A forgotten friend (Part-6th)—

(Recap- Under the supervision and guidance of Bind bro I learnt some valuable secrets of compact writing. Along with his a fresh tender, psychological facet of his persona too revealed to me….)

As I told at the end of the last part of the story that I chanced to visit the house of Bind bro for the first time with my that so called literary friend. That day was Sunday, I brightly can remember. Some where deep down in my heart I too had a desire to see once again his youngest teacher sister. I confess this now. The family of Bind bro seemed already well acquainted with my that literary friend and his family. In fact it revealed to me both the family had had proper intimate type relations. The youngest teacher sister of Bind bro along with her elder sister stepped in the sitting room and frankly had gossip with my that friend. They inquired about the well being of family of my that friend.

As it was natural, in prime youth girls become talkative with boys with the boys of the same age group. Like wise they too behaved with us. That Masterly friend had a purpose to visit Bind bro’s place. He had to collect some photographs, he had given to Bind bro for developing process. Bind bro went inside his room and collected those photographs in an envelop and handed that over to my that friend. After that he said, ‘ “Come on, Now I give you the treat of a cup of tea down in the restaurant.” His this offering of tea in a tea-stall sounded weird to me. The same cup of tea could also be prepared in the home kitchen. But we descended  the stairs with him.

His house was the part of a double storied tenement.  On the one side toward the main road stayed another family. On the other side in adjacent position, family of Bind bro dwelt as a tenant. Just one needed to enter inside from the main road into the narrow lane and there came the abode of Bind bro. After that, the narrow lane became more narrower with a bend and entered into an old habitated location. At the ground floor was perhaps the residence of his same student girl friend. For, I noticed a name plate of her embellished with her educational degrees, “B.A, LL. B.” That was enough to made me understand.

No sooner after descending the stairs, on the opposite of the lane, there was a tea-stall of old pattern. All we three installed there. Bind bro placed the order for the tea. With the sipping of tea, we had some short conversation as usual. In between, Bind bro said in his soft, fumbled voice, “It might look you awkward, why I didn’t offer you cup of tea back at the home. I tell you the reason. I have got two young sisters at the bend of their prime youth. At this age young boys and girls feel good in having dialogues with one another. In fact, they enjoy talking like this, But this sort of frankness may lay the foundation for some untoward happenings of the future. I am the eldest son of the family and under obligation to maintain a discipline in the family on that front by maneuvering some tricks.”

His reason was correct to the ground realities of conservative society of that time period. But somewhere it felt to me, as if, I was caught red handed some where. Though, that might be my own wrong guess about me. But he was in the habit to put his opinion in a calm and serene style, that never offended any one. ( though I had doubts about his this statement when he already was involved with his neighboring girl.) I  remained under his guidance for a considerably long time. He taught me some secrets of compact writing about preparation of articles. An incidence ever remained inscribed in my memory.

Once, I prepared a hand written article about the prevailing laws of Indian medieval history of Mughals’ courts. I asked him to make some amendments in syntax. He on the spot perused that article by sitting on the stepping stairs of a closed Homeopathic clinic. Keenly, he went through the article and after that staidly suggested, ” This article is a perfect one and has got some depth. You should send this article to “that” National Hindi  News Paper for publication. I am certain, it will make a place in the Sunday edition of the Paper.” Though, I by myself was no where assured by this suggestion but sent that article by post to “that” specific National news Paper.

After dispatch, I too forgot about the article. Since, till that time I had not been able to make a place in any local newspaper, leave apart of the National News Paper. At that time, I had a routine.  On every week end, I used to return to my parental country side home. There I was in habit to prolong my stay for some more days. For, in the city I was an unemployed chap but here I could keep myself engaged in some homely affairs and it helped refresh my mood. On one such occasion, when I reached back to my city’s rented room, my neighborly gentle man informed me about some thing.

He said, ” a man who looked like a photographer with a camera box came here searching you. He was asking about you. He dropped the message to meet Bind bro immediately. There was an urgent business.” This astonished me. That was the noon time when I was given this message. At that time Bind bro presence was expected as usual at the Coffee Cafe. I appeared on the spot. Bind bro was there and my arrival delighted him and at once he ordered for the tea. I also noticed, other regular customers in the Cafe were watching me with somewhat curious sight. I felt that sight awkward.

Bind bro silently recovered a folded copy of a National newspaper of back date from his camera box and smoothed out the middle page of the paper before me. He pointed me to a written printed contents and asked cheerfully, “go through this.” The title of the contents had a different print. But when I went through the head Line of the article, just below that I found my name printed as author. My same article which I sent was published in verbatim there. It was so joyful an experience. In between, Bind bro interrupted, “The editor of Paper often changes the title of article to make the material attractive.”

At that time, I was a chap around the age of twenty two years old. At that age, to get my article published in an esteemed National News paper suffused me with overjoy and confidence, as if, now I was the “man of letters.” At that young age such sort of misconception about oneself was natural to occur in the mind. The truth was, in my absence Bind bro had noticed the that article in Sunday Edition of News Paper, when I was back at my country side house. Not only this, he too had circulated my this achievement amongst the regular customers of the Cafe. The curious sight I noticed of them at my arrival was all because of that spread tiding about me. (End of the Part 6th. Cont’d. ) Penned by– Vinay Pharasi —–