The day seemed hectic as we had to move all day long from place to place in search of buying out desired things at reasonable rates .Sometimes we travelled in public transport some times in a rickshaw or taxi as to cover as much area as possible.This happened sometime twenty years back when I was looking for a suitable job after my MBA and intensity of the same was multiplied after my father’s retirement from the service. Being agreed upon to start a business, my father gave me a major portion of his superannuation package towards capital. That was why my friend and I, both were moving from pillar to post in wholesale market of Dehradun..
To start a business, a shop was taken on rent in the market area of my native place and our visit to wholesale market was only to purchase gift items for running the shop. Being exhausted, we reached home in the evening hours, we could purchase only a few stuffs and for the rest we decided to go next Sunday.
While going to hand over the bag containing balance amount about Rs. thirty-five thousand to my mother, I found the leather bag was missing .Heaven fell on me. Hard earned money of my father was lost and I could not recollect where that bag was misplaced .Sweating profusely and losing my voice , I became totally crestfallen as I realized that I had not even a thin ray of hope of getting back the money. As we traveled the whole day in different mode, it became difficult to remember where and when we lost the bag.
Being completely puzzled ,I went to washroom to have a bath and came out after 15 minutes and tried to gather courage to confess the incident .I saw in the drawing room my parents were in jolly mood with an unknown visitor ..I was surprise to see the bag which we had lost in the city was lying on the table in front of my father .
“My son come here and meet Javed ,your elder brother ,” mother told in a tone mixed with spontaneous excitement .Now I could remember that the visitor whom my mother was introducing as brother was none other than the Taxi driver whom we took today for one part of our journey .Javed was telling my parents ‘in the back seat of my taxi ,I found this money bag and by the time it came to my notice ,they had already left the place after paying fare. I saw the money in the bag and was trying to search some hints so that same could be returned to the proper person .But to my utter surprise ,I got address of my father ,mother and brother in the bag itself ,whom I lost 20 years ago.
Long and torturous course of time had taken away from my mind a vivid memory which then became faint and finally washed out..But it was revived once again with this sudden encounter with Javed. From early childhood I was sent to hostel for study .During summer vacation ,while I was in class six I came to my parents and saw a new member who was hardly one year senior to me by age and calling my parents as “Pitaji” and “Maa”. Later I came to know that boy had got down from train and came to our house as he was hungry .After preliminary enquiry my parents allowed him to stay with them and they asked him to several time as to from where he had come and who were his parents but satisfactory reply was not obtained .He remained on those questions .But his polite behavior and sense of responsibility even in that tender age impressed my parents and they also accepted him as their elder son in due course .
As an only child then being afraid of sharing love ,I frowned upon their decision and started my dissatisfaction in different ways .Seeing all pros and cons ,my father gave an advertisement in a local news paper in missing children column .After few days ,a couple came to my father to take Javed .In fact Javed was an orphan whom a fruit seller couple of Moradabad station had adopted from an orphanage and they have given the name ,family and shelter .I noticed the tears rolled down from the eyes of my parents while they handed over Javed to the fruit seller couple who came as claimant with all documents .But I was finally relaxed as there would be nobody to share my parent’s love with me. But I had to as right after one year my brother Siddhant took birth .
In this twenty years of my life’s journey ,many times Javed’s name and his sweet remembrance came in the discussion of my parents in which I never shown interest .But today ,over come with genuine emotions of relief ,happiness, guilt about my previous behavior ,I involuntarily hugged Javed while giving sincere thanks : I called him my brother .My parents were overwhelmed by the sight and became extremely happy when I called Javed my brother .It took twenty long years to accept.
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