A forgotten friend (Part 7th) —

(Recap- In the last episode I described how Bind bro helped and encouraged me to send my piece of article to some National News paper and that too got published against my hope….)

My friendship with Bind bro kept linger on for many years to come. But with the passing of time my passion for the free-lance journalism gradually ebbed away. though, hobby of being  a bookish one, ever remained stick to me like a tick on an animal hide. The article, that got published in an esteemed National news paper proved as the only and last one of its own kind. I too had begun my law practice as a junior lawyer in the District Court. In the beginning of those years, I too tried hands for competitive examinations  to get through for some government services. In paltry some attempts, I too qualified the written exams but got rejected by the interview board.

The rejection at the final stage of such attempts fetched a bleakness in the life. Along with, I kept on trying my hands in side businesses to earn some money. Although, I was not allowed for that by virtue of being a licence holder as a practicing lawyer. But my this side track of business was not official, rather not on records. Many advocates I found maneuvering to earn extra money as such. Hence, no compunction on that front I found laid upon on my heart or mind. Truly say, it helped make my financial condition sound . Further, when a man earns money and find him in somewhat comfort zone, some so called bad habits he also happen to grow with that.

I too had been inclined to take hard drinks and felt nothing bad in that. Almost all men are noticed to take these bad habits in their adulthood. I am saying this in prospect of those bygone years of Indian society, when consuming of hard drinks were considered a taboo. Bind bro too was in habit to take drinks on occasions. At times, we used to have sitting on drinks. After drinks, he was in habit to transform into a mute person, wrapped in his own obmutescence. Rarely he spoke after taking drinks but when he spoke, it sounded, as if, a man with broken heart uttered a few words.

I could very well realize his mental condition. Later on I too knew something about the girl. At the beginning, she too had joined the district Court as a junior lawyer but fortunately succeeded in securing the job as a “legal advisor” in some reputed “undertaking institute” of the Central government. Her job in fact was a lucrative one and earned her a handsome salary. No sooner she elevated to the government post, she began to avoid Bind bro. Now, Bind bro was not “at par” her status. A man with good position, if falls in love with a girl of “weaker position,” often tries to maintain the relationship by not considering the status of the girl ; but girls often assume a “cruel standing” and begin to despise the old partner on attaining the high position.

Girls are given to be allured by men whom they consider above their own standing in the society. And one day, the bad tiding for Bind bro too arrived. The same girl got wed locked with her colleague of the office. Bind bro spurned in the love silently endured this high voltage shock without any resentment. In drinks session, it was heart wrenching to see him when after some drinks he happened to shroud himself in the obmutescence. Only once, the god knows only, how he opened his heart before me and told widely about his tender feelings about the girl and his expectations those were ruined by the girl at the end.

He had concluded his pang of heart with the utterance of a single word, ” unthinkable.” When he uttered this word, the painful cry of his heart made the air heavy. Despite of all this, he remained dedicated to his calling. At the same period of time, my this old city too had begun to take a new Avatar in every field. In the arena of photography, new devices and techniques began to be introduced, along with the concept of video recording too came in vogue. For colored photography, new generation costly camera were needed, I suppose Bind bro was not in a financial position to afford that. Even in those days, the “negative of films” too were sent to capital city Delhi for developing purposes.

So many changes, the field of photography witnessed, but still Bind bro was forced to remain stick with his old time “black and white” camera. The truth otherwise also was, he had lost the feelings of elation  to keep pace with the changing time.Though, his friend circle from the intellectual point of view grew richer. A somewhat aptitude for poetic genre he too developed in his writings. Might be as an outcome of the broken heart. In between, his photographs and articles kept on publishing in local newspapers. As a friend and sympathizer, once or twice  I queried him about his plan to get married, but always he averted his eyes with a silent, sad smile on his face.

But his attachment for our this Himalayan foot hill city, I found kept on growing day by day. He ever praised of city’s rich culture, climate, roads and buildings etc. Perhaps, he ever felt all this in harmony to his defeated love affair. Gradually, I too became busy seriously in my calling and our meeting sessions too slowly began to thin away, rarely we met now and at the last everything got stopped. That wore some reasons. (End of the Part 7th. Contn’d. ) Penned by– Vinay Pharasi —–