डरपोक कहीं का

उस दिन सुबह हुई तो देखा बाहर बारिश हो रही है 

हर दिन की तरह दफ्तर जाने की तैयारी में जुट गया मैं

नहा -धो के , इस्तिरी किये हुए कपड़े पहन , नाश्ता किया 

घर से निकलने से पहले एक बार खिड़की से बहार झाँकने गया 

यह देखने की कहीं  बारिश कुछ कम हुई या नहीं

मुंबई की बारिश है जनाब , इतनी जल्दी कम नहीं होती

पहले बारिश को कोस रहा था की दफ्तर के रास्तों में जाम लग जायेगा

फिर जाने क्यों बारिश को थोड़ा निहारने लगा

तभी अचानक एक लड़का मेरी अपनी खिड़की से बहार कूद गया

जाने कहाँ से आया था वो?

तेज़ बारिश में खड़े होकर और भीगते हुए उसने मुझे इशारा किया …

बाहर आओ और खेलो मेरे साथ

मैंने हाथ को सर की तरफ इशारा करते हुए कहा …पागल है क्या ?

इतनी  बारिश में बाहर? अभी मुझे दफ्तर जाना है , काम करना है

अब उस लड़के ने ज़ोर से दस्तक दी … बहुत मज़्ज़ा आएगा …बाहर आके तो देखो

पागल है क्या ? इन  साफ़ –सुतरे कपड़ों में मैं नहीं आ सकता और दफ्तर में बहुत काम है

अब उस लड़के ने एक पत्थर मेरी तरफ फेंका और बोला …. डरपोक कहीं का!

मैं और डरपोक … कभी नहीं … अभी आता हूँ तुझे सबक सिखाने 

बस फिर क्या था , मैं उन्ही कपड़ों में दरवाज़ा खोल, बाहर निकल गया

न छतरी, न रेनकोट …मैं उस की ललकार सुनके मुसलाधार बारिश में निकल पड़ा

अब दिखाता हूँ तुझे …डरपोक बोला तूने किस को

मैं उस लड़के की तरफ आगे बड़ा  और जैसे ही पास पहुंचा

वह ज़ोर ज़ोर से मट्टी में पड़े  कीचड़ में कूदने लगा

कीचड़ छिड़कने लगा और मेरे कपड़े  जो अब तक गीले थे , अब मैले भी हो गए

गुस्सा छोड़ो और मेरी तरह एक बार कूदके तो देखो

मुझे जाने क्या हो गया और मैं भी एक बार कूदा

और फिर कूदता ही गया … जाने क्यों

मेरा गुस्सा अब शांत हो गया था 

अब मैं उस लड़के की नक़ल करने लगा

लड़का अब  एक पेड़ की ओर चलने लगा …वो आगे आगे , मैं पीछे- पीछे

उसने नीचे पड़े दो जामुन उठा लिए और एक मुझे दे दिया

बिना साफ़ किये , मैंने जामुन को मुँह में ढाल दिया …बहुत अच्छा लगा

एक से दो और दो से चार जामुन खाता  चला गया

अब वो लड़का जामुन के पेड़ पे चढ़ने लगा

और मैं उसके पीछे पीछे …

थोड़ी देर में उस लड़के ने पेड़ पे दो रस्सियां लगा दी और झूला बना दिया

मैं उसको ढकेलता बारी बारी … हर बार कुछ ज़्यादा ज़ोर से

लड़का बहुत खुश होता और चीख  लगाता मेरे हर धक्के पे

नीचे काफी पानी जमा हो गया था और हम उसपे चलने लगे

कुछ गाड़ियां  पास से गुज़री और हम पर पानी के छोटे सैलाब छिड़कते  चले  गए 

पानी बहुत मैला था , पर हम को कोई फ़िक्र न थी

अब उस लड़के ने एक छोटा लोहे का सरिया अपने पिटारे से निकला

और मट्टी में फेंकता हुआ , गाढ़ता   हुआ आगे चला गया 

मैं वहीँ खड़ा रहा … कुछ देर में वो  मेरे पास आया और इशारा किया

मुझे अपने कंधे पर उठाओ और जहाँ मेरा सरिया अभी पड़ा है , वहां तक ले चलो

मैं नीचे झुका और वो  छलांग मार मेरी पीठ पे चढ़ बैठा

पानी घुटनों तक था और मैं चलता रहा उसको पीठ पे बिठाये

सरिये के पास पहुंचा और उसको नीचे उतार दिया

अब मैंने सरिया उठया और मट्टी में गाढ़ता हुआ आगे निकल गया

उस लड़के को अब इशारा किया …अब तू मुझे अपनी पीठ पे उठा 

हम दोनों ज़ोर से हंसने लगे और हँसते हँसते ज़मीन में बैठ गए

और फिर वहीँ पे लेट गए … हँसते हँसते

अब बारिश कुछ धीमी हो गयी थी

मैंने अपनी घड़ी को देखा …वह भी मुई मज़े ले रही थी

उसने भी भीगते हुए चलना बंद कर दिया था  

अच्छा लग रहा था

बारिश …भीगना …खेलना …हंसना

ज़िन्दगी की भेड़ –चाल में सब भूल सा गया था शायद

नज़र उठाके देखा तो वो लड़का कहीं भाग गया था

दिखाई नहीं दे रहा था

मैं उठ खड़ा हुआ और घर की तरफ चल पड़ा

हलकी बारिश में मेरी कमीज़ जो मैली हो गयी थी

बरसते पानी से अपने आप ही धुल सी गयी और साफ़ हो गयी

मैंने सोचा की क्या यह बारिश मेरे मन का मैल भी धो पायेगी ?

बरसों की गाढ़ी मैल है …वो शायद ना धो पायेगी यह बारिश

क्या यह बारिश मेरी ज़िन्दगी में पड़े ज़ंग को धो पायेगी ?

बरसों की गाढ़ी ज़ंग है … वो भी शायद ना धो पायेगी यह बारिश

फिर मैं घर वापस लौट आया और ज़ोर से बीवी को आवाज़ लगायी

आज मैं दफ्तर नहीं जाऊंगा

वह मुझे देख के  चिंता में पड़ गयी

इसको आज क्या हो गया ?

आपकी तबियत ख़राब है क्या … क्यों नहीं जायेंगे दफ्तर ?

नहीं जाऊंगा बस …आज  'rainy day' है

आज घर पे रहूँगा तुम्हारे साथ

चाय- पकोड़ी खाऊंगा और बारिश का मज़ा लूँगा

लो …फ़ोन को भी स्विच ऑफ कर दिया

और लैपटॉप को भी किया बंद

आज  rainy day है …सब कुछ बंद

ज़िन्दगी शुरू!

SS

Remarkable Mr. RAY

 

It is completely dark outside and I turn to check the time on the mobile phone… it is 4.25 am. I quietly slip out of the room after switching off the two alarms set for 4.30am…one on the mobile and the other on the small clock on the dressing table. This has become the norm to wake up before the alarms go off, be it at home or hotel, where you’re generally awake to take the wake-up call from the front desk. After all, I have to take the morning flight out…. that’s life in a metro, for me and many like me in the rat race for what no one knows but we never stop running.

The geyser switch is turned on and after a quick shave and shower, you slip into the clothes kept ready since last night. Everything happens one after another and by 5.15 am you are ready to leave even though you had planned for 5.30 am to take the 7.30 am flight to Hyderabad. By now the wife is up and she does the last-minute check box….

Tickets and boarding pass… Check.

Money and change…Check.

Medicines and an extra set of clothes…Medicines yes but not the next one.

Shall I make you a cup of tea? ...No, not required.

Let me call the Uber…No don’t, they badly over charge.  I will take an autorickshaw to airport.

Should come down with an umbrella…. No, it is not raining now.

Why don’t you book the office transport? Why do you go in a rick?

Before the talk went any further and louder, I picked up my suitcase and bid her goodbye with a broad smile on my face…Aashchi… that is coming in Bengali…. Funny way to say I am going now but will be back soon.

I come off the lift and go to the main entrance to the building and in no time the magic buddy in yellow and black on three wheels stops and I hop in….Airport… T2 chalna hai.

The reason why I prefer the auto are three-fold: 

Firstly, I find the Uber exorbitantly priced. They charge anywhere upwards Rs 400 where my auto charges me a paltry Rs 165. The office booking would have cost Rs 1000.

Secondly, I do not feel like billing the office for the short airport rides…. Lazy… careless or damn care, you may say, but it is fine by me considering I get to enjoy so many other luxuries thanks to the office credit cards and bookings and, it goes without saying, the car that is provided at the destination for the entire stay. 

Thirdly, and most importantly, I get to talk to the men driving the autorickshaws. These according to my wife are politically most literate people in Mumbai for they predict if Yogi will win or Nitish Kumar will win with proper reasoning. I, too, enjoy my early morning conversations with them. 

Here’s one of the latest I had a week ago on way from home to airport on a rainy Mumbai morning. 

You drive very carefully and not like the others who speed away.

I have to be careful. I had a major surgery a couple of years ago. Look here, I always sit with one leg crossed on the seat and have this bag hanging from the steering. This contains my medicines I may need at any time.

Oh…what happened?

I was returning from Mumbra at night when I saw a lady trying to run cross the street. I pressed the brakes of my auto and somehow managed to evade hitting the lady but the truck from behind crashed into me. I was later told that the truck fellow took me to the nearby hospital where they found my identity papers and called my people at home. I was later shifted to Ambani Hospital where they estimated the cost for my surgery and hospitalization at about Rs 85 lacs, which my family were willing to pay, but the doctors were not giving any guarantee of my getting fully fit. So, my son then took me to a well-known civic hospital where he works.

Achcha, you son works in a government hospital?(assuming him to be in the administrative or nursing staff)

Yes. He is a doctor there. I was operated and treated there and could resume driving after six months. My son ensured I got the best care in the hospital and was operated by his Head of the Department.

Wonderful… my daughter is also a doctor. She is presently at US completing a Fellowship. From where did your son do his studies?

Uttar Pradesh. After that he came here and, thanks to some political clout, he got his placement at this hospital.

Where do you stay?

Premnagar.

Where does your son stay- somewhere close to the hospital?

No, he stays with me at Premnagar.

So, he must be taking the train to Dadar and then changing?

No. He drives his car to work…. Wagon R.

I was looking at the man on the rear-view mirror and was amazed how this man migrated to an unknown city where he built his life and gave his son such good education despite driving an auto and living in Premnagar, which is a mini-Dharavi at a walking distance from my house.

My daughter is also studying medicine at Pune. She will complete here studies next year.

Arrey wah… two doctors in the family. That’s remarkable.

My youngest son is no good. I did not give him much attention. He is into body building.

You work so hard every day and have given your children the opportunity to study and live a life different and better than what you have experienced. I am completely at a loss of words to express my happiness and respect for you. Please do not mind but how much are you able to earn in a day?

Two thousand…. I start work at 6.00 am and by the time I reach this figure, I stop and return home.

You must be driving ten-twelve hours a day to earn two thousand a day?No, it does not take me so long. A couple of good long trips and a few small ones in the morning and the money is made. I also have twelve auto rickshaws that I give out to others. Each auto is given on two shifts and they have to pay Rs 200 each shift. Any repair up to Rs 100 is theirs plus the cost of gas. These things are pretty sturdy and do not require much maintenance.

As I sat and started doing mental mathematics on how much the man driving the auto makes in a single day…. 2000 of his own plus 200 multiplied by 2, the sum of which then multiplied by the number of autos makes it six thousand and eight hundred all of which is in cash and tax free. With my retirement not too far away, I was getting investment ideas better than the sahi hai advisory and the bloodbath I face on the Dalal Street every day!

I came to Mumbai in 1993 and bought this kholi at Premnagar for just thirteen rupees after getting the local owner drunk. I now have one house at Ram Mandir Road and one at Nalasopara. Our slum is also going for redevelopment very soon.

By now the auto had reached the Airport gate and stopped. I saw the meter in front and pulled out the exact change to give to the driver.

Aapka naam kya hai.

Ram Avtaar Yadav.

I have met celebrities from Shilpa Shetty to Anil Kapoor walking at the airport but never bothered to run after them for an autograph or selfies but today I made a departure for once.

Can I take a picture of yours?

The man smiled and posed as I took out my mobile and clicked.

As I boarded the flight, I kept thinking of the man and his achievements and I said, What a Man!

SS

Spooky Tales 2

Recap

Binto, a seven year old kid, suddenly found his cakes and pastries were going missing at night. He, along with his doggie, Dopie, managed to find the spooky thief, Bishnu, who had entered their house and was enjoying the desserts from Thelma’s Sugar Pod.  Bishnu was invisible to the naked eye except as a dot of light at night. All seemed good till Binto’s father informed that there was a burglary at the cake shop and the culprits had run away with Thelma’s recipe book that her daughter Philomina used to refer to while baking the cakes that everyone loved. That day onwards, Bishnu refused to eat any other cake and it was now seventy two hours since he had eaten anything and the dot that was possibly the indicator of his health and life was getting dull by the day. Binto was determined to save his friend, Bishnu. Now the story continues.

................................................................................

Dopie, we need to tell Mom and Dad about Bishnu and the problem we face because you and I cannot find a way out of this situation.

Whuff Whuff….said Dopie in agreement as the two went to the master bedroom where his parents were resting.

Hello Binto…why are you not sleeping? Is there any problem?

Yes, Dad. I want to tell you and Mom something… and he told them all about Bishnu and his love for cakes and the problem at hand now… Dad, we have to do something for Bishnu.

Whaaaat! We now have a ghost in the house, shrieked the terrified mother. We cannot do anything about it. You will have to ask your friend to go to any place but he cannot stay here.

Mom, Bishnu is a good friend. He quickly switched off the light in the room….See he’s here….the fluorescent light came out of his pocket and started playing with Dopie around the bed.

Relax Mabel….If Binto and Dopie are happy with Bishnu, what problem can we have, said a reassuring father.

Dad, I have thought of some plans for this rescue operation. Plan A is that you write a story tomorrow that Thelma’s recipe book is safe. The thieves have picked the wrong book. The original one with the magical recipes is with Thelma’s daughter, Philomina ,at her home. You then share the story in the social media and make it go viral. Surely the thieves will also get to read about it.

Plan B is that, Mom, you will go to Philomina who was your friend at school. You have to convince her that she should also give out a statement that the real book is still with her. She can possibly show an old notebook and share a picture with it. This will convince the thieves that what they have is a fake and they will plan to raid Philomina’s house to steal the original book and when they attempt at the second robbery, the police will be waiting there to nab them.

Plan C is more complex. We do not know in how many days the thieves will make their bid to steal which means we do not know for how long Bishnu will go without food and whether his light will keep shining till then. The only way out of this is to take him to his people in the jungle tonight. I am sure they will be able to take care of him somehow and once the cakes are back, he can re-join us at home.

I am impressed, son, at your intelligence. I quite like the plans and I will quickly pen my story and make it go viral now. Then you and I will go to the National Park and see if Bishnu’s folks are around and if they can help us. Mabel, you must go to Philo’s place early in the morning and do as Binto has said. I am sure we will be able to not only catch the thieves and get back the book but save Bishnu as well.

Let us all do it for Bishnu….For Bishnu!

The father quickly wrote a short piece for the next morning’s newspaper but posted a shorter version of the same in advance over his social media accounts. Soon the phone started showing tons of notifications…. the story was going from one group to another and the lovers of Thelma’s cakes re-circulated the story among all their known people. He showed Binto some of the responses and the kid knew, Plan A had been executed with precision and there was no way it would not reach the intended people.

Mabel, we are now going to the National Park. I will be in touch with you constantly over phone. You don’t worry. I am sure everything will be fine.

Binto, with Bishnu in his pocket, along with Dopie jumped into the car and they moved swiftly to the gates of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

The main gates are shut at this hour, so how do we plan to enter?

Dad, Dopie knows the way. His earlier master was from this area and he knows about everything here. Come on Dopie, show your mettle.

Dopie started running towards the right and after a short while jumped over a drain. Others followed suit.  After a while, Dopie stopped and found a gap under the boundary wall. He squeezed inside…. Don’t tell me Binto you and I are going to crawl through that small hole beneath the wall.

Look Dad, the boundary wall is not very high on this side. You can lift me up and I can go over the same. You can then climb over and get to the other side.

The father and son duo went over the wall and Dopie was waiting for them. It was pitch dark there and not a soul was to be seen. Now Bisnu crept out of Binto’s pocket and started moving fast towards the interior of the National Park. As they walked slowly, they could hear sounds of animals and Dopie tucked his tail between his hind legs, Binto looked at his dad who readily picked him up and put him on his shoulders. After a while, Bishnu stopped moving but Binto could now feel a rush of cold air swirling around where they stood. He looked around and could see nothing, yet feel the chill in the air in the pitch-dark night and he could sense that they were not the only souls around.

Suddenly, the place became illuminated with hundreds of fluorescent lights that surrounded them, lights small and big, bright and dull and hanging high and low. Binto, Dopie and Daddy were all amazed at the sight and were filled with a sense of fear and awe. They stood still when a hoarse loud voice, incomprehensible to Binto and the others, boomed….

Who are you and what brings you humans here?

It’s me Bishnu and I have got them over. We need your help.

Oh one of us is with them…. Who Bishnu…. The cake eater?

Yes…yes…that’s me.

Then Bishnu was surrounded by the lights in a huddle and it appeared he was telling his folks about his new-found friends and family and what had befallen to the cake shop he loved. Bishnu then came over to Binto….. I have told them that we need their help. They want me to come back and stay with them but I have refused. I have a way to call them at short notice.

But we came here not for their help in catching the burglars but to feed you and keep you well till we found a way to get your favourite cakes. We have our police ready to trap the burglar, said Binto.

Bishnu said nothing but simply dived into daddy’s front shirt pocket. The lights vanished and they turned back to the car and, finally, reached home where Mommy dear was anxiously waiting.

Daddy just put his thumbs up and Mabel understood the meaning but then Bishnu popped out of the pocket…. I thought he would stay back and remain with his folks!

No mommy. Bishnu wants to stay with us only.

By the time Binto woke up next morning, the city was abuzz with the news…. The World is Safe with Thelma’s Cake…. The newspaper headlines read. And the social media had gone crazy… some people had started a chain mail and while Daddy’s story was being circulated, a picture of Philomina with an old notebook in hand saying that her mother’s secrets were still with her and that she would start making the best cakes and pastries in a few days, once more caught the attention of the people. Mabel had done her part around the same time when Binto and Bishnu had gone to the forest. The family seemed very pleased that Plans A and B had been a complete success. Now they waited for the evening to come.

By six in the evening, Daddy took Binto, Dopie and Bishnu to a friend’s house close to Philomina’s house on Carter Road and looked out from the window to catch any movement. The police had also been informed to come in at short notice. Everything seemed in place but where were the burglars… they were no where in sight. Dopie went off to sleep early and in some time Binto also dozed off. Then around four in the morning, Daddy saw a van stop outside Philo’s house…. Binto wake up…. they are here finally. Three people with masks over their head came out of the van while one waited in the car. In no time, they were able to walk into the house through the front door.

Daddy dialed Philo’s number but it kept on ringing. She must have fallen asleep. He then dialed the police…. Hello Inspector Patole…. The thieves are here. Please send your team to Philomina’s house immediately before they hurt the lady to force her to give away the notebook. Ok Sir, we were coming but it will take us some time, after all we have other duties as well. Bishnu flew out of the window and went towards the Philo’s house and suddenly Binto and his father saw the house completely illuminated and loud noises coming from inside. They quickly went towards the house to see what was happening. As they got close, they realized that it was not the electrical light but hundreds of fluorescent lights that had descended from nowhere and were in the rescue act…. Bishnu’s friends had arrived.

Seeing Binto’s Dad walking, the fellow in the getaway car quickly drove off. Binto entered the Philo residence and saw a sight he would never ever forget. Three masked men were sitting in a huddle and the lights were all over them…. the thieves were shouting…. Stop beating us…. We will bring back the stolen recipe book and will never ever commit such a crime. Bishnu was able to convince all his folks to stop the thrashing except one… this one was very aggressive. She had a big broom in her hand and was merciless in beating the trio. The thieves were shouting… please stop…can’t take it any more…we are sorry and will return the book now….Bishnu whispered in Binto’s ears… That’s Thelma and she is furious.

Finally, one of the burglars was allowed to go with Binto’s father to bring back the stolen treasure. It was then that Daddy realized that the thieves were none other than sons of a rival cake shop whose business had fallen into bad days due to loss of customers who thronged to Thelma’s Sugar Pod. The note book was handed over to Philomina and as the police arrived at the scene, the lights vanished. Philo was delighted and promised to start baking again and promised Binto lifelong free cakes. All seemed happy except that Bishnu’s light had become completely dull and dim and his movements slow and sluggish. The heroes retuned to their home and Mabel was there to receive them at the gate. She expected happy and excited people but saw Daddy and Binto with a worried looks. She knew something was wrong but kept quiet.

As they got together for breakfast, mommy announced… here’s a surprise for you….she opened the fridge and took out a box which had the logo of TSP printed….call Bishnu now. An excited Binto went to his room and got the little dot to the table. The family looked on as they saw the spoon move, then a scoop of the cake was taken and the spoon went towards the dot and vanished…..the spoon now moved with great speed and the cake got smaller with every passing minute and the light brighter. Now the light was totally shinning and it went towards Mabel’s cheeks and then all Binto saw was a piece of cake stuck on Mommy’s cheek. They all clapped and started dancing around the table. The dot now darted towards Binto’s room for a good morning well-earned sleep with a belly filled with Thelma’s cake.

Mommy, we have just found the recipe book. How come you got this cake at night.

Binto, this cake was baked by your mommy. She only put it in the TSB box to make Bishnu feel that it is the real thing.

But what about the taste? Bishnu has been refusing cakes from other cake shops, so how did he agree to eat this one?

Binto, your mommy bakes the best cakes. She too wanted to open a cake shop but we did not have enough money for it. While you were making plan A, B and C, she was making…sorry baking Plan D of which even I had no clue.

Binto rushed to his mother, hugged her tight and shouted… Go East, Go West… My Mommy’s cakes are the best.

SS 

PS. This is a tribute to mothers who bake and cook with all their love, always.

Spooky

Hey Mommy! For the last few days my cakes and pastries in the fridge are becoming become lesser in number and at times smaller in size. Who’s been eating my things?

A visibly upset seven-year-old boy, Binto, was complaining to his mother with his little doggie, Dopie, by his side. The doggie, too, seemed upset about the missing cakes.

No Binto, you must be making some mistake. Tell me who will eat your things…not me…not daddy…then who can it be?

An unconvinced Binto walked away to his room with Dopie following his master, wagging his tail.

Dopie, I am sure it must be Dad who must be sneaking after all have slept and eating away my cakes bought from Thelma’s Sugar Pod. Dad says that he gets these things for me but you have seen how much he likes them and he gobbles them up in no time when laid before him at the table. Let us stay awake tonight and catch the cake thief. Are you with me Dopie?

Wuff  Wuff..barked little Dopie who could now, finally, show his master some of his special talent to nab the cake culprit.

Binto switched off the light and pulled the blanket over his head. Dopie sneaked under the blanket, as he would do regularly. In some time, his mother came to check if the boy had gone off to sleep. Seeing the dark room and the peacefully sleeping kid, she went off to the master bedroom where after a little chat with her hubby, the lights were off and the Fernandez residence was in total rest.

Dopie…wake up you lazy bones…can’t you hear the little noise outside?

Dopie was dreaming of him running happily with a super bone in his mouth and all other doggies running after him for a bite. The poor fellow woke up to see Binto with a pen light in his hands. He shook himself a bit and nodded to his master as both got off the bed and quietly made their way from where the scratching noise was coming. They made their way to the kitchen where it was all dark except for a small fluorescent light, no more than a dot, over the dining table.  Binto switched on his pen light in that direction but could not see anything or anyone, except a small quarter plate with a slice of black forest pastry on it.

Dopie jumped up the table and cautiously moved towards the dot. Dopie knew that this was his moment when he would catch a thief and become a hero in the family. Dopie went straight towards the plate and the dot moved to his right. Dopie moved right, the light moved left….it was quite a funny sight … Dopie trying to catch a speck of light. After a while, Dopie gave up the table chase and sat down exhausted. Binto felt afraid and made a hasty retreat to his room and the dot followed him. Binto pulled the blanket once more over his head in trying to avoid looking at the ghost in the house. Despite his holding tight, the blanket was pulled off his face and he heard a voice speaking just like him.

I am Bishnu and there is no need for you to be afraid of me. I love eating cakes of children and I travel everywhere. I usually stay for a day or two in a house and then move on. However, in your case, I am here for over a week. The reason is simple…. nowhere have I tasted better cakes than what I found in yours. I am just a little boy like you. How I turned into this tiny dot, is something I am not aware of. There are bigger dots elsewhere in the deep forests and they bully me a lot so I ran away from them and came to this place and have taken a fancy to things sweet and juicy. Now that you have seen me, I will go away tonight to another house but I will miss these best tasting cakes that are there in your cooling machine.

Those are cakes my Dad gets from Thelma’s Sugar Pod at Carter Road. Dopie and I too love them very much. You can stay here and be my friend. I will ask Dad to get more things from there every day. You can sleep during the day when I go to the school and eat the sweets at night without anyone disturbing you. I have a big bed here and you can tuck in with me. Mom will never come to know about you Bishnu.

That’s great….so we are friends from now and I have a bed to sleep and a house to stay and eat…. this must be my luckiest day.

By now Dopie had come in and saw the dot talking with Binto. He didn’t like it one bit but decided to stay quiet. When Binto and the dot went inside the blanket, Dopie crept under the bed and went back to sleep but it was a disturbed sleep for him. Another big black dog had snatched his big bone and Dopie was left standing there alone in the middle of a never ending road.

Next morning, it was Binto who was woken up from his sleep by his mother…..Binto, you were right. Last night there was one last piece of black forest in the fridge and now there is none. Surely someone is up to something….it has to be your Dad. I will give him a piece of my mind.

No Mom. Last night Dopie and I felt hungry and we ate it up. Just ask Dad to get some more of the chocolate brownie cake and blue berry muffins from Thelma’s.

I will tell your Dad, now get ready quickly for school. The bus will be here any moment now.

Ok Mom. Just give me ten minutes and I will be ready for breakfast and then school.

As he folded the blanket, he could not see Bishnu. He seemed to be lost in the rush of golden sunlight raining down the room through the French windows. Binto called out Bishnu a number of times but did not get any response. Dopie, too, was missing so he looked outside. Dopie was running around alone and had a big grin on his face. He seemed to be playing with someone in the garden. He had never seen Dopie so happy.

Binto got ready and while going towards the bus stop, shouted…Bye Dopie…see ya in the evening.

In school, the kid’s mind was filled with thoughts of Bishnu, his new friend whom only he could see and, may be, Dopie could feel. He seemed lost in the class and even when the teacher reprimanded him for making simple mistakes in his work, our boy was in a La La Land of make believe, mystery and fairy tales. As soon as the bell rang at the end of school, Binto reached home in his school bus.

Mommy, where’s Dopie? Why isn’t he in the house?

Your doggie has gone loony. Since morning he is out there in the garden and has not come home even once to have food or water. I told you when you were picking him up from the shelter that this dog is no good. All his life he was living with a junkie who smoked pot. I am sure, the smoke he inhaled then is still in his blood and hence shows such sudden streaks of madness. You better go and bring him home.

Yes mom.

Binto went to the park and sat down on a swing. Dopie came running to him and the swing next to him started moving slowly. Binto got off and gave the swing a push or two and he heard a chuckle in the air…this is fun my friend. I am loving it.

After a while, Binto and Dopie come home and had a good lunch. Binto saved some of it and took it to his room. He waited for some time and found the food untouched. Bishnu was determined…only cake, nothing but cakes for me!

They all waited for Binto’s journalist father to come home but today he was unusually late. He returned quite disturbed and had his laptop bag hung on his shoulders and both his hands were free.

Dad, where’s my cake? You promised me that you will bring cakes from Thelma’s Sugar Pod and you forgot. How could you do it Dad?

Binto please don’t cry. I did go to Carter Road but the shop was closed today. There were cops all around. I asked Philomina, who runs the shop, and she said, “Last night, some people entered the shop and damaged all the furniture and kitchenware. While I can get the other things ready in a day or two but the thieves have stolen the family treasure as well.”

Why did you keep the precious things in the shop Philo? You should have kept them in a safe place. Was it the family jewellery that they took away?

No. it was more precious than all the gold and diamond of the world. They took away my mother Thelma’s recipe book. She had written it in her own handwriting and it contained her secrets of baking the best cakes. I would refer to it while baking but now all is lost. I may start the shop again but will never be able to recreate the magic of Thelma.

Oh that’s a big loss Philo. We all loved the cakes and pastry from your shop and whoever ate them always would say…. that’s the best we’ve ever had! My son will be distraught when he comes to know that his favourite cakes will no longer be as good and I am sure he won’t be alone. Young and old, all will be disappointed. Take care Philo and start writing down all you remember from Thelma’s Book and I am sure you will once more create the same magic.

Binto was sad. Dopie was sad. But they went about their chores in a sulking manner but with Bishnu it was all different. He did not touch any food since the burglary happened. They tried cakes from other good shops but Bishnu would go close to it, smell it and then come away without touching it. It was almost seventy two hours since he had any cake and Binto saw that the little fluorescent light was getting dull with each passing night.

Dopie…we have to do something. We have to find Thelma’s Book of Secret Recipe.

Dopie jumped up a couple of times in the air showing his agreement to Binto’s call.

Let us do it for Bishnu…. For Bishnu!

To be continued…

SS