Vivek couldn’t believe his luck!
“God has looked up towards me; finally!” he shouted and almost started to jump in an unforeseen and anxious ecstasy. The possible presence of meddling creatures in the ambience was totally ignored for a while, till he could manage to regain his momentarily lost composure. He looked around with some sort of guilt written all over his face to find out if anyone indeed had seen him spotting the one thousand rupee note lying in the corner of the footpath.
But luckily, there were only a few casual spectators in the form of a dozing yellow dog and a few crows picking up some food for themselves from the mildly scattered heap of garbage amassed in the opposite corner.
A note of a thousand rupees! He had never seen a note of five hundred rupees before; let alone a thousand rupee note!
He quietly picked up the note, put it in his pocket and scampered towards his house.
He ran straight into his roof and took out the note from his pocket to inspect it. It must have been a new note as it had a smell of freshness in it despite probably lying in the footpath for some time. For the next minute or two, he kept giggling as he read the various translated versions of the term “one thousand rupees” written in local languages in the note. Then it was time to decide what to do with this piece of dream paper- the hardest part of the whole matter.
Vivek Basu, a ten year old boy, lives in the suburbs of Chunabhati, Howrah
Growing up, as such, hasn’t been very fascinating for the little boy. Daily unrest in the domestic front regarding many aspects such as his mother’s illness, the concern to earn a living and the issue of securing a decent future for him always haunts his household.
Yet, the little one would manage to find some short-lived joy in his daily activities, such as playing cricket or football with his childhood friend Manav Roy, spending time watching cartoons and sports on television, feeding stray dogs in the street, watching their little pups play and so on. A rare quality is in Vivek’s possession- the ability to extract happiness from the smallest, otherwise negligible aspects of day-to-day life. He would always try to insert merriment in the monotonous family affairs in whichever way possible. He has a sound knowledge of the possible eventualities of life, despite being very young. Life has taught him those harsh lessons and it continues to do so.
“What are you doing in the roof in such a hot afternoon? Come down now!” his mother shrieked at the top of her feeble voice as he was gazing at the note. The noise broke his studious absent-mindedness. He climbed downstairs straightaway like an obedient child he usually would be known as. But things got a little tough to handle afterwards.
“What were you doing up there?” his mother asked in a gentle way.
- “I was checking if the clothes washed by Masi (aunt, the domestic help) have dried up properly.”
- “What clothes? She didn’t even come to work today! And which side did the Sun rise from today? You would hardly notice your own clothes piled up in your room. I get tired of putting them to their right places. Today you are concerned about my clothes drying up?”
- “I am getting late for study; will talk later” he said abruptly and hurried towards his room. He knew very well that his mother wouldn’t be able to remember this a half-an-hour later. She usually forgets everything; even at times, she searches the whole room for her spectacles wearing them!
It was time to study- perhaps the most boring and unwanted thing in the universe that human beings could have the idiocy of engaging themselves in, according to him. He took out his Mathematics book and the exercise book to solve some sums that most likely were invented and imposed upon humans by any diabolical incarnation of the devil. But his mind was in a different planet. All he could do was to contemplate about the rectangular paper that came to enlighten his bleak life- a gift from the omnipotent creator. But what should he do?
Had his parents come to know about this all, he would have surely been scolded for taking someone else’s money and his “not so practical” parents would have made a valiant effort to return the money to its original owner. So, telling them was certainly not an option. “And besides, why should I return the money to some rich guy who needs it less than I do?” he thought.
Many ideas came to his mind but none seemed to do justice to the ‘greatness’ of the occasion. “Should I go to a restaurant and get some good food for myself? How about buying some sports kits? May be I should just buy me a nice story book. I haven’t read a good suspense thriller in a long time. May be I better…” thoughts kept on showering and the more they arrived, the greater became his confusion, combined with an unexpected irritation. What appeared to be the God’s gift initially, after an hour or so, turned into a big sea of unkind and painful alternatives available to attain a long awaited joyfulness.
It was already 4:30 in the afternoon by then and all he could do was to sit numb and perplexed, waiting for a superior voice of reason to help him make up his mind.
“Babu (Vivek’s nickname)! Tukai (Manav’s nickname) has come!” the feeble voice of his mother told him. Manav had come to accompany him to the field where they would have a football match with their elders in the neighbourhood. It was a prestige fight and the juniors wanted to prove they were no pushovers in front of their adversaries who were a few years senior to them. Manav, the captain, relied heavily on their ace striker, Vivek, to deliver a match-winning performance.
“Still studying?” Manav entered the room and said, “We will be late.”
-“Just give me five minutes and I will be there.” Vivek told him.
-“Okay then. I am going to the ground. See you there.”
Manav gradually disappeared; first from the room to the footpath and from there towards the attached lane and all this while Vivek was observing his friend carefully.
Manav has been his friend since his primary school days. About a year before this day, his family came to reside in their neighbourhood. Manav’s father used to be a labour in a jute mill which recently became out of business. He has remained unemployed since then. Manav has a brother, six years elder than him, who was forced to give up his studies due to their financial stringency. Now he works in a nearby shoe shop as an assistant to the owner. His mother works as a domestic help in some of the houses nearby. His father has recently become a patient of chronic depression due to their abysmal condition.
Manav and Vivek are best friends and are like brothers to one another. Together, they have so far shared some memorable and pleasurable moments. They had spent so much time with each other but never for once before this day did Vivek realise that Manav was so thin- all skin and bones. Dark circles were prominent underneath the eyes. Manav often told him about his secret desire- he wanted to buy a nice and durable cricket bat. But his family could hardly keep the wolf from the door and probably, they couldn’t even buy him new clothes last Durga Puja.
A sense of lamentation consumed Vivek’s thoughts. “Poor guy! If he could have some of his smallest wishes fulfilled, even for a day…”
And a lightning bolt thundered its way into his confused brain cells. He dressed up for the match in such a hurry that he forgot to comb his hair. He ran towards his way to the ground. Manav’s house came on the way. He peeked inside from the window to see if anyone was around. Everyone in the house was probably busy with their work. So the coast appeared to be clear. He gently and silently walked towards the gate and was about to drop the note…
A snake passed in the nearby drain and he ran with his life in his hands towards the other side of the footpath. A minute later, he walked back towards the gate, tight-jawed, resolute and courageous, thinking deep inside what if the snake was still there and how he would retreat if so. But the snake had left. This time his mission didn’t fail.
He reached the ground a few seconds before the match began and barely managed to take part in it. During the match, his mind kept wondering only one thing- “what if someone else spots the note and takes it before anyone in Manav’s house sees it?” As such, he couldn’t concentrate on the match at all. They lost the match by three goals to one and he could clearly notice the grievances of his best friend written all over his face for the lack of commitment from his main player. A dejected Manav left for home and an anxious Vivek followed him furtively.
Fortunately, the note was still there and Manav spotted it. His frown face became bright within a few seconds only. He took the note and ran into the house.
Next day, an ecstatic Manav came and told Vivek about the note. He gave it to his mother and she bought a few things for everyone in the family. She even sent a new little book to Vivek bought from that money.
No, a cricket bat or any other such things couldn’t be bought as half the money was saved for future. But yes, for one small day, smiles returned in the faces of everyone in the family.
A pleasant feeling mesmerised Vivek’s world as well. He indeed received a God’s gift- not the note at all, but a realisation. God made him realise where true joy in life exists and it was one gift money couldn’t buy.
