Revolution 2020 (36 page)

‘Dean
Shrivastava, I want to work hard. Let’s take GangaTech to new
heights. I want us to be present in every field of education. Keep me
busy. So busy that I don’t have time to think.’

‘You are
already so busy, sir.’ He looked troubled.

‘More. Why
aren’t we in coaching classes?’ I said. ‘There’s
money there. I want a proposal for engineering and MBA coaching.
Okay?’ I said, my voice ringing.

‘Are you okay,
Director Gopal?’ the dean said.

‘Are you
listening to me? I want the proposal,’ I said, screaming loud
enough to make the driver shift uncomfortably in his seat.

‘Yes,
Director,’ the dean said.

He dropped me home.
I went straight to the bar near the dining table. I opened a new
bottle of Black Label whisky we’d bought for the inspectors. I
poured it out in a glass to the brim. Neat. The maids filed in.

‘Where were
you, sahib?’ they said.

‘I had work,’
I said. The whisky tasted bitter, but I swallowed it all.

‘Dinner?’

I shook my head. The
maids left the room. I went to the bookshelf and took out the
scrapbook.

I poured myself
another glass. I drank half of it in one gulp, but when my body
rejected it, 1 had to spit it out.

I fell on the floor.
I used the scrapbook as a pillow and went off to

Epilogue

I checked the
time. The hospital clock showed 6.00 a.m.

'So
getting
drunk
and
crashing
down
is
a
habit,
’
I
said.

Gopal gave me a
sly smile.

‘
That
’
s
the
only
time
it
happened
’
he
said.
‘
Apart
from
tonight,
of
course.
’

I
saw
Gopal
’
s
face.
He
seemed
young
enough
to
look
like
a
student.
Yet,
his
face
had
the
hard
coating
of
experience,
of
bitter
lessons
from
life
that
made
him
appear
older
than
his
biological
age.

‘
So,
Aarti
and
Raghav
got
married
a
year
ago?
’
I
said.

'A
year
and
twenty
days,
’
he
said.

‘
What
has
happened
since?
’
I
said.

‘
Shukla-ji
is
still
in
jail.
I
meet
him
every
month.
I
am
trying
to
buy
back
his
share
of
the
college
with
my
earnings
and
make
it
my
own
college.
He
needs
money
for
his
other
businesses.
Let
’
s
see.
’

‘
What
about
Raghav
and
Aarti?
’
I
asked.

‘
I
am
not
in
touch.
I
stay
in
my
college.
Elections
are
in
two
months.
He
is
the
one.
’

‘
Meaning?
’

‘
Raghav
’
s
contesting.
His
picture
is
on
election
posters
all
over
the
city,
’
Gopal
said.

‘
It
could
have
been
you.
How
do
you
feel
about
that?
’
I
said.

Gopal
shrugged.
‘
He
’
ll
be
a
better
MLA
than
me.
What
would
I
have
done?
Made
more
money.
With
him,
there
is
a
chance
he
could
change
something.
’

‘
That
’
s
generous
of
you,
’
I
said.

Gopal
sat
up
straight
and
restlessly
removed
the
sheets
off
him.
‘
But
I
am
still
not
a
good
person,
right?
’
he
said.

‘
I
never
said
that,
’
I
said.

‘
I
told
you,
I
am
not
worthy
enough
to
he
a
hero
in
your
story!
Gopal
said.

I kept quiet.

‘
I
could
be
the
villain,
’
said
Gopal,
his
eyes
sparkling.

'I
’
ll
let
the
readers
decide
how
they
want
to
consider
you.
I
simply
write
about
people.
1
don
’
t
cast
them
as
heroes
or
villains,
’
I
said.

'Raghav
is
a
good
man.
I
am
not
half
as
good
as
him,
’
Gopal
said.

'Stop
judging
yourself
’
I
said.

‘
Chetan-ji,
put
your
hand
on
your
heart,
and
tell
me,
am
I
a
good
man?
’

I realised my
approval meant a lot to him. Yet, I wanted to be genuine. I thought
about it for a while.

‘
Forget
it,
sir.
Don
’
t
answer
it.
Let
’
s
take
a
walk!

He got off the
bed. He seemed much better. We took a morning stroll in the hospital
lawns.

‘
Never
drink
so
much
again,
promise
me,
’
I
said.

'I
won
’
t,
’
he
said.

‘
Promise
me
you
will
find
somebody,
’
I
said.

He
shook
his
head.
‘
That
I
can
’
t
promise.
’

‘
Do
you
miss
her?
’
I
said.

He kept quiet.

‘
Did
you
meet
her
after
her
marriage?
’

He shook his
head. I figured out now why he had hesitated to come to Ramada to
drop me. I checked the time. I had a flight in two hours. I had to
rush to the hotel, pack and head to the airport.

'1
have
to
leave,
’
1
said.
He
nodded.
He
came
out
to
drop
me
to
the
car.

‘
The
revolution
will
come,
’
Gopal
said.
‘We
will
have
a
better
nation
one
day
’

‘
I
know,
’
I
said.

‘
You
also
write
about
it.
Once
GangaTech
becomes
big,
I
will
try
to
fix
the
system.
I
am
sick
of
giving
envelopes
to
people.
’

"We
have
to
change
things,
’
I
said.

‘
Everyone
must
sacrifice
for
it,
’
Gopal
said.

‘
Yes,
I
agree,
’
I
said
as
the
driver
started
the
car.

‘
Bye,
sir,
’
Gopal
said
as
I
left.

                                                   ♦

I
rushed
back
to
my
room
and
packed
fast.
I
came
downstairs
in
the
hotel
lobby
to
check
out.

‘
Did
you
have
a
good
stay,
sir?
’
a
pretty
girl
in
a
sari
asked
me.

‘
Yeah,
memorable,
’
I
said.

I
saw
her
name
tag.
It
said:
‘
Aarti
Kashyap.
Guest
Relations
Officer
’
.

She
smiled.
‘
Happy
to
hear
that,
sir.
’

My
car
drove
out
of
the
Cantonment
area.
I
saw
a
huge
political
party
hoarding
at
the
traffic
signal.
I
couldn
’
t
read
from
a
distance,
but
I
saw
a
young
candidate
’
s
picture.
I
called
Gopal.

‘
All
okay,
sir.
Will
you
make
it
in
time
for
your
flight?
’

'Yes...
Gopal?
’

‘
What?
’
he
said.

‘
You
are
a
good
person,
’
I
said.