or wrong or about your character. “ Arjun replied

“ But Arjun, you don’t have to do anything. I will do everything for you. When we are back from my farm house, I will let you drive this car. In fact any time you want have a spin on this car, you have the freedom to ask me”

“D’Souza was trying to entice. He even tried to reach across and feel my thighs. I kept my duffel bag in my lap and moved away” Arjun continued

“Uncle, I don’t drive any way. I have heard that you enjoy all kinds of fun. That is your life and your preference. It is just that what you suggest is not my cup of coffee. I am not making a big issue of what you suggest to me. Neither will I go around telling this to anybody. Just like you are a non-smoker I am not a homo-sexual. You made an offer and I declined it that is all.” Arjun proceeded with his play acting.

“Uncle I heard that your club won the national boxing championship” Arjun changed subject to distract the attention

“Oh God this is scary” Fernando Uncle remarked

“Of course, I was shit scared. I veered the conversation to other subjects, especially about his boxing. I made my resolve clear. At the same time I also made clear that I am not going to be a threat to his reputation. I made joke about the stories that I have heard about his escapades. I talked in a tone of friendship and not that of a scared lamb. He gradually realised that I was not going to play ball. Further he realised that I am not even giving him the perverted satisfaction of overwhelming an innocent pray.  As I was not even trying to protest or make threats that I would tell others, I managed not to rouse his defensive behaviour or his animal instinct of overpowering a pray. Eventually his heat subsided. But I had to talk non-stop for more than half an hour”

“Ok Arjun. You are a spoil sport. I will drop you home” D’ Souza Uncle replied despondently. 

“Ok that makes sense. Next time when you get horny don’t waste your time on me. You are better off with David” Arjun replied in a joking manner

“He turned the car towards my house. I continued talking to him and narrating stories. I wanted make sure he does not get further ideas” Arjun continued

“You are behaving like a saint and you talk like of these priests in the church. Now onwards I am going to call you Archbishop” D’Souza replied in jest. He realized that Arjun was not going to be threat to him

“Who is this David” Chandy Asked

“Oh he was a regular at the pool and a confirmed homo”

“I am impressed by how you managed to control this beast on heat. But I have not yet got the connection of Mrs Chandrasekhar or Ramya”

“I am coming to it. As I told you, Ramya and her brother Rajesh used to come to the pool on and off. They always came with their mother. We kids used to play together. D’Souza uncle was their family friend. He even used to discipline all of us kids to ensure that we do some serious swimming first and only then go and play. “

“It was a Saturday. I was already at the pool. Then I saw Ramya and Rajesh coming in with D’Souza uncle. When they jumped into the pool I asked” Ramya

“Where is your mom?”

“Oh she could not come today. Uncle D’Souza offered to bring us and drop us back”

“Come on guys. No playing around till all of you complete 10 laps” D’Souza uncle rounded us up.

“We obediently went about doing our laps. D’Souza uncle kept pace with us. As we finished 10 laps I moved away for some diving practice. Then I saw Uncle and Ramya at the far end of the pool. I realized what he was up to. Then I thought ‘What I am to do about it. If she likes to have fun like this it is her problem. If she did not like it she could just move away. There are lots of people in the pool’”

‘”But I was not feeling comfortable. I moved near to them and I realized that Ramya was upset. When I reached near Uncle turned towards me and told”

“Arjun Ramya seems to be upset. Just talk to her. You are good at storytelling and that will cheer her”

“You give me enough opportunities to tell stories” I replied mockingly.

“Don’t act too smart. Just settle her” he wanted an ally to control the situation

“Come Ramya, I will teach you diving” I caught her hand and  moved over to the shallower region

“What happened Ramya, why are you upset?”

“D’Souza uncle is a bad man. He was trying to feel all over me. I am so upset.”

“Why did you not move away?”

“I was so confused and taken aback”

“Ramya, D’Souza uncle is like this. He is infamous in the pool for such behaviour. He is what we call a paedophile. He does not care if it is a boy or girl young or old. He is a compulsive sex maniac. The only think you can do next time when you come to pool is to make sure that you are not alone with him” I tried to comfort her

“I told her what happened to me. She was taken aback. We stood at the side of the pool in the shallow end till the closing time. We talked about lots of things; about our school, studies, what we plan to do after school and so on.  She clung onto my hand. I felt very protective about her like a little sister. I promised that I will be there to protect her when she comes to the pool. We felt very close”

“How sweet! Then what happened” Chandi asked

“Next week when we came to the pool we heard the news that Mr Chandrasekhar died. Apparently it was an un-natural death. The family moved back to the town from where their father hailed from. I felt miserable”

“Ah I remember Chandru’s death. It was a tragedy. The whole life just turned topsy-turvy for the family.” Uncle butted in

“Did you never meet her after that?” Chandy asked

Chapter 17

“You guys had quite a lot of fun. When did you study?” Uncle asked

“Oh as the exams approached we huddled up.” Chandy replied “In spite of all these adventures Arjun was one of the toppers in class in the first couple of semesters. After that with his involvement in a variety of activities his rank came down. He was active in Jaycee Club, student union and in youth wing of his temple trust.  However when he graduated overall he maintained his distinction.”

“Chandy also is a distinction student uncle. Now he is ready take over the IT division of our company” Arjun commented.

“How come after doing very well in the first two semesters you dropped down? Uncle asked

“I will tell you what happened. In the first couple of semesters one of my classmates called Sreekrishnan used to land up at my place during study leave for combined study. He was sort of slow and weak in studies. It was a real struggle to make him understand anything. I used to get frustrated. But I did not want to say no. What I did not realize was that when I tried to get something into his head, my concepts were getting clearer.”

“During the third semester onwards I avoided him because it was a strain. I went on with my normal lazy reading after all my other activities. My marks dropped too. By the time I reached final year, I realized what was happening. I magnanimously offered Sreekrishnan to join me for combined studies. Can you believe, like magic my scores leapfrogged”

“That is interesting. When you were trying to help you friend understand, the clarity of your understanding improved.  No wonder some great men observed that ‘the riches of knowledge multiplies as you share’” Uncle responded.

“What are your future plans? Are you guys going to get married and settle down?” Uncle asked

“I plan to get married soon. Not that I plan to settle down in this company or this city. I am going to get married and relax for some time” Chandy responded.

“What about you Arjun?” Uncle asked

“He is trying to get into IMI” Chandy replied

“That is a good idea” Uncle replied “But I thought you were trying to go to America with the help of you sister who recently went to US on a job”

“I don’t want to trouble her. Moreover I prefer to build my career here in Indraprastha. I think I would rather live in my home country. But with just a degree in Engineering there is a limit on how much I can progress in India” Arjun replied.

“That is why I am trying to get into IMI. I know it is not an easy task with my background. I studied in an average vernacular school in a small town. I never heard of IMI till last year.  I appeared for the entrance exam last year and it was a disaster. The competition is from students who graduate from the best schools in Indraprastha, who also have the privilege of having the best coaching classes. But I have decided to give a try again. But I am not sure if I can make it.” Arjun was pensive

“I am sure you can make it Arjun” Uncle was encouraging Arjun

“How about refill? You don’t have to wait for me. You guys are young. Feel free to help yourself with as much as you can drink. We will ask Aunty to serve some cashew nuts and the fried prawns. As tomorrow is a holiday you can sleep late.” Uncle was in a good mood to listen to stories and to tell stories.

Arjun got up and moved to the bar. He fixed another large one for him,

“Arjun there is a big jar of salted cashews there. Just bring that here. Aunty will bring the prawns later” Uncle shouted.

“By the way last week I met up with Mrs Chandrasekhar at a wedding. I met her after a long time. She told me that she knows you.” Uncle told Arjun.

“Is it Mrs Chandrasekhar whose husband died in a mysterious circumstance about six years ago?” Arjun asked

“Yes that is the one.” Uncle replied

“How do you know them Uncle” Arjun asked

“Mr Chandrasekhar and I were classmates in school. He went onto become a renowned doctor and I after qualifying as a lawyer took up a job in Kuwait. But we have kept in touch” Uncle replied

“She has a daughter called Ramya who has now completed graduation. Mrs Chandrasekhar was asking me if I knew any suitable boys. I suggested your name. She said Ramya and she know you and Ramya likes you a lot. She asked me to check with you”

“Oh Uncle, I have treated Ramya like my own little sister. I cannot see her as my wife.” Arjun replied

“But tell me how do they know you? You were not neighbours. Were you?” Uncle asked.

“Oh it is a long story” Arjun replied.

“Arjun has lots of stories. Was she one of your girl friends?” Chandy asked mischievously

“Oh I did not know Arjun has a coloured life style” Uncle chipped in

“Uncle you don’t know what a charmer Arjun is.” Chandy was having fun at the expense of Arjun

“Nothing like that uncle. Chandy loves to malign my name!” Arjun protested and grimaced at Arjun

“Anyway tell us the story. Your stories are interesting” Uncle egged on.

“OK. I shall tell the story. Long ago when we were in high school, I used to go to the swimming pool regularly. We had a gang there who used to have lots of fun. Ramya and her younger brother Rajesh also used come for swimming. We became sort of friends there.”

“So it was swimming pool puppy love” Chandy commented

“Don’t jump to conclusions”  Arjun continued

“There was also a senior crowd who were regulars. One was an IAS officer called Mr Rajendra Prasad and the other was a senior Police officer called Mr Jerald D’Souza and other two were also senior government servants. I don’t remember their names. We called all of then uncle.  We used to chat up with them occasionally.”

“D’Souza was also the president of boxing association. He was a national level boxer in his younger days and he kept himself as fighting fit. He was around six foot tall and had an impressive physique like a Greek God. He was also very rich. He used to come in different cars on different days”

“But he had a reputation of a homosexual and a paedophile. We kids used to laugh about this. But he never tried any stunts with us. In fact has been very decent with us. He even gave me the introductory lessons in diving. He also gave tips on swimming.”

“I used to come to the pool in a bicycle. One day I came walking. After the swim I was walking back home late in the evening. D’Souza uncle came and stopped the car.”

“Arjun hop in, I am coming to your side. I shall give you a drop” D’Souza offered.

“I was worried a bit. But I felt that being such a senior person, he will be careful with me.” Arjun continued

“Once I entered the car and he started driving he came out directly and abruptly with his intention”

“Arjun let us go for a drive. We will go to the beach and have some fun.” D’Souza suggested.

“I looked at his face and realized that he was completely in a mad trance with his intention. I realised that I should deal carefully. If I made him defensive he could turn violent. My life could be in danger. Being a senior police officer he could cover up beautifully”

“My God I can’t believe that such things could happen or people of such position will stoop to this level” Fernando Uncle remarked

“That is what I thought. But I was now in deep shit and I had to come up with a means to get out unscathed”

“So you decided that when rape is inevitable lie down and enjoy” Chandy remarked with an impish grin

Chapter 16

It was a Friday evening. Arjun and Chandy returned home from office. They had a large packet with them and they walked into Fernando Uncle’s sitting room instead of going to their room.

“Fernando Uncle. Where is Rosy aunty? We have brought some fresh prawns.” Arjun said aloud.  

Fernando Uncle was comfortably perched on a large beanbag at the far end of the sitting room.  He was watching news in the TV. This was his favourite corner to watch TV without disturbing those who were in the main sitting area. There was a large Persian rug spread in this corner. A few large cushions were thrown around on the rug to lean on.  The TV was quite a large one; part of the home theatre. Boss speakers were strategically placed for maximum effect.  There was a small table near the TV. Rosy aunty kept a fresh flower arrangement every day in this table.

The main sitting area was quite spacious and elaborately furnished. The couches were made of leather. There was a glass show case against the wall which was filled with Swarovski crystals

“Come on guys, sit here.” Uncle waved to the rug

“Uncle you are watching Mash” Arjun exclaimed excitedly “This is my favourite series and Hawk Eye is my favourite character.

“He is a rascal like you. That is why you like him” Uncle replied laughingly. I also like this. You can come and watch it any time. I have the full collection in video tapes”

“I heard prawns.” Rosy Aunty said aloud as she came to the room “Who brought it and from where?”

Smell of expensive Christian Dior perfume preceded aunty. Though she was at home she was elegantly attired in a simple sary.

“Aunty as usual you look gracious” Chandy commented

“The perfume is great too and you look glamorous” Arjun added with a naughty smile.

“Thanks boys” Aunty replied with a smile acknowledging the compliments which was natural for her.

 “My colleague Philomina’s cousin has a fishing boat. She knows we love seafood. Sometimes she brings nice prawn dishes to office and feed us. Last week I asked her to get some fresh prawn. I knew that Rosy aunty could put together some exquisite dish and Fernando uncle loved sea food”

“How presumptive of you” Aunty replied laughingly

“Can I get you guys a drink” Uncle asked

“Of course. We never say no to a drink” Arjun replied

“Are you guys OK with black label? Uncle asked politely

“What are you saying? Black label is heaven for us. Normally it is XXX rum or even hooch” Arjun replied.

“ Do you guys have hooch” Aunty asked surprisingly

“When we ran out of cash in college, hooch was our option” Arjun replied

“I still remember the incident when Arjun won the election as the secretary of student union. After the election it is customary to have a booze party at the hostel. Arjun and gang first decided to buy decent stuff. So they brought McDowell whisky. They bought one dozen bottles. Arjun was running the bar. Everyone was drinking.  Even after 10 bottles were over, many guys were still not drunk enough and were clamouring for more.” Chandy was narrating the story

“Then Arjun took his bike out and went with Joshi to the local arrack shop. They brought three bottles of arrack in plain bottles. They converted these three bottles to four bottles by mixing with some water. Later when guys came asking for more whisky complaining that they are not drunk enough they were served with whisky to which instead of water we added the mixture of arrack and water. As arrack looks like water, the whisky now appeared diluted. Some guys naturally complained that it was still strong. Joshi took their glass in his hand, lifted it up in the air, gave it a derisive look and said aloud;  If you can’t even have such a diluted drink, leave it and go. These guys were already drunk and when they were challenged like this, gulped the whole drink. Soon all these smart ones were on the ground”

“My God; what kind of stuff you fellows try in college” Aunty Rosy raised her hand and had a horrified look on her face.

“Give me the prawns. Let me get it cooked” Aunty got up from the stool on which she was sitting when Chandy was narrating the story.

“I will make some chappattis also. You guys can have dinner with us” Aunty said as she collected the bag of fresh prawns

“Thanks aunty” Chandy replied

“We knew aunty will give us some nice food” Arjun added with a smile

“You guys are shameless” Aunty laughed.

 “Ok you guys fix a drink for yourself and while you are at it make a small for me too” Uncle suggested

Arjun and Chandy got up and walked towards the bar that was in the dining area. It was a magnificent Mahogany bar built in a contemporary style. It matched with the rest of the décor of the dining room. The dining table had Mahogany legs and glass top. The chairs with high back were again made of Mahogany. The leather cushions matched with the leather sofa in the sitting area.

Arjun opened the bar took out a black label bottle out. He poured three drinks. Lots of ice for Arjun and lots of soda and ice for Chandy and Uncle.

Arjun and Chandy settled back on the rug. Uncle switched off the TV and put on some music.

They settled down with their drinks.

“Tell me do most of the students in you engineering college drink?”

“Not all but most; especially those from the ‘Royal Mech’. It is some sort of tradition to feel and behave like studs when we are in the college. As you know there are no girls in the Mechanical Branch and this makes the Royal Mech to act even more macho. They are the so called ‘terror’ and the self-proclaimed royalty which the students of other branches seldom accept.” Arjun explained

“Most of the students get initiated to drinking which is sort of a norm” Chandy added.

“I still remember the incident of Janardan Iyer from our class trying out his first drink. It happened at the party we had when I won the election. As a matter of celebration the god fearing Brahmin tried out his first omelette.  Then he fixed himself a large drink of rum and coke. As it was quite sweet he gulped the whole drink down in in shot.  He knew that those who could down a few pegs without getting hit had a halo around their head. As he finished his first large he felt nothing. Naturally it takes some time for the drink to hit which he was not aware. In the next few minutes, he downed about three or four stiff ones.” Arjun was in a mood to narrate stories.

Uncle was listening and he was enjoying the stories of these youngsters.

“I am sure that in half an hour the drink would have hit him” Uncle commented.

“Natuarally. He got up and went for a walk with some other fellows. We were busy in the hostel running the bar and cleaning the mess some these drunkards left behind..”

“Later in the night some of us who were sober went around the campus to see how many were lying on the roadside.  When we reached the front of the college, we saw Iyer flat on the kerbs. He was completely nude. He was moaning. We went near. He was holding to his dick and lamenting that he feels like peeing. So I told him. If you want to Pee, do it. He moaned again ‘ but no pee is coming’. His cross belt was off his shoulder and around his dick. It was hilarious. Finally two or three follows with us carried him to the hostel. Then they unloaded him in the reading room. They left him on the long table on which we used to spread the newspaper to read.”

Uncle could not control his laughter.

“Next day morning when he woke up he must have felt humiliated” Uncle commented.

“Naturally. But the tough ones don’t admit that. For quite some time we used to make fun of him by asking how he tied his cross belt these days”

Chapter 15

“Did anything else happen?” It was Arjun’s turn to pull Joshi’s leg

“Shut up. We did not have any such intentions. As such we were in an emotional mess. A physical involvement would have made it more complicated”

“Oh there was some sense left in you Joshi. It is not that you are such a considerate fellow. We know that you love having fun and have had quite a few adventures.” Arjun remarked

“Tell us the exciting stories Joshi” Chandy asked

“Another day. I am going to have a joint and then sleep” Joshi said with a gleam in his eyes.

He took out a small packet from his hip pocket. He opened it, took out a pinch of grass and placed it in his left palm. Then he folded the remaining in the packet and placed it back in his pocket. He carefully cleaned the grass and removed the seeds. He took a cigarette and deftly squeezed the tobacco out from it. He let the tobacco fall into his left palm with the grass. When about half the tobacco fell into his palm, he stopped and tipped the remaining into a flower pot. Now only the filter remained in the cigarette. He placed the role on the table.  He gently mixed the grass and tobacco. He took the role with his right hand, tilted it to an almost horizontal position and brought the tip of the roll to the mixture of grass and tobacco. He pushed the cigarette roll into the mixture. Some mixture went in. He tilted the roll upwards to let the mixture settle down near the bottom. Then he repeated the action of pushing some mixture, tilting it upward and slowly shaking it so that the mixture settles in. The roll was filling up.  Intermittently he moved the cigarette to the left hand and held it with the fingers in such a way that the mixture held in the palm did not spill. Then with a matchstick he pushed the mixture down to pack it densely. After a couple of cycles the cigarette was almost full and there was little mixture left in the palm. He held the cigarette in his mouth with the other end in the mixture he sucked hard. What was left in the palm got sucked into the cigarette. He squeezed the end of the cigarette to a cone so that the mixture doesn’t fall off.

He now sat back in the chair and lit the joint. He took a deep drag and held the smoke in his lungs.

Chandy and Arjun sat quietly watching the whole exercise.

“The Stuff is great man. I got it from the hills.” Joshi explained with contentment

“Who went to the hills?” Asked Arjun

“Oh Nobody. I have a good equation with Kathrikada Joseph the famous dealer in town” Joshi explained

“Whenever some good stuff comes from the hills he will let me know. He will also sell me unadulterated stuff” Joshi continued with pride

“How about a drag guys? Asked Joshi

 “No”. Chandy refused vehemently. He was scared

“Come on Arjun. Have a drag” Joshi was persuasive

Arjun took the joint from Joshi and took a drag

“How is the stuff” Joshi asked

“Feel smooth. But for me the grass and booze cancel out” Arjun replied

Arjun always felt the conflict in his heart when he tried these adventures. His upbringing did not make it easy to try these. He felt a sense of guilt. On the other hand he liked experimenting. He knew he had the strength of mind and he won’t get addicted. So he often tried out everything; but in moderation

“I have landed up at the right time” Somesh Nair said aloud as he came in.

Somesh was another of their colleagues from Tridevpur Auto.

“Of course. The food is here, drink is here and there is grass.”

“First let me have a drag” Somesh reached across to Joshi

“We were waiting for you to come to start our game. In the meantime we were all narrating stories of our love lives. Now it is your turn to tell your story.” Arjun commented.

“Man I have no story to tell” responded “You guys are already nice and high.  I have been running errant the whole evening after the office. Joshi pass me a joint”

“I don’t have rolled one. You roll one” Joshi extended the paper package

Somesh quickly rolled two.

“Hay what happened. Something seems to bug you” Arjun commented

“Nothing” Somesh replied

Arjun took the pack of cards and started to deal

Joshi and Somesh were in one team and Arjun and Chandy the opposite team.

The game was progressing. Somesh finished one joint and quickly lit the next one.

“Somesh, You are not in the game and appear to be quite distracted. You talk to us. You know we are your friends and we can help you. If we can’t help you at least you can let out with us what is in troubling your heart” Arjun reached out to  Somesh and tapped his shoulder.

“I don’t have a love life; but a failed love” Somesh said regretfully.

“It is the time to let this elephant out of your heart” Arjun said semi-seriously. He knew there was something biting Somesh’s heart and wanted to give him a chance to take this out.

“You guys remember Oormila.” Somesh started after taking a long drag from the joint and holding it in his lung.

“She was our senior in college. Isn’t she?” Chandy asked

“Yes the same one.” Somesh replied

“But she is related to you” Isn’t she?” Joshi asked

“Yes, But as per our Nair Custom I can marry her” Somesh told

“Then why didn’t you?” Chandy asked

“We grew up together. We spent lots of time telling stories to each other. We studied together and did shopping together. Sometimes during holidays we cooked some nice dishes together. Sometime I used to lie in her lap and she used to ruffle my hair and feel my face while I narrated my stories. I felt so nice, comfortable and cared for” Somesh was talking to himself

“I loved her from the bottom of my heart. When I sat near her holding her tight I felt I was at the top of the world. I was willing to do anything for her. She knew it and she also loved me a lot.”

“Then where was the problem” Arjun asked. “Did the parents object?”

“It was never discussed with them. But I don’t think they would have objected” Somesh replied

“Man this is confusing. You love her, She loves you, nobody objects. Then where is the problem” Joshi asked with his hands up in the air and eyebrows raised.

“She felt that the current generation looked down on marriage between cousins. She had a lot of hang up about what others thought”

“I told her that we could immigrate to some other country where not many people knew us. She knew I had the will and the capability to do that” Somesh continued

“May be you have to keep trying for some more time. She will finally see the depth of your love and come your way”

“That is what I also hoped. But today everything is over. They finalized her marriage to a guy settled in Australia” Somesh was sobbing hard.

“Today, you cry as much as you want. Tomorrow you wake up with the story behind you. It will hurt some more time. But you can’t let it mess up your mind”

“We are all tired. Let us crash now. Sumesh you sleep on the couch in the sitting room and Joshi can sleep with me on my bed. It is large enough for both” Arjun got up.

“First let us clean the terrace. Else Fernando uncle is going to shout at us”

Arjun took the lead and they cleaned up the mess.

“Arjun has always been the one the clean up after the mess we created even when we were in college; he was ready to clean even the puke” Joshi remarked

“Somebody had to clean the mess. Unfortunately after the drinking sessions normally I was the only one who had some sense left” Arjun replied

“I am going to pour a bucket of cold water on my head before I sleep/ My head is buzzing” Johsi remarked

“All the booze and the grass” Chandi remarked

Chapter 14

There was a look of apprehension and look of conviction in his face.

“I am trying to learn 100 words a day. Still when I try the vocabulary section in Barrens’ GMAT guide I feel that I am nowhere” Arjun was venting his frustration.

“Like you said you started with a disadvantage; but you have the grit and the patience. You will manage” Joshi repeated. He knew, Arjun was looking for re-assurance.

Arjun got up and moved towards the other end of the terrace. He lit a cigarette and stood there staring for into the sky. He was deep in thoughts and had a serious look in his face.

The others remained back where they were. There was a deep silence. Everybody was looking ahead wondering what future holds for them. Chandy got up and walked towards the flower pots that were stacked near the ledge. There were many rose flowers blooming. He bent down to smell one of them.

 “My God guys we have been having too much discussion on studies and career. Now let us share some stories. Arjun, come here. Don’t be moody. You, as I have predicted, will crack it. Don’t let your confidence to drop. Tell us what is happening between you and Rohini. In the last two weekends both of you have been coming early for the Jaycee meetings.” Joshi tried to change the subject.

“Arrey Arjun, you have not shared the stories with us” Chandy poured one more drink to Arjun’s glass

“Chandy you have been making all of us drunk by pouring peg after peg. Fill your glass” Joshi shouted and he took Chandy’s glass and poured a stiff drink

“There is nothing much between Rohini and I. Ashok Kumar Rohini’s cousin told me that she is keen to get to know me. So I decided to meet her.”

“Yet another adventure for Arjun” Chandy said laughingly

“Which is the other adventure Arjun? Joshi asked

“Oh when we just finished engineering and was waiting for results, I met Anu at a party. She was so beautiful and with her short hair, she looked like Princess Diana. All guys were after her and were trying to get an ifntro. I also got introduced. There was something like a spark when we talked. “ Arjun was narrating the story

“Look what this bastard Chandy is doing” Joshi laughed

“He can’t stand his drink and he is quietly spilling it down. Now the cat is drinking it. Soon  the cat will  drunk” Joshi was freaking out.

Chandy was red in his face.

“Come on guys let us here Arjun’s story” Chandy tried to change subject

“Any way we met again when I went for the Malhar festival. I did not expect that she will be keen on me. But surprise, she came to where I was standing and started talking to me. Man I was in the seventh heaven.  After that we used to talk to each other on phone on and off. Oh it was a pain to get her on the line. She used to stay with her aunty as her mother was working abroad and father had passed away. But I used to call up and talk in girl’s voice and get her on line. But she could talk only if there was nobody in the phone room.”

“Then what happened? Macha story is exciting” Joshi was all entrenched in the story

“We met couple of times out for date, Once we even went out on a date on my bike"

“Did anything else happen” Joshi asked with a snigger

“You only have one thing in your mind.” Arjun said laughingly “Nothing else happened”

“After we took up this job with Tridevput Automobiles and moved over, we never got much chance to meet up. I tried calling her couple of times. She did not take the call. Then I sent her a Christmas card with an innocuous message. Even if the card fell in the hands of her family, they would not have suspected anything. It was just a Christmas wish from one of her old class mates. But it had the message that she could have figured out No reply. I met her again at the rock show. She just looked through me. Then I did not bother. If she things she is too hot let her go to hell. Then I heard that she got married to a fellow settled in UK. It hurt me a bit. Then that is life”

“Oh how sad. Now you have started seeing this Rohini. Where is it going?”

“Who knows where it is going. Let it go forward. At the least I have a friend.”

“Maybe  the Doon School girl has hots for you” Joshi was again being naughty

“Don’t pre-judge anything. As of now we find each other interesting”

“Joshi now it is your turn to tell us stories” Chandy was egging Joshi

“I met Rani Joseph when I had just finished junior college and joined for my engineering degree. She is niece of my cousin’s husband. Her parents were in US and she came to Tridevpur to do her junior college. She and my cousin Vinita were class mates and hostel mates. On and off she used to come home for weekends as we were the local guardians. Rani appeared a very snooty girl. Especially with her convent school background she used to have an attitude.  One day we were at home and we were sharing our stories. She was commenting about the affair that one of her friends was having. She referred to that girl as a fool”

“Then I told her that it is natural that at this age to feel fancy for the opposite sex. She said that it won’t happen to her. I challenged her and told her that if the right fellow comes, she will also fall. Initially I thought I will introduce her to one of our friends. Then I decided to flirt with her.”

“That was too much.” Chandy commented

“I wooed her for quite some time. Then I realised that she started to have feeling for me. Then one day we had a frank talk. To be honest, I also started to like her more But I did not want to get fixed up at 18. So we decided to let it pass”

“Oh what a tragedy” Arjun commented

“Just after we joined Tridevpur Auto, her brother came and met me. She had sent a letter through him. It said ‘ now that we are old enough are you ready’. Oh man I was shocked. I liked the girl. But I was not ready to marry and settle down. I wanted to study further. I send a letter through her brother explaining my plans. Next time when I went to her town, I met her and we went out for a coffee. I liked her and she knew it. But my passion to study further and see the world was more overpowering. I knew that if  I get married then, I will end up being bitter in future and end up having a screwed up family life. She understood where I came from. We know that though we liked each other so much our priorities in life were completely out of synch. So we made the sensible decision. We decided to part ways”

Chapter 13

“Wake up you lazy bum” Joshi shouted as by the time Chandy and Joshi were back Arjun had dozed off on the chair.

“Had a tiring day and the chilled beer is quite soporific” Arjun woke up and stretched his hands.

“Mr Joshi Williams, have you brought some good food” Ajun asked

“Oh yes. As tomorrow is a holiday we have decided that we could have fun the whole night” Joshi replied while he was unpacking

“See we have bought a full bottle of Mc Dowels No 1 whisky” Joshi took out the square bottle with tile like design

“Where is the soda?” Arjun asked

“No Soda. We have chilled beer and the combination is really great” Joshi replied

“I presume that you are going to sleep here tonight. “ Arjun said

“I am going to be here tonight and none of us are going to sleep. Somesh Nair will also come in another 10 mts and we will play 28 the whole night.”

“Guys, I have told you my plans, rather dreams. Tell me what are you guys cooking?” Joshi asked as he opened the whisky bottle and poured into each of the glasses.”

“Pour me a small one” Chandy interrupted

“Why small. Today is the day for large” Joshi laughed aloud as he poured half glass for each of them

“Arjun, I thought you were planning to appear for Indrapresta Civil Service” Joshi asked

“I gave it a serious thought. Last week when I went home I met Aby uncle. As you know he is senior IAS officer. He is currently the Secretary to the Government of Indraprasta”

“He is a much respected officer. He is honest and upright and not swayed by political pressure. He is also a very good administrator and a visionary. So he holds a commanding position in the Government” Arjun continued.

“I discussed with him my plans. He had an interesting take on this. He explained in this in his gentle and serious manner” Arjun went onto imitate his Aby uncle

“Son this is a very honourable profession. You are expected to do a lot for the society. But with the kind of political interference we hardly get a chance to get at least 20% of what we would love to do. But even the 20% can make a significant difference.”

“Why only 20%. Isn’t it left for you to take the initiative and get things moving?” Arjun continued his play acting

“Yes and no. On one side you get caught up with so much of administrative mess that is created by many your colleagues and political masters with their hidden agenda. On the other side the same combination will hinder and block the progress of your initiative if it doesn’t suite their purpose. It will be two steps forward, one step backward and sometimes three steps backward. There is no point in fretting about it. Get moving with what you believe.”

“That can be frustrating Uncle”

“Then as you are aware. This job does not pay. Look around. The house I stay is palatial. Courtesy GOI. But the furniture is sparse as this is all I can afford. When I retire in a couple of days, I will move to my small flat in the outskirts of Indrapuram; because that is what I could manage with my salary. I am not regretting. I am telling you the fact of life. If you are a person who loves material comforts, I suggest that you try to get into IMI. When you graduate, your starting salary could be higher than what I get as a secretary. On the other hand if you are willing to sell your soul, sky is the limit for an IAS officer.”

“Quite an interesting point of view” Chandy commented

“You don’t have to sell you soul. You can sell yourself to a rich father-in-law”  Joshi laughed as he took a deep swig.

“Oh yes. I am not in any way planning to sell myself.” Arjun replied

“I am not going to study now. I have decided to enjoy my life for some time” Chandy said and took a sip from his glass. “I have asked my uncle who is the CFO of our company to get me posted to the Computer Centre. I will have a chance for on-the-job training on Computer Applications.  If I manage this, which I am sure I can, I will stay back in this company for a few years and get some good experience. I feel IT is going to the growth area for future. Later I will try to get into a reputed IT company which offers international posting. In the meantime I will get married to a nice girl from a well to do family. As the demands of this PSU job will not be much, I will be able to have a long honey moon here.  As my uncle is the CFO I am not going to have too much trouble from my bosses” Chandy described his plan with a grin.

“You are too smart Chandy. And also connected the right way. I am sure you will get some smart girl from a well to do family to get married soon. “ Joshi replied

“I don’t have such guardian angels and ancestral assets to protect my future. I am going to work hard on getting into IMI. With the background we come from it is not going to be easy” Arjun said.

“You will manage. You are a go getter.” Joshi replied

“Remember all of us flunked royally in the admission test when we tried in our final year.”

“Oh then none of us had done any preparation at all” Joshi said with a laughter.

“I bought some study material and took some practice tests. My God! The outcome was pathetic. I could not complete even half of the maths section in which we are supposed to be good” Arjun said dejectedly

“On the other hand I could not even recognize half the words in the vocabulary section.”

“Man you need a different strategy and a lot of preparation to crack this exam” Joshi was sharing his experience on the basis of the GMAT preparation he was making

“In many of the sections, there will be few questions which may be easy to crack, but which will definitely waste lots of time. The trick to leave these questions and go forward. If you get time at the end, then you come back to these”

 “That makes sense. Let me try that idea and see how I manage” Arjun had a gleam in his eye.

“In GMAT the time for each section is 30 minutes. What I try to do is to attempt to do it in 10 minute. This stricter target will help you to be more alert” Joshi was giving further ideas.

“But getting my English Language skills, especially vocabulary up is going to be a gargantuan task. As you guys know I studied in vernacular medium in an ordinary school and hence my exposure in English is not up to the mark.” Arjun lamented

“Don’t worry, you will crack it” Joshi said in encouragingly

Chapter 12

Arjun and Udhi were classmates from Indraprasta Management Institute (IMI). They had become close friends during their term at IMI. They were almost like two bodies and one soul. It did not mean that they were alike in everything. It just meant that in spite of their differences, they had something that linked them to a common purpose and a belief.

Arjun came from a middle class family in a small town in Indraprasta called Tridevpur. He did his schooling in Tridevpur. His father was a priest in the temple. So they were not very well off. His father and mother encouraged him to learn the scriptures. He became quite proficient in these. He also read scripture of other religion and he was quite familiar with them too.  He was not deeply religious. He was comfortable at both religious and non-religious settings. He was not sure in his mind his religious position. One part of him was a believer; believer of heaven and hell. The other part could not put his faith in the concept of the immortal soul whose ticket to heaven was determined by his actions during few years on earth. However the religious background shaped his life’s values of decency, integrity and doing good to his fellow humans.

Arjun was good at studies. He came first in the school and got admission to College of Engineering Tridevpur.

He participated in extracurricular activities. He stood for college union elections and was elected as the student council secretary. He loved swimming from his school time and was a regular at Tridevpur swimming pool.

When he finished Engineering course, He wanted to do his management from an Ivy League Management school. He knew that was the only way to be catapulted to the higher echelons of corporate circle. But he know with the background he came from it was going to be difficult to get into an Ivy League school. He took up job with Tridevpur Automobiles as a Graduate Engineer Trainee (GET). They were a batch of 25 GETs Tridevpur Automobiles had taken first time as an experiment. This had created quite a shake-up in the company. The old timers who had come up from the ranks were not amused with these upstarts.

He and his close friend Chandi Varghese took up a studio apartment. This apartment was sort of an outhouse of a Bungalow owned by Mr Romeo Fernando. 

“My father has come up with a marriage proposal. He is insisting that I meet up with his girl” Chandi was pouring his heart out.

Arjun, Chandi and Joshi had got together on the terrace of their apartment. This was a regular pastime they had after their work. As usual they had their supply of chilled beer.

“But Chandi, it is too early to get married. I agree the job we have in this company is good. It pays decently. It has respectability in this community. But if we get married and settle down, our growth will be restricted. We will be like frogs in a well” Arjun remarked as he lit is cigarette.

“I agree with Arjun” Joshi added “ I plan to migrate to US. I have already started applying to schools in America.”

“You can dream about it Joshi. You are a rich man” Arjun replied with a laughter

“Fuck of. My popsy is not going to give me money to go to America. I am trying to get a scholarship” Joshi retorted.

“Oh Come on Joshi. You know it is not so easy to get Schol. Even if we get some partial schol, there is still going to be a big cost. I can’t afford that” Arjun said.

“ I have some ideas on how to improve my chance of getting into an ivy league school in US” Joshi grinned and took a sip of the beer.

“You always have many aces up your sleeve.  Tell with us your smart idea”

“Man ideas don’t come free.” Joshi replied with a wink

“Don’t act pricey. We are not trying to go to US and we won’t steal your ideas. But we are curious about your ingenuity” Chandy interjected

Joshi did not reply. His eyes were at the terrace of the neighboring building. Sheena, the neighbour's daughter was standing there with her pet Alsatian.

“Mr Joshi, Turn this side. You are getting distracted ” Chandy said

“Oh I was just looking at the beautiful bitch” Joshi replied

“The four legged or the two legged one” Arjun asked.

“Come on guys. Be a sport”  Josh replied

“Son, don’t lech at  Sheena. She has an elder brother who is a police inspector. He will help you to count your ribs and ours too” Arjun tapped Joshi’s head and said.

“Come on. I was only looking. No comments, no winks, no smile. Just enjoying nature’s beauty. Joshi said with a mock protest.

Arjun lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.

“Joshi, tell us about your master plan” Chandy implored.

“Arjun pass me a fag” Joshi asked

He was getting ready for his narration.

“I am planning to join this NGO called ‘Tribal Arts’. They work among the tribes in one of the most backward regions of Indraprasta. They help to market the various artifacts made by these tribes. “ Joshi started

“That is a very great work they are doing” Arjun replied

“What are you going to do? You have no sense of art” Chandy asked laughingly.

“Oh I am going to be based in one of the villages deep into the forests” Joshi replied

“I will be teaching and helping the tribes on how to do their business better” Joshi continued.

“I have variety of roles to play. I will teach them basic arithmetic and basic language skills, help them to package the products well. Will help them in their inventory planning. Based on the feedback from the corporate office of NGO I will help them prioritize and focus their production so that they can maximize their revenue and return”

“That is a very honourable thing you are doing” Arjun said appreciatly

“I agree” Chandy added

  

“The international Ivy League schools give lot of value for such work from their prospective students. If I spent two years doing a serious job of this, I have a pretty good chance for my admission. Anyway I have a decent score for GMAT, my graduate results are pretty good and I have some good reco”

“Man you are something. You are determined. I am impressed” Arjun said

“But Joshi, how are you going to spent two years in the forest. It can be so boring”

“That is the price I have to pay for what I want to get. In the process many tribal people are going to be benefited”

“Wont it be quite boring and lonely there?” Chandy asked

“I already made a visit to the place. The forest is quite scenic. Quite a lot of trekking opportunities for my weekends. I am sure there can be some good fun with nice weed and may be there is some good mushroom there” Joshi replied

“The king’s daughter is quite a chic” Joshi continued with a wink

“Man don’t mess around with the King’s daughter. They will catch you and castrate you” Arjun replied

“Oh no. No fooling around. I will marry her” Joshi replied nonchalantly

 “Marry her?. But you are going to be there only for two years. I don’t think she will be able to adjust to city life” Arjun

“Who asked about adjusting to city life” Joshi asked

“When my objective of getting admission is met, I leave. She stays” Joshi continued

“But that is not fair” Arjun replied

“Everything is fair in love and war” Joshi laughed

“This is neither war nor love” Arjun commented

“Winning in your career advancement journey is a war and my love for admission to Ivy League School is unconditional. I am willing to pay any price for it.”

“ You can rationalise. It is still mean” Arjun commented.

“Look at this way. She gets a first class husband for two years. She is not worse of. As Barnard Shaw commented a woman would rather have a one tenth of a first class husband than full of a third class husband. She gets to have a first class husband for two years”

“You are really vain” Arjun took a swig of beer from the mug

“When you leave her and go after two years she will be devastated” Chandy said

“For some time. Then the hormones will start working and she will look for another mate.”

“You are a rascal. I hope you won’t make a baby” Arjun remarked with a serious note.

“It is a point. That way I will have no head ache. On the other side, should I not leave something for her to remember me”

“Have you told all these plans to the NGO who is sponsoring” Chandy asked

“Are you out of your mind? All these ideas about marrying the King’s daughter are just dreams” Joshi replied

“I hope your dreams don’t come true for the girl’s sake” Arjun commented.

“I was just letting my imagination run wild a bit.” Joshi suddenly changed the tone.

“One thing is sure. I am willing for a two year sojourn in a forest if that will help me the admission I want”

“Let us go and get some food” Chandy got up.

“Arjun you wait here. I will hitch a ride in Joshi’s bike and get some nice Paratha and Chicken”