Watching a reel earlier today reminded me of an incident from 1997. My friend Gandharv and I had just cleared our Class 12 examinations and were roaming around the city (Ranchi), collecting admission forms for CA and CS courses. It is considered a 'deadly' combination for commerce students and people who know me, him or both would be surprised that we were interested in those two courses. To be honest, we had zero understanding of these courses but were were looking to get details regarding them because (a) we were clueless (b) Parents had begun asking the inevitable question about what would we do next and above all (c) it was a legit excuse for getting some fuel money and pocket money from home and roam around the city!
We were travelling on my scooter - the legendary Vijay Super, the Indian cousin of the even more legendary Lambretta. We did collect the forms. In at least one office, the official we spoke to gave us a condescending, almost suspicious look, as though he had already concluded that inka koi future nahi hai aur yeh maa-baap ke paise barbaad karenge (they have no future and will only waste their parents’ money)!!
After spending a fair amount of time in the city, we decided to stop for refreshments. Since we were using my scooter and fuel, Gandharv offered to pay - a fair deal. In any case, I had exhausted both my fuel and pocket money; my pockets were empty.
At some point, Gandharv started walking, and I followed, still talking. We walked about ten meters away, turned around, and came back to the shop. We repeated this once more. On the third occasion, we walked even farther, almost reaching the staircase. Everything was perfectly normal.
Suddenly, in one swift motion, Gandharv placed the empty bottle down and sprinted down the stairs. I had no idea what had happened or what prompted this sudden action - until I saw him gesturing frantically for me to run as well. It then dawned on me that Gandharv had not paid for the soft drinks and had just fled!!
I neither had the courage to face the situation nor the money to resolve it. By the time I could decide what to do, Gandharv had crossed the parking lot and was already crossing the road in front of the shopping complex. I ran - more accurately, I galloped. In my nervousness, I fumbled with my scooter keys and dropped them. Picking them up, retrieving the scooter, starting it, and riding away felt far too slow and unsafe, so I abandoned that plan and ran after Gandharv, who by then was about 150 meters ahead.
When I finally reached him, I shouted words that cannot be written here and told him that he should have at least warned me. I then threw the scooter keys at him and announced that he would now have to now retrieve the scooter - and bring it back safely. The consequences of my army father’s wrath would have been far worse than getting caught by the shopkeeper.
He had no choice but to reluctantly return to the shopping complex. In his nervousness, he pulled the fuel knob - something that was meant to be turned - with force. And poor Vijay Super’s fuel knob gave way and now there was no way the scooter would have started or at least gone the distance. So now he had to run back but this time - with the scooter.
He did manage to return safely. Perhaps the shopkeeper had not even noticed the two jokers running away without paying.
It was a great relief.
There was only one problem - the broken fuel knob. Since Gandharv had broken it, he had to get it repaired - which, like an honest and true gentleman, he did. Ironically, the repair cost him more than the two soft drinks he had tried so hard not to pay for.
3 comments:
This is called karma. You did not pay to the shopkeeper but paid else were. Good atleast you paid otherwise one more round of coming to earth and going through birth and death just for paying for that bottle of cold drink. That would have been a torture.
I don't know what would be your thought going then. It would be like what the beep beep beep beep. When we were small and would find money on the roads we would think if everyday we get so much money we could have cold drinks, buy ball (to play cricket dirty mind) etc.
Brilliant.. Jaan Bachi toh laakho paaye lot ke buddu ghar ko aaye ...💫😆👍✌️😇🍺
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