AESOP'S GOOD FATE

GOLLAPUDI SRINIVASA RAO

                                 

                                     

It all took some time for Aesop to comprehend. Okay, he told himself and desired to go to meet his people at home. When he came out of his new abode, a tall senior police officer saluted him and opened the car door for him. Aesop startled at seeing him and a shiver ran through his spine. The police officer was none other than the same Laxman Singh, promoted in rank. The same man at whose hands Aesop escaped death several times. Concealing his feelings and reminiscing the past, he settled down in the car smiling at Laxman Singh, who closed the door and again saluted.

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# All that the able bodied and young Aesop yearned is a sumptuous meal and a pitcher of toddy to drink and sleep. Nothing else mattered to him in this world.

He knew well that he neglected his education and is paying for that. Though the government funded for education for some communities including the one to which Aesop belonged and however, his father Azaraiah longed to see him an educated man, he just did not care.

Aesop born in that part of the country which has been witnessing strife. Some people who claim to be leading the most oppressed took up arms against the state. The battle intensified with each passing year with the extremists succeeding to rope in youth like Aesop. But this man desired only a meal and toddy, all for free, if possible without sweating.

When the armed personnel of state and revolutionaries gamed claiming public support, the people, mostly the youth were at receiving end. The police men would pick up anyone from the streets and bump them off branding them as members of revolutionary group.

These developments forced many people to flee the rural parts, others join the revolutionaries, but the lazy, indiscriminate Aesop remained indifferent as usual. He had luck in life.  He escaped the death at the hands of warring groups. Despite being beaten blue and black, very often by the state police, he did not choose to move out. He only developed aversion and revenge against the police.

It was on one August night, it was raining. As was his habit, Aesop fell asleep after consuming the toddy belly full with the money earned by his wife labouring hard in the day.

At midnight, a group of policemen swooped on the slum like a thunder bolt and went berserk. They went on whipping the people and razing the huts to dust. The women and children were worst affected. On finding Aesop in his sound sleep in his dungeon, inspector Laxman Singh’s blood boiled. Unable to control his emotions, he used both his legs and hands at sleeping Aesop. The poor creature could hardly understand anything for a while. By the time he came to his senses he was in stink in the police station compound. He realised then and visualised, how brutally the police dragged him in slush last night. He said to himself that he was treated like a pig.

Later, in the day, he comprehended by the murmur of constables that the extremists blew off a van killing a dozen policemen and decamped with the latest weapons. It sent shocks through the spines of police officials who boasted about their powers.

Aesop craved for few drops of water he would not get. In the afternoon, inspector Laxman Singh came sweating with his body guards. Immediately on seeing Aesop through the window from his chamber, he came out rushing and began kicking him hurling abuses. `you son of a bitch, tell me where your friends are hiding or I will crush your balls.’ He tortured and tortured until his energies lasted. Aesop pleaded innocence, folded his hands and prayed. He groaned as his body ached and lay motionless.

Aesop remained confined. The gun totting constables going in and out of the station kicked and abused him as and when they passed by the side. They played with him as if the children enjoyed playing a gifted ball.

He remembered times of his tender years when his father would read out the stories from the Holy Bible. He tried to draw an analogy between the hell, his father described and the police station. The hell seemed better to him. All that his father and elders preached sounded better. Aesop cursed himself for not giving an ear then. He prayed god to give him an opportunity and energy to kick and kill the devilish inspector Laxman Singh. For, the police officer seemed bigger and unmanageable to him in life. He decided to agree with the extremists without paying any attention to that `ideology’ they had been talking about for decades on and on. His blood boiled more with revenge and the next instant, fell sick. He thought the police might bump him as they did others. They might show him as accomplice of revolutionaries who plotted the massacre of police men. He grew sicker. He experienced a shiver in his spine whenever he saw the inspector Laxman Singh came in and out of the police station all the day.

At last, luck smiled at Aesop. The police elsewhere in the province avenged killing some extremists and that set this poor creature free from the hell here.

Back at home, his wife, relatives and neighbours were praying god for his return. They were all not so optimistic about his survival although. Aesop was dumped from the police truck one midnight near the slum. The children, who rose early that day, spotted him and yelled back to their parents `Aesop is back. Aesop is back’. Curious neighbourhood came rushing only to see a motionless body. Energy sapped out, battered and exhausted, there he lay.

Some in the crowd began wailing while an elderly woman sprinkled water on his face. When they saw slight movement, they were in joy to see him alive. He was carried home. His wife sent a youth to fetch for toddy which he most loved and another to bring fish fry and other for rice. It took a week for Aesop to be able to walk.

Aesop was not sure when and how the end would come at last. He had been near it for several times and every time the police torture grew intense. He turned deaf ear to people pleading him to flee the house and to those who begged to join either the ruling or opposition political party as a worker to escape the frequent torture.

When the change swept the world, so did the province of Aesop’s. The government in a bid to end the strife encouraged the ultras who gave up arms when they floated a political party.  There was euphoria and everybody joined it. Even Aesop was forced to. When the people of his ghetto celebrated his joining, he felt so powerful and grown up suddenly. He imagined himself in good clothes moving in official car with a police vehicle escorting it. As he visualised the life of a politician, he felt happy. Slowly, his life became busy moving all over the province. The people looked at the new party and the new crop of politicians in awe. All that people desired was the new party would definitely bring down the war and bring peace into their lives. Not riches and crowns. When people in other corners of the province accorded warm reception, Aesop’s joy knew no bounds. He not only accepted the new role but owned it as well.

He put his heart and soul into building the party. The party was geared up to fight the local council elections that were fiercely contested by the ruling and main opposition parties. The New Party failed to make a mark of its own, except winning a few seats. As part of its strategy to cling to power to itself and to stop the waning public support, the ruling party suddenly befriended the New Party and even came forward to share power with it.

Luck smiled on Aesop as it always did. He was chosen to be the chairman of the newly elected council of the province. The chairman is the person who decides the fate of people and course of development holding key to millions of rupees in the province. There was jubilation all over and people in large numbers welcomed a common man being crowned with the highest job. In less than a day, Aesop experienced his life changing beyond his comprehension. The top officials of the province made a beeline to him to receive commands from the new chairman. Some advised him against staying at his slum and said they turned the palatial guest house as a temporary quarter for him to stay. The police advised him not to move freely as he did earlier without their knowledge as the extremists might liquidate him. Everything sounded strange to him.

Suddenly, a well groomed man appeared from nowhere and introduced himself to be his secretary saying he would tell him who the chairman should meet and when. A group of armed policemen came and said they would be his personal security. And then the chief administrator arrived. He said that a new car was arranged for him for use.

It all took some time for Aesop to comprehend. Okay, he told himself and desired to go to meet his people at home. When he came out his new abode, a tall senior police officer saluted him and opened the car door for him. Aesop startled at seeing him and a shiver ran through his spine. The police officer was none other than the same Laxman Singh, promoted in rank. The same man at whose hand Aesop escaped death several times. Concealing his feelings and reminiscing the past, he settled down in the car smiling at Laxman Singh, who closed the door and again saluted.

Aesop came to his senses when he found an armed guard sitting beside the driver and his secretary by his side.

Turning towards his secretary, Aesop said `brother, enough for this life. I will die happily now. I could make that same bloody fellow salute me’.

The secretary hardly understood what the new chairman said but smiled back at him.

Ends/