THE UNWANTED

CHAPTER 25

Ramu, in his early fifties with all that thick beard and moustaches is seeing the world with the curious eyes of a child. As he looks around, he wonders how the world has changed and how different it looks. He's back again in those shabby pants and shirt in which he was arrested twelve years back and was confined to a jail. He was returned his Rs.800/- which he had in his trouser pocket at that time.

"The value of money is no more the same," he thinks while sitting at a small eatery and the bill for eating six chappatis and half plate of chicken dish came out to be Rs.350/-

"I used to spend a good whole week with just Rs.600/- in the pocket. Now everyone talks in thousands. Strange!!" he exclaimed.

In the last twelve years of his life, Ramu was completely cut off from society-he had spent nearly more than one decade of his life languishing behind bars. After eating to his heart's content he made his way to the nearest metro station to catch a train to his home in Jahangirpuri, where he thought that Gauri must be waiting for him anxiously over there. As he reached his destination, he found the door of his house to be locked. He went to the neighbor aunty's house only to find that she's no more in this world. She had died seven years back. He thought of going to his landlord's house which was in the next block. Reaching there, he knocked the door of the landlord's house. After a few minutes a frail looking old man in his late sixties came out to meet him.

"Yes, what can I do for you?" enquired the man in his feeble voice.

Ramu could recognize the features of his landlord. He wished him with folded hands.

"Namaste Sahib, don't you recognize me? I am Ramu, your tenant who was staying with my wife Gauri in room no.4 in the next block say about twelve years back."

The old man kept on staring at Ramu with eyes full of surprise. At last, when he recognized him he said, "But your wife vacated the room nearly eleven years back. I'd heard that she was working somewhere in Chandni Chowk in a garments shop. You better check over there and you'll find your wife." Saying this he turned back to bolt the door of his house.

Ramu kept on standing like a fool at his doorstep for a few minutes, not knowing what to do. After sometime he decided to go to Chandni Chowk and search for Gauri. He boarded the metro to reach the place. On reaching, he started visiting each and every garment shop asking about Gauri, whether she worked there or not but was given a blatant refusal by all. Ultimately, he reached the store where Gauri used to work. He wanted to make a last try. The doorman at the big store was quite an old man and seemed as if he'd been working there for a long time.

"Chacha," addressing the old man he asked, "Does a woman named Gauri work here?"

The old man sternly looked into his eyes and said, "Yes, she used to, but from the last more than ten years she is our employer's wife. Our employer married her long time back as he himself was a widower."

Ramu stood there dumbfounded, struggling to come to terms with reality. Reintegration for him was not easy.

He trudged his way to the main Old Delhi Railway Station where he laid down himself on the platform floor to spend the night. Next day morning after buying a glass of tea and some bread from the railway vendor he made his way again to the bazaars of Chandni Chowk making desperate attempts to find a job for himself, but seeing his condition of shabbily dressed and a big beard flowing freely on his face, he was denied the job in any of the outlets over there.

"But, where do I get a job? I neither have money nor do I know which job will I fit into," thought Ramu murmuring to himself.

With none to look forward for and in a state of confusion he decided to go back to his village. In the evening and with whatever meager sum of Rs.430/- left in his pocket, he boarded the state transport bus for village Shamli, buying the ticket for Rs.410/-. It was an overnight journey; he sat by the window of the bus. As the bus picked up speed and the wind brushed upon his face, his head started swirling in thoughts and tears welled up eyes.