CONTINUED FROM 'THE QUEST - PART 1'
"At last...!" Jolly exclaimed heaving a sigh of relief as the airplane touched down at the Indira Gandhi International Airport at New Delhi, the Capital City of India. As he was not used to traveling long distances for hours together at one stretch, he found the journey a sheer torture. To avoid inconvenience of changing flights, the Quest coordinators had booked a direct flight for Jolly and Shankar from Edinburgh to New Delhi. The 10 hours 15 minutes journey had had a bad effect on his mind and body. As he never got pally with the travelers while travelling he had managed to watch 3 movies back to back; had dosed down 5 cups of tea and a small bottle of liquor; and the rest of the journey was spent snoozing. During the journey he had managed to learn from Shankar that they would be travelling to Ahmadabad the Capital City of Gujarat after two days of rest in New Delhi. As Jolly and Shankar were not of the same temperament, Jolly kept to himself and Shankar had befriended a couple of Indian travelers. Jolly missed his ever dear companions, the cell phone, laptop and books which he normally carried while travelling. It was Shankar who brought the Questor out of his sleep when the flight reached its destination.
When Jolly moved out of the flight it was 4 A.M. in the morning.The cool breeze that blew across his face was quite refreshing. He realised that his body had stiffened due to the journey and jet lag had set in. Both Jolly and Shankar checked into a Hotel Lodge. It was a room for two. As they walked into the room Jolly very condescendingly asked Shankar, "Are we staying together?"
"Yes Mr. Joshi, for 2 days and 2 nights." replied Shankar as a matter of fact.
Jolly remembered sharing his room with his parents as a kid and once he turned into an adult it was either his best pal Vicky or the gorgeous birds.
"I would like to have a separate room for myself," said Jolly haughtily.
Shankar was amused on seeing the Quester's high headed nature and coolly retorted, "Let me remind you Mr. Joshi, your Quest has already begun. You are not entitled to a luxurious life at present. If luxury is what you want, you will have to earn it in the due course," to which Jolly rolled his eyes, while Shankar continued, "We will be off to Ahmadabad the day after tomorrow in the morning where you will be starting your new life."
That day Jolly spent his time sleeping till he felt re-energised.
The day Jolly and Shankar flew to Ahmadabad, as there was minimum interaction between them, Jolly was surprised when Shankar led him into the Ahmadabad Government Hospital. With a confused look on his face Jolly asked Shankar, "Why here?"
"It's from here your new life will begin."
Shankar soon left Jolly waiting seated on a chair which was attached to some vacant chairs on the first floor corridor of the building. Shankar had gone looking for a man who would be helping Jolly in starting his new life. The smell of dettol and other medicines induced a feeling of nausea and Jolly's eyes started searching for a wash room from where he was seated, but couldn't find one. As the hospital was bustling with activities, he found doctors, nurses, cleaners, patients and many others moving around at their own pace. A group of men who were dressed shabbily occupied the chairs beside his. More over two of the men looked extremely sick. The snob in Jolly prompted him to move away from the crowd immediately. With a sense of disgust Jolly stood at a distance waiting for Shankar.
Shankar entered the corridor talking to a young man who was presumably in his early 30's, lean, tall, dark and had a worn out look on his face. As they neared the row of chairs Shankar realised that jolly was standing at a distance inspite of a vacant chair available. To have glimpsed a part of the Quester's nature, Shankar had a mocking smile on his face and shaking his head muttered, "Very Difficult!" Jolly was relieved to see Shankar and had every intention of leaving the building immediately. As the duo approached Jolly, Shankar introduced the young man as Sikandar, the Head Room Boy who worked at the 5 star hotel 'Arabian Nights'. He further let him know that Sikandar's father was admitted to the hospital as he had problems with his liver due to binge drinking. Jolly merely looked at Sikandar like as if he was a tree standing on the road side. While Sikandar who couldn't understand much of what they conversed in English in a hurried manner had a meek smile on his face.
"Sikander will help you in finding a job. After which you are on your own. To the present world your past is unknown as you have had a memory loss due to an accident and no one has come forward to claim you so far. You have waited for a long time for your family and now you are on a look out for a job to start a new life. The words 'Treasure Trove' will be spoken into your watch only in a life threatening situation or if you wish to quit the expedition. We will keep a track on your whereabouts and interactions. So cheating will cost you the Treasure. We will approach you when we feel that you are eligible to move ahead with the Quest. Do not expect the expedition to be easy. You are now all by yourself. Wish you good luck!", with the final information imparted, Shankar shook hands with Jolly as a sign of fair well and turned towards Sikandar who was by then lost in his own thoughts. Shankar's words in the language Hindi pulled him out from his world as he said, "Sikandar this is Rishab, the man whom I spoke to you about. You will get a handsome payment once you find a good job for him. As soon as he starts working he will take care of himself. After which he is no more your responsibility."
With a surprised look on his face as he looked on at Jolly, Sikandar said, "But Sir, this man looks like he comes from a good family. Do you think he will be able to work in a hotel as a room boy?"
At his words Shankar laughed and with amusement he replied, "If a man wants to earn a living and lead a satisfied life, he will consider no profession as big or small. At present he needs a job. See what you can do for him. Wish you good luck!"
After which both Sikandar and Jolly strode out of the hospital premises into the busy streets of Ahmadabad.
Our protagonist Jolly aka Rishab had to compensate with destiny for the sheer love of owning the Treasure Trove by acquiring a job as a Room Boy at the 5 star hotel 'Arabian Nights'. He found the first week of his new career torture some. Dusting the rooms; emptying the dust bins; changing the bed covers; catering to the customers needs; being bossed over by his superiors and customers whom Rishab considered as imbeciles, were all a horrendous experience. Imagine a King taking the place of a Manual Laborer overnight. It would be as if a King sized Ego that had been well fed over many years being crushed instantly under a Road Roller. For the royal life that Rishab aka Jolly had led, his present condition made him feel like a beggar. His reluctance to attend to some of the chores; his scornful attitude towards the room boys and the customers had put him into practically everyone's bad books. He had earned the nick names, 'your highness', 'high headed prince', 'fuss pot', and many others. Some of the room boys being aware of the consequences would deliberately call Rishab by the nick names. After which they would enjoy seeing him burn with fury. This would further lead to hatred in Rishab towards the lot.
When Rishab realised that the remuneration at the hotel would amount to the money he used to buy his cigarettes back in London, he was determined to find other ways to earn some extra money. But he was in no condition to apply for any job as he had no legal identity with regard to his education or even his nationality. That made him feel like an alien dropped on earth from a different planet. As he had no friends in the city he missed his cell phone and laptop that were once upon a time his constant companions. Their absence were driving him insane. He was determined to own both as soon as possible. When he reluctantly approached Sikandar seeking help with regard to the additional job, the Senior Room Boy with a sense of scorn said, "Get Lost!"
With no other go Rishab ultimately approached the building watch man for help with whom he normally did not interact. He cringed and covered his nose at the smell of the beetle leaves emitted from the watch man's mouth as he opened it to speak with a snobbish look on his face.
"I don't work for free. When I find a job for you, your first salary comes to me," said the watch man taking advantage of Rishab's helplessness.
On hearing this, anger flared up in Rishab's mind. As he had no other go, he closed the deal with an, "Alright!"
The watch man was instrumental in finding a night watch man's job for Rishab in an apartment. Rishab soon found himself running errands at the apartment after the day shift in the hotel. In two weeks time he was frustrated with his life. He wanted to quit and many a times he had caught himself chanting the words 'Tresure Trove' in hushed tones. But as he honed the 'do or die' attitude, he patiently persisted his mission.
One night Rishab had stretched himself on a mat and was fast asleep after a day's hard work near the entrance door of the apartment. The sound of footsteps that were hurrying and jumping down the stair case woke him up. When he checked the watch it showed 1 A.M. He saw a boy who seemed to be in his late teens run out of the building.
Rishab got up and bellowed with concern at the boy, "Is everything alright?"
At this the boy turned his head looked at the watch man without stopping and increased his speed. He had gone out of the gate when Rishab realised that something was terribly wrong. He ran after the teenager as fast as he could. He finally managed to catch hold of the boy. He realised that the boy was no stranger but a resident of the apartment and was crying.
The teenager was taken by surprise and started shouting, "Leave me, let me go!" as he made every attempt to fight away the watch man from his firm grasp.
Rishab knew the boy would put himself in deeper peril if he lets him go than he already was in and so he kept dragging him into the apartment building. He could feel the boy slipping away from his clutches like an eel as the teenager kept fighting while he was being dragged.
"I wish I had more strength. I shall join the gym once I have the money to afford it," thought Rishab as he was struggling with the young man.
As they neared the door of the building the boy stopped struggling and stayed limp in Rishab's arms. Rishab felt like he was dragging a dead body and was horror struck. But the boy's gentle breathing brought him the realisation that the boy had had a swooning fit. Our strong watch man dragged the troubled teenager into the building with great effort and laid him on the floor. As Rishab had not encountered such a situation in the past he panicked. He soon found himself splashing water on the boys face. The boy immediately recovered and sat up with his face dripping with water. When he realised where he was he started crying. Our watch man didn't know what to do. He knew the boy would run away if he were left alone, so Rishab didn't dare to go seek help.
"What happened? You can tell me. I can help you." Rishab spoke to the boy in the language Hindi.
"Leave me alone! Nobody asked you to bring me back." told the boy as he cried.
"Why? What happened?" persisted Rishab with concern.
"Go away, you will not understand!" told the boy, who was now irritated.
Rishab who was seated beside the boy waited till he had calmed down. He realised that the boy's family members had not come down looking for him, probably they were not aware of him running away and were fast asleep.
He finally told the young man, "you will feel better if you confide in me. I might be able to help you. I promise I will not tell anyone. Your family seems to be asleep. I will not let them know of the night's happenings or to anybody else. You can trust me."
"You can't help me, even if I let you know."
"Try me!"
After a long pause which seemed like the boy was contemplating on letting out his pain to the kind man who appeared more like a person who was in the wrong place and in the wrong profession. He finally asked, "you promise you will not let my family or anyone know anything about what I am going to tell you?"
"I Promise, I won't tell."
The boy hesitatingly opened up at his own pace with sobs and sniffles intermittently. Rishab learnt that the boy's name was Tausif Khan. He was the son of Mr. Khan a garment merchant who owned a big showroom in the heart of the city. Mr. Khan wanted his son to study well and take over his business in the future. But Tausif always dreamed of pursuing the sport Cricket as his carrier. Back in school he was the Captain of the cricket team and so was he in college. Currently he was a part of the prestigious 'Youth Cricket State Level Team'. Off late he couldn't concentrate on his practice as he had to give more time for his studies as he couldn't understand the subjects and now he despised them. He also found it difficult to pass the papers in the exams because of which he was chided at home and scorned by his class mates. This had reduced his self esteem and had effected his performance in every aspect of his life.
"I can't go on like this any more. I have had enough," the boy finally said with a sigh.
Rishab empathised with the boy and asked, "So your father wants you to pass the papers, right?"
"That's right!"
"What if I go through your books and teach you?"
"Good joke!" saying that the Tausif let out a meek laugh.
"No seriously. More over there is nothing you would lose if I go through your books, isn't it?"
"Have you even passed your 10th class?" asked the boy with amusement.
Putting a hand on the boy's shoulder, Rishab ignoring the question, with a big grin on his face said, "Boy you have no idea how good I am with numbers. So much so I don't need a calculator for every silly maths problem."
Tausif was sure the man was bluffing. He knew the watch man would appear shame faced when he will not be able to keep up his word. The teenager who had now recovered completely from his depression, thought he would have some fun with the watch man and said, "I shall hand over only one book tomorrow evening as soon as you come for work. I want you to return it to me by 10 tomorrow night. You have no idea how strict my father is with regard to my studies."
"Sure, I'll do that," replied Rishab.
After which both of them tip toed to Tausif's flat in silence. Rishab saw to it that the boy was safe inside his home which was still deep in slumber.
***CONTINUED IN 'THE QUEST - PART 3***
"At last...!" Jolly exclaimed heaving a sigh of relief as the airplane touched down at the Indira Gandhi International Airport at New Delhi, the Capital City of India. As he was not used to traveling long distances for hours together at one stretch, he found the journey a sheer torture. To avoid inconvenience of changing flights, the Quest coordinators had booked a direct flight for Jolly and Shankar from Edinburgh to New Delhi. The 10 hours 15 minutes journey had had a bad effect on his mind and body. As he never got pally with the travelers while travelling he had managed to watch 3 movies back to back; had dosed down 5 cups of tea and a small bottle of liquor; and the rest of the journey was spent snoozing. During the journey he had managed to learn from Shankar that they would be travelling to Ahmadabad the Capital City of Gujarat after two days of rest in New Delhi. As Jolly and Shankar were not of the same temperament, Jolly kept to himself and Shankar had befriended a couple of Indian travelers. Jolly missed his ever dear companions, the cell phone, laptop and books which he normally carried while travelling. It was Shankar who brought the Questor out of his sleep when the flight reached its destination.
When Jolly moved out of the flight it was 4 A.M. in the morning.The cool breeze that blew across his face was quite refreshing. He realised that his body had stiffened due to the journey and jet lag had set in. Both Jolly and Shankar checked into a Hotel Lodge. It was a room for two. As they walked into the room Jolly very condescendingly asked Shankar, "Are we staying together?"
"Yes Mr. Joshi, for 2 days and 2 nights." replied Shankar as a matter of fact.
Jolly remembered sharing his room with his parents as a kid and once he turned into an adult it was either his best pal Vicky or the gorgeous birds.
"I would like to have a separate room for myself," said Jolly haughtily.
Shankar was amused on seeing the Quester's high headed nature and coolly retorted, "Let me remind you Mr. Joshi, your Quest has already begun. You are not entitled to a luxurious life at present. If luxury is what you want, you will have to earn it in the due course," to which Jolly rolled his eyes, while Shankar continued, "We will be off to Ahmadabad the day after tomorrow in the morning where you will be starting your new life."
That day Jolly spent his time sleeping till he felt re-energised.
The day Jolly and Shankar flew to Ahmadabad, as there was minimum interaction between them, Jolly was surprised when Shankar led him into the Ahmadabad Government Hospital. With a confused look on his face Jolly asked Shankar, "Why here?"
"It's from here your new life will begin."
Shankar soon left Jolly waiting seated on a chair which was attached to some vacant chairs on the first floor corridor of the building. Shankar had gone looking for a man who would be helping Jolly in starting his new life. The smell of dettol and other medicines induced a feeling of nausea and Jolly's eyes started searching for a wash room from where he was seated, but couldn't find one. As the hospital was bustling with activities, he found doctors, nurses, cleaners, patients and many others moving around at their own pace. A group of men who were dressed shabbily occupied the chairs beside his. More over two of the men looked extremely sick. The snob in Jolly prompted him to move away from the crowd immediately. With a sense of disgust Jolly stood at a distance waiting for Shankar.
Shankar entered the corridor talking to a young man who was presumably in his early 30's, lean, tall, dark and had a worn out look on his face. As they neared the row of chairs Shankar realised that jolly was standing at a distance inspite of a vacant chair available. To have glimpsed a part of the Quester's nature, Shankar had a mocking smile on his face and shaking his head muttered, "Very Difficult!" Jolly was relieved to see Shankar and had every intention of leaving the building immediately. As the duo approached Jolly, Shankar introduced the young man as Sikandar, the Head Room Boy who worked at the 5 star hotel 'Arabian Nights'. He further let him know that Sikandar's father was admitted to the hospital as he had problems with his liver due to binge drinking. Jolly merely looked at Sikandar like as if he was a tree standing on the road side. While Sikandar who couldn't understand much of what they conversed in English in a hurried manner had a meek smile on his face.
"Sikander will help you in finding a job. After which you are on your own. To the present world your past is unknown as you have had a memory loss due to an accident and no one has come forward to claim you so far. You have waited for a long time for your family and now you are on a look out for a job to start a new life. The words 'Treasure Trove' will be spoken into your watch only in a life threatening situation or if you wish to quit the expedition. We will keep a track on your whereabouts and interactions. So cheating will cost you the Treasure. We will approach you when we feel that you are eligible to move ahead with the Quest. Do not expect the expedition to be easy. You are now all by yourself. Wish you good luck!", with the final information imparted, Shankar shook hands with Jolly as a sign of fair well and turned towards Sikandar who was by then lost in his own thoughts. Shankar's words in the language Hindi pulled him out from his world as he said, "Sikandar this is Rishab, the man whom I spoke to you about. You will get a handsome payment once you find a good job for him. As soon as he starts working he will take care of himself. After which he is no more your responsibility."
With a surprised look on his face as he looked on at Jolly, Sikandar said, "But Sir, this man looks like he comes from a good family. Do you think he will be able to work in a hotel as a room boy?"
At his words Shankar laughed and with amusement he replied, "If a man wants to earn a living and lead a satisfied life, he will consider no profession as big or small. At present he needs a job. See what you can do for him. Wish you good luck!"
After which both Sikandar and Jolly strode out of the hospital premises into the busy streets of Ahmadabad.
Our protagonist Jolly aka Rishab had to compensate with destiny for the sheer love of owning the Treasure Trove by acquiring a job as a Room Boy at the 5 star hotel 'Arabian Nights'. He found the first week of his new career torture some. Dusting the rooms; emptying the dust bins; changing the bed covers; catering to the customers needs; being bossed over by his superiors and customers whom Rishab considered as imbeciles, were all a horrendous experience. Imagine a King taking the place of a Manual Laborer overnight. It would be as if a King sized Ego that had been well fed over many years being crushed instantly under a Road Roller. For the royal life that Rishab aka Jolly had led, his present condition made him feel like a beggar. His reluctance to attend to some of the chores; his scornful attitude towards the room boys and the customers had put him into practically everyone's bad books. He had earned the nick names, 'your highness', 'high headed prince', 'fuss pot', and many others. Some of the room boys being aware of the consequences would deliberately call Rishab by the nick names. After which they would enjoy seeing him burn with fury. This would further lead to hatred in Rishab towards the lot.
When Rishab realised that the remuneration at the hotel would amount to the money he used to buy his cigarettes back in London, he was determined to find other ways to earn some extra money. But he was in no condition to apply for any job as he had no legal identity with regard to his education or even his nationality. That made him feel like an alien dropped on earth from a different planet. As he had no friends in the city he missed his cell phone and laptop that were once upon a time his constant companions. Their absence were driving him insane. He was determined to own both as soon as possible. When he reluctantly approached Sikandar seeking help with regard to the additional job, the Senior Room Boy with a sense of scorn said, "Get Lost!"
With no other go Rishab ultimately approached the building watch man for help with whom he normally did not interact. He cringed and covered his nose at the smell of the beetle leaves emitted from the watch man's mouth as he opened it to speak with a snobbish look on his face.
"I don't work for free. When I find a job for you, your first salary comes to me," said the watch man taking advantage of Rishab's helplessness.
On hearing this, anger flared up in Rishab's mind. As he had no other go, he closed the deal with an, "Alright!"
The watch man was instrumental in finding a night watch man's job for Rishab in an apartment. Rishab soon found himself running errands at the apartment after the day shift in the hotel. In two weeks time he was frustrated with his life. He wanted to quit and many a times he had caught himself chanting the words 'Tresure Trove' in hushed tones. But as he honed the 'do or die' attitude, he patiently persisted his mission.
One night Rishab had stretched himself on a mat and was fast asleep after a day's hard work near the entrance door of the apartment. The sound of footsteps that were hurrying and jumping down the stair case woke him up. When he checked the watch it showed 1 A.M. He saw a boy who seemed to be in his late teens run out of the building.
Rishab got up and bellowed with concern at the boy, "Is everything alright?"
At this the boy turned his head looked at the watch man without stopping and increased his speed. He had gone out of the gate when Rishab realised that something was terribly wrong. He ran after the teenager as fast as he could. He finally managed to catch hold of the boy. He realised that the boy was no stranger but a resident of the apartment and was crying.
The teenager was taken by surprise and started shouting, "Leave me, let me go!" as he made every attempt to fight away the watch man from his firm grasp.
Rishab knew the boy would put himself in deeper peril if he lets him go than he already was in and so he kept dragging him into the apartment building. He could feel the boy slipping away from his clutches like an eel as the teenager kept fighting while he was being dragged.
"I wish I had more strength. I shall join the gym once I have the money to afford it," thought Rishab as he was struggling with the young man.
As they neared the door of the building the boy stopped struggling and stayed limp in Rishab's arms. Rishab felt like he was dragging a dead body and was horror struck. But the boy's gentle breathing brought him the realisation that the boy had had a swooning fit. Our strong watch man dragged the troubled teenager into the building with great effort and laid him on the floor. As Rishab had not encountered such a situation in the past he panicked. He soon found himself splashing water on the boys face. The boy immediately recovered and sat up with his face dripping with water. When he realised where he was he started crying. Our watch man didn't know what to do. He knew the boy would run away if he were left alone, so Rishab didn't dare to go seek help.
"What happened? You can tell me. I can help you." Rishab spoke to the boy in the language Hindi.
"Leave me alone! Nobody asked you to bring me back." told the boy as he cried.
"Why? What happened?" persisted Rishab with concern.
"Go away, you will not understand!" told the boy, who was now irritated.
Rishab who was seated beside the boy waited till he had calmed down. He realised that the boy's family members had not come down looking for him, probably they were not aware of him running away and were fast asleep.
He finally told the young man, "you will feel better if you confide in me. I might be able to help you. I promise I will not tell anyone. Your family seems to be asleep. I will not let them know of the night's happenings or to anybody else. You can trust me."
"You can't help me, even if I let you know."
"Try me!"
After a long pause which seemed like the boy was contemplating on letting out his pain to the kind man who appeared more like a person who was in the wrong place and in the wrong profession. He finally asked, "you promise you will not let my family or anyone know anything about what I am going to tell you?"
"I Promise, I won't tell."
The boy hesitatingly opened up at his own pace with sobs and sniffles intermittently. Rishab learnt that the boy's name was Tausif Khan. He was the son of Mr. Khan a garment merchant who owned a big showroom in the heart of the city. Mr. Khan wanted his son to study well and take over his business in the future. But Tausif always dreamed of pursuing the sport Cricket as his carrier. Back in school he was the Captain of the cricket team and so was he in college. Currently he was a part of the prestigious 'Youth Cricket State Level Team'. Off late he couldn't concentrate on his practice as he had to give more time for his studies as he couldn't understand the subjects and now he despised them. He also found it difficult to pass the papers in the exams because of which he was chided at home and scorned by his class mates. This had reduced his self esteem and had effected his performance in every aspect of his life.
"I can't go on like this any more. I have had enough," the boy finally said with a sigh.
Rishab empathised with the boy and asked, "So your father wants you to pass the papers, right?"
"That's right!"
"What if I go through your books and teach you?"
"Good joke!" saying that the Tausif let out a meek laugh.
"No seriously. More over there is nothing you would lose if I go through your books, isn't it?"
"Have you even passed your 10th class?" asked the boy with amusement.
Putting a hand on the boy's shoulder, Rishab ignoring the question, with a big grin on his face said, "Boy you have no idea how good I am with numbers. So much so I don't need a calculator for every silly maths problem."
Tausif was sure the man was bluffing. He knew the watch man would appear shame faced when he will not be able to keep up his word. The teenager who had now recovered completely from his depression, thought he would have some fun with the watch man and said, "I shall hand over only one book tomorrow evening as soon as you come for work. I want you to return it to me by 10 tomorrow night. You have no idea how strict my father is with regard to my studies."
"Sure, I'll do that," replied Rishab.
After which both of them tip toed to Tausif's flat in silence. Rishab saw to it that the boy was safe inside his home which was still deep in slumber.
***CONTINUED IN 'THE QUEST - PART 3***
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