Dating : What Do The Papers SayToday?

In life, we at times, come across someone, who gives us the required push, at the right time and we are eternally grateful to them. It is also true that if we sincerely set out to do something, the whole world seems to conspire towards making it happen. The protagonist of my story too, proves the same…

The sky seemed to be falling down! Thunder, lightening and incessant rain, were the weather conditions, since last night.Vinayak, in his raincoat stood in front of a house in London. Was it not a very similar weather, on a morning, some fifteen years back, in Mumbai, India? The memory brought a nostalgic smile on his face.

“ Good morning Dadu,” came the fresh and energetic voice of Vinayak, as he threw the morning newspaper inside the house of Mr Gopalan. Like the news paper, this greeting too, was a constant feature, every morning, in Mr Gopalan’s house. The terrible weather could not dampen the spirits of this fifteen year old, who drenched to his very bones, was delivering the news paper house to house, like he did every single day, for the past four years.

Vinayak, came of a very poor family. His father worked as a green grocer and his mother was a part time house help. Vinayak, the older of the three siblings, was a brilliant child, right from when he was small. He loved going to the government school and always was the favourite, of his teachers. His curious little mind, never seemed to have enough of what ever was taught. Coming from an impoverished background, spoken English was his shortcoming. To be as self reliant as he could, Vinayak took up the job of a newspaper vendor. Every morning he would distribute the papers, before going to school.

One such day, while throwing the paper at Mr Gopalan’s house, he heard Mr Gopalan call out for him,

“Hey boy, can you come here please?”

“ Yes Sir,” Vinayak replied as he stepped into the house.

Mr Gopalan was around seventy years of age and had a very pleasant demeanour. He was an avid reader but as luck would have it, was losing his eye sight, slowly, due to occlusion, where the nerves of the eye, start drying up. The condition being incurable, Mr Gopalan was struggling to make peace with it. He lived there with his wife. Their only son lived with his family, in London.

“ What is your name?” enquired Mr Gopalan.

“ Vinayak, Sir,” replied the boy.

“Do you study?”came the next question.

“ Yes, Sir. I am in my ninth grade. I study in the Government School.” Vinayak responded.

“Good!” Mr Gopalan looked pleased. “ Can you spare half an hour everyday, in the morning, to read out the news papers to me? I will pay you for the same.”

The offer was very unexpected yet heartening, at the same time. Reading and making some extra buck!He couldn’t have asked for anything more!

“Sure, I will! May I call you Dadu please?” asked Vinayak, spontaneously. (Dadu is an address of endearment, for one’s Grandfather, in India.)

And from that day, every single day, after distributing the papers, Vinayak would come to Mr Gopalan and read out the news paper to him. Sensing Vinayak’s hunger for knowledge, Dadu, not only helped him by correcting his pronunciations, but would discuss the news with him, feeding his craving, to the best of his capacity. This one hour in the morning, was the best hour for Vinayak.

This continued for more than a year. But good things come to an end and one day, Vinayak was shocked to learn that Dadu and his wife were going away to stay with their son, for the rest of their lives. With Dadu’s failing eye sight, it was progressively getting difficult for his wife to look after him, alone. So despite all apprehensions of Dadu and his wife, and the pain of uprooting, shortly, their son came and took them away with him to London. Vinayak, stood there, watching the cab disappear from sight. He clutched the paper tightly, with the London address, written on it.

A car honked past. Vinayak came back to the present. He was standing in front of a house in London. He read the nameplate, “Mr Sunder Gopalan”.

Vinayak, rang the bell. Some lady opened the door and looked at him, questioningly.

“Hello Ma’m, I am Vinayak from India. May I see Mr Gopalan please? The senior Mr Gopalan, that is,” he specified.

The lady ushered him in and asked to wait in the drawing room. Vinayak’s heart was beating fast. He was about to meet his ‘Dadu’, after so many years, fifteen to be precise. Dadu had given him the impetus that he needed, when he was a mere lad of fifteen. Thanks to Dadu, he could learn and later be fluent in English, that to him, seemed to be a hurdle in his academic journey. Not only did Dadu teach him English, but by discussing the daily news with him, he had sharpened his thinking skills, current affairs and had instilled great confidence in him.

After Dadu had left, Vinayak, finished his school and college with very high ranks and got admission with a full scholarship, for his M.BA. at the prestigious Warton University. Currently he had got a job at the Royal Bank Of London and landing there, the same evening he had set out to meet his Dadu.

He could hear some movement from behind the heavy curtains of the drawing room. Suddenly, the curtain moved and a wheel chair was wheeled in. Vinayak had come prepared to face anything but he couldn’t quite believe his eyes, what they saw. A very frail, old man, with all his hair white, sat on the wheel chair. He was looking straight, with blank eyes. He was his Dadu!

Vinayak got up slowly and stood there looking at him. His eyes met Dadu’s! There was no reaction! Ofcourse, that was to be expected for Vinayak had changed from a lanky fifteen year old to a tall, handsome man.

“ Good morning, Dadu!” he said, softly. Dadu kept looking at him.

“ I am Vinayak, Dadu! Your news paper reader!”Vinayak’s voice was trembling with emotions. “ Only because of you, I am here, standing like this, in front of you.Thanks to you, I can speak fluent English now. You remember me?”

The lady who had opened the door for Vinayak, told him that Dadu suffered from Alzheimer’s for the past eight years and he probably, remembered nothing. His vision, too, according to her, could only make out day from night.

As she was speaking, Dadu, wheeled his wheel chair back to behind the curtains, from where he came.

“The Man Who Has Confidence In Himself Gains The Confidence Of Others”

These were the words that always Dadu spoke to him, whenever Vinayak felt that he was less than others, because of him being not so good inEnglish.

Vinayak, wiping the lone, trickling, tear, that threatened to open the flood gates, turned and walked out of the house.