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A man was standing next to a table, gasping . Aromatic, colorful sweets occupied the top of that table. He bent to look under it and spotted a little boy around six hiding there. He yelled going out of breath , “ Watchman! Watchman! Who is this boy? Get him out of here! Who allowed this filthy, lower animal to enter the function? He must be a thief! “ Watchman Kishan appeared from a tree behind and took the child with him. The man was back to the matrimonial commemoration and started to revel in the Shehnai melodia anew, as if nothing had happened.
Kishan, dragged the boy to his hovel and scolded him. That was his son Tapu, who wanted to pick something from the delicacy set on the table. Kishan’s wife Renu was suffering from high fever and slept outside. She overheard the conversation in a half fainted state. She was very much confident that neither of her kids would ever steal. Kishan took care of the party plot as a guard and Renu used to work in the nearby houses and shops.
Next morning she went to the Sweets shop opposite her dwelling. Due to bad health she could not clean the shop for the past many days. She pleaded the owner to give her some time.
The Shop owner Ganesh turned to her and said “ Don’t worry. I just wanted to call you and present the sweets which I had prepared for a grand function yesterday. Today is my mom’s birthday. When I was Tapu’s age, I used to accompany her wherever she went. She used to cook sweets for others on various occasions . Apparently I was not allowed to have a single bite; in fact I was the last one to get those sweets. That’s why I wanted Tapu to be the first recipient today.”
Tapu was delighted to see the Box full of sweets. Renu said overwhelmingly “ God bless you Shethji ! Yesterday amid the wedding ceremony, somebody accused my son of stealing sweets, also called him a filthy animal. The affluent spend crazily when it comes to their weddings, but while giving away a piece of sweet, they behave like misers.
A BMW car took a grinding halt near the shop, interrupting the chat. A man came out of it carrying a bundle of notes. Ganesh walked towards him hastily and greeting him. The rich guy struggled hard, while climbing the steps to the shop and sat on a chair exasperated. Ganesh was elated and he briefed Renu about the visitor, “Here is the very famous philanthropist Dhyanchandji. He has funded majority of our city’s orphanages and social welfare institutions. Tales of his humanity are boundless.. Yesterday his daughter got married. Had he come to know about yesterday’s incivility, he would have surely done something about that. Whatever happened was really disgraceful. “
Dhyanchand beamed. He relished the praises and his face broadened noticeably. Renu folded her hands before him and painfully gave a description of the incident. Dhyanchand nodded his head to show his concern. Enraged Renu told that her soul got stabbed when a stranger cursed her child with bad words “ I tell you Sir, had I been there, I would have beaten him into pieces.” At the very moment Tapu started pulling his mother’s dupatta. His eyes fell on the hands with golden rings on it, and then on the bundle of notes in those hands. Finally his eyes travelled upwards and rested on Dhyanchand’s face.
Tapu started pulling the dupatta vigorously and raised his finger towards that man. Dhyanchand started getting uneasy. A pool of sweat emerged on his face. Before Tapu could utter a word, Dhyanchand rushed to his car leaving the bundle of notes in the shop. Tapu shouted “ Maa.. he is the same fatso that called me a lower animal….!” Tapu ran to his house carrying the sweets. Renu tried to chase the car, throwing stones while running and spitting all possible bad words. The giant car got out of her sight like a dust devil. Ganesh stood there trying to get a hold over himself. Different colors settled on his face, reciprocating his emotions, very much like colors of those sweets!!
