The landlord had Hindi daily the Dainik Bhaskar every day at his home. Shyam instructed the delivery boy to drop him a copy of the Tribune which is an English paper. He would read each ad in the Tribune classified and present for interviews. Because of his high scholastic average and involvement of tutoring, he could clear oral questions with ease but his performance at practical tests remained poor as he had no practical involvement of accounting work and he had to face a practical test on Tally. He could do correct entries of double entries of bookkeeping and accounting but his speed was miserably poor. Shyam knew Tally, but he had never worked on it except showing demo to his students how to do double entries on the Tally. He appeared for ten interviews but none offered him a job. Shyam also tried a couple of call centres and they were ready to offer him a job but the pay they offered was just Rs. 5000 per month. His continuous struggles to get job lasted for fifteen days and all in vain.
Once again in his way of life, he was invaded with a feeling of despair. He had no companions in Chandigarh, no one to talk to. His relation with family had been cut already when he did rebel against his father for Archana. Archana’s father was with Archana at her room so he could not call or meet Archana and he was so stressful for his unemployment hence he didn’t feel any wish to meet or even call her. He remained closed in his room all day, and at noon and evening he would skid out to have his lunch and dinner at the crowded restaurants of the Khuda.
At the end of the month, Shyam’s fund was running out. He would have turned to a cheaper- room, but there were no cheaper places. Shyam had no habit of breakfast and he started to skip lunch. Now he was not able to afford the dinner at Khuda which cost Rs. 50 for the full dinner plate. He discovered the Sai food corner and Vahe Guru Dhaba at Naya Gaav, where for a small sum he could take the primary course, six chapatis he could eat, and a full bowl of vegetables and a plate of dal-chaval and the buttermilk he could drink. Shyam hated buttermilk as both outlets serve sour and stale buttermilk, but it was supplying. He had to pay only Rs. 30 and two kilometres walk up and down from Khuda to Naya Gaav. He slipped out the room at evening and came back home at late night exhausted of the four-kilometre walk. The drunken who filled the night never confronted him. Perhaps they saw their own heartache and despair echoed in his eyes. They could never know the hangout in his eyes was not due to the drug or wine but the hang out was of love, love toward his Archana.
Over and over, as he strayed, Shyam would visualize the past in his mind, repeatedly adjusting the ending. “Dad, I want to marry a handicapped girl whom I love.”
“Great. I am proud of you, my son. Our Kajal was also disabled. Disability isn’t a curse. Who is she?”
Kajal was…. No Kajal is… it should be is.
“Dad, I want to marry a handicapped girl whom I love.”
“great, I am proud of you, my son. Our Kajal is also disabled and leading a happy married life with her husband. Disability isn’t a curse.”
“Shyam, My dad is happy to hear you want to marry me. Next month my dad will come to see you and to discuss with your father.”
“Shyam, my father got invitation cards printed. Archana weds Shyam. Have you?”
“No, We will get tomorrow but our invitation card reads Shyam weds Archana. Ha, ha, ha.”
“Dad, I am going to invite Kajal.”
He could edit the past as many times as he liked, but nothing was changed. Kajal’s suicide! Rameshwar Shastri, obstinate and inveterate! Archana’s father a bullheaded one!
All are adamant!
I should ask Archana for some financial help.
No, I will be tough. The same blood I have in my veins Rameshwar Shastri has. I never allow myself bending. I will fight the situation against. Filled with a fresh sense of firmness, Shyam bought a copy of the Chandigarh Evening and started to look through the want ads. He commenced making a series of calls number granted in the classified column. It was not until he was near the bottom of the page he got across a short ad that he studied: Wanted- An accountant cum relationship executive, eloquence in English must, B.R. Safety Materials Pvt Ltd, Mani-Majra, Chd.
The last line suited to Shyam enormously. He had fluency in English. He separated the ad and fled for the address specified. It was twelve km distant from Khuda.
It was an old-fashioned business complex. The office was on the third floor and the light on the board reads B.R. Safety materials Pvt lots, Chandigarh Branch office.
He restored the receiver and faced up and saw Shyam. He smiled and signed Shyam to have a chair. Shyam sat on a chair against his desk. He started, “What can I do for you, Sir?”
Shyam prayed to God in his heart, freed the exit and stepped in. he was standing in the heart of a small hall. There were a desk and three armchairs, one of them owned. The man at the desk was of his age- thirty.he had black hair and black glistening eyes but his skin was pale and freaked unmatching his age. He was dressed in formal loose pant and shirt and leather sandals. He was speaking into the phone. “We have dispatched the materials yesterday evening…. No, no. Don’t worry…. You will surely have materials delivered at your location by the evening.”
He restored the receiver and faced up and saw Shyam. He smiled and signed Shyam to have a chair. Shyam sat on a chair against his desk. He started, “What can I do for you, Sir?”
Shyam took a deep breath and said, “I came about your ad- accountant you require.”
The man rose to his feet and went into a cabin right side of the desk where Shyam was seated. He came out after a while and instructed Shyam to go in.
Shyam went in. The interviewer was an old man over sixty. He was satisfied with the oral interview. This company’s accounting kept in Busy instead of Tally.
“Do you know Busy?”
“No, but I know Tally.” Shyam took a deep breath.
“Busy is similar to Tally. You can work easily on Busy if you know Tally. Your speed of work may be slow for a week but you can get pace after a week.”
“I will” Shyam replied firmly.
The old man selected Shyam and offered him salary Rs. 10,000 per month.
Shyam got a job now.
He came delighted and dancing in the room.
“I got a job. I could not call you due to the tension of the job. Joining from the first of April.” He shared the good news with Archana.
“Papa was here so I could not contact you. Sorry. Papa has just left for the village.”
“I want to meet you.”
“At the evening we will meet.”
“Okay.” he disconnected the call dreaming about the tasty lunch as he had decided he would take lunch at Khuda. He could now able to pay Rs. 50 for the lunch and he could buy flavoured buttermilk to drink.
***
To be continue...
