The laborious yeilds of Destiny

The cracked broken dusty roadside by the Hanumana temple is the perfect place for the braves testing their destiny. The non- nonsensical, dirty, wasteful dust and concrete proved to be perfect props to play the role of beggars for the ‘most potential, willing and eligible candidates out of all the humans sent by the God on this Earth. Some volunteered, while others chosen by the people and society and some others pushed on by their fate. Well by the God’s grace today is Tuesday or one can say today is the Tuesday so is the God’s grace. Whatever is this today the road is filled with the Karma believers’ cum fatalists thus adding more glitter to the luck of roadside habitants. Today again someone’s Karma may be adding to other’s luck. 

In the line of all these beggars there he is a, small figure sitting with one of the best emotional looks one can ever give with skin wrinkled by the daily sun, face and hands bruised up by the concrete and the pebbles and the entire figure pancaked by the dust and dirt giving him a sparkled brown shade. Covered in worn- out shirt and dirt- up half pant the little lad is sitting with his companion mentally happy and thanking God as the day seems that it will turn out to be good. In such a great human rush by the blessed light of the Hanumana over his destiny may be someone’s precious artifact having diamond, silver or gold may fall on the road or into his begging bowl through which he can make a big fortune sufficient enough for his entire life. Wandering in his self -made the entire good world a dreamy smile adorned over his parched lips. Dreams a perfect world to get all the bliss; isn’t it?

Working up in a tea stall day and night, listening to the bickering of the owner and at the end of the month getting an ample amount of 500 was too much a burden over the little shoulders and too less a satisfaction for the innocent mind still full of all the fantasies of a general childhood. He abhorred his life. He cried, he prayed to God, he cursed God for snatching his parents, he wished may God send him a path leading to a life out of all the miseries and just full of happiness and a childhood bliss. And as the wish came true, one day his room partner, his diaper buddy came to him all jumping with joy and excitement to inform him about the play of destiny in one’s life. The friend told the boy that one of the members of their begging team made a huge fortune when by the God’s grace someone mistakenly dropped a big gold ring into his lucky bowl. The boy listened to his friend with all his attention with the small frown turning into a gentle astonishment. A minute silence, as if trying to gulp all the great information in his system and then the thoughtful voice resonated the room. “Oh! Now I understood. This incident clearly showed that no man is above destiny; no man is above God. Here I am working day and night and still getting nothing and there is this man, the big fortune earner who in just one day lag became Richie rich. So cool”. The thoughtful words followed by the calculative walk across the shanty room and then there came the decisive voice of the little lad. “I have decided now. Rather than working day and night in the tea stall I will work now to try my luck. I will sit and do the begging and if Hanumana showers his love I may also get the treasure….. By the God’s grace of-course.

So here started the treasure hunt. It’s been 3 months but the God has not showered His love over the innocent life. Monthly income ranges from 50 to 150 with one or two time ample meal. But here he is sitting day and night on the dusty roadside by the Hanumana temple in the God’s sacred feet enduring all the natural apathies and the cruel sympathies of the humanity with a single hope to turn the table and get the destiny in his favor. In all this waiting and watching here comes the day i.e. today i.e. Tuesday, the great Tuesday. Since morning the boy is having intuition, a strong one that the day will prove to be an inflexion point in his so called non- worthy life. A pool of emotion is bubbling inside him, just difficult to comprehend. May be today is the day Hanumana enthrone him. And as his wonderful thoughts shaped out into reality a gold neck piece fell in his lucky pot, almost unnoticed to the busy line of beggars. As the enchanted weight of the treasure transferred to his hand through the bowl he looked down with his shrieked quizzical gaze turning into wide, shocked and surprised gaze. He froze until the few seconds pass and a sudden jerk from the human rush, bringing him back to the reality. With his turtle neck he looked here and there to find another pair of astonished eyes over the neck piece, eyes belonging to his one and only friend his companion. Both their gaze met as if having a sort of confirmation followed by a confused smile, taken over by full blown smile, a silent yelp and sudden tight hug. After completing all sort of all the reflexive reactions to the God’s gracious action both in a nick of time covered the bowl having the glitter with another bowl that was of his friend thus entering in a silent deal of having a fair partnership in the great and life changing fortune. Giving their thanks to the God both stood and sheepishly made their way out of the crowd and started running to look for an isolated place. Running with all their speed in the spectra of brightness suddenly blackness engulfed them with their faces covered, voice muffled and the lives being thrown like a sac in a car and being taken away.

Next they opened their eyes they found themselves lying on a muddy floor in a room dimly lighted by the sunlight. Before they could collect the happenings around them the door opened ajar with a thud presenting a big bulky man followed by some other men may be his attendants. The boys stood up with a sudden jerk and looked at the gathering with a pang of fear and insecurity. The man came and sat on the only chair present in the room as the king sat to pronounce His verdict for the criminals. His calm, cold emotionless gaze met the boys’ and then his husky, unflinching voice resonated the room. “Who’s bowl got the neck piece?”. The question followed by the unwavering silence due to the lack of comprehensibility at the other end. I asked something. This time the boys met with a set of furious, bloodshot red eyes and a loud and thunderous voice. The boys flinched, jumped in shock, coming back to the reality. They looked at each other and the boy raised his hand unable to form any word again. After that whatever happened just occurred apparently within seconds. The boy’s friend suddenly thrown outside like a sac and set free with the warning not to utter a single word. The attendants came and took the boy’s friend away setting him free. The boy looked at all this with the utmost shock, totally numb, frozen at his place. The hulk of the man turned, look at the boy and set back at his chair like a lion ready to pounce on the frightened deer. Apparently with a cruel smirk on his face he announced, “You are the luckiest beggar of our group. Welcome to the Rais Beggar Group. Now you are an official beggar and for your whole life you will beg for and earn for us. You will get 3 meals a day and some clothes to survive. You do your karma as given to you and you will get a life.” Then he looked at the boy from head to toe, called on one of his goons and ordered, “make him handicap, cut out one of his legs. Let the God be more merciful on him. He will make us good fortune.” Saying this he rushed out of the room leaving the frozen life behind making the whirlpool of his destiny and karma enable to move a single nerve of his small body. May be the forces of Karma and luck acted against each other with equal force to unable the yielding of any reaction. Or is it the reinforcement of both the elements together responsible in bringing out the tortuous, painful and chilling scenario in the boy’s life. What is it? Only God knows. May the God be merciful.