Sunday, September 28, 2003		Life Ties

THE clapping which Ravi received when he masterminded a planned robbery at the local kirana store still rang in his ears. He had not been present but had drawn up a blueprint detailing the operation which was carried out by confirmed ruffians of the locality. He felt like a hero as the gang marvelled at his foolproof plan. The lala had been cheating them for years, encouraging them to run up huge debts and then extracting his pound of flesh by charging hefty rates of interest and in-kind payments like watches, DVDs, CDs and eau de colognes.

Ravi thus became the most sought after "trouble shooter". His range of "services" expanded as his "clients" offered to pay him "remuneration". He found "work" coming in without his having to advertise or market himself. Forging signatures on report cards and class tests for a small payment with a signed document protecting his identity in the event of the "client" getting caught ensured anonymity.

He advised young boys on how to extract money from their parents, create false expenses, fake grocery and shopping lists in order to enhance their pocket allowances. Minor episodes of shop lifting in groups and while taking lifts in cars were also outlined by him. He got a cut out of every successful operation.

Fortunately, his middle-class morality combined with the fact that his interaction was confined to timid boys with limited resources made his cheating escapades less dangerous. Had he been in a different milieu, there would have been no stopping his agile mind from planning more dangerous frauds. In spite of his foray into small-time crime, parental expectations still mattered to him. The question:"What would people say?" weighed heavily on his mind, especially when he thought of his honest-to-a-fault father who in his 40 years of service as a high school teacher had never accepted a gift from his students or their parents.

There were times Ravi felt like severing the bond with his family. He was convinced that if there was anything which stopped him from making it big, it was the curse of being born in that household. He made many plans of running away, setting up a hush-hush enterprise with willing friends but he chickened out. He could not bring himself to letting his parents down. Which is why he fell in line by completing his graduation, doing his Masters, picking up a "decent" job in a blue chip company and marrying Kavita, a girl of his parents' choice. The directive "no gifts or shagun please, just blessings and good wishes" printed on the wedding card really hurt him.

Like his friends, he too wished to have a car and go for his honeymoon to Maldives. This could have been possible had his father agreed to the willingly-offered dowry. The shagun would have taken care of a world-class holiday. His father's noble intentions ensured he continued with his second-hand motor bike and a honeymoon to Shimla, which he had visited many times before. His father's last words rang in his ears: " Work your way up and save enough for the holiday of your dreams and discover true happiness".

How was he to tell his father that a bit of cheating was acceptable. No amount of hard work, achieving impossible targets and earning handsome increments at the company was going to get him the kind of money he craved for. Ravi's restless mind kept wandering. The side income from his list of regular 'clients' continued, except that the activities were now definitely criminal in nature. He had wangled his way into the purchase and sourcing department of his firm. This gave him ample opportunity to make false bills and earn commissions from various suppliers. It was the bonus he received from a relatively bigger plan which helped him to buy his first car, a brand new Esteem. He had helped a friend of his crony set up a chit fund in a multi-location capacity. With a six-month gestation period, the project finally took off when the client collected enough in his kitty and made good his escape to Canada, leaving behind Ravi's share as promised.

Ravi thought that if, thanks to his planning, others could rake in money, why could he not do the same? He had to break free because his present life had chained him to a lifetime of conformity. Enough of being the softie in the background, scared to take risks, he had to do something more challenging. He made up his mind to get into action mode. Till a bigger plan materialised in his mind, he thought of testing waters with a smaller, safer one.

He applied for a loan with a car company to buy a new deluxe model of a Ford Ikon. Using the credentials of his existing company, he got the loan easily. The car was delivered and Ravi had paid one month's loan instalment after which he put in his resignation papers. He chose a time when the company management was extremely busy with an upcoming AGM. His resignation was accepted without verification of his pending dues. Following this, he shifted residence. All traces of authenticity were removed, making it difficult for the car finance company to track him down. Emboldened with this coup, he rejoiced in his good luck.

What he did not gamble for was the bouncers most finance companies hire quietly. They have an uncanny ability of tracking a debtor from his grave. If you default on your payments to the company via their intervention, be prepared that they will carry out every threat of theirs, be it of breaking your bones or neck.

The day two toughies landed up at his house and holed him up for the entire day is when Kavita got an inkling of what had been happening. She made it clear that she was not going to be a party to this devious way of living. The more information that she unearthed, the worse she felt. How had she been so oblivious to their rising affluence and lavish lifestyle? Why had she not demanded more details of his "side business"? She came from an affluent family, yet she valued what she had. To know that her husband was a small-time fraud with big-time aspirations made her cozy world come crashing down.

Ravi tried reassuring her. He told her that he had complied and paid up to the money retrievers. Why was she then insisting that he "turn over a new leaf"? His need for more had not translated in his harassing his father-in-law for money, which he could easily have done. He had heard enough moralistic lectures to last him a lifetime. His father was dead and for the first time, he felt unfettered. He couldn't afford to have it all spoilt by a wife who did not understand his dreams.

She told him that she could not bring herself to live with the knowledge that what she was eating, wearing, sleeping in came from an earning which was suspect. He could take his time and do a serious re-think. An honest way of life with her by his side or a quicksand world of crime with a perceived sense of false glamour. The choice would be his.