( Recap – In the previous episode I narrated, how Tarun ji in his ” illusion” of becoming an American National fell into his own “raw greed.” In this drive, he suffered tremendous shock, that kept him disturbed for a long.)
Dubeyji alias Rishi ji seemed not in mood to stop narrating the story of Tarun ji. Might be, a drinker under the spell of high inebriation reaches to the condition when he can not give a stop to his eloquence. He behaves like a car whose break got failed and it’s running down to a descending slope without break. The same situation was here. He again began, ” in that long span of frustration, Taurn kept himself cut off from the rest of the world. But, here another situation was dangling like a sword on the neck of his in- laws. That was an old time and if this news of the failure of settlement of Tarun’s plan due to the divorce of his wife ( As described already) and her getting married to someone else in USA got leaked, that was supposed to damage a lot to the social status of Tarun’s in- laws family here.
After all, they had to live here. Hence, they again, to save there face, took Tarun under their wings to console his hurt sentiments. In the same drive, they put him to stay at their own house in the beginning, as a close family member. The same facility which now been reduced to a day time official room formality. Since after the long lapse of time, father in law and mother in law of Tarun been dead. Besides, now the city is not in its old shape, everything been changed. Like wise, the thought process of new generation too changed drastically and now getting divorced and remarrying is not mocked at.
One thing Tarun badly realized later on. He repented for the vices of the “greed” on his part in this devastating mission. On several occasions, he cried helplessly recalling his past life before me. He repentantly admitted, he was having a social status of being the husband of a professor wife of a degree college in the city, that in itself was a prestigious position but couldn’t take care of that. Later on, it always gnawed his heart and mind, why and how he became out of the mind by the deceptive plan of his chum of childhood.” On this point, Dubey ji alias Rishi ji became silent at once and plunged into deep thoughts.
Now, story tilts again from my point of narration. I meant, How I perceived Tarun ji ‘s deportment and his silent efforts to brace up the blizzards of suffering in the personal life. As on today, when I am penning down this story, it too has got some reasons, other wise, I couldn’t dare to sum up this entire story. Firstly, Dubey ji alias Rishi ji succumbed to the COVID – 19 and is no more. After two years of his demise, Tarun ji too suffered from an acute chest pain and got diagnosed with some heart related problem. After all, after sustaining so many emotional shocks in personal life, how much his heart could endeavor to run properly. Now he contained no hope of coming back of his children in his life, ( Wife’s matter was already closed.)
At the first stage of medical treatment, Tarun ji was advised to get installed stent into his heart. This helped support his heart temporarily. But, during the recovery period, his heart was assailed by a massive stroke and he left for heavenly abode. Here I recall an anecdote related to him. This anecdote is about four years old prior to his demise. Though, this incidence was like a soft wind coming into his life and was soothing one. Once on an occasion, he happened to come across me. He was looking so delighted and happy and his face beaming with a felicity.
He made me stop and took me for a cup of tea and told, ” My son was back home from abroad for a short trip and was staying in a hotel. You see, now a days, children reared up in foreign culture can’t assimilate in Indian home ambiance. They preferred to stay, out in hotel. My son rung me on to see me personally. Now my son is in his full youth with a strong built and attends a gym regularly. We had had a long chat and drove across the city on a very long drive.” When he was relating this to me, I noticed a fatherly emotional moisture in his eyes. This revelation amazed me, how this son happened to get contacted with his biological father? Then, I realized, his son now belonged to the American culture. There was big probability, after attaining the age of adulthood, might be, his mother had disclosed him all the the facts. After all, blood is thicker than water! This might have prompted the son to see his father.
But despite of this all, neither at that time nor in future, never I gave him an inkling that I was widely aware of his sorry plight at the domestic front. One thing more, as a concluding part of this story. After suffering from all these emotional shocks, when Tarun ji succumbed to the heart ailment, I took this finally as an occurrence of relief to him. To me, it was the end of his all miseries of life. But another scrap of news, I received was also like a heart relief to me. And it was, on his demise, his son too had been informed about the demise of his father. Upon that, his son had shown a wish to give a proper Hindu ritualistic cremation to his father by reaching back to India in person. In pursuance to his wish, the dead body of Tarun ji was preserved in refrigeration for two days, awaiting his son to arrive.
After two days, his son managed to land here and gave “lighting to the pyre ” of the dead body of the departed soul. After performing all the pertaining rites, like immersing the ashes of father on the bank of pious river Ganges, on the third day, he flew back to the USA. It’s a religious belief in us Hindus, If a dead person gets his final journey concluded by his son, he attains the “salvation.” This happening relieved me deep down to the content of my heart. ( End of the Story.) Penned by– Vinay Pharasi —–
