“I am telling you for your own good,” the words of Durga Shankar Pandey slithered through Aditya as a cold knife devoid of any hint of compassion. His apparent sugarcoated gestures overtly abscond a sense of sly vindictiveness. “Have you faced any problem in the last three days?”, he enquired while navigating through the narrow by-lanes of Malihabad, limping in his characteristic manner.
Durga Shankar has indeed been benevolent with his concern towards Aditya. He stopped the car unquestioningly when Aditya felt hungry or craved for an extended coffee break. Durga Shankar in exchange made numerous phone calls and received as many, even if those were from wrong numbers. Not a single conversation lasted less than 5 minutes. And all these, he conjured while driving at 100 kmph and unabashedly opening the car door to spit out Gutkha at regular intervals. The onus of being careful was on other drivers but never on Durga Shankar. After all, he is the son of Pandit Uma Shankar Pandey of Situpur. Panditji was a revered personality not only in Situpur but people from Lucknow and Lakhimpur Kheri never hesitated to travel furlongs to meet him.
Durga Shankar divulged these details in the course of Aditya’s journey in the rented vehicle but only when he was not talking on the phone or spitting. For Aditya this drive from Lucknow to Varanasi has been quite informative yet entertaining. At the same time, Aditya has been literally on the edge of his seat, not only because he is weak-hearted but also due the breakneck driving of Durga Prasad.
Durga Prasad is a firm believer of the idea that he inherited his father's reverence, although he was vehemently barred from Panditji’s business, properties and “heavenly” duties. Durga failed in Class V, dropped out of school and started working as a helper to a bus conductor. Gradually, he lost the faith on his father and eventually came under the wings of a few benevolent bus drivers.
“It is sheer luck that I am driver even without owning a car,” Durga Prasad said solemnly while they gazed at the transient flames of evening Ganga Aarti. He continued, “But as you can guess, many drivers from my company and even some other companies are constantly in touch with me. I am like a big brother to them so they always need my advise. They care about me! So much so that don't even let me skip a meal.” He said with a pinch of pride.
Aditya took these claims with a pinch of salt but over the last three days of journey he did observe that there is a lady who is indeed concerned about the well-being of Durga Prasad. And this woman is not Durga’s wife. When the wife called, which was only once in the past three days, Durga’s responses were curt and direct. “If Sonu does not want to go to school today then let him be! And stop bothering me!”, in measured words he distanced himself promptly. Aditya was not particularly keen to observe these details but being in same car, he had no other option but to relent.
“I think you have already gauged the depths of my network,” Durga Prasad said while adding a red beacon on top his car near Jaunpur. There was congestion ahead and he wanted to make his way through, uninterrupted. Aditya’s initial surprise when Durga Prasad used this trick for the first time on the way to Varanasi has gradually tapered. “Don’t you worry, Sir! I was a driver to the minister for a long time. I can always call him,” Durga added with extravagant confidence. “He can yield power anywhere in Uttar Pradesh although he is no longer a minister.”
It all started when Durga Prasad’s female interest insisted that he should take his afternoon tea and medicine before crossing Malihabad. Aditya was in a hurry to reach home as it was a Sunday afternoon. He wanted some alone time with his books and music before starting with a hectic day on Monday. Meanwhile Durga Prasad was rather busy emptying a mouthful Gutkha while sneakily opening the car door because the uttering to his extramarital interest were literally becoming sweet incomprehensible nothings. And all these was done while driving at 100 kmph as anything less than that would be a blotch in his status symbol. No amount of convincing by Aditya was enough to dissuade Durga Prasad.
Durga opened the door and painted the street red with his mouthful and in the blink of an eye the world became faint to Aditya. He jolted out of his slumber as Durga Prasad siad, “There you are! Let’s go… There is a Mehfil nearby.” Slowly the vail of blurriness lifted from the eyes of Aditya. Durga was drenched in blood, his right hand was twisted and dangling down as he walked unaffectedly. Aditya glanced around trying to fathom the situation. The bonnet of their car gaped open and the front was mangled into a metallic mass as if it is a minutely crafted abstract sculpture.
Aditya tried to open his seatbelt but realised that he had stopped wearing it since last night. When they were staring from Lucknow, Aditya had put on the seatbelt habitually. Durga Prasad had a good laugh about it. He quipped, “This is Lucknow, Sir! Policewallas will doubt even if you wear belt in the front seat, so don’t even bother to wear it in the back seat.” Aditya ignored initially but soon Durga Prasad started hurling constant snarls. Finally to save himself from the disgrace, Aditya stopped fastening the belt from yesterday. He wanted to go out of the car as soon as possible. Durga Prasad was already half a yard away.
it did not take much effort to open the car door. As if driven by some external force, Aditya was outside the car, within seconds. He did not feel any weight as he walked, as if he was defying gravity. Gauging the expression on his face Durga Prasad broke into his usual satirical smile. Unaffectedly he said, “Welcome to the other side, Sir! We are no longer those two seated inside the damn car.”
Aditya turned his gaze. There he was, clutching on to the front seat to save himself. He looked at the driver’s seat and immediately recognised the red thread around the wrist. Aditya flopped down on the street. All his expectations evaporated into thin air. He could not stop thinking about his family and howled but no apparent sound came out of his mouth.
“I am telling you for your own good, come with me. Not only our car, three other cars also suffered the same fate today. And you know what? All of them were my friends and we are going to meet nearby,” Durga Prasad went on chewing his Gutkha. “A meeting nearby? What for?”, wondered Aditya as he involuntarily started walking alongside Durga Prasad.
“Munna Yadav has already reached the mango tree. Unlike other trees of the mango farm, this one belongs to none. It belongs to Malihabad. We can relax under this tree and have a chat as long as I want,” said Durga Prasad. “And the with the assortment of characters we have, I assure you, you will not get bored even for a single second” he added.
By now Aditya has become used to Durga Prasad’s innate tendency of talking or rather bragging even without a context. “You can Call me Panditji,” Durga Prasad almost ordered Aditya, while arranging the luggage inside the car before leaving for Varanasi. It is now, in this new world, Aditya voluntarily sought refuge under the command of Durga Prasad. Not that he had any other option but this submission was rather gradual. Aditya started reanalysing Durga Prasad’s upright, outspoken, spontaneous and assertive nature in the renewed light of his alternate life, to which he has been transported to involuntarily.
The Mango tree was an expansive one. Munna Yadav seated under tree seemed dwarfed by the enormity of the plant. Although this was not the first time Aditya was coming to Malihabad but he was unable to recall this particular tree. Next to Munna, another grumpy man was crouching down. Seeing Durga Prasad approach Munna got up and they hugged tightly as if they were long-lost friends. The other man did not seem to care whatsoever. He was rather occupied dusting off the blood and dirt from his clothes. Durga Prasad quipped, “Aur Sir Ji? Forget your bizness sizness, can you even do anything about those worldly matters now?” The grumpy man was sharp to revert, “I am not thinking about bizness, I don’t like these blood stains.” This was no other than the Mastermind Pappu Yadav, Munna’s boss.
Soon Mehdi Khan adorned the Mehfil with his presence. Durga Prasad was visibly elated and hugged Mehdi tightly. Vidyadhar Dwivedi and Surya Prakash Trivedi were ushered in by Mehdi. They all seem to know each other from before. Mehdi’s car was crushed by a truck as he was attempting to see whether Dwivedi and Trivedi were only exchanging mere verbal expletives or some physical blows as well. Durga Prasad was quick to lighten the situation with his expert humour, “I don’t understand Mehdi why you always put the best of your attention into these two.” Everyone at the Mehfil cracked up.
Soon came in a band of three - a meek older couple followed by a dashing young man, twirling a key chain on his fingertips. They were Garima Singh, a professor in Allahabad University, her husband A K Singh, a senior administrative officer and their driver Amit respectively. Amit busily tried to find a comfortable spot under the tree for Mr. and Mrs. Singh, who still seemed to be jolted by the series of events. Amit looked totally unaffected. He greeted everyone cordially as if he belonged to this same flock.
The Mehfil was inaugurated officially as Durga Prasad flung one of his choicest slangs towards Surya Prasad Trivedi. He was throughly encouraged by Vidyadhar Dwivedi. Mehdi remained indifferent to the entire scenario as if he is posed way higher above these petty worldly matters so much so that he did not fidget a wink when Dwivedi plunged towards Trivedi after mustering all his force. “You could never ask for a favour for what you have done to me”, Dwivedi said. “Same applies to you, but you did dare to ask for a favour”, Trivedi retorted. The Mehfil was warming up with accusations of this duo, which was balanced out by the quirky camaraderie and banter between the band of drivers - Durga Prasad, Munna, Mehdi and Amit.
Dwivedi and Trivedi shared as much similarities as differences. They both were at the same position in the health department in the same district. They were distant relatives as well. And of late both were charged with corruption and were answerable to enquiry committees. Amusingly they were in-charge of the respective committees against each other. Indeed truth is stranger than fiction! “What nautanki you Babus do!”, Durga Prasad was humoured. “Lets enjoy the nautanki, this one at least has some class”, Mehdi added. A K Singh and Garima Singh were too preoccupied lamenting over the loss of their worldly privileges.
Dwivedi was the first one to be charged by the department. And it was clearly instigated by Trivedi. Even walls have ears and the exploits Dwivedi that he shared along with spicy snacks during tea time in Kacheri reached the District Magistrate in no time. “You wanted everything to yourself! You disrespected the whole chain. The Chief Medical officer, the DM and even my saala, no one was aware of your ploys! What did you think? No one will know?” Trivedi was aggressive. “The main point is you and your saala did not know. Isn’t it?” Dwivedi retorted with his usual constipated expression. Trivedi’s brother-in-law was a peon in the DM’s office and clearly had a status beyond his official position. Dwivedi certainly disrespected that status. The way the Mehfil was unfolding was extremely engaging and enlightening for Aditya. The surroundings welled up with accusations and counter accusations, in this world of posthumous second-innings.
Trivedi did not hesitate to influence the committee members in his favour whereas Dwivedi was looking to move the tide in his favour. He tried to coax Trivedi with the alibi of them being relatives. This whole episode became a palatable family scandal. He also tried to open up other can of worms. Trivedi had a certain fondness of dictating notes to one particular female peon, especially after office hours. Dwivedi befriended the lady’s husband and tried to initiate a harassment case against Trivedi.
Amidst all this turmoil, a sudden opportunity fell on Trivedi’s lap. He was chosen to head an enquiry committee against Dwivedi. Meanwhile unaware of the changed circumstances, an upbeat Dwivedi ignored the district officer’s instructions and continued heading towards his car to depart for an unapproved leave. Heavy downpour head created a waterlogged patch near his car. “Dare you cross that water!” the boss thundered but Diwedi paid no heed. He had adequate leaves and had sent out his leave application well in advance. There was no reason for Dwivedi to hold back. He had to urgently finalise the proceedings of a marriage in the family. His car slashed through the puddle. A enquiry committee was immediately set up to investigate why he had disobeyed his superior.
The reports of the two committees were competing with each other in terms of number of allegations and scandals, their gravity and thickness of the files. Trivedi was due for a promotion and he was walking on thin ice. Any adverse report could have blotched his career. The conflict of interest between the two became stifling. “Madam ji was very angry with the lady peon’s case.” Mehdi could not resist. After all, he knew too much. Durga Prasad slapped him gently with a stern look. “Sorry, Panditji” Mehdi said, with a mischievous smile. By this time A K Singh and Garima Singh were intrigued. Dwivedi and Trivedi’s narrative had coherence with the materialistic existence of the Singh’s.
So it all boiled down to Trivedi visiting Dwivedi’s house 13 times and Dwivedi visiting Trivedi’s house 14 times, which included the two times Dwivedi landed up without informing Trivedi, as he was seeking an opportune moment to pass on the information about the lady peon to Mrs. Trivedi. Curiously, overnight the circumstances changed and the loggerheads patched up. The lady peon’s husband also volunteered to organise a party to mark this special occassion. Chickens were massacred, the local Model Wine Shop ensured that their strongest beer was flowing in abundance.
Both cases closed within next fifteen days. Trivedi submitted a report stating that Dwivedi did not cross that specific water his boss mentioned. It was a running drain during heavy rains hence by the time Dwivedi crossed it was no longer the same water. On the other hand Dwivedi’s note was rather administrative. It indicated that Trivedi was admitted in the District Hospital due to a combination of headache and stomachache on the very day he was accused of tender related malpractices. Some unidentified individual must have forged his signature.
Aditya was no longer capable of holding back. He too joined the chorus of laughter. The Singhs awkwardly smiled to camouflage their utter surprise. But within a minute A K Singh protested “What crap!” His voice was heard for the first time. “These are departmental secrets and you buggers are discussing them for amusement!”
Durga Prasad response was immediate, “This is a Mehfil sir ji! And remember, we all are equal in this world” Aditya nodded in accordance and the rest agreed unanimously, “Pandit ji is right!” Durga Prasad was charged by now. He said, “Now it is your turn Amit. Let’s keep A K Sir and Garima Madam entertained.” Aditya noticed that a perfect circle has formed beneath the Mango tree under the fading dawn sky. The surroundings had already started becoming lighter, so were the dried bloodstains.
Amit got this job through his elder brother. His brother worked as a driver with Singhs for 15 long years and due to the good will he earned he was recommended for a contractual job at the district block office. This accident was not actually a result of Amit’s carelessness. After reaching Phoolpur, Garima suddenly remembered that she left her water bottles in the University hostel. She ordered Amit to immediately turn back. At this juncture of the story Garima tried to interject, “Well, that not how it exactly happened…” But Amit continued unperturbed. He was focused on the ground from where he was plucking small strands of grass at regular intervals.
Amit suggested a simple solution. They could just purchase few bottles rather than traveling more than an hour to go back to Allahabad. Garima asked brashly whether Amit the value of money since he is getting everything free. Amit was accustomed to such unjustified aberrations. In reality, Amit was the one who collected water bottles and food from University Canteen everyday and digested the filthy remarks and glares of canteen boys. He was also designated to collect rent from the official Bungalow allotted to Singh sir. It was not the journey back to Allahabad, what really bothered Amit was the two half empty water bottles lying in one corner of Madam’s room and the peak hour traffic on the way back to Lucknow.
Garima madam was oblivious of the delay she caused and pressed Amit incessantly to speed up to reach her cousin’s marriage on time. The result was inevitable. Amit slowly looked up and in an expressionless voice said, “What could have I done?”
Durga Prasad and Mehdi protested in chorus. “This is not done Amit! Seems like you are missing all the details. Say something interesting.” Amit smiled, maybe for the first time. A K Singh and Garima Singh kept quiet, their gaze fixed on the ground. “There is so much to share Pandit Ji, but it is of no use in this world”, Amit said. “What do you mean?”, Durga Prasad was curious. “No use in this world as the information I have is of no value in this world. We are all dead and gone!”, Amit replied. He was certainly holding back. Aditya somehow sensed Amit’s bottled up anxiety and placed his hand gently on Amit’s shoulder.
Durga Prasad tried to make the situation lighter, “Cheer up, Amit. It is almost time to wrap up. Let’s meet up for another Mehfil tomorrow?” Another! Durga Prasad is going overboard in this world too, thought Amit. His mind was wandering back to his wife, daughter, his parents, family and friends. A sense of sombreness hanged quietly under the Mango tree. Suddenly Amit started speaking again, this time in a louder voice. “How will you know the value of saving every single penny when you have lived luxuriously all your life? That too at the cost of others! When you have two official residences free of cost! When you have a band of house-helps who are actually contractual employees of the government!”
“Shut up!” A K Singh thundered. Durga Prasad intervened, “Cool down, Sirji! These are no revelations. We are well aware of these facts. Amit was just sharing a reminder to help you recover and leave behind this enormous baggage of your past life, for your own good.” Durga Prasad said in a calm tone as if he has attained a new sense of wisdom. And this subtle change was evident to Aditya.
“Munna, you must start now. You were always first in our Varanasi mehfils”, there was a tinge of impatience in Durga Prasad’s voice. Munna kept mum. “Don't tell me that you are also of your boss?”, Durga Prasad quipped.
Pappu immediately intervened, “Not at all! Munna is like my son. Come on Munna! Start now…” Aditya did notice the camaraderie Pappu and Munna shared throughout the night. They exchanged jokes while listening to the other anecdotes.
“What should I say? How stupid we were?”, said Munna. “Pandit Ji, please stop being so persuasive without any reason! It does not matter anymore”, Pappu smirked.
Pappu worked as a contractor in A K Singh’s department. He had also built a house for Garima Singh in Allahabad. Incidentally, he was also supervised by both Trivedi and Dwivedi. “I think I am the only one who does not have any regret for landing into this world. And I don’t have the slightest desire to go back”, asserted Pappu. Durga Prasad kept shaking his head to deny Pappu’s claim.
“No wonder you have no desire to go back to the other life, boss! You have Pappu Mishra, Munna Srivastav, Raju Shukla, Raju Pandey and many others chasing you 24 hours in that life”, taunted Munna. “You are always right.” Pappu said with a broad smile. “None of their constructions will be happen now! Crooked blood suckers!”
Aditya was quite confused. So many Pappus, Munnas and Rajus? Was he selective in choosing his clients or did he have a fetish for certain names? Durga Prasad was quick to read Aditya’s mind, “Don’t be surprised Sir Ji, we have only these names in Allahabad. Lazy fellows don’t even want to take extra pain naming their children.” Everyone broke into laughter part from A K Singh and Garima Singh.
Pappu had a tough time managing finances while meeting ridiculous demands of the likes of Singh, Dwivedi and Trivedi. As a result, his independent projects with Pappus, Munnas and Rajus suffered. “Boss had added pain of managing three girlfriends, especially Raju Pandey’s wife”, Munna stated excitedly.
Raju Pandey won contracts for local liquor shops in the Allahabad region for three consecutive terms. It was needless to say that he was a wealthy man. He wanted to build a farmhouse away from the city, where he could have his sojourns with business associates, politicians and his band of girlfriends. Pappu was constructing this grand farmhouse for him on the other bank of Yamuna. Garima Singh had recommended Pappu and in return received exquisite teakwood furnitures from Raju Pandey for her new house in Lucknow. But this ambitious project was stalled before the impending corporation election.
This farmhouse was kept as a closely guarded secret from Mrs. Pandey. She came to know about the evil designs of her husband when Pappu decided to share the inside information with her in return of some financial favours. Pappu already knew too much about Raju Pandey. It is was unsettling enough for Raju to appoint a gang of boys to keep an eye on the whereabouts of Pappu.
Mrs. Pandey safeguarded Pappu in many ways. The late afternoon clandestine meetings between the two resulted into a high voltage passionate affair. It was no longer a devil and deep sea situation for Pappu. This renewed conviction about his abilities, inspired Pappu to take a bagful of money earned by selling jewellery of Mrs. Pandey and set off for Lucknow for a meeting with the Singhs. This meeting was slated to be taken place after Garima Singh’s cousin’s marriage.
“I have the money madam, see this bag. Should I give it now?” Pappu Yadav’s said with a mischievous smirk. The Mehfil reverberated with laughter once again.
Durga Prasad spat on the ground with a sense of finality, “Let us stop here”.
“When do we meet again,Pandit Ji?” Mehdi looked curious as well as in pain. “Keep searching the regular joints, be in touch… How would I survive without meeting you people?,” Durga Prasad sounded sombre.
“What would happen to us?” Garima Singh asked in a flabbergasted voice. Everyone mumbled and fumbled but Durga Prasad didn’t bother to answer. He turned to Aditya.
“Sir Ji, sorry for the troubles I gave you. My only advice would be to go to anywhere but Lucknow. Your family will survive but you will not be able to help them. Better not to bother.” He turned his gaze to the village road and stated walking. His final words rang faintly, “Tonight I will be in Bapu ka Purva. It is high time that I finish the unfinished conversation with Pandit Uma Shankar Pandey”
Aditya could feel that he was being released from the protective flank of Durga Prasad. Now he is on his own.