Deboshish did his Graduation in Chemistry, was in the merit list of first five, went abroad, did his PhD and was a Professor in a well- known University in the US with a host of patents under his belt. By the time he was in his late forties he had made a huge pile of money. He was nearing fifty.
This morning after his breakfast was over, his telephone rang. This was a call from the Principal –Rastogi- of the college he graduated in Delhi. The college was celebrating its 50th year of existence, and Rastogi was telling him that he was being invited to deliver the key-note address at a function to celebrate the occasion, where he would be the Chief Guest. The theme was “Relevance of Pure Science in today’s age of Technology”
Deb was happy and on the spur of the moment, found him-self telling Rastogi that he would like to donate a sum of $50,000 to the new Lab for Chemistry the college was building. Rastogi was more than delighted, and could hardly compose himself to murmur some “many thanks Sir” kind of very inadequate responses. The date for the festivities was about a month away.
Rastogi called a meeting of all Lecturers, &Professors immediately the next day to break this extra ordinary gesture and good news from Deb. Prof Swamy being the only lecturer during Deb’s graduation times who was still in service -though he did not take any of Deb’s classes- was chosen to be the ambassador and aide to Deb during his stay and with instructions that the visit should be made as memorable as possible without offering a scope for any inconvenience for Deb.
The D-day soon arrived and Deb was received at the airport when he arrived –a day before- by Swamy. The moment he saw Deb, Swamy felt that he had known him but somehow could not place him. And to add to his surprise, Deb remembered him very well. They chatted over a lot of things, and Swamy told him particularly that the donation for the new lab was very timely. Deb checked in at the hotel he was booked, and Swamy before taking leave, told him that he will personally pick up Deb next morning at around 9, for the functions were to start by ten.
A slight digression about Prof Swamy and Deb is necessary here to get a better perspective of what was to follow the next day. Swamy was a lecturer in those days and known to be politically connected. There was this fellow named Gobind – a bit of a ruffian- and Deb’s college mate, who incidentally was the son of a leader of the political party to whom Swamy was distantly related. It was even believed that he owed his very job to some kind of political pressure.
To cut the narrative short, Swamy was not a popular figure in those days. That he wasn’t too hot even today and had also not fulfilled the necessary criteria such as enough research papers etc.to become a full-fledged Professor, were only more details.
Deb -a bright student- was not so extra-ordinary either, and belonged to a middle class family. He kept himself occupied mostly with studies, participating very little in other activities, and did not quite relate to the facts regarding either Gobind or Swamy, which otherwise was a hot topic for gossip. His subsequent performance in the finals by coming in the merit-list was as much of a surprise to him as it was to many of his friends.
The 50th anniversary functions started off with the Principal paying glowing tributes to Deb and the formal announcement regarding the donation part to a standing ovation. Deb expected that Swamy would be asked to say a few words but learnt that he would be the one who would give the vote of thanks, and suddenly found his name being announced for delivering the key-note address.
Deb hadn’t prepared his speech and had hoped that even as he started, the thoughts would automatically flow, as it was his experience that many a time an extempore speech, coming purely from the heart made such narratives sound majestic, and more appealing without appearing severe. He started off saying, that Technology being an applied Science, owes its raison d ’etre entirely to the latter. Without a strong scientific base Technology cannot sustain and further innovate. The Western Governments funding pure science research, therefore, was substantially more than on Technology.
While Science was subtle and magnificent, Technology represented the gross manifestation of the “subtle” to make it easy for aam aadmi to not only understand but be bewildered with its magnificence, like say God and His creations, or pure music and its adaptations. He added that Science is discovery, and Technology is inventions based on these discoveries. Going by the pin-drop silence, he knew the audience was very attentive. This was at this precise moment that he made up his mind to narrate an incident of the past -which he had been debating from the time he met Swamy at the airport- and which agitated his mind enormously.
Deb was a final year student of the college, and it was the day when all the students were to return the lab equipment back to authorities, prior to getting their hall-tickets for the final exam. The time was around two in the afternoon, the boys were waiting in the corridor for the lab to open, which was getting delayed as the lab-in-charge was taking his time. The crowd slowly began to get restive and there were raised noises, with a bit of singing too. Gobind’s noise was more pronounced as he was essaying a new popular song of the day.
Swamy’s room was in the same corridor where this lively activity was in full swing. He came out and gave the class a dressing down, and asked specifically for the one who was singing loudly. When confronted in such a manner, it is not unusual for the students to unite and show some camaraderie and Swamy witnessed one such and they defied him; no one said a word. Swamy was terribly annoyed, he dismissed the boys, saying that he will ensure that the lab is not opened, and every one there can forget their hall-ticket. If they wanted to co-operate and told him who the culprit was, he would then let them go ahead with the procedures.
Deb decided to spend some time in the nearby coffee shop. Before he could even take a sip from his cup, came one of his friends to announce that Deb was made the scapegoat and all of them had been allowed to go to the lab and complete the formalities to get their hall tickets. He was very perturbed and with great timidity he went in to Swamy’s room preparing him-self for the inevitable. He tried to tell Swamy that he was not the one really, and it was someone else --still maintaining that camaraderie though they had let him take the rap- and avoided taking Gobind’s name.
Swamy would have none of it. He told Deb that he will see to it that Deb did not appear for the final exam that year, and Deb could find him-self later in life, singing the same song in the streets. The moment he heard this something snapped in Deb’s mind. He was so furious that he lost control of his senses. He told Swamy, “Now that Sir, you have made up your mind to ruin me, I have no other option to ruin yours too. The fellow who was singing was Gobind, and his relationship and equations with you are not a secret. I will go to the Press where my father has connections, and he will expose you thoroughly for your prejudice and framing me to protect Gobind, and also rake up mud about your dubious post graduate degree etc.” It was all a very clear bluff.
Swamy was just rattled to the immense relief and surprise of Deb. Before, Deb could wink, Swamy meekly relented and for the first time in his life Deb felt grateful for God’s mercy and kindness in saving him from what appeared to be a disaster. Of course rest was history. Deb had forgotten this incident over the years, but seeing Swamy at the airport opened the deep wounds of that past, and was itching for revenge even while being amused at the irony of it all. Here he was with the same man who threatened him then, and who was now being asked to see that he was treated like royalty.
He now found himself telling his audience that, the college for which he had great respect for promoting pure Science, and from where he studied for his graduation, and which provided a platform for his subsequent success in life, quite ironically came to almost ruining his career with a very unpleasant episode involving one of its Lecturers, whose finger was on the trigger.
He was in his final year he was saying, and one of the Lecturers actually threatened him with rustication for a wrong which he did not commit, and it was God’s grace that saved him from ruin. The episode however made him resolve that he will re-double his efforts to excel in his studies. While he was thankful to God, he had also to thank this Institution which provided –he remarked- albeit indirectly, the impetus, to reach where he was today. Discretion however prevented him from naming the professor he concluded.
The audience was dumbfounded. After a few minutes however there was a standing ovation, as his speech was brilliant and even the reference to an ugly event of the past was done without too much rancor. There was this speculation however about the Lecturer he referred to; though it pointed strongly towards Swamy it did not also conclusively establish this.
A neat working lunch after the event appeared to be most apt for Deb more in sync with the general ambience and mood in satisfying contrast to a gaudy 5 star buffet spread. Lunch over, he had a few meetings with some individual Professors, a trip to the Chemistry Lab and the site for the brand new one. He retired back to the hotel, had dinner and as he was recalling the day’s events, it struck him hard that he was being petty. The narrative about the incident of the past was quite unnecessary, and felt guilty. It was quite late into the night as he slept even as he was making up his mind to skip the sightseeing trip scheduled for the next morning. He overslept and was woken up by Swamy’s call from the lobby announcing his arrival.
Deb asked him for some time and told him that he was not keen on the scheduled sightseeing. Deb took a full thirty minutes, and when he saw Swamy he realized the full implication of his disclosure of the earlier day. Swamy was visibly a shaken man, and was at complete loss as to where and how to begin the dialog. He was indeed grateful that he was not named, he said to Deb. Deb felt a surge of revolting shame for being the cause and was so overwhelmed with remorse and pity for this man that he hugged him tightly, even while apologizing profusely, and comforting the old man simultaneously. After a few moments of absolute silence both felt relieved of a huge burden off their chests, and resumed their composures.
Swamy wondered in a light vein as to how in the world he knew about Gobind being the man who framed him on that day. He also joked about Gobind almost fulfilling his prophesy; he was literally in the streets singing songs and trying to get some break in films. They were enjoying a good breakfast, and were chatting about as best of friends; it was almost as if that the bad feelings that existed a day before was so completely exhausted that there was nothing but perfect understanding that remained and they both wanted to savor every moment of time together.
Swamy was telling him about his retirement which was due very shortly, his career being troubled because of the perceived closeness to a political outfit which though had lost its sheen long time back, and his modest savings and a responsibility of rearing up a polio-afflicted young son.
Deb was touched to realize that this man whom he had hated was quite a different man from what he had imagined him to be. With his usual penchant for spontaneous doling out of largesse, he told Swamy, that he would set-aside a small corpus of about twenty thousand dollars to make his retired life much more comfortable, ensure that his son would get a job in one of the firms which has bought his patent and would be taken care of well.
Deb then went to the college and asked for a meeting with the Principal. When he met him, without too much pre-amble, he said that his donation of $50,000 to the lab had one condition; it was to be named after Swamy.
The next day when he was leaving, while he shook hands with everyone, everyone was surprised when he hugged Swamy. Both could feel the warmth in that brief hug. And just as he entered the Airport, he saw a hoarding which said that this was “joy of giving week”. Was it coincidence, or was it the Providence’s way of communicating to him? Deb just felt grateful. The trip to India was more than fulfilling…. It was very rewarding; A glimpse of His mysterious ways was one……….
Sutradhaar’s Comments
To seek revenge for a wrong is only human. But once over, if one still exults and is devoid of remorse, he/she ceases to be human. There is however another evolved stage; to dwell on “so what next?” ( Thathah Kim? In Samskrit)
To err is human, to forgive is also human, and to transcend from these to understand the futility of all such endeavor is also human. All of these are in the realm of “experiences”, springing forth from “knowledge”. The desire for knowledge is insatiable, the more you know, the more you want to know further more.
Divinity is beyond these stages. Life’s only purpose from birth therefore is to escape the black-hole of desire for knowledge from “without” and to look “within” in understanding, and merge with that divinity.
It is of course, one’s subjective choice to remain in “to be in experience” stage, revel in the magnificence of more and more knowledge – a la technology – and perhaps get sucked up by every conceivably polarized sentiment like love/celebration/enjoyment / positivity, fearlessness, enlightenment together with hatred/ mourning / sadness / envy / dread / vengefulness / fearfulness/darkness etc.
Or one can exercise the choice to go further from the path of “to be”, to “cease to be” and then finally to the “JUST BE” stage. The faithful have absolute trust in Him to show kindness (preeti) and shower Grace (anugraham) at every step of this evolutionary path, helping one understand every bit of way. And by the way, to them, every moment of this “to be” stage, also requires His Grace. No wonder they seek “His Preeti” at the start of every spiritual endeavor.
Ekalavya alias Vichu
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