My friend who loved his drinks

Here is the tenth unforgettable character in my life …

This friend of mine was a legend by himself. I first him at the naming ceremony of his son – he had two daughters by then and went on to father one more daughter. A jovial person, he was the life of any party. He never bothered about levels – he was at ease with the General Manager as he was with a Casual laborer or helper or mechanic.
He loved his drinks and was not very particular about the brand – once, at a picnic, he was in-charge of the cooking. There was the usual bottle by his side and, he and his cronies would take an occasional swig to keep up the tempo. It so happened that a mischievous member of the picnic party switched bottles. My friend absentmindedly picked up the bottle of kerosene instead of the liquor – the scenes that followed were hilarious.

This drinking habit took a heavy toll on his life; he got picked up by the police on being a suspect in an attempt to blow up a political leader. This meant suspension from service and his family was in shambles. He managed to come out unscathed but the drinking habit damaged his domestic life. There were instances when he was too loaded to walk.
Subsequently, he got rid of the habit – his son is an Engineer in one of the Arab countries, his daughters are settled in their lives. His wife suffered from attack of gouts and was bed ridden for a long time. He had to undergo a bypass surgery but took active part in organizing get-togethers of retired persons in the neighborhood. When I met him at such parties, he appeared to be the happy-go-lucky character that he always was with a smile for everyone.
Unfortunately, he is no longer in our midst neither is his wife, but their memories remain.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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A sudden storm shattered my dreams

Here is the fifth unforgettable character in my life …

He was a very good friend of mine. We both shared a lot of interests. Therefore when, one day, we talked about beginning an English magazine for the Youth, we were on common turf. At that time my wife had gone to her mother’s place and he was a bachelor. His father stayed with him but did not interfere in the activities of his son. Hence, we would spend hours discussing, preparing layouts, debating on what material would be suitable. It should be mentioned here that he had an exceptional ability to analyze anything. Naturally, he was in the Quality control department while I was in the production lines. By default, we seldom saw eye to eye in the work place. Still we discussed our project at length – in between working breaks as also outside office hours.

I still remember an occasion when I landed up in his place. It was a Saturday; he was humming an English tune as he cleaned a bowl of rice of foreign matter and took a sip from a large glass that stood by his side. His father was in the inner room with a book – he loved reading.
My friend welcomed and offered me a drink. It was orange in color and had the distinct taste of orange juice. Only, it was country liquor. Hesitatingly, I took a tiny sip and began discussing our proposed magazine. We planned to visit the college and approach the Principal to let us have a chat with the students on the subject – we wanted to involve them in our decision so that they could get an incentive to associate with us. I never noticed when my glass had become empty.
The night was not young any longer. I stood up and after a few steps, felt that I was walking on air! My feet kept searching for firmness under the soles!! My rooms were round the corner and, I do not know how I climbed down the staircase. When I woke next morning, I found that I had not even bolted the door – I was lying in a heap on the floor.
This friend of mine met with a terrible end. He was from Andhra and the group went for the annual picnic to celebrate Sankranti. He was in charge of the record player. As usual, he had his glass of drink with him. When all the members were busy, he suddenly realized that the record had stopped playing. He walked over to put on a new record and, at that very moment, there was a sudden gust of wind. The force was such that it broke the branch of the tree and it fell on him. He was crushed under it.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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