Honest Deals

Honesty is revealed through deeds; knowing the word doesn’t make anybody honest  -  SANJIV NAIR

Upkaar walked through the quiet lanes unbothered about the sweltering heat with the afternoon sun right over his head. He carried his pitch-dark black blazer hanging on his bent left arm to the dry cleaner. After walking some fifty meters, his eyes got stuck on something lying on the road. He recognized it was money. He shifted to his right and bent down and picked up the hundred rupee note. He wondered how to part with it. He never pocketed the money that did not belong to him. He waited there for a while, browsing through his phone message box. He hoped to see the real owner who accidentally dropped the money, but nobody turned up to claim the dropped money. He looked at his watch. He had stood there waiting for fifteen minutes.

Suddenly, he saw Hari Singh, the most cunning man from the neighbourhood wading through the lane from the far end. He knew it would be very unusual for Hari Singh to find him in the middle of the lane. As the distance reduced between them, Hari Singh started shouting at the top of his voice.

‘What are you doing here in this secluded lane? What are you up to?’ Hari Singh asked, laughing mischievously with his arms on his waist, and body drooping forward very awkwardly. His speech and his body language were incongruently synchronized. 

Upkar Singh said amusingly, ‘Just a moment ago before you came, I dropped my diamond-studded ring here somewhere. I’m frantically searching for it, but unable to find it. Would you help me in my search?’

Hari Singh eyed him and ran his hand on his chin while Upkaar Singh enacted his pretentious search. He knew what Hari Singh was thinking.

‘Hope you’re not playing another prank on me. I never saw such a ring on your finger.’ Hari Singh said with his mouth wide open.

‘Of course not, I appreciate your keen observation. You know, it was very loose and I would often remove it from my finger lest I dropped it somewhere. I can’t go home unless I find it. It cost me a fortune.’ 

‘Okay. I’ll join you in the search operation.’ Hari Singh said sympathetically.

‘Thanks.’ Upkaar said with a glint in his eyes as Hari Singh started searching every nook and corner. He squatted, jumped and even rolled over on the concrete-laden road. He paced up and down the lane like a disgruntled detective.

Upkaar thought it was time to exit the scene. He said to Hari Singh, ‘Please keep searching for the ring here while I look over at the far end of the lane and the shop I visited a while ago.’

Hari Singh was now closely glowering down the almost dried-up narrow drain and waved his hand for him to leave him to his job. He hoped to find the ring inside somewhere. If I find it, I’ll keep it a secret. This thought made him launch himself into the search act with renewed aggression.

Upkaar thought for a while and retraced his steps back home from another lane. He collected another blazer and moved out again. He reached the dry cleaner’s shop and accosted Murari Lal vigorously ironing the clothes at his disposal.

Upkaar handed over the blazers to Murari Lal and gave him two-hundred rupee notes, including the one that he found from the lane nearby. He had no right to spend the money for his own needs, but he felt satisfied with his action. He had done his calculations before dispensing away the dropped note. There was no thought to prick his conscience anymore as he had devised an ingenious way to make an honest deal.

Another fifteen minutes had passed and he remembered Hari Singh. Upkar knew that the avaricious character would still be performing the search operation. He reached the mouth of the lane and looked over. Hari Singh lay sprawled on the floor with his eyes levelled to the ground, was now scanning the roadbed for the lost object as far as he could see. Upkaar felt amused and walked over and confronted Hari Singh. who looked terribly exhausted from performing the search for more than an hour.

‘You can call off your search now. I must be honest with you. I never had a diamond-studded ring in my possession. If you had behaved like a gentleman, I wouldn’t have tricked you again. It is your spiteful tongue that begets the punishment you deserve. I hope this would be your last lesson.’ Upkaar said before leaving.

Hari Singh sat up and sneered at him but was too embarrassed to say anything.

The housemaid Majuli owed Upkaar four hundred rupees and she was unable to pay for over a year. One day, she saw him in the marketplace while out to buy some grocery items. She thought for a while and kept on opening and closing her hand purse. Perhaps she was doing some mental calculation. After a while, she took out four hundred rupees from her small hand purse. A couple of minutes ago, she had been attracted by a beautiful slipper. She was locked in a bargaining duel over it with the adamant shopkeeper. She wanted to buy the slippers for her four-year-old daughter. She now changed the idea and decided to buy it later. 

Majuli confronted Upkaar and spread out her hand before him. Upkaar saw that she was holding some notes and remembered that she owed him four hundred rupees. 

Upkaar quietly held the notes. He counted and kept only three hundred rupees and returned one note to her. Majuli felt surprised and said, ‘I owe you four hundred rupees but you’re taking only three hundred.’

‘Hundred rupees have already been paid and you owe me only three hundred.’

‘I never gave you any money before.’ Majuli was confused.

‘If you wish, you can keep all the money and pay me at your own convenience. You may end up saving more money.’ Upkaar said to her amusingly. ‘You’ve come to buy something and you may need the money too.’

‘I don’t understand anything you’re telling me. You sound mysterious. Besides, I want to get rid of the burden from my mind so I’ll not keep the money.’ Majuli said nervously.

‘I’ll explain. There is no mystery behind this. I found a hundred rupee note on the road and what I want is to make an honest deal out of it. Nature has made one-fourth of the payment and you owe me only three hundred rupees. Maybe if you wait for a few days more, you might have to pay me a lesser amount.’ Upkaar said convincingly.

‘What if I’m unable to pay you next month too or for an indefinite period?’

‘Don’t stress yourself. I’m pretty convinced that you don't have to pay me anything.’

‘You can’t keep waiting for people to drop the money on the road.’ Majuli said morosely. ‘I never found any money on the road. If Nature has to pay my debts in this manner, it should have done directly and not indirectly.’

‘It is my own way of striking an honest deal and you would’ve never known if I’d not shared my experience with you. I could’ve taken four hundred rupees from you, but it is ethically wrong on my part. It is simple if someone owes you some money and you get a part of it; what you do is make an honest deal and take what belongs truly to you. I’m doing the same. I’m balancing the Nature’s act.’ Upkaar tried to justify his action.

‘What would you’ve done if you found five hundred rupees?’ Majuli inquired.

‘I know that you owe me some money and if I get the money by any peculiar means. I must act honestly.’

‘If you accidentally drop your money on the street and then I find it and give you, how would you treat it? It sounds so weird to me.’

‘You give me what you owe me, it is simple. Don’t tell me how you got the money. You’ve to be honest with yourself. Honesty should be reflected through your deeds. Simply knowing the word doesn’t prove its worth. Every human on earth calls himself or herself honest, but do they really mean it.’ Upkaar’s voice grew in pitch as he concluded the sentence.

‘You’re a kind person. You took the burden off me. I’d have struggled to adjust my budget for just a hundred rupees. Now everything will be fine.’ Majuli said, attempting to devise a smile on her tense face.

Upkaar looked at her, holding the three hundred rupees she gave him. She felt unburdened from the small debt that seemed big for her.

He saw Majuli heading towards the shop where slippers were on sale. Majuli handed the hundred rupee note to the shopkeeper who packed a pair of small slippers. When Majuli turned to leave, her eyes met with Upkaar’s and he gave a parting smile and entered the adjacent shop. He didn’t wish to embarrass her. 

Money could have a different value and meaning in very weird situations, Upkaar thought as he walked back from the marketplace reinforced with great inner satisfaction.

Upkaar worked with a media agency. He also wrote for many other publications. His meeting with Laxmi happened during an organizational get-together held by one of the publications. Laxmi worked there as a Feature writer and commissioning editor and invited Upkaar as a guest. She had liked one of his stories and wished to engage him as a regular contributor after mutual discussion. Since they both had similar interests and no prejudices to keep, they agreed to tie the knots after two years of relationship. Even after 15 years of marriage, they were still exploring something new in each other. They constantly tried to dig out new opportunities and this exercise led them towards new perspectives.

Upkaar narrated his encounter with Majuli, their housemaid to Laxmi who felt immensely delighted.

‘I never thought about this. This is an incredibly overwhelming experience for me. I’m proud of you. I’m glad that Majuli could get a pair of slippers for her cute little daughter. From next month, we can pay her two hundred rupees more.’ Laxmi said excitedly.

‘That’s not a bad idea. You wish to help Majuli expand her budget.’ Upkaar said with a laugh.

Laxmi simply smiled as she carefully placed the cup of tea before Upkaar.

One day while returning from the office, he decided to stop at Ramu’s tea stall and have tea. Ramu’s face lit up as he saw Upkaar and wriggled out of his roadside shop to greet him.

‘How are you, sahib? You stopped coming here. If you haven’t helped me, I would still be languishing on the road.’ Ramu said.

‘You deserved a better life. I’m happy to see you settling down. Save some money and buy a small house.’ Upkaar said. ‘I came to drink your special masala tea.’

Ramu smiled and scrambled back into his makeshift shop to prepare tea. Soon more people started coming in and sitting on the benches laid out for them. Two middle-aged men came and sat on the bench with Upkaar. One of them looked morose and sat stooped down with elbows on the thighs. The other man who sat beside Upkaar appeared to be choleric with a puckered face. Deep trenches had formed under his eyes. He sat confidently and in an upright position with his chin up, his palms resting on his knees.

Upkaar knew that something interesting involves these two characters. He was ready to do some eavesdropping on their conversation. Meanwhile, Ramu came with a tray lined up with glasses filled with tea. The twosome picked up their glass of tea followed by Upkaar who simply looked up at Ramu and acknowledged.

The man sitting at the far end of the long bench opened up the conversation in a sullen mood. Upkaar took a cursory glance at him to study his facial expression. The man was in despair and held the glass of tea tightly as if he would break it. He was in anguish.

‘I need money urgently now. You know I lost my job due to the corona outbreak. I’m asking for my own money that you borrowed eight months ago.’ The man said in a pleading tone.

The man with the puckered face kept sucking up the beverage to his wild mouth with a slurp. He gave no importance to his companion in distress. Upkaar was now deeply engrossed in their conversation and he knew at what point and how it was going to end.

‘For the past six months, I’m come, here every day upon your invitation. I thought you called me to return the money you borrowed, but what you do is order two cups of tea and fool me. Today, I’ve come to settle the matter for good. Here is my account detail and please transfer the amount by tomorrow morning.’ He thrust the small piece of paper into the right open palm of his insensitive tormentor. 

The puckered man turned nastily on the bench and faced his companion. He took one last violent sip and said guilefully, ‘With today’s cup of tea I settled your account.’ He then kept the small piece of paper carrying the account details to his left on the bench and placed the empty glass over it.

Upkaar quickly looked at the paper and he immediately knew the name of the oppressed character. He carefully shifted the glass backwards to read the full name – Satvik Kumar.

‘What do you mean?’ Satvik Kumar’s voice at the far end was filled with agony. Upkaar bent forward a little to capture the action.

‘For the last six months, I’m spending money on your evening tea.’ He whisked out a crumpled paper and straightened it out on the parting space between them. ‘Here is the break-up for you. Multiply five into 180 days and you get the figure 900. You paid me thousand rupees. I owe you only a hundred rupee.’

The oppressed Satvik Kumar hadn’t taken a single sip at the tea and he angrily put down the glass on the floor, spilling the tea. ‘I never drank the tea you ordered for me. I need my money at any cost. Trivedi, you can’t dupe me like this at such a crucial moment.’ He started to cry, but his burly tormentor Trivedi quietly got up from the bench, straightened his crumpled kurta; and took out a hundred rupee note. He held Satvik’s hand and thrust the note violently into it and left remorselessly.

Upkaar looked at the small piece of paper that was meant for Trivedi. He removed the glass and picked up the paper. The bottom of the glass had left its dark brown impression on the paper, wetted by the droplets of the tea that slithered down to the bottom. He was so engrossed in the activity that he failed to note Satvik Kumar quietly making his exit from the scene. Upkaar looked at the paper and fell into deep thought as he returned home.

Laxmi observed that Upkaar wore a troubled look on his face. He had quickly removed his shoes, hurriedly washed his hands and reclined on the divan.

‘I feel very tired today. Laxmi, please wake me up after an hour if I fall asleep.’

‘By the time you rest, I’ll prepare the dinner.’ Laxmi went towards the kitchen.

Upkaar closed his eyes and he soon fell into a deep slumber. After a few minutes, Upkaar’s phone started ringing and Laxmi sprinted out of the kitchen to abort the call. She didn’t notice the small piece of paper falling on the floor. The paper contained the account details of Satvik Kumar that were casually kept between the flip cover and the phone.

Laxmi had finished making the dinner. She brought all the food items in separate containers and quietly placed them on the dining table. Upkaar’s phone rang again and on this occasion, he got up abruptly to answer the call. He took a big yawn and engaged in a pleasant conversation. Laxmi knew that he was talking to their 13-year-old daughter Surbhi who had gone to stay with her maternal grandparents. A couple of minutes after the conversation ended, Laxmi saw that Upkaar was frantically searching for something.

‘Laxmi, did you find a small piece of paper?’ Upkaar was upset.

‘No. Look in your pockets.’ Laxmi stood up from the chair at the dinner table.

‘I’ve searched everywhere but I don’t find it. I don’t even remember where I kept it. Maybe I dropped it on the street somewhere. That piece of paper is very important. Someone will be in deep trouble if I don’t find it.’ Upkaar looked annoyed.

‘You eat your dinner and then we’ll search for it together.’ Laxmi suggested.

‘No. You can start eating while I go and take a look outside. I must try to find it.’ Upkaar left while Laxmi waited for him at the dining table. Upkaar returned after an hour and pulled the chair and sat on it as Laxmi started organizing his dinner plate with chapattis, a little rice, dal and raita.

Laxmi noticed that Upkaar’s mind was fixated on the lost piece of paper. She decided to leave him alone to his thoughts.

It was over a month now since Upkaar lost the piece of paper. He thought to visit Ramu’s tea stall again. Ramu as usual greeted him and brought tea for him. As he was sipping his tea, he saw Satvik Kumar sitting under the shade of a tree. He was drinking tea alone and kept looking over his shoulder again and again at different intervals. Upkaar found his activity very unusual as he had experienced earlier. Whom he was looking for? It seemed he was expecting a visitor.

Upkaar soon understood who the visitor was. It was none other than the burly Trivedi. Upkaar thought to do some real snooping on this occasion. He stood at least two meters away from both and listened to what transpired between them on this occasion. Trivedi was yelling at Satvik Kumar.

‘How should I make you understand that I’ve settled your account, but you still wanted a meeting with me. Here I am, now tell me what is your problem?’ Trivedi jerked his chubby chin in an intimidating manner.

But Satvik Kumar exhibited no anger. He remained calm and said politely, ‘I called you to thank you for transferring two thousand rupees into my SBI account. You saved me from great trouble. My children hadn’t eaten for two days. I could buy rations from the money. I never thought that you were such a soft-hearted and compassionate person. I know why you delayed returning the money. You knew that bad days lay ahead of me and decided to dispense the money at the right time. I’m grateful for your kind help.’ Satvik Kumar said, wiping his tears with the back of his hand.

Trivedi quietly listened to Satvik’s speech and felt bewildered. He could only say this much, ‘It is alright Satvik. I only did my duty.’ He thinks I’ve filled up his account with money. So, let it be like that.

‘Please pardon me for the bad things I said to you. I was very depressed that day.’ Satvik Kumar said with folded hands before leaving the place.

Upkaar observed that Trivedi was rubbing his chin vigorously and thinking. Who could’ve transferred the money into Satvik’s account? And double the amount I borrowed….very strange things are happening to me. A guilty sense overtook his mind. 

Upkaar was thinking of a similar pattern as Trivedi. Who could’ve made the transfer? The paper with the name and bank details was in his possession. Some good Samaritan who found that piece of paper must’ve made the transfer to help, keeping in mind the outbreak of corona. He remembered writing a note above the name of Satvik Kumar – Amount to be transferred: Rs. 2000/-. The note served as good instruction, whoever followed it….followed it marvellously.

Upkaar felt very happy as things had ended on a satisfactory note and also melted down his worries for distressed Satvik Kumar.      

Upkaar smiled as Laxmi opened the door for him. She was surprised to see him so happy after so many days.

‘I’ll make tea while you freshen up.’ Laxmi said with a glint in her eyes.

When they both sat down to enjoy the evening tea, Laxmi said, pushing a small piece of paper towards Upkaar, ‘I think this is what you were looking for.’

‘Where did you find it?’ Upkaar sat up with excitement.

‘I found it some twenty days ago under the cupboard while cleaning up the room. I always forgot to tell you. I must’ve accidentally dropped the paper when I picked up your phone when you were sleeping. I should’ve been careful.’ Laxmi said.

‘It is okay Laxmi. How did it occur in your mind to transfer the money?’ Upkaar asked with surprise.

‘The manner in which I found you so worried for days, made me transfer the money indicated above the account holder’s name. I recognized your handwriting. I thought you owed the money to someone that you wanted to settle urgently. Hope you haven’t already made the payment.’

‘How could I have done that? I’d lost this piece of paper. Besides, I don’t know the person either.’

‘What is the mystery here? You mean I shouldn’t have transferred the money.’ Laxmi appeared worried.

Upkaar narrated the entire incident to Laxmi who felt extremely delighted.

‘I’m so fortunate to have acted as a participant in such a noble activity. Everything happened in a natural manner and nobody knew anything. Neither would I’ve known about this miraculous occurrence if I hadn’t found this piece of paper again.’ Laxmi became emotional.

‘Thank God that you found it and you made an honest deal like me.’ Upkaar said amusingly. 

While walking up to the Rajendra Place Metro station, Upkaar saw an extremely emaciated old woman aged around eighty sitting near the escalator and begging. Her face was heavily wrinkled and her body gradually withering away. His hand first reached to the upper shirt pocket where he kept a few notes of the bigger denomination. Suddenly, his hand came down and he pulled out a five-rupee coin and placed it on her open palm. The old woman showered her blessings on him as he stepped onto the escalator moving downwards. He entered the station and boarded the train, but the thought that he acted unfairly against the old woman kept pricking his mind. How could I suddenly change my mind to pay her less when I thought to pay more? I acted dishonestly. My action failed to translate my thought into absolute conformity. I must make amendments, he thought. 

Upkaar shared his experience with Laxmi who also felt disheartened. She told him, ‘You know most of us to react in a similar manner. We think and act dishonestly. It is human nature to act selfishly than selflessly. Very few people would think of acting righteously as you do. You can find her at the same place and you can correct your action. Just relax and don’t unnecessarily burden your mind.’

‘Laxmi you’re a good motivator. You’ve always pulled me out of weird situations. Whenever I feel low I think about you and suddenly I derive an unusual strength.’

‘It is no different for me or our daughter Surbhi who draws inner strength from our experiences. She follows your ideology. I shared your latest experiences with her over the phone yesterday and she is excited to return home. She wants you to narrate precisely the whole thing to her as it occurred in a sequential manner. She wants to share her true life experiences in the school magazine.’

‘That’s a good idea. One more episode remains to be completed and then she will have enough material to write about.’ Upkaar said with a laugh. 

Upkaar didn’t find the old woman outside the Metro station for many days. He wondered if something bad had happened to her. After a fortnight, he finally saw her wearing the same old withered sari. Upkaar was elated to find her again and he quietly put down his briefcase and sat on the steps beside her. He then took out fifteen hundred rupees from his pocket and placed it in her outstretched hands.

‘A few days back, I thought of giving you a hundred rupees when I first saw you but parted with a five-rupee coin. I felt guilty about being unfair to you. I want to make amendments to my action. I’ll feel blessed if you take the money and utilize it as you desire.’

‘I don’t want all this money. I can’t accept them.’ An unknown, fear emerged in her moist eyes as she dropped the money on the stairs. She picked up the bundle of money and gave it back to Upkaar. ‘Give me a hundred rupees every day if you’re not inconvenienced. I’ve to buy little rice and daal for my handicapped son; and a little milk for the dogs who are my companions. I’m in the twilight of my life and I’ve no desire to fulfil. If people get wind of all this money, they will steal it from me. It is good to live with little and too much of anything will bring new peril to our lives.’

‘I’ll do as you wish. If you tell me where exactly you stay I’ll get you all the things. You don’t have to bother about coming here every day. I want you to be comfortable.’ Upkaar insisted.

‘There are many eyes watching over me right now. I’ve to part with some of the money with people who have provided us shelter.’ The old woman’s voice fell to a low pitch.

‘I understand the situation you are in. I’ll meet you here every day.’

For several days, he continued to follow the routine and suddenly the old woman disappeared. He came to know about her death. She had slept peacefully during the night and never woke up. Upkaar returned home dejected. However, he vowed to continue with his honest deals.

Upkaar on a Sunday sat with his daughter Surbhi and helped her to write about his experiences and she gave it the title ‘Honest Deals’. Her write-up was appreciated by the Principal and all the teachers of her school when it was published in the school magazine.