The friend ??? (Part 6th ) —

(Recap – In the last episode, I narrated how I chanced to accompany Dubey ji alias Rishi ji on a reporting coverage adventure. It was dark of the evening when we returned back. On our way back home, we both took some hard drinks at a certain place. There finding Dubeyji under the strong spell of alcohol, On purpose I queried to him about Tarunji’s personal life.)

The explosive facts Dubejji unraveled about the story of remittance of fifty pound per month came up as coined story by Tarunji himself. The facts which Dubeyji disclosed, couldn’t be rebutted. That too got confirmed it with the running of the story later on. Since the Sterling Pound is the currency of Britain and it surfaced up that Tarunji’s wife was never settled in England but somewhere else. I was in comfortable zone now, since, the mental state of Dubeyji under the strong impression of alcohol had reached to the level, where he hardly could give pause to his loquacity.  Looking at his mental condition, I intentionally prepared another heavy drink for him and lighter for my self and encouraged him to swallow that in. Without hitch, he took it down to his stomach in a gulp. I kept waiting to see its proper impact.

After a while when Dubey ji began to sway slightly as an over drunk, I threw the next question, ” Brother! Tarunji always look so jovial in the circle and you insist that he coined the story as a face saving melodrama ?” This again enraged  Dubeyji, ” What do you think, I am a liar? Now I narrate you the entire story of his domestic life. His story epitomizes the combination of over ambitions and of human greed to become filthy rich in no time but resulted into a debacle. Now you listen the story with a heed! ” After that, the contents of the story Dubeyji narrated about the past life of Tarun ji, was a story that amazed me. It was certainly an “off the track” story, hardly we encounter in the life.

The story Dubey ji narrated at that evening, exposed the weak points of psychology of Tarun ji which were still hidden from the exposure. But the infuriatingly and humiliatingly  projection of facts by Dubey ji was somewhat hurtful in effect. At the end of the story, I felt, had this story been related to some body else than Tarun ji ( who wouldn’t been friend of Dubey ji), never it could offend me. But the way, in which Dubey ji exposed the layers of private life of his crony, that was not acceptable being a friend. Why for, I have selected the title of the story ” The friend ???

Really say, the story presented by Dubey ji was intermingled with demeaning vocabulary added with occasional abusive epithets for Tarun ji. Had this been narrated by some third person, that could be endured, but gestures of Dubey ji were not pardonable in my eyes. Since, I too was dying with a curiosity to listen that all. Hence I heard the entire story intently. My only contention was, Dubey ji could have presented it in a decorous way as well.  At this time of period, when I am penning down this story, I am an old man and somewhere I can ably analyse his ( dubey ji) demeaning diction of story telling of that time.

When your friend and yourself are in the same profession, it is obvious, a professional rivalry is but to exist between friends. Here, in this professional rivalry, Tarun ji ever succeeded to maintain an “upper hand” over Dubey ji. The reason was, Tarun ji was “fond of books” and this helped enlarge his  ken in all aspects of his profession. His deep knowledge helped him got published his articles in the ” mid editorial page” of the news paper regularly. I hardly remember to find any such contribution on the part of Dubey ji alias Rishi ji in that “mid editorial page.” Further, it seemed, Dubey ji remained haunted by that Ora of Tarun ji but never accepted it candidly. Now under the impression of drinks his “frustration or annoyance” was being revealed.

This behavior of Dubey ji was also example  of amplification of a proverbial saying, ‘ whom you trust utmost he always betrays your trust!” Despite of all, my personal opinion is still the same, ” if you know the personal secrets of your crony, never disclose that.” Had Dubey ji been inclined not to disclose the past story of Tarun ji, he could do that. But in the professional rivalry, the defeat he had faced and inside humiliation he suffered from, made him unable to contain his feelings. This prompted him to unravel the past life story of Tarun ji of which some where he too had been a part and parcel. All that I am going to present for the reader in a decent way. In the mid of the story, whenever, the “personal comments” Dubey ji gave, that be given intermittently.

Dubey ji alias Rishi ji, now began with the story of Tarun ji. He spoke, “My friendship with Tarun initiated in this city only, that was  probably the year of 1968 or 1969.  He belonged to the district Banaras (Varanasi) of the Eastern province and myself from the Kan pore city of the same Eastern Province. We both had been migrated to this city, which was hundreds of km away from our own home town. Both of us had been in the same profession of investigative journalism to our distinct News Paper. Tarun was in far better position than me, since, his elder sister was already married in this city. His sister’s husband was a known and established lawyer of the city.

The house of his sister was his permanent stay place. He was not to bother about the basic needs like food and shelter. I was under persistent pressure to survive with my limited means meagerly. One thing more, the educational level of Tarun was far better than me. Secondly, he was blessed with  a handsome and smart personality. Third thing, when people like us, who hail from big city to the small city like this one; we happen to conceal our real miserable background. Instead, we used to brag here about our fake, strong back ground, back in our home town.

Truly say, this fake bragging helped us to create an impression here. Tarun had had a plus point, his brother-in- law was a known lawyer in this city. This too helped produced an extra impression on his part, by being younger brother of the wife of such a renowned lawyer. Naturally, he was presumed to belong from a reputed family back in his home town and in bragging Tarun had an expertise as well. ( End of the Part 6th. Cont’d .) Penned by — Vinay Pharasi —–