(Recap– In my student life, I happened to hear so many stories afloat about a legendary backslide, rich man, popularly known as “Chudhery Saheb.” He belonged to a landlord family. Personally I got acquainted with him, when I got settled in my consultancy profession. At that time, he was impecunious one and even not worth of the paper it printed upon.)
Familiarity with Choudhery Saheb – Choudhery Saheb occasionally visited my consultancy office. His being well acquainted with my father, helped to impel him to make visit, whenever he wished. Another fact was, my profession demanded to maintain terms with all kind of people and to ease my pursuit, I was persuaded to find a place in the town area. This place was somewhat suburb of my foot hill city, and my office located in the main bazaar. Besides, this place was in the vicinity of the native village of the Choudhery Saheb. My office situated near a bus stoppage, where government operated public transport buses happened to make halt for passengers.
Often, Choudhery Saheb, when had to pick the bus for the city and bus was late to arrive, he would come to my office and wait for the bus by sitting there. At that time, I too was a newcomer in my business, and remained sitting idly there. The situation prompted me to initiate chit chat with Choudhery Saheb on various topics. Since, from my childhood, I had heard so many legendary stories about him, this too impelled me to authenticate them all, direct from the mouth of the horse. The unique quality, Chudhery Saheb possessed was that he was a good storyteller as well. Undoubtedly, he too helped authenticate so many stories, I already heard about him.
Bitter experiences of life – Choudhery Saheb, I chanced to meet in person, was now altogether a different person from his past life. He was now a tee-totalitarian, most devout and pious man. Once I tried to pry out, how he eschewed from the vices of alcohol drinking habit. In a friendly way, he elicited every thing. He said, ” Prakash baboo, today I am going to relate you some of bitter experiences of life that hurt and rankled me greatly. That made me realized my pitiable flight.” He paused and began further
“Every one tells spurious stories that my hundred of hundreds hectare of landed property been spent in my hobby of womanizing, that’s not as such. No doubt, I was a confirmed womanizer and I admit that candidly. Every man is supposed to be a womanizer, but I was to an extreme level. I too maintained a good number of mistresses in the vicinity. I too gifted them some agricultural lands, but that was titular one. Further, till the time I was in relation with them, I afforded their light expenditures only. But that all was not threatening to make a hole in my pocket. In fact, the havoc fell upon me, through my evil genius of “drinking habit with company” and wish to become a “notorious hooligan of the area.”
My curiosity – I played my curiosity to know the entire story, that made him continue his story. He opened his heart. “In that period of my youth, hooliganism was a hobby of rich people from countryside to establish oneself as Robin Hood type man. The purpose was not to earn the money from that. No doubt, some criminal types people ever existed in our society who tend to thieving or robbery as a profession to maintain livelihood. By the grace of the God, I was well off, but had had an intention to earn a notoriety.
I am talking of the era, when the nation just had been declared independent and still feudal system prevailed over. God knows only, what evil spirit possessed me over, that impelled me plan to arrange some sort of ammunition for my henchmen. I spent a good deal of money for that illegal arrangement of ammunition. The supply of that was to come in shape of guns and accessories. As per scheme, I was to receive all that consignment of illegal goods from a nearby railway station. The station located at a deserted location. On the appointed day, I reached there with my retinue on the jeep car.”
He paused for a while, as if, reminisced something from the past. The desolate expressions of the past incidence brightly expressed on his face. And he began, ” It seemed my ill luck awaited me there. Such an airtight information to police had already been leaked out. I got captured red handed, with big quantity of armed ammunition that contained illegal guns and accessories. Police arrested me and on account of that, registered one after another fake criminal cases against me. This resulted in police account declared me a “history sheeter.” He again paused and gave a frustrated horse laugh and said, “I have been the first ever history sheeter in this region, of the Independent India.”
He continued, “that was the day that initiated the advent of the ill-luck to my family. My father (patriarch) squandered the money, as if, flying the money to save my skin. At the beginning , we felt a nominal loss. But loss of gold guineas, which were token of heirloom as well as the token of affluence. Those ever kept in safe as the family treasure, too got squandered in contesting that case. Besides, for contesting the case, the legal services of a prominent criminal lawyer of the city were hired. In lieu of fee, he got transferred our prime location landed property in his name. That was the day, when ostensibly a downfall in the fiscal position of the patriarch was taken noticed by people around.”
The decadence in life – After that, he sunk into a long silence, then resumed the story, ” If to say about me, after demise of father gradually I sold big portion of my landed property from time to time as per demand of my extravagant expenditures. Some part of them, I confess, sold only for a song. The day came, when I was left with ancestral house as my only property, I still dwell in. Another vice in me was, I was an alcoholic. Though, today I am a teetotaler but it’s all is due to compulsion.
I tell you about my axiomatic experiences, about the extravagance of a drinking habit. It won’t damage your purse as such, if you are well off. All people take it, but not in the way I squandered in the life. In my case, I was given to throw the drink party to people daily . They people spuriously paid acclamation to me, and that made me happy. I was a fool in real sense not to sense the real intention behind all that. They people did all that on purpose, so, there entertainment keep on going without spending money. And the day came, when I was penniless, and after sometimes, all they refused to notice my presence.”
He heaved a sigh heavily and became silent. After a while he abruptly took leave, as if , ashamed of himself. Still I remember his lesson about drinks. “Always drink alone, don’t be addict of freeloaders in the name of friendship, they are parasite. How much alcohol you can consume alone? That in fact you can manage fiscally.” In fact I follow his advise in life. Penned by– Vinay Pharasi…..( end of the story)
