`Is it sex, money or political power?’ another question was shot at him.
Slightly feeling irritated, `did you sleep or just reading that philosophy all through the night?’ James asked him.
`Ok, I think you are in a hurry to go to class. Let us discuss in the evening,’ Iyer said closing the door behind and left hurriedly for the class.
James came back into his own world and thought he should first go to library to return the books and then to attend the seminar to be addressed by a foreign professor. Meanwhile, thoughts about his roommate too occupied his mind. `Was he moving in the right path? Will he get deranged in middle of the course reading that philosophical stuff?’ He planned to have a detailed discussion with him when both of them returned to their hostel room in the evening.
Son of a coal miner, James grew up as a disciplined child with his father always asking him to concentrate on studies and nothing else. He never allowed his children to do anything other than studies. He somehow disliked his children from taking risk and going astray. He ordered his son to study properly, get a job, marry a decent girl and raise a good family. But, James was interested in business and dreamed building an empire. He wished to join the elite group of businessmen of the country. Restrained by his father, he decided to pursue higher studies and joined a premier institute to complete his master’s degree in engineering.
James’s neighbour in the town, Krishna Iyer comes from still poor family that was all dependent on their mother. His mother worked at a mission school and she often undertook other menial jobs to make both ends meet. She took pride in her son who was pursuing higher studies with James. Unmindful of aspirations of his toiling mother, Iyer always dreamed a lot. Appearing over ambitious, he looked as if he wanted to conquer the world.
* * *
`What according to you is most satisfying to a human being? Is it sex or money or political power?’ Iyer posed again as James entered the room without any formal conversation.
`Will you please wait till I take my bath? We shall go to canteen and go for a walk on the campus discussing the issue that is eating your brain’ said James.
`Sure’ said Iyer with glee.
They were roommates at the engineering college and again became roommates by chance at the university. They admired one another but are poles apart in personality traits. James was introvert, always preferred solitude while Iyer is opposite of him. He liked being in the crowd always cheering and talking. He cannot bear even two minutes of silence.
As soon as James came out of the bathroom, eagerly awaiting Iyer asked `Is it over? Shall we go?’
`Two minutes please’ replied James while putting on clothes leaving the towel behind. `Did you attend the class or just whiled away your time with the books at library?’ James wanted to know. But, Krishna Iyer was in no mood to answer. `Ok. Let us go’ he said.
James dressed very simply. He put on a T-shirt and a jeans pant while Iyer neatly shaved and well dressed in a formal manner. `you were asking something, what is it’ James wanted to know.
`What is so gratifying to a human being? Sex, money or political power,’ repeated Iyer.
`I think it is glory’
`How’
`Everybody knows that they will die one day. But they want to be remembered forever. It is for this reason, they do lot of things like charities, donate money to non-governmental organisations, build temples and do lot of other things’.
`But how many people do it. Only few do it. If you are correct, a large number of people must be doing that,’ pointed out Iyer.
`what do you think is the answer to your question’ impatient James sought to know.
`So you say it is glory’ paused Iyer.
`You must be thinking it is the political power that is most gratifying to a human being? posed James while his friend Iyer suddenly came to senses and focused on keenly listening to him.
James went on “But, I read somewhere sometime back that when M K Gandhi who led India to freedom refused to accept the Prime Minister post. He wanted the countrymen to remember him as Mahatma and as father of the Nation but not as the first prime minister of the country. As long as life exists, he will be remembered as father of the nation by his countrymen. He opted for glory not for transient power,’ explained James.
`Yes, but glory is not so gratifying in this age anymore’
`Then what is that most gratifying?’ James waited for Iyer’s answer.
`That is what I am searching for’ he answered and said `what if one has large number of people on globe at one’s command and all that wealth. Will he or she be happy?’
`Is it possible? One should become a king or an emperor. Go back to the olden days. It is history now. It is not possible anymore,” James added.
They walked in silence along road from one end to the other on the campus with the grownup trees forming a green canopy over. Each of them was busy with their thoughts and suddenly breaking the silence, James asked `what do you want to become in life? I think you are not serious in your studies. Think of your mother who works hard to send you to university. You should make her happy by securing a good job.’
Perturbed Iyer was ready with his answer `everybody grabs a job. What is great in it? Do you think I will renounce this world and join the band of ascetics?
James did say nothing but thought Iyer would definitely go mad with his useless questions and doubts.
As the examinations neared, both became very busy and their discussions became less and less frequent. While James stuck to his room for most part of the day, Iyer went out and came in as he liked. Both of them prepared for the campus interviews to get into best of the corporate companies for a good salary.
* * *
Mr Francis told his son James, if he wanted to go abroad to earn more, he could do so. But, he wanted his son to return before he retires. Mr Francis had eight more years to retire from the coal mines. He decided to let his son embark on a bright career, but asked him to come back to the country to look after the family. Had James decided to stay on in the country, he would have got decent salary, but going abroad means more prestige and more money as well. He would also get an opportunity to realise his dream of setting up his own business as he would be far away from his father who opposed the very idea of giving up job and taking risks.
Iyer too was planning to go abroad but did not like to discuss his plans with anybody including his roommate. James lost track of him and he went his way thinking seriously about his future. Having got into a multi-national company, James kept aside for the time being his own plans and began enjoying trotting the world as part of his job. Married to a girl of his choice, he had great times in life. The thought of returning home back always pinched him. He did not dare ask his father to allow him to stay for more. But, deep inside, he was interested in discharging his responsibility towards his mother and father and wanted to see the happiness on their faces.
James came back with his wife and two children to join his parents after serving eight years in various parts of the globe. Meanwhile, the parents shifted to the city to enable James settle conveniently without burdening him much. His father deposited his retirement benefits in bank from which he received monthly interest. Except for sharing the dwelling with his parents, indeed, James did not have much to worry about as he need not share his wealth or spare much of his time with his parents. He happily enjoyed their presence without disturbing them or getting disturbed by them.
Unlike in other parts where he worked, where employees always minded their own business, the colleagues back in his country mingled freely with one another and shared their joys and sorrows with each other. James came to know personal stories of many of his colleagues in the office. He observed everyone working hard and earning reasonably well. But, everyone has a complaint. Every one appeared somehow disgusted with the routine life. Everyone appeared to be waiting for a great escape. Everyone had a question sans any answer.
Majority of employees in the office had other avocations besides the office and family. Some went for Yoga practice; others sought peace attending meditation classes. Some hunted for pleasure elsewhere and others followed a spiritual guru. There were times, some spiritual guru suddenly appeared from nowhere in the office complex. The heads of departments would ask all the employees to gather at conference hall to listen to ancient wisdom and improve their efficiency. The so called lectures promised or taught tips on much wanted balance between personal and professional lives. Exposed to a different kind of environment, James found it all funny and often intriguing.
Whenever he interacted with his colleagues, they would say `a human being also has a soft corner. Not to have it is like living like a machine.’ Others would say `fear of a divine force is noblest of all.’ James grew curious of the language his colleagues spoke and desired to taste it. He began moving close to one of them who followed a new age spiritual guru.
James was invited to the meditation classes which all seemed trash to him. When he visited the ashram, he was taken aback seeing the most influential people of the society doing menial jobs there. The top cop of the place was washing dishes while another top bureaucrat was setting right the shoes and slippers left behind by the devotees outside the meditation hall. It all seemed too funny. “The fellows who have dozens of servants back at home come here to show another face. What hypocrisy?’ he told himself. At the same time, he could not resist praising this new age guru who appeared all powerful to him who had at his command the high and mighty. He strongly resolved to meet this man at any cost and asked his colleague to help meet his spiritual guru. He was astonished when he was told it was not easy to meet him in person.
“My spiritual master is a globe trotter. It is difficult to track his tour schedule and he rarely comes to India. Those who happen to meet him feel very fortunate and a rare opportunity they consider the result of good deeds they did in their past life.”
“It appears to me that it is easy to meet a Prime Minister or President than your guru,” said James feeling more intrigued. This made him resolve once again to meet this `mysterious’ man who held so many people together being far away. As he moved close with his new friend, James was surprised at the revelations about this spiritual guru. This spiritual master had among his followers, the high and mighty of the society – businessmen, top government officials and politicians. Not from one country, but of several countries across the globe.
Thoughts about this man and his ways occupied the mind of James completely. While others saw him as a reincarnation of God in him, James saw an `astute politician’ and `apt businessman’ in him and `meeting this man in person’ had become his mission now. He tried all the methods known to him to reach his goal.
James recollected reading very often in newspapers how powerful the godmen are. How they moved all over meeting the heads of states and influencing the politicians across the globe and some even owning ultra modern cars and airplanes. “How amazing the creatures really are? The empires have crumbled and kingdoms have gone, but these inscrutable `swamis’ succeeded in establishing new empires across the borders” he tried to explain himself.
Having proved himself an ardent follower, he became close with the top people of new institution who appeared to him, would fulfill his wish arranging a meeting with the spiritual master. He was told that after a year, again the master was coming to India and would stay for little over a month.
For James, it was astonishing to see so many devotees from different sections being so possessive about their spiritual guru. It looked funny to him to see everybody trying to show that he or she is more devoted than others. Their behaviour appeared weird to him. And when their `guru’ came, it all assumed an epic proportion. During his trials to meet this man of substance, James at one point of time, thought to give up his mission. He just could not get through the so called security covers and possessive circles formed by the ardent devotees around their master.
The spiritual master named `Atmananda’ looked like a movie hero. For James, he appeared like a gladiator – with well built body shining in full glow, sporting a long thick black beard and a white silk cloth across his upper part of the body while a lion clothe covered his lower part upto knees. His presence at the place seemed right. His body emanated a sweet smell which took those around into trance.
`Come, Mr James’ his first words as James appeared before him.
James was dumbstruck. He was a bit confused looking around to know whether the master was calling anybody else.
`Please come,’ said Atmananda again.
Looking into his eyes, James suddenly felt very much happy. Yes, he was right in his guess. He was overtaken by a variety of feelings – jealousy, sense of pride and a sense of achievement which did not belong to him.
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