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Fiction Happy Drama

Befooling on 1st April every year has become a traditional venture, although the occasion is losing its popularity with the time yet 1st April is still reckoned as Fools Day. 

Rajkot College and hostel imparting Business Administration education was considered a renowned institution and most of the students undertaking studies there were hostellers. Both boarding and lodging being made available to them. 

One Arun Sinha enjoyed a monopoly and large patronage both in College as well as hostel. He hailed from a very rich family of Ranchi. He was over-generous and open-hearted to spend lavishly and for meeting off and on demands of his inmates. Money had made him popular to a major extent.

It was practically the end of March. There were 4 consecutive holidays including Saturdays and Sunday as off-day (weekly). At the dining table, while having super, Arun proposed to have an excursion trip in some holiday resort near Kalka. This proposal was welcomed by almost all, a few were initially reluctant for the paucity of funds. Arun Volunteered. None will be taxed of expenses including Air tickets and stay there and he alone will bear the entire costs for the tour. His soothing words worked wonder. The proposal was accepted. 

Arun started making arrangements for the proposed trip. All-inclusive arrangements were made and on 31st March early morning, the group was scheduled to leave for Chandigarh by Air and then by touris5t bus to Chahal.  

Only 7 students were left by him, who otherwise belonged to the opposition group and were not inclined to accept his monopoly in every matter. Even otherwise they had their own leader Tushar who guided and preached to them. 

Arun's group Left for the resort while Tushar and his left behind 7 hostel mates were planning the 4 holidays in some befitting manner. An idea struck Tushar of celebrating April Fools day which will neither attract anyone's annoyance and will be a memorable laughing enjoyable memory. He, however, decided to make Arun his target. 

After considerable thought more so of his financial boosting. A well-balanced educative strategy was planned and discussed amongst the members which earned everyone's consent and approval. Tushar being the anchor. It was most economical even and was bound to yield fun, pleasure, and joke and will be covered under the Fools Day achievements.

Tushar manages to obtain from the office the parental address at Ranchi of Arun. He visits the local telegraph office and sends an anonymous telegraph reading. 

"Arun hit seriously in a road accident and hospitalized. Condition serious. Contact hostel."

No name of the sender was given in the telegram which was transmitted in early hours on 1st April. It was an urgent telegram and was duly receipted by the father at Ranchi in the afternoon. 

The message resulted in creating acute tension and hue and cry emerged in their entire family. Inquiries from the hostel revealed only that he is away from the hostel since a day before. Such vague replies immensely enhanced the anxiety and worries. 

At Ranchi, somehow or the other arrangements were made to have reservations booked for Rajkot around 7 PM. No other flight early was available and the parents of Arun with 4 more near relatives had scheduled to visit Arun and to take care of his health.

All as arranged left for Rajkot on the 1st April itself throughout they all kept praying the almighty for the speedy recovery of Arun. On reaching the hostel they met the Warden and other official dignitaries and learned about the party having left on 31st March-early hours on some excursion trip.  Full, authentic details were not available.

Tushar was watching all the happenings, he and his group were feeling rejoiced over the overwhelming grief and anxiety of Arun's parents and relations of their hoax intimation. 

Hectic queries were being continuously conducted by Arun's relations from police authorities, travel agents, and common acquaintances. It came to be divulged that some tour has been organized to some resort at Himachal Pradesh Arun's counterparts were under a grim puzzle. Their anxiety was at its climax more so due to uncertainties and negation of particular details.

There was another reason for befooling. On Fool's day. Last year certain major disputes were occurring between Arun and Tushar. Arun declared publically that he will teach a lesson to Tushar. He got an opportunity. Some Motorbike fatally knocked down 2 children. The bike riders ran away after hitting the two children fatally. It became a burning issue of the town and the media played a vital role in blowing the incident and criticizing the local police administration.

These days Tushar's Jija was at Rajkot and using the same motorbike for going to various places. He was away on a motorbike on the day of the incident. Arun acted mischievously and to degrade and humiliate the relative of Tushar, a secret message was got conveyed over an anonymous phone to police giving the motorbike number and the name of Jija of Tushar turning the police active. The result was that the motorbike was seized and Jija apprehended. To sort out the matter and to relieve the Jija, his relations had to visit Rajkot and were obliged to incur huge expenditure, giving illegal unlawful gratifications, in obtaining favorable reports and on spending few days with the help of Tushar that the riddle was solved and involvement of Jija eroded. Jija had to spend his few days in police custody under arrest. It was a painful disgraceful period. Tushar had decided to avenge insult on some suitable occasion. 

Fools Day had given him a suitable opportunity. Even knowing that one has been befooled intentionally, the incident was taken as a joke. There was no plausible reason to get antagonized or to nourish annoyance. Tushar had thought that his dual-purpose will be served i.e. of avenging last year's disgrace as well as making full use of the holidays under the pretext of Fool's day. He found both the time and date suitable. 

Arun's father even got an advertisement published in local dailies soliciting queries about the alleged accident. It was only on 3rd April that Arun had rung up the hostel caterer informing about their return on 4th Morning and for keeping their meals ready. There he was appraised of his parent's anxiety and being at Rajkot. Arun was very upset but had no means to come early. He however rang up his father and learned all about the telegram and then having come over to Rajkot. His parents sighed in relief having learned about his welfare, they still deemed it appropriate to wait till the next day and to return after seeing Arun safe and healthy. 

The next day – on arrival the veil was lifted. It came to be public news that the writer of the script was none else but Tushar. 

A written complaint was made to the Dean of the Faculty giving the name of Tushar being the mastermind of the scam. The Dean summoned Tushar to his office to conduct a comprehensive inquiry. 

Tushar joined the proceedings. He did not dispute the allegations imputed. He however emphasized now and then all the times that to celebrate Fool's day the entire show was organized to befool there was no measrea. All were performed in fun without any evil intent or purpose and to teach a Lesson to Arun. Being a befooling tactic annoyance being created is neither justified nor applaudable. After the considerate appraisal, Tushar was pardoned with a strict warning. Fool's day proved a savior.  Subsequently, Arun & Tushar both became intimate friends for a long.

April 02, 2021 11:21

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