Laxman's story

Laxman was our (computer engineering) department's watchman in college. I never knew his full name but knew for sure that he was from Bihar. He was just another youngster from deep hamlets of poor state of India who had given up on getting a decent employment opportunity in his state and migrated far off west just to earn 1200/- rupees per month. The amount might barely touch half of the electricity bill of a middle class household and might just be a cell phone bill of some teenage college goer. Still, Laxman was here, right here, on his job that gave him only something he could survive with. Laxman's job was to secure the department, for that purpose he didnt actually even have a stick with him that would make him look like a security guard, but his uniform did that for him. His presence mattered though, he was a watchman, in fact the most responsible thing that he did was open the department in mornings and lock them back in evenings.
Ours being a government college, the students usually skip the last lecture, and so the teachers even get used to this timing. This actually suits a few staff members who never have to bother about last lectures in their time-table. When I was allotted a time-table with few lectures in last slot of the day, my friend already prognosticated that the lecture would seldom be a reality. And he was true. The class with the strength of 60 can in no way be called a class with only 15 students present to attend the lecture! i still insisted on giving the lecture.
On one evening Laxman enterd my cabin, which he usually had to do to ask me to packup so that he can lock and seal the department. i was busy downloading notes for lectures so had to ask him to sit. I enjoyed talking to him, mostly because of his bihari ascent. ( Aur sab band kar diye hain, bas ek aap hi ka baki hai sir). I straightened myself on my revolving chair and rolled back to position myself straight to Laxman. I asked him about his village, his family and his education. He did pass the 10th as far as i remember. After a while, Laxman did seem a bit opened up, i then had to ask about him being a watchman. There was something i was going to know that i never knew.
Laxman started with 'hum to fauj me jana chahte they' ( i wanted to join the army). Laxman said that he went to the center where thousands of youngsters (mostly from the poor villages) of Bihar had gathered to pass the physical test for recruitment in indian army as sipahi. He even passed the running test that measures physical fitness of a candidate. 'phir wo humse 5000 rupya mange' ( then they asked for 5000 rupees from me). i almost shouted 'kaun maange rahe itna rupiya?' (who asked for this much money?) and my face had wrinkles as if i was pricked; stung almost. Laxman replied 'wo agent'. I started firing him questions of all kind; what kind of agents? ; what about rules?; who would pay money to risk lives?; and that there is nothing like paying money to get into job which deals with putting your life direcly in service of nation's security !! Laxman's knowledge even limited his vocabulary, he didnt knew much words even to describe a problem clearly, but he said that it was men in uniform themselves who acted as agents or the agents were working and flourishing with total partnership with their friends in uniform.
I am sure my brain had to reset and restart some neurons that went blank after such a shocking revelations from Laxman. I felt so helpless that i could do nothing about people not standing up to respect national anthem or people who dont care even once a year to pay tribute to soldiers who lay down their lives or what a soldier at border post goes through or what a soldiers family goes through during a war!
In india, soldiers at border, the first most vulnerable wall that guards us, die everyday in one or the other way! It is these poor Laxmans who even after knowing the reality are left with no option but join the army as 'sipahi'. Where he is asked again for money!! How can i call it a bribe? it is an agents pay u see!
'to tune kya kiya?', i asked immediately ( few milliseconds had passed as my brain restarted). 'hum rupya lene gaye vapis gaav' ( i went back home to arrange for money). 'to tum rupya de kar bhi bharti hona chahte they?'(so you wanted to join anyhow,even by paying money?) i asked with my anger now on Laxmans ignorance and fallacy. 'haan' he said.
'phir gaye kyo nahin?' (then why didnt you go?) i wanted to know now how he landed on a job that pays him 1200 a month. 'aarrre sahab', his spoke in his slow miserable, 'hum bus se aa rahe they. bus ki chhat par baithke vapas aa rahe they, rupiya lekarke, par hum upar se gir gaye, chalti bus se, humari tang tut gayi aur hum chhah mahina tak khatiya pe rahe'. (i was returning with money through bus and i was sitting on top of it, i fell from over the top of the running bus and broke my leg,got 6 months of bed rest)
When i asked him the reason to sit on top of bus, he said there are less state government run buses in villages there, the goons and big-shots get their own transport running and damage the government run buses. So the buses are always run over crowded, only then will they earn, and it is normal to sit on top. It was thus normal for people even to get news of someone falling off the running bus too I guessed.
Laxman was not able to walk normally for next 18 months after that fall.
So here was Laxman, watchman in a college far from his village and friends and relatives.
The download was complete and i clicked the shutdown icon on screen. AS the PC was busy killing the processes, Laxman had started his process to lock the department and I said to myself 'at least I am at better place' immediately followed by 'am I?'
Laxman no longer works here.