Punyasloke Bose

Fantasy

3.5  

Punyasloke Bose

Fantasy

The Pickpocket

The Pickpocket

6 mins
162


To master the art may not seem easy but for Raju it was far from difficult. His trainer, known as 'Master' was silently impressed with the progress of his student. Master had taken on Raju for his training very early. Raju had not reached his tenth birthday when he was spotted by his mentor. Master himself was a champion 'pickpocket'. His dexterity of hand movement had been unique till the time his hand was mauled by the Police while in captivity.


Since then, Master had kept himself away from the actual crime scene and had used props like Raju. He trained many and initially they all worked for him till the time law caught up with them. Raju was Master's best find and due to his mentees' skills, Master thanked his lucky stars. Raju not only regularly brought in rich booty but also escaped the long hand of the law by a wide berth always. Master found his prosperity with the help of Raju. Master had a daughter named Guddi. He had also trained her in their 'family business'. Guddi used to work with Raju in tandem. Both boarded crowded trains and buses and picked pockets of office goers with elan and both would run for cover on the first signs of danger. Working together a strong bond grew between them which slowly turned into love. Then Master blessed them and married them off. After marriage both Raju and Guddi continued with their trade successfully.


The public in general was now getting restless. Their bags and pockets were being regularly cut and valuables picked and robbed. The Police were getting complains at frenzied regularity and were getting bothered. Their bigger criminal investigation was being affected due to these petty felony reporting. Finally, driven to frustration, the Police built a task force to tackle this menace of pickpockets.

Very soon with the help of informers, Raju was caught in the police net. From there he was put in custody as an under trial. Guddi, his wife also feigned a count of offence and courted arrest as she wanted to be close to her husband Raju. The police had been in search for Guddi for quite some time.

Unfortunately, Guddi's dream could not come true and could not spend time with her husband as she was frisked away to the reformatory for women offenders. There she was put in custody as an under trial.


In the jail Raju came face to face with a sadhu, a baba who was also confined as an under custody trial pending sentence. The sadhu named Prasad had spent many years as an under trial. The administration had failed to list the baba's case as a result he was passing his time in custody. Even people had forgotten the offence the baba had committed. Some said that the baba had under provocation desecrated a religious place many years ago.

Now, this Baba and Raju would make a perfect team. Baba was a very learned man and was a master of yoga and meditation. Raju became a very ardent follower of the Baba and took initiation in meditation, yoga and spirituality. Prasad Baba influenced Raju's life dramatically. From a life of crime Raju was being slowly transformed into a different avatar. Many years went by in the while and the case of Raju and Baba was not considered worthy enough to be heard by the judge. Also there was none to back them for their freedom and they didn't have the requisite cash to hire lawyers to counsel and fight for them. The Baba had become habituated in the prison ambience as he felt safe and secure and well fed. Because if he earned his freedom, he would not have any place to go after so many years. Even Raju it was similar. He had also become disillusioned with his life of crime. However, sometimes he felt the absence of his wife Guddi whom he still loved. But now a life in spirituality changed his perception and felt free of attachments. There was also no one to visit him in the jail, so he had become accustomed to being devoid of love and being loved. 


Then fortunately the authorities came to know through an RTI from a general citizen that the number of under trials pending judgement were increasing at a significant number and prison space was being cramped. This led the judiciary and the government to decide that inmates with minor cases be given general amnesty. Under this amnesty scheme, the Sadhu baba Prasad, Raju and Guddi all came out of the prison to freedom at one stroke of the government order. 

Now came the question of rehabilitation. No one had any distinct place to go. Many years had been spent behind bars. Known addresses and people had become just memories. Guddi suggested to Raju that they go back to their old ways. Initially, Raju was hesitant as he had changed. But when seeing no opportunity of livelihood in sight, Raju was having second thoughts about falling back in his old ways. The sadhu baba now better known as Yogi baba scolded them and advised them to avoid their earlier path of wrongdoing. Now Yogi baba was in their company and they all lived as a family. 


Yogi baba showed them the way to earn a livelihood. Baba started a fortune telling profession sitting on the pavement. Raju and Guddi took on rent a house in a shanty in the city. Raju started doing some work as a labourer and Guddi managed the kitchen. 

Yogi baba used to always say that they should have confidence in their abilities and be on the right path and slowly all the obstacles would be overcome. With the income of Baba and Raju, their expenses could be met as their needs were limited. Many years spent in jail they had limited their wants. 


But life can change if fortunes turn tide. It came to light that Master had left behind a mini fortune and there was no heir to claim. Master had passed away when his only daughter Guddi was in the reformatory. The assets were in the possession of the state pending the claims by a rightful heir. 

Then Guddi proved her identity and claimed all the wealth that Master had left behind. Initially both Raju and Guddi were very elated to find themselves become owners of such wealth.


After all they have been struggling for so many years to get the possession of sizeable wealth to lead good secure lives. And now after so many years of deprivation when they got the possession of the assets that would help them stay happy, they felt a sense of detachment and dispassion. Such is the travails of human life. We crave madly for the things that make us feel attached and when we get the possession of them after lot of struggle we find ourselves sometimes lose interest. Seeing their strange dilemma, Yogi Baba advised Guddi and Raju to donate all their possession in charity to some religious organisation. So they created a foundation and built an ashram under the leadership of Yogi Baba. Guddi and Raju remained as loyal servants in the ashram. 



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