Empty Fists

EMPTY FISTS

Stories on Life

MANGALAM SHIVA

Notion Press

Old No. 38, New No. 6

McNichols Road, Chetpet

Chennai - 600 031

First Published by Notion Press 2015

Copyright © Mangalam Shiva 2015

All Rights Reserved.

ISBN: 978-93-52061-38-9

This book has been published in good faith that the work of the author is original. All efforts have been taken to make the material error-free. However, the author and the publisher disclaim the responsibility.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the permission, in writing, from the publisher.

All names, situations, background and content are purely the imagination of the author. There is no connection to any living or departed beings, or present or past events.

This book of short stories is dedicated to my wife, two sons and their wives. They have been my pillars of strength while writing these stories.

My special gratitude to my dearest friend, P.B.VARADHRAJ, from Mumbai. He has been a great inspiration to me. If not for his encouragement, these stories may have never seen print.

Prologue

I came to this world seventy years ago with empty fists. After seventy years, I am leaving this world with empty fists. In the intervening years I slogged to acquire money, power, wealth, friends, enemies, properties, jewelry... I did all manner of things, good and bad, to become rich. I devoted so much of my time, energy and effort to amassing wealth. I shed a lot of my own blood and spilled others’ blood too, in building my business empire. But it is ironic that I am leaving everything and departing with empty fists.

Isn’t it funny? When I was alive, I held many things in my hands: my mother, my wife, my children, cricket bat, balls, money, cars, property documents, glasses of drink, gold, jewels, etc. but now, my fists are empty!

Contents

Title

Copyright

Dedication

Prologue

A Dog’s Life

Saviour

Kindness

Marriage

Kidnap

Lockup

Treatment

Suicide

Borewell

Empty Fists

Divine Justice

My Last Journey

Stigma

Retribution

Friendship

Shattered Dreams

Whirlpool

Epilogue

A Dog’s Life

Let me lie down here on this stone platform of the veranda. Oh, it is a dog’s life for me. It is terribly hot during the day. There is no water to quench my thirst. I hate drinking the dirty gutter water, unlike my other friends. After all, I do have a standard to maintain. My throat is dry and my whole body is burning with the fierce heat. Is there no noble soul in these houses nearby to give me some water, leave alone some food to eat? Only if I sleep for some time in this shade, can I go out looking for some clean water to drink.

As I was lying down in the veranda, musing on the behavior of humans, I laughed to myself thinking of the many human beings who believe that all animals are inferior to them. They believe that humans have superior sense and that all animals are dumb, without any brains. No doubt animals cannot talk like human beings. But many animals are intelligent and have a special sense. Particularly, many dogs have sharp intuition. They can easily understand humans when they talk to each other. Some of my friends are being trained by the police. I understand from them that dogs have solved many criminal cases which could not be solved by the police. Police dogs have tracked many criminals, using their powerful sense of smell and intuition. I know that monkeys, horses, sharks, dolphins, fish and many birds are highly intelligent. Yes, they are unable to talk, express themselves, read or write, but they can outsmart humans in many matters. I am lucky to have a special talent. By sniffing a person I can tell whether he is good or evil.

Is that someone crying? I sharpen my ears and hear a girl’s sobs from a nearby house. I hear her speaking to someone.

Suresh? Where are you? I cannot bear this torture. When are you coming? My parents have gone for some wedding and now I am alone in the house. I talked to amma yesterday about us. She listened to me but she does not agree to our marrying. My father is a strict person, believes in social discipline and is very hot tempered. He will never allow a love marriage, particularly our inter-caste marriage.

There is a pause as she listens to the other person talk.

Okay Suresh, what can be done now? Are you ready to elope with me to a far off place, like you suggested two days back? We can live peacefully. You are earning from internet projects and I can find a job in an IT company. Money will not be a problem. Think and let me know in fifteen minutes.

Oh, interesting! Nice love story and the couple thinking of eloping. Let me wait and watch the fun. The cell phone rings after fifteen minutes.

Hello Suresh, tell me. Okay. Let’s meet in an hour near the town hall. I will come with a small bag of clothes. What? Yes, Father has kept some cash in the cupboard and some jewels. I will bring them. Fine. Meet me at 5 p.m. Bye.

This is getting alarming. The girl is eloping with some boy and she is carrying cash and jewelry. I must find out about the boy, whether he is good, reliable. Whether he will run away with the cash and jewelry and leave this foolish girl in the lurch. Okay. I will silently follow the girl and check out the boy and then decide what to do next.

The girl came out of the house with a small suitcase, locked the door and started walking briskly. She kept glancing on either side to see if anyone was watching her. She only saw a black puppy following a few steps behind her. She did not pay any attention to the dog. I walked slowly, keeping some distance from the girl. After about twenty minutes, she came to the town hall and stood near the steps. I saw a tall, lean boy approach her.

He said, Hello Shanti, here I am. Are you prepared to go away from this town with me? Yes, said the girl.

Have you brought the things I asked you to?

Yes, said the girl. What is the plan?

Let’s go to the bus stand, get into any long distance bus, and decide the destination later. Okay?

I went closer to the boy and sniffed at him. How revolting he smelled. I do not like the looks and the smell of this boy. He is not a good person and he will definitely ruin this girl and leave her in terrible situation. How can I save her? I cannot go to the police and tell them about the boy’s evil plan. They will merely shoo me away. To make sure, I sniffed the boy again. I pride myself on my sniffing power. If I smell a bad odor on any person, he or she will be a bad person. The boy noticed me and shooed me away.

Shanti also saw me and said to Suresh, Oh, this dog followed me from my house. Why, I don’t know. Poor thing must be hungry. Give him some biscuits.

No, he will go away, said Suresh. I was getting angry with this boy.

How much cash have you brought?

About three lakhs.

How much in jewelry?

Worth about five lakhs. Why are you asking me this? Don’t you trust me?

No, I didn’t mean it like that. Even I have brought some cash. When we go to a new place, we need funds to start life. That’s why I asked.

Let’s find out which bus goes where. Looking at Shanti’s face I could tell that she did not like the questions and answers from Suresh.

How foolish Shanti is being. Even we dogs are careful in selecting our partners. We do not allow any wild dogs, sick dogs or foul smelling ones to come near us. I must save this poor soul from calamity. The bus for Trichy was coming into the stand. In a few minutes, both Suresh and Shanti will get into the bus. After a few days of living together, Suresh will run away with the money and jewelry leaving Shanti heartbroken. How can I prevent this disaster? The bad odor emanating from Suresh was driving me crazy. They started moving towards the bus. Time was running out. Once they got on the bus, I could not stop them.

It was now or never. I ran in front of them and with furious energy, I jumped on Suresh and tore at his eyes with my claws again and again. I jumped at his body and tore into his vitals. He cried out loud and started beating me. I did not let him go, bit him again and again till blood poured from his body. There was huge cry from Suresh and Shanti. Suresh fell on the road, clutching his eyes and vitals. People came rushing to him. There was total chaos. People were shouting that the dog must be a wild one, a mad dog. I slunk away from the scene and waited at a shop nearby. Police came rushing. They called for an ambulance and took the boy to the nearest hospital. All the while, Shanti stood paralyzed, tears streaming from her eyes.

She clutched her suitcase and slowly started walking back towards her home. She decided not to go to the hospital as she was not ready to face the police and their queries. She looked back and saw that the black puppy was following her again. She hesitated for a moment and then continued walking. She silently thanked God for saving her from disaster. She realized that the dog had attacked the boy to prevent a calamity. Perhaps it was a sign that they were not meant to be together. She realized that Suresh had only shown an interest in the cash and jewelry she had brought from home. He had not asked about her feelings or revealed any plans for their future. How selfish he was!

She silently thanked the puppy for saving her from disaster. If the dog had not attacked Suresh, she would have gone with him to Trichy and what would have happened later, she could not imagine. When she reached her home, she knelt down to pat the dog.

Thank you brother, for saving me. Tears streamed down her face. I do not know your name. I will call you Raju. When you were following me to the Town hall, I ignored you, thinking that you were a stray dog. But, I realize now that Raju is my savior. Wait here.

She went inside her house. Luckily her parents had not yet returned from the wedding. Or else, it would have been very difficult and embarrassing for her to explain the suitcase she was carrying. She returned the cash and jewelry to the cupboard. She brought some biscuits, milk and bread for me. My hunger and thirst disappeared. I was about to leave the house, but Shanti hugged me again and said, Raju stay with me. I will take care of you. I need your protection from other male human dogs. Please Raju. I agreed, since I had nobody else to call my own.

I licked Shanti’s feet. I hope she will make intelligent choices in the future and find happiness in life. Maybe, it is not a dog’s life for me, after all!

Saviour

Ha, I am not a stray dog anymore, not a street dog, since last month. I have a name, Raju, and I have a sister named Shanti. In this one month, I have improved in health, put on weight and am very happy in life. My sister takes care of me and is very affectionate. She took me to an animal doctor twice and got all the tests done. The doctor has certified that I am in good health. As per his recommendation, she gives me special food, milk etc. But I do not want to relax and become fat. I go out for a walk in the mornings and the evenings. I meet my old friends and play with them. They are so happy for me - that I have found a loving sister to take care of me and to take me off the streets.

Shanti is slowly forgetting Suresh and has started working. I am taking an evening stroll in the woods nearby. This is a beautiful place with lots of trees and a stream flowing through it. What beautiful trees with thick leaves and many colored flowers! I can hear the soothing chirps of birds and the slow rumbling of stream water. I have not seen any wild animals in this forest, but we can find some deer, rare birds, etc. My friends often come to this cool area to escape the fierce heat of the summer days. Running along the narrow path, I saw a young man walking with a little girl, maybe six or seven years old. A father and his daughter walking to their nearby village, I thought. I noticed that the girl was good looking and that the man was looking furtively, this way and that. Intrigued, I caught up with them, slowly.

Suddenly I could smell a foul odor emanating from the man. I became alert.

The man was telling the girl:

Do not worry. Eat the chocolate. I will take you to your house in the village.

The girl said, Yes, uncle. I was afraid to pass through this forest. Thank you for coming with me.

The man looked at me, but ignored me, thinking that I was a stray dog jogging through the forest. Again, I was assailed by the foul smell coming from him. I concluded that he was not a good person and the girl was not safe in his company. I noticed some of my friends lying under the trees.

The man and the girl neared a bush by the side of the narrow path.

The man said, Let us sit down for some time. I am a bit tired.

Okay, said the girl, finishing the chocolate.

Come, sit closer to me. I will take care of you. Still closer.

I was hiding at the back of the bush and watching them. The girl innocently sat close to him. He slowly put his hand on her shoulder and pressed her against him. She started resisting him.

Oh, don’t worry girl. I am only protecting you from any animals. Relax.

No, uncle, I do not like you touching me.

He started sliding his hand inside her dress. She slapped his hand away, but he started exerting more pressure and slid her to the ground. The girl started crying. He covered her mouth with his hand to shut off her cries. I sensed that he was up to some evil act. I must save the poor girl from this animal. I looked around and there was no one to help the girl. The man started removing her clothes. I had to do something quickly.

I barked loudly, came out of the bush, charged at the man’s face and clawed at his eyes again and again. He shouted with fear, not expecting a ferocious animal to jump on him. I renewed my attack on his body. He screamed and tried to fling me