THE IMMPOSSIBLE CLUB- AN ILLUSION

                                 The impossible club-- An Illusion . 

If you had not heard about the “Impossible” club then  it is not surprising. Only a handful know  about its existence and very few are its members. The members are by invitation only and that too after lot of scrutiny.

No doubt that I am a member.

This club meets once in a month in a farm house at the outskirts of Pune and Drinks and food is unlimited and staying arrangement is equal to any five star hotel.

After the usual rounds of drinks the meeting starts at 7.30 in the evening and may continue till late at night and the whole day next morning with breaks for food and further drinks.

  The purpose of the club is to identify the stories which seem impossible on the face of it and try to find logical explanation for the event.  It is not necessary that the event should have taken place in the member’s own life but he should know it from his own reliable source and should not be an imaginary event. These are the basic rules of the club.

We keep a detailed note of the events narrated by members and depending on the degree of impossibility of the logical explanation a grading is given to it. The five star events are almost impossible to explain and one star event may have some logical explanation.

The event that I narrated and was given a five star rating happened in my life some 5 years back and I was reluctant to narrate it for I feared the members may think  that it is imaginary. However on one evening when there was no other event to be narrated by any member and as everybody felt that we may have to wind up our meeting early, I decided to venture narrating this “impossible” event.

Fortunately all the evidence in the form of a video was on my blackberry and the photo I always carry with me.

But let me commence at the beginning.

I had recently retired from army as a colonel and was enjoying my retired life. I had made a list of things which I wanted to do but could not do so for whatever reasons and was doing those things one by one. When I was in primary school, my father was posted as an assistant station master in a small village on the railway line from Pune to Miraj. The railway station was called Bhavaninagar and it very close to a city called Karad. One day our school picnic was taken to a small Shiva temple. It was a very beautiful spot and with lot of banniyan trees around and with a small beautiful well nearby .The temple was itched in my mind. I remembered going into the temple and finding its cool and silent interior inviting at the same time the darkness slightly alarming to a small 10 year boy.

Soon after our family moved to Miraj and then to Pune.  I however never forgot that temple and whenever  I passed through that small Bhavaninagar station I would wow to myself that one day I will visit the temple again. That day came after my retirement from army and one fine morning I found myself getting down at the familiar railway station from a passenger train from Pune.

The station looked almost the same as I remembered it from my childhood days, as if the time has stopped for that station.  The platform had the same deserted look and all the tress at the side of the platform looked the same. I wondered why they did not age like me. But they must have. I looked at the trees, who were my friends from childhood and especially that big banyan tree in front of the Railway Quarters in which we used to stay. I walked towards it. It had definitely grown more branches and its roots had spread far more that I remembered. But then I had also grown old, I thought. I wanted to sit under the tree for some time and feel the presence of my childhood friend. So I went and sat under the tree. Its shade was as comforting as I remembered. I remembered my few friends who used to play with me on that tree. I wondered where they are and what they are doing. I had no means of knowing.

After some time I reluctantly got up and went looking for the road which I knew takes you the village from station. There were two three rickshaws standing waiting for customers. Looking at me one rickshawalla came forward and asked me,

“Come with me, sir where do you want to go?”

“There used to be a Shiva temple near the road which takes you to a town called Takari. That used to be on left side of the road, some four five kilometers from here. Is it still there? I want to go there.”I asked him. His name turned out to be Bhagwan. He said,

“ Yes ,an old temple is still there. I can take you there for Rs. 50/- “he said.

“ Bhagwan ,you see I have come in the village after about 50 years, I want to just walk around the  village for a while and then I can come back and go with you. If you get any other customer please take him otherwise I will come in about half an hour!” I told him.

“ Sir the customers come when there is a train. Now all are gone.But I will wait for you. “ He was rather disappointed that I did not go with him ,but really I wanted to roam about the village and rekindle my old memories.  So I took the road which as a child I had taken to school or rather the road which I must have taken to school. The road previously was a dirt road but now it was concreted. The houses on both sides looked very different but surely the change was inevitable. On the right side as I progressed I remembered there used to be one very large two floored house. The only of such kind at that time. . All painted artistically and with a cement coumpound around. It belonged to some rich and famous family. I did not remember the owners name but he had a son of my age who was called Mansing. He used to always bully me and always used to come first in swimming competition. I felt the house should have been here,but there was only a commercial complex there. I wondered what had happened to Mansing. I decided that while coming back I should check it.

As I was slowly going ahead suddenly I heard a sound of shuffling and clicking of boots and somebody said loudly

“ Subhedar Shivraaj reporting sir!”

I quickly turned to find an old but upright person smartly saluting me and standing smiling at me.

I gazed at him in surprise. Yes!  It was   subhedar Shivraj allright. My orderly for many years and a very loving and lively person.

“ Oh! Shivraj! What a surprise! What are you doing here?” I warmly shook hands with him and asked.

Yes, he had aged surely than when I had seen him 5 years back when he retired from army. He was balding now, had all white moustaches and was wearing a khaki shirt and white colour pant which was slightly long for his height but was neatly folded at the feet. He was as articulate as I have seen him.

“Sir I should ask you this question!. I live in this town but how come you are here?” He said politely.

I explained to him my purpose and told him that I wanted to visit the old Shiva temple.

“That is very good sir.! I have taken a small farm near that temple only and have built a small house also on the farm. I drive a rickshaw here that you see parked there. Come with me sir!. I will first take you to my house and offer you some tea and then you can go to the temple which is very near to my house. You can walk also to that temple from my place.” Shivraaj said this and immediately took my small bag which I carried and led me to his rickshaw.

The we started on my rediscovery of the small town. I had such vivid memory of the place! The road I used to travel daily to go the school was still there but It was broader now and lot of new buildings had come up on both its side.

“ Shivraj! How the town has changed!’ I spoke to Shivraj.

: “ Yes sir! It has grown a lot but the old beauty is still there.”

“Shivraj let us go towards my school. The one on the way towards Takari ! “ I told Shivraj.

“Yes sir,it is on the way only. “

After some time he stopped in front of my old school. The old building was no longer there. In its place the school had a newly constructed building. As it was Sunday the school was closed but the gate was open and I could just go and sit on the stairs of the school for some time. I wondered whether all those teachers who taught me were still alive or they were all dead now. I felt sad at the thought.

After sometime we started again and soon reached outside the town. Now I could see lot of green farms on both side of the roads and big baniyan trees on both sides.

Soon we reached Shivraaj’s farm and his small house. He said,

“ Sir we have a small farm ,where we grow some vegetables . Especially onion.  There is a small bore well there ,come ,you can freshen up there”

He took me near the bore well and I washed my feet and hands with the refreshing and cold water. I splashed some water on the face and I was feeling really fresh.

There was an old mango tree near the house and an old cot was kept in the shade. I went and sat on it and admired the view. Shivraaj had kept the farm very clean and because of water from the bore well there was greenery all around.

“Shivraaj! What a wonderful farm you have!”I said,

“ Sir ,It is because of your advice only. I had saved some money and have purchased it when I was still in service!’ Shivraaj said modestly. I was happy for him!

He brought some tea and biscuits and we aimlessly chatted for some time. He had lost his wife 2 years  back and had no son . His only daughter was happily married and lived in Satara. He was very excited to have me there and was chatting continuously.

Then he took me to the Shiva temple. It was same as I remembered it. Very quiet and surrounded by lot of trees. The temple itself was of black stones and was still looking solid.

The Shivling  was in the darkness and there were no  electricity. Somebody had lit a small oil lamp near it. I gazed contentedly at  Shivlinga for a long time.

Then I sat in the temple and closed my eyes. I did not know for how much time I was sitting there. Considerable time must have passed. For suddenly I was shaken by Shivraaj’s voice.

“Sir! Have you gone to sleep?’

I opened my eyes with a start and realized where I was. I smiled at him and said,

“ No ,No. I was just sitting and thinking of the old times. “

“Time to go sir! I have a small work in town,I will go and come back in a hour. You can relax here. Here are some bananas and water for you. . We can go for lunch after that. I will then drop you back to station for evening train. “

“Yes Shivraaj. Thank you. You go ahead and finish your work. I will relax here. “ I said.

He went out of the temple and suddenly returned as if he had forgotten something.

“One more thing sir! You remember sir that on the last day of my service, I came to say goodbye to you at your office. “

“yes sure,I remember that day”

“ One of my friend had taken our photo standing together! You were my superior but you had kept your hand on my shoulder and I had felt so proud. You said you would like to have copy of that photo. I could not send you that copy. But here it is now! I have kept it as a memory of that great moment!”

His eyes became suddenly moist. He gave me that photo. I was also overwhelmed by his affection. I had always liked him and wished him well. I patted on his shoulder and started looking at the old black and white photo of him and me standing in my office near my table. He was looking very proud and happy and I was smiling towards the photographer. As he said I had put my hand on his shoulder.

I was looking nostalgically at the photo when he turned and went away.

I then took that photo and kept in my small bag. I sat near a pillar of the temple and relaxed. I was thinking of the strange meeting with Shivraaj and I must have dozed off. Suddenly I was woken up by a traditionally marathi greeting by somebody,

“ Ram Ram Paavne!  “

I sleepily looked at the person. He must be the Pujari or caretaker of the temple who had come to clean the temple and put some oil in the lamp near shivlinga. It was past noon and I must have slept for at least an hour.

“Ram Ram” I said.

“ Where are you from? You do not seem from this town!”

“Yes I am from Pune. “

“ Where are you staying here?”

“ No No. I am not staying here. I am waiting for Shivraaj who stays in the farm near this temple.  He said he will be back in an hour.” I explained to him.

He looked at me for sometime in great surprise and said

“ Which Shivraaj? Our Subhedar? From this farm?” He indicated at the farm nearby and asked in rapid manner.

I was surprised at his rapid questions and was annoyed also,

“Yes , Subhedar Shivraaj”. Then I looked at the direction of the farm he was indicating and was really transfixed. The farm was there alright but it was not what I had seen just an hour ago. The mango tree was there but there was no greenery I had seen, the cot on which I sat was also not there. The farm had a look of complete neglect and abandonment and the house had a big lock on the door.

The man must be also looking at me in surprise.

“ Sir ,Subhedaar Shivraaj had died one year back !”He said looking at me curiously.

“What non sense!  I spoke to him just some time back. He brought me from station in his rikshaw!  He gave me tea to drink and bananas to eat. What are you talking?”

He came near me. Then sat beside me and looked at me for a long time. I was getting worried.

I took the photo from my bag and showed him,

“See this photo! He gave it to me about an hour ago. See these bananas! He gave it to me just now. ! Why are you saying that he is dead? “I was angry and upset.

“ Sir,I knew him very well.  My name is  Arjun.He used to stay in the house over there. I used to meet him each day. He died one year back. I was present during his last rites.” He gravely said and started shaking his head as if he wanted to shake off something from his head.

Then suddenly he remembered something.

“Are you Colonel Shinde?”

“Yes I am!” I said extremely surprised.

“That might explain this.  You see sir!  in his last days he was always talking about you and   wanted to meet you. But he was not well and could not come to Pune. He desperately wanted this photo to be given to you. “

I looked at him in complete surprise.

“So this is how he fulfilled his wish!” He gravely said and lapsed in silence.

I do not know how to explain this. I have immediately taken video recording of Arjun’s statement. Have also recorded the state of Shivraaj’s farm. Then went and spoke to Bhagvan the riskshawwalla I had previously met on station.

“ Sir ,I saw you walking alone on the road. You did not meet anybody. How could you go in Shivraaj’s riskshaw? He is dead for more than one year now. I knew him very well “

I have his statement also on my video.

When I presented this case to the Club I only had the photo to show as the only physical evidence that I had met Shivraaj.

You may not believe this . . Many people did not believe this.

 However as far as I am concerned on some mysterious plane of universe  I and Shivraj  not only met but  he  could hand over  the photo from that universe to our present-day universe. 

 

 

 Jayant Naik