Fighting Back

-5-


Piercing through the darkness, the running train’s induced vibration and sound had brought in an uneasy silence amongst the passengers. Dinow lay lost on his berth, the novel lay beside him unattended, it could not engross him and an unknown restlessness engulfed him. Somewhere far away in the compartment, a hawker was shouting “Chocolates…Cadbury….Chips...kurkure…”
“How much she loved Chocolates” he reflected. He gave her a chocolate every time he met her and she would brighten up with a big smile. He loved seeing that. The reflection brought a faint smile on his face and the very next moment it turned acrid. He suddenly felt an overwhelming fury, tore apart the novel and smashed it on the floor. The co-passengers looked at each other with askance and he buried his face on the pillow.

Early morning the train pulled in at Hazrat Nizamuddin station. He alighted with his luggage and got lost in the sea of people. It was still cold in Delhi and the cold breeze was piercing through his shirt. Bag hung on his shoulders and hands in pockets; he wandered around the streets of Paharganj. It was noon and the city was roaring with traffic, he watched the mad rush, sitting on the stairs of a dilapidated, unused building. The building opposite the road read “Moonlite Bar”. He walked in the bar and ordered for Old Monk Rum. He gulped a few large pegs hurriedly, lit a cigarette and walked awkwardly and uncertainly towards a cheap and filthy lodge nearby. He dashed in the unkempt bed in the room and got lost in the world of unknown, far away from pain, anger and deprivation.

Days went on and he silently endured the pain and kept on torturing his soul and body. He started working as a peddler and he worked real hard. His dedication and ability to produce desired results opened up opportunities for him. During interactions with his connections, which he had built up quite fast, he could see ample opportunity in export business. He joined an export company and gradually learnt the art of this trade and plunged into his own business venture after establishing relationship with a potential buyer of leather garments at Switzerland. His connections paid off quite well, he procured goods at reasonable price and started exporting at big margins. He worked hard and partied harder. Life was moving quite fast and his engagements helped him to bury his past.

His parents however had different aspirations for him; they wanted him to go for further studies. They were quite anxious about the type of company he was into and feared he would walk into the unsocial path. Despite his confidence and exposure, he was still a shy child in front of his parents and did not have the guts to challenge their desires. It was with quite a bit of reluctance that he agreed to leave the present world and get back to studies.

Destiny has written something different than what he had thought off. It was hard to leave behind a flourishing business, good connections, big money. But, one fine morning, instead of taking the road to his office, he took the train to Danagarh without a word to anyone at Delhi.