Good Men

He is 13.

She asks him how come his elder sister isn't back from college yet. After staring at her for a few seconds, he tells her that she went late and has an exam. Further, he innocently asks her how she assumed that his sister could be back so soon if she has an exam.

He is 20.

His aunt zooms into his sister's picture on his mobile screen and frowns. 

“Why,” he asks.

“Well, the dress seems inappropriate,” she tells him. 

“How,” he asks.

“Her belly is visible,” she explains. 

“Yes, it is visible in the same way it would have been in a saree,” he replies before taking back his phone.

He is 30.

After drinking at a nearby bar, they return to the hotel they're staying at. Entering her room, she hops on the bed in her cute short skirt. As he sits on the floor, she insists him to join her on the bed instead. Pretending he has pain in his leg, he refuses saying he is comfortable there.

He is 40.

He has been negotiating with his client to schedule the meeting during the afternoon. His employee, living in another city, will have to take a few hours of road journey. It is fine if they lose the deal but he does not want her to travel alone at night.

He is 50.

A young tenant lives alone in a flat he is the caretaker for. Just as he knocks, she opens the door immediately. Irritated, he instructs her to first peek through the magic eye on her door and open only if she personally knows the visitor.

He is 60.

His elder brothers are visiting his house. His daughter serves them tea and leaves. They advise him to ask his wife to teach her how to cook and to get her married soon. 

After they've left he comes up to her and advises her to go for an MBA.

He is 70.

There's a female passenger in his cab at midnight. After dropping her a few meters away from her house on a deserted road, he waits till she gets inside before heading off.

He is 80.

He has four sons. People believe all of them will receive their share of land in their village which is still under his name. He, on the other hand, tells his granddaughter to study hard. Once she cracks the exam he'll sell that land to fund her MBBS.

At every age you can find him, playing a brother, a friend, a father, a boss, a grandfather, a caretaker, a cab-driver and a hundred other roles at the same time. Yet just one, consistently and inherently embedded deep into his character; a man, a human.

Five years have now passed

But the pain still lingers deep within.

You were supposed to be our friend

But I guess you lied to get what you wanted.

You waited, waited until you thought the time was right

Then you hurt me, hurt me real bad.

I will never be able to forget how you tricked me

How you made me trust you.

Only one day left of our honeymoon in Kolkata

You had waited for this day, hoping in your evil sick mind

That today you would get what you had waited for

That is the day you left me broken, and because of you

I will never be normal again

Did you care that you hurt me so bad?

Did you ever regret the pain you caused me?

Did you ever stop to think, what being raped would do to a woman?

Or did your sick mind just get the better of you?

The pain you put me through that day, was like nothing I could

Ever imagine, to have someone I trusted and called my friend do this,

To rape me, take away my pride, my 'me'

You left me empty, wishing I had died.

I tried so hard to forget, but never could

You were always there, haunting my dreams, raping me again.

I used to pray, asking God to let me die, so I could forget my pain

But then I became stronger and wanted to live.

I now know you paid for what you did to me

Now you are burning in hells fire I hope

Somewhere you will never be able to hurt anyone again

But my pain will never go away, only ease a little with time.