“Dear Gopal, can you fetch me a glass of water? My throat is just drying quite fast… It seems that I am bound to suffer from this perennial cough.” The man dejectedly requested his grandson to help him while coughing intermittently. “O my grandpa! I am already late for college. Why does it always happen to me that whenever I have to reach earlier for some work, I just can’t do that? By the way, I can’t help you right now.” Gopal hurriedly moved to his college, saying goodbye to his grandfather. “Goodbye, my dear son! Yes, you are absolutely right. I do cause trouble for people around me. O my God! Why have you given me this life when it is not at all worth living? Is this life worthy enough to live when I know quite well that nobody cares for me? In fact, everyone is waiting for my death. My God! Have some mercy on my soul and do something so that I could get rid of this regular pain and suffering.” Grandpa whispered to God, closing his eyes. God seemed to have willingly accepted the prayer of the old man as he relieved him from all the troubles and pains of this worldly life. Grandpa died after battling so hard for the last 8 years due to suffering from pulmonary disease. He was the same grandpa who doted his love and affection on Gopal so much so that he had an argument with everybody who complained to him about his grandson’s mischievous activities in the locality. He never tolerated the insult or disgrace of his grandson, but little did he know that the boy on whom he was relying so much for love and affection was not capable of reciprocating his heartfelt emotions. He died of enormous grief and despondency. At a time when he needed most the company of his near and dear ones, every member of the house behaved callously with him as if they did not want this old man to live still longer. To them, an 80-year-old person should not live long as it causes trouble for people around him/her. But each member of the house desired to live more than 100 years for themselves since they considered themselves more worthy and important in the scheme of these worldly affairs. Grandpa’s funeral rites were performed, and every kin shed their tears for the departed soul. Just a month passed since his death, and it appeared every member of the house forgot and deleted all the memories of the old man. Everybody performed their daily work with usual ease and dedication. They all started living their lives quite happily and joyously.
“Hey Gopal! What are you going to expect from today’s result? Do you think we will be able to secure first rank, buddy?” asked Vikram. “First or second… who cares? I don’t bother with securing good ranks. Whether I pass or fail, it’s not a big deal for me. You just think of yourself, Vikram,” Gopal replied. “O yes, why would you bother yourself with all these apprehensions? After all, you are the son of a rich man, and you don’t need any job to secure your career. You are right, my friend; it’s people like me who should worry about securing good ranks to build our career in government services. By the way, keep praying for me, my dear Gopal. I will give you a party if I manage to secure first rank in my M.A. exam,” Vikram said. “Hey Vikram. I know you are a very laborious and meritorious student, and you have the potential to secure first rank. I have full faith in your abilities. My heart says you will succeed in achieving your desired result.” Gopal encouraged his friend with these kind words and departed. After a few hours passed, the results were pasted on the college notice board. Vikram got excited knowing his good performance as he secured the first rank while Gopal also passed, but his rank was not commendable yet he felt glad that both of them have cleared their Masters’ in English Literature. Vikram shared the news of their success with Gopal, and as per his promise, Vikram went along with Gopal to celebrate the moment. They both went to one of the most renowned restaurants in the town, and there they feasted delightfully. Thereafter they went to watch a movie, and then they came back home. “Where have you been, my son, for so long? I was just waiting for your arrival,” Mr Dharampal said affectionately. “O Dad, I have told you so many times not to bother me. After all, I am not a baby who requires the love and care of its near and dear ones. I can handle my affairs. Please don’t create any nuisance for me,” Gopal angrily said these words to his father. “But, son, I know now you don’t require our excessive care and advice. It’s just the fatherly figure in me that always cares for your safety and security. I want nothing from you save your slight attention to your mom and dad.” Father said these words and went to his room in a sad mood. Gopal also went to his room as he was tired and exhausted from enjoying the whole day with his friend.
“Tara, you know sometimes I fear that our son will not take care of our health in our old age. He seems to be engrossed in his own world. Rarely does he find time to talk with us and share his likes and dislikes with us. Don’t you fear the same?” Mr Dharampal asked. “My dear husband, I think you sometimes overthink about our son’s natural disposition. I know my son and all his habits and inclinations. He appears to be rude, but actually he is quite pure in his heart. He shows the behaviour that he feels, and there isn’t any duplicity in his character. This makes him a good fellow worthy enough to be trusted. So I think you just need to discard these negative thoughts about our son’s apparent behaviour.” Tara tried to boost the morale of her husband with these encouraging words. Both of them then had a sound sleep. Next morning at the dining table, both the husband and the wife were waiting for their son to have his breakfast, but the son didn’t come downstairs as he was still sleeping. After waiting for half an hour, they both went to see him in his room, where they found him sleeping profoundly. They raised the alarm bell to wake him up. Listening to the alarm bell, Gopal woke up and wished his parents “Good morning, Mom and Dad,” to which they greeted back “Good morning” and also made him realise that he slept for a bit too long that day. “Dear Gopal! Today you slept rather too long. It’s quarter past 10. Won’t you go to your college today?” the father asked gently. “O Dad, I know I woke up quite late today, but it’s okay as our college is closed today,” Gopal answered. “College closed today? But why?” The father was surprised. “Oh! My Dad! I sometimes feel you ask too many questions like a child. Actually, my college is closed today since yesterday the results of final year were published, and I secured 50 per cent marks in my Master’s degree.” Gopal said with a little bit of a casual attitude. “But my son, yesterday you didn’t mention your result at all. You should have at least shared this news with your parents,” his father expressed rather pitifully. “O God! Why have you made such nagging persons who all the time disturb the comfort of others? Actually, I didn’t tell you about my result because I thought I had not done anything praiseworthy. Why are you irritating me with your nonsensical advice, Dad? I am fed up with all your silly lectures. Please leave me alone,” Gopal made annoying remarks. “My dear Gopal! Behave yourself and mind your language. Is this the way to talk to your father? Why are you showing so much disrespect to your father? You should have talked to him politely,” the mother scolded her son. “By God, this house for me is not better than hell. I feel suffocated here. Ok. It’s my fault, Mom. Now may I ask you to please leave me alone or I must keep answering all your queries?” Gopal was furious with himself. Seeing Gopal in such a violent mood, the parents went back to the dining room to have their breakfast. Both the husband and the wife looked a little bit worried thinking about the rude behaviour of their son.
Time passed at a rapid pace. Day by day, Gopal’s behaviour was changing from bad to worse. Mr and Mrs Dharampal failed to understand what led to the degrading character of their son. After all, they tried to fulfil all the wishes of their son, but to their utter dismay, the son was somehow not reciprocating well. Mr Dharampal had high hopes for his son, but at the same time he was harbouring apprehensions that his son might not prove to be competent enough to fulfil his expectations. His wife Tara once again tried to enliven his drooping morale, and she kept consoling him that with the passage of time, Gopal would understand his responsibilities well and he would not let them down by any means. Mr Dharampal once again thanked his wife for her unwavering support and encouragement to alleviate their anxious moments. Mr Dharampal was a branch manager of a very reputed bank, and he had been known for his effective administrative skill in handling all the problems related to banking services. To his colleagues, he was quite an efficient and noble person who was always eager to extend his helping hands whenever someone desperately needed them. Mr Dharampal had also accumulated a lot of wealth for the bright future of his son. Time and again he used to share with his colleagues the extensive potential of his son, saying with conviction that Gopal can do wonders if he just applies 50 per cent of his talent in any desirable activity that he craves to do. Gopal may be rude from his outward appearance, but he has a heart of gold, and he never behaves hypocritically. But this man wasn’t aware of the true nature of his son, which was quite ironic. Both Mr and Mrs Dharampal have misjudged the character of their son Gopal.
One day, when the weather was excessively cold and Dharampal wore a warm jacket, covering his entire face with the muffler and putting on a helmet, he was excited to meet one of his childhood friends who had just come to his native city to enjoy the Puja vacation. Usually Dharampal likes to drive cars, but that day he preferred to ride on a bike since he hadn’t ridden the bike for a long time. It was around 7.00 pm. While riding the bike, Dharampal took a shortcut route that was not a busy road, and hence it’s convenient for riding at a rapid pace as per one’s own liking. But nobody knows what is in store for him at any point in time. It was sheer coincidence that his son Gopal was also riding a bike on that deserted road, and most unfortunately both bikes collided with one another in order to save a child who was running in the middle of the road to take his football. The child was saved, but Gopal’s bike smashed the bike of his father, leaving him seriously injured. Since Dharampal’s face was still covered with the muffler, Gopal couldn’t realise that the victim was his own father. Fearing the consequences of causing an accident, Gopal immediately fled from the spot, moving his bike with a furious speed. He reached home and tried to forget the incident, and after taking a shower, he behaved as if nothing had happened. He was pretending to be absolutely normal with his family members. After a couple of hours, a phone call from the local police station rang for Mrs. Tara, informing her about the most shocking news of her husband’s death on the road. Hearing this tragic news, both Gopal and his mother went to the local police station to see whether the news was genuine or not. The mother and the son felt unfathomable sorrow seeing the dead body of Mr Dharampal. Gopal just came to realise that his father’s death was caused by none other than himself as he gathered information from the officer-in-charge about the road accident that took place. However, Gopal never confessed to his inadvertent crime, and he just tried to forget all the memories of his father in order to live happily without feeling the burden of conscience.