We were both looking at a news item prominently displayed on the page .It read “Shootout in South Delhi .3 Killed”.Any shoot out attracts attention for various reasons ,but this was no ordinary shootout .It did not involve some unknown terrorist in Kashmir or a fake encounter in a Mumbai suburb .It had taken place between the police and two boys I had taught many years back .One of them had opened the batting with me for my house ,and I had maintained his pocket money for many years .I had also accused him of running away from his dorm on a cold December night with two other “accomplices” of his .He had never admitted the fact .But now his name was staring me in my face- Aditya .He had managed to escape death .He had been taken into police custody ,because he was absent at the time of the shootout –he had gone to drop another accussed to the Nizammuddin Railway Station .By the time he returned to the flat where the entire tragedy was unfolding ,his other accomplishes -3 of them –had been gunned down .And one of them happened to be Girish .A photograph in black and white showed him lying in a pool of blood .The other two I did not know –nor was I bothered .My mind was a whirlpool of memories –everything came back in a flash .The many years of youthful exuberance seemed to have been lost in the dust and grime of history .The evenings spent ,discussing Bob Dylan,Karl Marx,Amitabh Bacchan,and London seemed to have gone down the drain . “You must always try to speak the truth –even when your voice shakes .You must always speak the truth not because God says that .After all who has seen God ?You must speak the truth because it is more comfortable than speaking lies .”,I had passionately argued .The boys had heard me with rapt attention .Had I not spoken well enough ?Had I not generated that kind of love and respect that at least two of them had thrown all caution to the winds .?It was the only chance I had to make a impression .Had I blown it off.?These thoughts came rushing in and out of a youngish mind .I tried to steady my head and my heart .I could not .I missed the assembly .And I wept .
I am not going to recount the details of the case .It involved a businessman from AbuDhabi/Dubai,his abduction ,a demand of a 3 lac dollar ransom,the CBI getting the leads ,the trail leading to a flat first in South Extention and later to Sarvpriya Vihar,the police forcing their entry into the flat and shooting down the abductors –one of them Girish .Aditya came back after dropping the 4th abductor to the Railway Station ,and found the police waiting for him .!!He had run away from me –but he had run too far away .I suspect he kept running –not only from me ,but also from himself .I wish he had come back ,on that fateful night as I shouted in the wilderness for him .But my voice had disappeared into the fog and empty fields .Girishs’run had ended in death (or does death end living?),but Aditya had still some way to go .He was sentenced life imprisonment and lodged in the Tihar Jail.!
Life continues –when Robert Frost was asked to define life ,he had said “It goes on”.And so it did for me .The past never really is powerful enough to pull you back ,or stop you from moving forward .Its a misnomer to say that people who think about the past don’t move ahead .Infact ,they move faster .Sometimes you want to leave the memories of the past and the best way is to be involved in the dream of the future .It accelerates you .I moved ahead –and some of my greatest achievements were to unfold .I got absorbed in the accolades ,the claps ,the small recognitions ,the admiration and love of students , staff and parents .The press pampered me and at times hammered me .But it gave me a sense of importance to share the stage with Governors ,CMs,celebrities .I was feted out to five star lunches and dinners ….Aditya and Girish became a thing of the past .But the past catches up with you .Its a bad mistress –you cant ignore it for long .One day it knocked on my memory door .!!
I was recovering from a serious illness and used to come to office slightly late .My cell phone used to be activated only when I entered my chamber .So for all practical purposes my interaction with the outside world was nil.People were genuinely concerned about my well being –so if I had kept my cell phone on ,I would have been all the time attending to it .The doctors advised me to avoid the the cell as much as possible .I devised a plan –the cell would be switched on only when I attended office ,which was for about 4 hrs .Most of the messages were taken by the very efficient Nidhi and the very particular Sangeeta .They made sure that the doctors’ instructions were adhered to.As I entered my office one day ,and switched on my cell ,I found a flood of missed calls .One of them was from my college mate and at that time DIG Prisons in Delhi .I phoned him up
“Hello Kain ,kaise ho bhai”,he queried .
“Theek huhn Randhir ,how are you ?.Havent seen you for a long time”,I replied .
“Acchaa Kain ,Tihar meih ek criminal hai ,jo aapse milna chhaahataa hai”,he replied .
“Criminal ?Who is he ?I don’t know anyone in Tihar jail .The only criminal I know is you”,I laughed out aloud .
“He is one,,,,”,and he paused as he looked presumably for his name ,because I could hear sheafs of paper being moved .And then he said “Aditya.Do you know him ?He says you taught him and is a great fan of yours .He speaks good English and when I asked him which school he was from and he named the school ,I asked him whether he knew you .He was surprised as to how I knew you”,replied Randhir “I told him we were college mates .Aur ,sense of humour accha hai uska”,and he paused . “He laughed and said ,that he was happy because he thought even you were housed in Tihar”. Typical of the boy .On a more serious note ,Randhir told me that Aditya wanted to meet me .
“Kuch confession karnaa chhaataa hai”,he said . “Bolo ,kab aa sakte ho.Mera dus din meih transfer ho rahaa haih .You don’t have to do a thing .You just have to walk in.Thats all.”
I fixed up the date with Randhir .Sangeeta protested because she said the date was too early for me to move to meet Aditya in Delhi.I had not recovered sufficiently enough .But destiny was beckoning me .I was impatient to hear what the confession was .I was interested to meet the young boy who I had last seen nearly 20 yrs back ,and I may never see again .It might be the only chance that life was giving me to experience a strange reunion .For me it was a question of either now or never .I was feeling weak,I was on medication .I wanted to respect the sentiment of my wife who had prayed so hard for my survival .I was confused .Sometimes I play games with myself .I was fiddling with a 5 rupee coin .In a very filmy style I tossed the coin and called for heads .I remembered John Wayne in a famous western film say “when you toss a coin into the air ,do what your mind wants when it is in the air .And do it ,irrespective of which side the coin falls on”.,I had wanted it to fall “heads”,up . It fell with tails up .But I remembered John Wayne .I decided to go to meet Aditya in the Tihar Jail .!!It was a teacher going to see whether he could retrieve something for his student from whatever was left of his life.One does not stop teaching just because someone leaves school or college .One does not stop teaching because one is in a corporate office or a prison .One does not stop teaching because one is rich or poor .One stops teaching when one starts to forget and stops falling in love .Or when one dies .I did not belong to either of the categories .I got into my car along with my driver Nasir.We took the NH 8 .I was to have lunch with Randhir .And I was to meet Aditya .We passed the open fields –there was a riot of yellow colour as mustard fields were at their majestic best .The sun was warming up the earth .After about 5 hours ,I was at Tihar Jail.
(to be concluded tomorrow ).
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