Bungle

Chander got a new job in the Department of Communication in Sambhal. The job was temporary, but he agreed because many times even temporary jobs are made permanent when there is a vacancy. He didn’t have money to eat and now he is getting 15 thousand months in a place like Sambhal. Here even 5 thousand was enough for a decent living. There was an environment of happiness at home. Father was a little worried that everyday son has to travel 56 Km and commuting itself will take 3 hours.

A week later

After reaching the office somehow he tells the employee sitting in the outside room that I have to meet the engineer I have been sent by the Junior Engineer. The employee looked at him under the glasses and then looked at the paper which was signed by the junior engineer. Ten tells the peon to bring water. Asks again - ‘Where have you come from?'

'From Rampur sir'

‘My name is Raghu; I do almost all the bookkeeping. What is your name? '

'Sir, Chander'

Raghu –‘What do your parents do and what work you do here? '

Chander - 'Sir, my father is a government employee and my mother is a housewife, I have been appointed here as an Inspector.’

Raghu –‘Good – good, then you are going to have great fun here. '

Chander –‘Means ’

Raghu - 'Means, you will change yourself with the need of the environment, have water and go directly to the last room from here, anyone will direct you to the engineer.'

Chander set off after having water. After the meeting, a week went on like this. He is not the only inspector there, there was two more and they were happy.

He was happy that he doesn’t have to work too hard but after a few internal grievances getting a few lectures he could finally understand that it is not going to be easy.

There were 390 villages in the district. He was given the charge of 120 villages. Who has got a phone in the village, who does not have or whereabouts of the broken line, he had to inspect all.

The first month he could not understand what is going on, he just wandered in the villages, somewhere the people had stolen the wire or somewhere the line was broken. In some villages, he was greeted with hospitality and in a few threatened and scared away. When the month of summer started, walking on foot was enough to exhaust him completely. In Aldoha, there was another peculiar incident, when He entered the village with SDO where the villagers welcomed them with their sticks outside the village. No one wanted a phone and a phone line, those who had a connection too refused to pay the bill.

For the next 3 months, wandering around the streets of the villages increased the number of consumers by 20%. Chander understood that now it will not grow more than this. He started liaising with the linemen. There were a total of 102 linemen in 120 villages. They brought the news that where will the prospective users and where will not be.

Sandeep (Lineman) - ‘Sir, when we give you your share, why don't you take it. Why did you not take it when the consumers gave it to us? "

Chander - 'No, you keep it, I don’t want.'

Sandeep - 'Hey sir! Come on, this 21st century is not the era of ‘Harish Chandra. ( A Indian king famous for his honesty)’

Chander – ‘No brother, you only keep. I get 10 but you get only 5.I don’t know how you run your household with this much.’

Sandeep– ‘What to do sir. I do because I have to. We heard that you were supposed to get 15 but why 10.’

Chander– ‘Oh that swine only pays 10 in place of 15.’

Sandeep–‘Means?’

Chander - 'Hey that means that the car your engineer sir bought is with our money. The people who fill the tender send the money to the top level as a gift and because of which we are here.’

Sandeep–‘Oh crap’

Chander - 'Sometimes I feel like getting them caught.'

Sandeep – ‘ No no , don’t do, a boy was killed by dacoit." The dacoit are the enemy of the government, how would have let a government employee go. '

Chander - 'Hey, it was just a non-sense talk, don’t tell it to anyone, I was venting out my frustration.'

Sandeep–‘Oh we shall meet again'

Like this, the entire employee told their story to tell each and to shed the frustration and live their life. They were stunned to hear each other's doings.

‘Dude, these 18 new connections have to be done, take these forms and do it carefully, take these sweets.’ Raghu called Chander under a bush of a tree and told.

Chander - 'No uncle you only keep it.’

Raghu –‘Tell me something, I have you don’t accept bribe at all, not even one rupee, what’s the matter?’

Chander–‘With God’s grace I will be able to fulfill all my need, I won’t need any bribe. But I have heard you are having a gala time, you have earned even from the wires and poles. '

Raghu –‘Hmmmm! You are right but the real man who enjoyed is a junior Engineer of Bhatola who has spent 65 lakh rupees in his daughter’s lavish wedding. '

Chander– ‘What?’

Raghu – ‘ You are listening to it correctly; He makes money in waiving off the bill. Earlier he used to do it himself openly and now he gets it done

through the linemen. Be careful; the honest people don’t last long here.’

Chander–‘I will not let that situation come.’

Raghu –‘Good, register this connection today.'

Chander–‘Yes uncle’

After some time

Chander - 'Brother, why are you standing here in the queue?'

Munib (Lineman) - 'Sir, there are only two villages in our area. What will I do by visiting there every day, so those people who do not have time to fill the bill, they pay us two to four hundred rupees and send me to pay the bills on their behalf.’

Chander–‘Good, we never thought of that.’

Munib – ‘Stay here and you will start understanding everything.’

1 year later

Chander -'How are you, Sandeep?'

Sandeep– ‘Going on. What are you doing?"

Chander - 'Nothing special, Will you give my share or not?’

Sandeep's eyes got bigger in awe. 'Brother, you are talking something out of your nature today?'

Raghu is coming from behind - 'Tomorrow is your sir’s wedding. He will stop being a bachelor monk and will turn to worldly affairs like us. His share should reach will properly on time.'

Sandeep heaved a sigh of relief. An honest person proves to be a hurdle one day for sure. He paid as per Chander’s share.

Chander thought that whether it is a theft of 1 rupee or theft of 100 rupees is the same. He has to get married and move forward in life. He remembered God, something inside him broken; he took a long breath and moved forward.

From behind Raghu played the song on mobile- ‘Gol mal hai bhai sab golmaal hai' which in English meant ’There is bungle all around’ Chander turned back and smiled