( Recap – In the first episode, I described how I got acquainted with Mahane as his being our only neighbor. Apart from this, his son being my class mate as well friend on account of my neighbor. After that I began with his characteristics, In which I mentioned about his being a shirker.)
Other characteristics
Apart from his being a shirker, he had an ability which too might count as one of his features as such. He could by joining and adding letter with letter could read a script. Meant, he was a poor reader, as per the prevalent norm; I am not certain whether he could ably write some fegure of letter or not. But this ability, he ever applied in perusing sensuous and sexy cheap prohibited books of that time. About his this ability of reading, I too came to know from the adventure of his son.
As I told earlier, his son was about fourteen years old and the harsh circumstances had made him more and more intelligent and shrewd. Any when, his father ventured to go out of the house for a local stroll in the village in day time, he would pounce into his room. In all probabilities, he would open the mysterious tin- box of his father. Inside the box, he was destined to recover such sort of cheap books as ” treasure- trove.” In an excitement of teen- age and friendly engagement, he was given to make a loud narration of the written sensuous contents of cheap pulp books with his chums including me, at some isolated and secrete spot.
Impact of the contents of book upon us
The titles of some books, I still can recall as ” Fables of Parrot and Mynah,” (both the words about the birds, mentioned as being capable and presumed to imitate and speak the language of man being) and “Kok Shastra.” Kok Shastra stood for ” erotic pleasure.” So many other books, this treasure – trove contained, but I am not able to recall their names; but all were so interesting and exciting to us in that green age. ( In a previous blog of this story section of ” Sketch of,” I too have mentioned about the eldest son of Sohana barber. How children of my age happened to learn our first lesson of sex education through his boastful sordid stories, when he used to visit back the village.)
In the book of ” Erotic Pleasure,” some hand made sketches of man and woman engaged in sex activities too were drawn in black and white. At that period of time, no colored printing facility in our India was available as such. Man and woman drawn in copulating position with different angles and position seemed so exciting to us. The one thing, that bothered all of us teen age boys were, the main private sexual organ of man engaged in sexual position drawn was as straight as a peg ( stick) struck in the wall. We all had another experience of our private part in full erectile condition. It remained tilted to one side. At that time, we all feared some “flaw or deficiency” in our masculine potency. In that green age, all are given to draw such sort of misconceptions. This fact became relevant to us, on attaining us the age of maturity.
Next level of characteristic of Mahane
The next level of ability of Mahane as his “peculiarity” was, he was expert in engaging other people in his “sweet gossiping.” An enchanting gossiper he was, in a way to coin the new stories one after another. He often spoke on interesting topics, as if, churning a curd into a whey and procuring butter out of that. This peculiar feature, he was given to apply in his “thieving mission.” Never, a conclusion could be drawn about him as a ” petty thief.” It was his symptomatic quality in a way, never he caught up red- handed, merely a conclusion was drawn of his being involved in the crime of theft.
The metaphoric ability of his was, he never participated personally in any thieving drive, that part of the ” mission” ever accomplished by his hidden colleagues only. His owned liability, in the crime of theft was to ” recce” the hot spot and provide the exact information. Besides, when mission was to be operated, he was to keep engaged the victim’s house members enraptured into his gossip. Just imagine, when the crime of theft is being committed, he was sitting with the targeted family members, so how could he be made responsible for the crime.
Often it happened, the stock of the harvest is gathered in the house yard of the victim family and family is gathered around him inside. Out there ” stock of grains” was stolen. Even domestic cattle tethered in shed been found missing. Bicycle was a precious item, that too got stolen.
The ultimate paradigm of mission
Once, a unique “theft” occurred in the village. It was like “theft cum ransom” crime. A unique thing in those days. A substantial family brought a new “Wooden Oxen-cart” to his house. At that time, to own a new “Oxen-cart” was like purchasing of some costly motor car these days. In the day time, the family celebrated the occasion of his new possession and distributed the sweet-balls to adjacent houses. But in the dark of the night, the new Oxen-cart was found missing. Later on, the “clandestine gang of thieve” after collecting a “ransom amount” disclosed the location of stolen Oxen-cart. It surprised all people, How the heavy Oxen-cart, gang managed to yoke on shoulders surreptitiously and sneaked away.
The utmost interesting fact of story was, every one knew, Mahane was a thief, but they happened to fall prey to his alluring sweet gossips. All had a misconception, at least Mahane would not ditch him. Otherwise also, the incidence of theft did not occurred daily bit intermittently. In all, whole through his life, Mahane lived a life as a shirker but his last time. Later on, when his son became efficient to earn bread, he again began to live a desired life.
The last time when I met him
I had migrated from the village long ago. Years after, once I chanced to visit there. I noticed Mahane vending green-grocery in a hand barrow. Now he looked quite old and fragile. I greeted him and asked about his well being as well as of his son, who once was my childhood chum. He informed me in an offensive tone, ” Son’s behavior is proper toward me, but now my daughter-in-law scorns me at this old age. She ever forces me to do something and earn some money, so she can feed me some meal. Just you tell me, is it my age to vend green-grocery?”
But I knew, now village had transformed into a semi-Urban locality. Neither old time farming based families existed there nor the members of his old thief gang. He had no opportunity in hand to commit the theft as such now. His gang members too were supposed either to become old and feeble like him or got vanished. (end of the story.) Penned by– Vinay Pharasi …..
