The Day I Took Bribe of Rupees 5, But Became A Hero!

Please accept my sastang dandavat at your lotus feet Swamiji. Your charismatic smile has a magical spell on me, and I am very much grateful to you for your unconditional grace and bless. Today, I am going to confess something in front of you and the entire os.me family.

The incident dates back to my School days in 1995. I was in Class 5. We used to play Cricket after our school time was over. School was over by 4:30 and our race to the field by 5:15 PM. I was a very dedicated organizer. One Keralite fellow was our neighbour in the govt. quarters we lived in. He used to plant Tapioca in his backyard and my god, the stems were perfect for making wickets. They were sturdy and straight. So, there was no question of the ball passing through two wickets creating commotion and pandemonium 😉, the bowling team threatening to make a walk out 😊.

There was another problem as we had only one set of wickets. For a run out at the other end was free to interpretation of everybody. A big stone piece or brick was used as the wicket for the runner’s end. If the ball had a direct hit, then situation would be clearer. But if the ball goes over that stone, brick piece, then it would be a Mahabharat! All the manual hawk eye and ball tracking systems would be deployed as per the whims and fancy of all the stakeholders 😉. Again, same chaotic situation would arise.

I decided to end this by preparing two sets of wickets both for the batting end and the opposite end using the Tapioca wickets. Bachha Party (Nalin, Taahira, Meera, Kunal, Pratik, Kavana, Yash, Ashu and all who I am forgetting) we never used to get pocket money like you back on those days. Getting a set of wickets, a proper bat and ball was a luxury in those days. It was difficult to contribute 50 paise by everyone and purchase a new ball. One who hit the ball beyond trace, the fellow would be treated as a culprit, though he had played a fabulous shot 😉. He would be held responsible for the crime.

One day, such a case happened with me. No, I did not hit the ball out of the ground. Back then, I was quite frail, and I was just haddion ki dukaan! But I was very influential as I was the best student of the class and provided the much required 2 sets of wickets 😉. I was thinking about smooth conduction of the game.

One of our Chris Gayle hit a big six and I was manning the boundary. I tried to catch the skier, but unfortunately the ball bounced out of my hand and went into the dense vegetation behind the boundary. I fought a lot that the responsibility lies on our Chris Gayle. But the Jury, gave the decision that, I was guilty of 2 counts. First, why I was manning the boundary when I should have been somewhere in the mid field area. The second count was as the ball ricocheted from my hands; I was responsible for loss of the ball. The verdict was passed, and I was pronounced guilty 😉.

I was under immense pressure to get a new ball. Telling at home and asking money for the same was as if jumping in front of a caged lion 😉 only to listen we are working day and night to earn money and you guys don’t understand the value of money. You come up with such petty issues for which we don’t have any money. Just go back and study, enough of playing and all the blah blahs 😉. I was fed up with the Mangalvadya!

But the pressure was mounting on me to produce a new ball. And I was thinking of how to achieve the impossible feat. Then came the chap who was banned by our group from playing cricket because one day he uttered the bad word “sala”! He was very angry to get run out by his partner and vented his anger in the word. It was treated as a jolt to dignity of the group and the moral polices (for which I was also a part!) barred him from the group 😉.

He approached me and offered to provide me with a new ball if I can re-induct him in t0o the group. It was Rs 5 versus my conscience. But I was bent towards Rs. 5 as it would relieve me of the peer pressure. But how to re-induct the guy when I was also a part of the expulsion jury 😉. Now I took help of lord Budhha, Jesus and Mahatma Gandhi! I took the amount from the chap and purchased a new ball. I called the chap along with the entire group.

And what I did the next day was quite exemplary! I preached the entire group satya, dharma and ahimsa! I preached the group to forgive the chap quoting Mahatma Gandhi i.e. Bapuji, taught us that forgiving somebody was much better human quality than taking revenge and rusticating him from the group. Everybody was awe stuck. What a great idea Biswa is talking 😉 about. You may ask me why I did not do it for pardoning me? The simple answer, that the ball was not there, the basic requirement! Once basic requirement is fulfilled, you can preach a calmed down group and convince them with ease. As Swamiji has told, you need to experience abundance to proceed in the path of spirituality. The same thing happened here also, but with a twist😉.

I was taken aback when my teachers appreciated me for all the wisdom I imparted in the group. I was feeling ashamed inside with a smile outside! I was treated as a hero even by higher class students and the effort was narrated by none other than our school head mistress one day during assembly session. Just think about how I was feeling like! 😉. I used the same Mahatma Gandhi in form of currency whose ideas, I preached!

I think by now you all would have a hearty laugh and increased your blood circulation 😉😉😉!

Jai Shri Hari. Pranam to all for reading the post