THE COLOR OF MY BLOOD IS STILL RED…
I always knew Babban as someone who lived life so uninhibitedly, so carefree, and so unworried. And why not, after all, he had tasted huge success in business in a very short span of time. He had accomplished such a status in the business so quickly that only a few businessmen could think of.
Though he came from a village, he had adapted to the city’s way of life very quickly. Only a few people knew that even after so much success, he still maintained a strong connection with his roots. He used to visit his native place twice or thrice a year. Whenever he was happy, he would express his feelings through his favorite songs.
That day, though I was just standing right behind him, he was so involved in singing that he did not even notice my presence.
“Maangi thi ek dua jo kabool ho gayee
(I had made a wish, which was accepted) Ummeed ki kali khil ke phool ho gayee…”
(A little bud of hope, bloomed into a flower)
I did not want to disturb his humming and break the spell of his fine mood. He was so melodious that even I started tapping lightly on my thighs, in sync with his tune.
“Hum sochte the ye dil muft mein diya
(I used to think that I gave away my heart for free) Itna haseen magar tohfa hamein mila.
(But in return, I got this beautiful gift)
Keemat hamare pyar ki wasool ho gayee
(That the price of my love was recovered in full) Maangi thi ek dua jo kabool ho gayee.”
(I had made a wish, which was accepted)
While singing, he swung around in his revolving chair and turned back to find me opposite his desk. “Oh! When did you come?” He was surprised to see me.
I smiled and said, “Rafi Sahab!” “No, Mahindra Kapoor Ji.”
“Yaar, your voice is really good. I don’t understand why you are still in this leather business? Why don’t you try your luck in singing?”
He smiled and said, “I sing songs for myself. It is a treasure that I want to share only with my loved ones. It’s not for the public.”
Very smartly he made me understand his satisfaction from the current profession and did not have any repentance for not choosing a career in singing.
“Any good news?”
He blushed and nodded. “What? Tell me, Idiot!”
We were quite close and sometimes showered abusive language on each other in a playful way.
“Your Bhabi is admitted. Nowadays doctors don’t even wait for normal delivery, they just give you a timeslot as per their convenience and go for a cesarean.” “Wow, when did it happen? Nephew or niece?” I just blurted out without thinking. It was really great news, especially because his marriage had already crossed eight years and in those eight years, I don’t even remember how many doctors he had consulted to have a baby.
He exhaled a deep breath which signified his relief and satisfaction.
“We have been blessed with a baby boy.”
“Oh, Babban! I am so happy for you. How is the mother and how is my cute little nephew?”
“Both are well by the grace of God.”
I could see happiness had descended upon his heart like a cloud of morning dew in a dell of wildflowers. I had never seen him so happy, not even on his biggest success.
He cleared his voice and said, “I need your help.” “Yeah, yeah, by all means, tell me… tell me.”
“Most of my family members in the village were not in favor of my child’s delivery in the city. As per their traditions and customs, the first baby should be born in her father’s house. I don’t buy all this and that is the reason I took a call to get her admitted to the city hospital. Now, I want to share my happiness with all my family members. I want to throw a party but possibly would not be able to manage alone, so I need your help.” “Any day, any time my friend. Just tell me in advance so that I could apply for a leave. As you know, Bosses tend to be grumpy.”
And so, his family got completed. He and his wife always remembered me on all occasions, irrespective of the ceremony. Sometimes, I also felt like an odd man out when I used to be the only person representing the friend’s fraternity in their family occasions.
After three years:
One day he called me to his house. He was looking stressed, disturbed, and restless but pretended to be normal.
“What happened my tiger?”
He remained silent for a few seconds and then, in a hesitated voice he said, “Brother, I need a business loan and you have to help me, please.”
“Loan? Why do you require a loan? Are you planning to put up a factory or what?”
“No brother. The government has given the ultimatum to shift the leather business from Tangra to Bantala. In this transition, I could not complete one big order and due to this, huge money got stuck in the market. I am confident that it is a temporary phase. Everything will fall in place in a few days. I need some money for executing the pending order.”
I decided to help him. I knew the kind of record he had with our Bank, he would surely get the loan hassle- free. While I was filling his application form, his wife Rishita appeared and asked, “Bhaiya, how much loan is he applying for?”
“Twenty lacs.”
“Twenty lacs… but why? As far as I know, he requires only seven or eight lacs for completing his pending order.”
I could see the frustration on her face and helplessness on Babban’s face. I was sure that Babban had never expected his wife to react like this in front of me. Though I was very close to their family, I was no one to know all their internal matters. It was an awkward situation for me, too.
She turned towards Babban and asked, “Why are you doing all this?”
“What?”
“Why such a huge loan?” “You know very well.” “No, I don’t know.”
I was finding it very inconvenient and decided to leave them alone for this discussion. So, I stood up and conveyed the same, “Aaah… I think I should come some other day.”
“No, Bhaiya, you please make him understand. What is he going to do?”
