THE REVERSE TRAVEL

                           THE REVERSE TRAVEL 

In India, in spite of advanced technology and modern tendencies of flying away of family members, instead of enjoying the happiness of flocking together, there are many families where parents, sons and daughters live together inviting pleasantries and troubles both proportionately.

Sunil Agarwal somehow happened to be a member of a big family consisting his father, mother, one elder brother Sathish Agarwal, his Bhabhi (Brother’s wife) Manasi, Rupesh, a 10-year boy and son of his brother and his younger sister Neeraj.

Yes! He has recently completed his graduation and got a job with a handsome salary and perks in a

college in his hometown Bangalore.

Happy? Yes! He is happy! Everybody in his family are equally happy!

I think as readers of this story you are also happy because you came to know about a young man of 26 years and his members of family all leading a comfortable life and fewer problems.

But I cannot assure you that the happiness which all of you feel will last for ever! Why?

Fiction related to past 15 centuries and even epics send a broad message to humanity. Love and crime kill the happiness of all happy men.

Is Sunil Agarwal in love with somebody?

Yes! With Ranjani his colleague. It just budded a few months ago and is now flowering everyday a fresh and new flower of love!

Happy? Yes! Everybody in his family welcomed the love. Everybody is happy. Yes! You and me are happy too.

In that case, what is wrong? Is there any crime in which Sunil is involved? No! No! everything is fine.

The police station in Uttharahalli,, his area of residence has not recorded any crime against him or anybody in that area for the past three years.

Peace and tranquillity! Yes! Happy? Yes, everybody is happy.

I am able to hear the sound of somebody, from the readers, taking his gun out from his trouser packet to target me because I tell a story where everybody is happy.

Again, I repeat what I have said earlier. I cannot assure you that he will be happy in future.

It actually happened five days ago. Sunil with his friends had a bet to stay alone in a crematorium yard one whole night witnessing the burning of dead corpses. Everybody agreed to maintain secrecy.

They selected a crematorium yard, where even today, the dead bodies are burnt manually and not through

electrocution. It was situated in a remote area. They managed to befriend the person in charge of cremation and everything went well.

He stayed in that crematory whole night and met his friends next day morning. He won the bet!

He was happy for he won Rs.40000/- for his bravery. As usual everybody was happy.

Then after two days, one day he got up from the bed. Brushed his teeth. When his sister Neeraj brought him a cup of tea he stared at her and asked “Madam! Who are you?”

Neeraj thought he was just joking and said curtly “ye bhaiyaa! These games will not work with me! Take your tea and I have so many other important works to attend”  

Sunil looked around. Everything looked strange. “Madam! Please don’t mistake me. Tell me who are you?”

Neeraj was taken aback and immediately went out. Within a few minutes all the members of the family surrounded Sunil.

He could recognise none.  

Nearly after one hour, it was clear to all of them, that he has forgotten his entire past except his name and his qualifications, his job and his knowledge and skills.

Now nobody in the family is happy. I know you are also not happy.

Happy or not happy, life should go on.

                                    -------

“PLEASANT MINDS”

It is a hospital for psychotherapy in Jayanagar Bangalore. Krishnappa Gowda the chief psychiatrist and MD of the institution is a well-known luminary in his field. He received many awards from international organisations for his success in solving the psychological problems of his patients and for providing valuable guidance for counselling people suffering from stress and tendencies of depression.

Sunil was sitting before him. There was nobody else around them.

“Well Sunil! Tell me everything about you!”

“Doctor, I am Sunil. I am a lecturer in Mahaveer Jain college in Bangalore. I am a graduate in economics. I know three languages.”

“Well that is fine! Who are your parents?”

“er…. I…. don’t remember”

“who are your friends?”

“friends? I…. do not remember!”

“ who is Ranjani?”

“ Ranjani? Who is it?”

Krishnappa Gowda gave him a newspaper and asked him to read. He read it for some time.

“Tell me what you understand!”

“Doctor! I could read the matter. I could understand what is said. But I am unable to understand w who are the people they refer to in the news? This Narendra Modi, D.K. Shivkumar, Viraat Kohli, Deepika Padukone etc., Who are they?”

Krishnappa Gowda stared at him for a while. 

Then he asked “tell me what did you do yesterday?”

“Yesterday? I don’t remember!”

“Can you tell about today?”

“today? I am in your hospital Pleasant Minds! I am talking to you! “

“what are you going to do tomorrow?” 

His face brightened! “Tomorrow! Very fine! Tomorrow I will be going to Laal Bagh with my friends and we are going to spend nearly two hours there. Ranjani will come there with Manisha and we plan to go to a movie, in the multiplex for which my brother Sathish has booked the tickets. In the evening I will be purchasing sports shoes to Rupesh my brother’s son. Bye the bye I will buy a gift for Niraj whose birth day falls on next Sunday.”

Krishnappa Gowda took a big glass of chilled water from the freezer and drank the whole water in quick gulps. He sat for a while. He looked at the ceiling.

“That is fine Sunil! Can you tell me what will you do on 30th of this month?”

“Why not! On that day the IPL match between RCB and CSK is going to be played at Chinnaswamy Stadium. You know! I will be getting confirmed tickets on 16th of this month for all my members of my family except my father and mother. You know due to age related problems they will not be able to attend. Luckily it is an official holiday for us”.

“Can you tell me the importance of 2nd October that is 2nd day of next month?”

“Next month? Sure! It is the birth day of the Father of our nation. At our college we will be celebrating it this year in a different way. We the faculty and students are going to plant 100 small plants in our college premises. You know that we should contribute for the green environment.”

“what did you do on Independence Day last year?”

“Last year? Independence Day? What Independence Day? What is it?”

Krishnappa Gowda shook his hands and said “very fine! Mr. Sunil! very nice of you! You please go to the next room and please sleep for two hours. Meanwhile I’ll talk to your family members. Nothing to worry!”

                                   ----------------

Sathish and Neeraj were sitting in the chamber of Doctor Krishnappa Gowda.

“Good afternoon! You had your lunch?” asked Krishnappa Gowda entering the room.

“Yes doctor! How is Sunil?”

“You need not be scared. He seems to have received a brain shock. He suffers from a peculiar type of memory loss. He has forgotten everything in the past. He remembers only about himself in the present. But as far as future is concerned, he is able to remember everything including minute details. In his past, he has no parents, brothers and sisters, his love and nothing, Same is the fact for the present too. But as far as future is concerned all of them are relevant and he remembers everything. So, as it is not psychological in toto, I opt to rebuild his past with 100 per cent precision.

For that, all of you should tell him all minute details to him about his past life. You must all join in this task including his friends who can play the most important role. It may take one or two years for full recovery. Anyhow, with your wholehearted endeavours, this is possible. Most important thing to remember is that you should never tell him about his problem.”

Sathish and Neeraj were silent for a few minutes.

Neeraj suddenly stood up. “Yes doctor! We’ll do it. We know we can do it. Thank you very much!”

They walked into the adjoining room.

Sunil was sleeping on a bed unaware of what is going around him.

                                      --------

Francis, Sanjay, Gopal and Ramji were sitting in the park.

The devil may care group of Sunil’s friends, who normally chill on most hot adventures and forget all odds in an instant, look now perturbed and awe struck.

“It is definitely a fault on our part. Sunil is facing a tough problem and I understand that even the psychiatrist is puzzled. We should not have had a bet with him.” Sanjay looked at his friends apologetically.

“What do you mean?” asked Francis “Do you believe in ghosts and all such nonsense?”

“Well Francis! I don’t know. It is not about our beliefs. But Sunil forgot his past only from the next day he has spent one whole night alone in a cremation yard. I think that we have foolishly provoked him to take this unwanted risk. He earned one thousand bucks but he lost his mental stability.”

Gopal intervened “I think that instead of feeling guilty we can think of a way to bring him out of this strange situation.”

“Welcome Mr. Darwin, elder brother of Einstein! Friends! Mr. Gopal the great scientist is going to tell us a solution to Sunil’s problem. Claps please!’ Sanjay yelled.

“Sanjay! Please don’t mock. Really, I want to do something that will make Sunil a normal man. I have an idea too.”

There was a brief silence for a while.

“OK Gopal! We too want to do something. You tell your idea. Let us see whether it can be cooked or not.” Francis gaged at Gopal.

“It is just an idea. It may or may not work. But I think it deserves a try. I term it a Reverse Travel.

See! On that day the bet was Sunil should spend one whole night alone in a cremation ground among burning corpses. If he returns in between or gets somebody as a companion in between he would be losing the bet.

We will re-enact the same scene again with a twist. We will challenge Sunil with the same bet. Two days ago, we have already rebuilt his past with details of his friendship with us and all the events in which we were together. Hence now we are in his circle of the present. “

“What is the twist?” asked Francis.

“That I will tell you after Sunil agreeing for the bet and after his going to the cremation yard”

“Again, we are playing with his life! We don’t know…….”

“No! the psychiatric counselling and medication will continue. So, I hope that no harm will…….” Gopal though confident, could not complete his sentence.

With mixed feelings they al left the park.

                                …………

Sunil at six in the evening walked into the crematorium yard.

“These fellows think I am a coward. They think because I got some problems with my memory, I am afraid of challenges. Sunil is always a brave and confident man. Tomorrow morning, I will get Rs.10000 from them as a winner’.

Two hours passed.

Suddenly his cell phone rang.

It was Gopal! “Sunil! Sorry! I am disturbing you. Your mother has suddenly become sick. She became unconscious fifteen minutes ago. Sathish and Niraj have rushed her to Santhosh Hospital. I am waiting with my bike outside the cremation yard. Come immediately!”

Sunil was shocked. He almost forgot everything for a moment. He rushed back to the gate of the crematorium yard.

Gopal was waiting sitting on his bike.

“Gopal! Come on! Let us go!” Sunil was very anxious.

Gopal stared at him. “Ok! We’ll go. But tell me whether you have lost your bet or not!”

Sunil could not hide his anger and shouted “is that so important? First let us go!”

“No Sunil! Hospital is just ten minutes away from this place, we’ll go. But first admit that you have lost your bet!”

“Yes! This time I lost my bet! Because of circumstances. Come on! Let us go!”

“You want to see your mother, don’t you? For that we have to go to your home!”

“Why?”

“because she was not hospitalised. She is hale and healthy and at present tasting Aloo tikkas at your home.”

“Then what is this all about?”

“It is our plan to see that you lose your bet”

Sunil felt that Gopal betrayed him and fooled him.

On their way home, Sunil yelled “Gopal! Don’t think that you are very smart. You have just tricked me. This time I have lost. But do you remember? So far, in the past 22 years, we had so many bets.

You, Francis, Sanjay and Ramji lost all the bets. I never lost a bet. You know even at the age of eight I had a bet with you all, to climb the tallest tree in our area. You all lost but I have won. When I was fourteen, we had a bet to climb a fast-moving truck from behind. You all sustained injuries but I successfully climbed over it. Why for that matter, one month ago, we had the same bet (i.e.) to

Spend one whole night alone in a crematorium yard. In that bet also…….”

Sunil suddenly stopped.  

Gopal felt like flying among the clouds. Yes. The Reverse travel is a success.

Sunil won the bet by successfully finishing the Reverse Travel. He remembers the past, present and future.

Happy?

Gopal is happy. Sunil is happy.

Eerybody is happy.

Yes! Me and you are also happy!