A BRAND NEW CHAPTER “Silam Parama Bhusanam”

A BRAND NEW CHAPTER “Silam Parama Bhusanam” A milestone – Breakthrough in 2010 “During my misadventures I spent numerous nights famished without any food, sleep and other essential amenities. There were innumerable afternoons and evenings spent traversing miles and miles endlessly for my sustenance. It appeared a road to nowhere. Frankly speaking I was blindfolded and hurtling into a precipice. As the daughter of a rickshaw puller, I never had the opportunity to attend school as I belonged to a poverty-stricken family and was at the bottom rung of this feudal and caste-ridden society. I yearned for books to pursue education, but lady luck ignored and seldom smiled at me. My parents pawned whatever little jewellery my mother wore on her frail body to ensure that I could pay my examination fees in order to earn to secure a graduation degree which I had finally managed after several swedges. My caring mother in her life endured monumental pain and agony to provide basic amenities for the family and me. At a tender age of 14 in sheer desperation in order to pursue my dreams I bolted away from home. It was a daunting task which stared at me. However, in a few years I could somehow manage to complete my studies during daylight, metamorphosed into a dishwasher in the evenings where lecherous eyes peered lasciviously at my body and transfigured into yet another personality at a call centre at night. I was leading three gut wrenching lives in a day. In some ways I was a schizophrenic while multitasking. I was genuinely concerned about my safety as prurient men passed salacious comments and was often physically touched and literally molested by debauched men of all ages. I learnt martial arts to overcome the demons in my mind and could combat perverted and promiscuous men with aplomb.” “All that I can say is that this is a brand-new chapter in my life where I have walked hours to travel places so that I could save rickshaw fare to learn martial arts to protect my modesty, study and reach the summit. Today, I am here at the VLCC Femina Miss India 2010 podium to fuel spirit in my parents’ and younger sister Supriya’s life and to demonstrate to the world that everything is achievable if a person is committed to oneself and cherishes the realisation of a dream. It is not merely holding aloft this trophy and showcasing the crown but beyond the realm of achievement. The quintessential idea is to live life kingsize and in my case it was to emerge as a queen, overcoming various Gordian knots on this stage of the world.” These were the cathartic words of Vrushali in her acceptance speech to a thunderous applause as the crowds rose up in unison. “To some I may look as a buxom beauty, to others I appear in their fantasy dreams to satiate their carnal appetite in dreams, while for those grappling with vicissitudes of life I may be a beacon of hope or inspiration. Few would know that, I belong to the family of the Nishad community (the one’s who row the boats of the devout on various rivers of this majestic country), whose father was compelled to pull rickshaws to earn a measly earning. But I was possessed by a dream to upend the pyramid break glass ceilings and carve a niche for myself in this glitzy world of razzmatazz where grey turns into dark as I look for luminosity in the tenebrous canvas of life,” added Vrushali. The euphoric crowds continued to hail the achievement of this well-endowed woman of substance, from the lower strata of a caste ridden society in the new emerging India. A lady who belonged to a bijou town but scorched the ramp. This also occurred in 2010 “I never thought think I would ever fall in love again. I know that everyone says that after a heartbreak, but the difference is that I decided not to be heartbroken. Indeed, those were depressing moments after being robbed of something precious my dear love. However, I’m not cynical or pessimistic or sad. I’m just someone who once felt something bigger than anything else I’d ever felt and when I lost it, I honestly believed that I would never have that again. But... I was a mere 25 then and life is long. And I’m feeling right things now. The frame of my mind is that which I haven’t had in a long, long time,” said Karan. Three characters in the tale Parshati Singh was a blue-blooded winsome young woman who hailed from the valorous state of Rajasthan. She was royalty. Her father Raja Dhrupad Singh was now a successful and affluent hotelier. Arjun Dubey twice born from the most populous state in the country, Uttar Pradesh was the son of a ripped bureaucrat. Like several members of his brood, he too received an education at estimable educational institutions in India and overseas. And had acquitted himself honourably. Karan Kumar was born in an indigent family which could scarcely survive on a meagre park of land for sustenance. The family from the lower lode of the social ladder could barely keep their body and soul together in unendurable debilitating social and economic conditions. Meanwhile in the sylvan surroundings, crowned by salubrious weather and an idyllic setting the three were to meet. They were strangers from varied backgrounds. But destiny had plotted that they were seated next to each other at the peerless Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy for Administration at Mussorie. Parshati Singh wearing a marigold-coloured saree. She wore royalty and beauty on her sleeve. The prepossessing young woman was promptly the cynosure in the Sampoornanand auditorium. She was sandwiched between a fidgety Karan Kumar on her left and Arjun Dubey on her right. Karan Kumar was overawed by the place and occasion, his mind was cannonaded with both efficacious and antipathetic thoughts, and there was a nervous flow of energy like a flaccid being, moving through his veins. Karan’s mind was flooded with emotions of gratefulness and gratitude towards his parents, who despite their humble background played a pivotal role in shaping the career of their son who joined the coveted service in the country. He was among lakhs of contenders who grappled hard to clear the exalted examination, and the strapping youngster was selected braving all odds. Overnight he became the toast of the Teli community to which he belonged and was felicitated at a number of functions, which was featured prominently in several vernacular newspapers and media. A few months ago – an inexplicable encounter Vrushali was to read and see about the attainment by Karan Kumar and so did Karan about Vrushali’s achievements. The Nishad and Teli communities of the villages and towns of neighbouring Uttar Pradesh and Bihar feted the two young achievers and they became iconic and inspirational figures of their respective communities. Supriya, accompanied Vrushali for the felicitation function. The organisers of the function asked Karan to address the gathering and galvanize the youngsters to pursue education and carve a niche for themselves in the society. “Shri Ram Manohar Lohia, a Gandhian and freedom fighter and was known for his anti-caste mobilisation through his Socialist Party. Lohia ji appreciated that caste, more than class, was a stumbling block in India’s progress. It was Lohiaji’s prognosis that India had suffered reverses throughout her history as people had viewed themselves as members of a caste rather than citizens of a country in a generic manner.” spoke Karan with passion. “This country was deprived of fresh ideas, because of the narrowness and stultifications of thought at the higher echelons, which comprised mainly of the upper castes. I do not proscribe to the prevalent caste system, where we are addressed as Telis, Sahus and Nishads and believe in an alloyed manner that almighty God has created man as his manifestation. We are all humans. But unfortunately, our dreams and aspirations were suppressed by the powerful. But in this age of globalisation and technology our time has arrived to make tectonic changes and contribute to the society. Look at Vrushaliji’s meteoric rise by scorching the ramp. Who would have thought that a daughter of a Nishad would one day be crowned as VLCC Femina Miss India 2010 in this country? This indicates we are not inferior in any manner and the country is on the cusp of a significant change,” an evocative Karan spoke to a rambunctious crowd. Vrushali and Supriya were indisputably impressed with the impassioned speech made by Karan which fired their imaginations. Both the sisters were smitten by the rendition by the civil servant as their hearts fluttered. Coup de grace “So, the trouble is that, you know, you have rapes, you have these brutal men who are raping women. Of course, Hindus are raping girls, Muslims are raping girls, everybody’s raping girls, and so there’s no question of it belonging to only one community. But what is new over here is that, aside from the fact that the girl was not just raped and killed, she was held in a temple—according to the police reports, held in a temple, drugged, raped and then bludgeoned to death. There’s a sort of ritualistic, Satanistic part to it, which is terrifying, you know. But leaving aside the criminals, the fact that people are marching in support of the rapists—men and women, you know, are marching in support of the rapists, marching, demanding the charges be withdrawn. This is what is frightening,” Vrushali quoted Arundati Roy the noted social activist and author. The eyes of women and young girls belonging to the Nishad and Teli community welled up as they heard the VLCC Femina winner speaking in a charged manner. Several young women for once had decided to pursue their dreams. This was to be their brand-new chapter in the drudgery of their lives. The soul-stirring speech of Vrushali stirred Supriya to complete her master’s in history, which she was pursuing through a correspondence course. She was not as well-endowed or charismatic like her sister, but was sedulous and unflagging by nature. Though she was always overshadowed by her more voguish and illustrious older sister. Supriya was nevertheless galvanised by achievements and the thought process of the police officer from the Teli community and decided to traverse the same path. She shared her unfulfilled dreams to be a bureaucrat with Karan Kumar. The son of the chauffer encouraged her to channelize her energies to become one. Back to the academy Karan looked at Parshati and was bewitched and awestruck by the lady sitting to his right, as he nodded his head apprehensively. The alluring bureaucrat was neatly attired in marigold saree, and her swanlike neck was adorned with a pearl necklace from the land of the Nizams. Further she embellished her look with sparkling diamond studs on her ears, as she merely nodded with a streak of arrogance. To her right was Arjun Dubey, neatly accoutred in an exquisite black bandh gala. He spoke flawless English with an impeccable accent and struck an animated conversation with Parshati as Karan looked on. Parshati and Arjun were to share several common interests like books, swimming, polo, cricket, soccer, and their peregrinations in India and overseas. Soon the Director of the academy entered Sampoornanand Hall and all the probationers rose to the National Anthem with the eyes transfixed at the motto of the institute “Silam Parama Bhusanam”, Character is the highest virtue. This was a brand-new chapter in the lives of 700 odd probationers of various civil services and Parshati Singh IFS, Arjun Dubey IAS and Karan Kumar IPS stepped out of the Sampoornanand Hall with great expectations. The glaring disparity between the superabundant and the hoi polloi was apparent as they formed separate groups while sipping a cup of tea. Karan Kumar was a proverbial rebel, a dreamer and visionary who entered the civil services to break glass ceilings and upend the pyramid. The marginal farm land owner and chauffer’s son was unsettled as he saw the English speaking and the affluent civil servants ensconced in a separate corner. “You know Parshati, the guy who was sitting next to you is an OBC. These guys make it through quota backdoor while we slog it out on meritocracy...,” Arjun remarked. The royal woman-turned-bureaucrat was amazed at the triumphant performance of Karan Kumar. A few days later all the probationers had once again assembled in Sampoornanand Hall where they were handed a series of instructions by the faculty and the administration. It was a public forum where the probationers spoke on a variety of subjects. And then Karan rose to speak … on how it all began. “I hail from a very poor family. My father owned hardly an acre of land and we grappled for survival. He left everything as we moved from Munger to Delhi where he became a chauffeur. He was the chauffeur of our batch-mate Arjun Dubey’s mother’s vehicle. I am not ashamed to admit it. My eyes well up in tears and are moist as today my parents luxuriate in the success of their son once I cracked the civil services examination. It will not be out of place to point out that my father drove me to Mussoorie in the very car once owned by the Dubey family,” Karan spoke with panache but with a characteristic Bihari twang. A section of uproarious officers much to the consternation of an elite group were ecstatic and in raptures. Parshati Singh stood up and began to clap vociferously and soon the entire assemblage joined her much to the consternation of Arjun Dubey. She finally met a person who though not blue-blooded like her, was unparalleled in several ways. He was swarthy looking, but handsome in an atypical manner, sagacious and well-informed. This occurred in Dwaparyuga in the court of King Dhrupad But seeing Karna, Draupadi during her Swayamvara exclaimed loudly, ‘I will not select a Suta to be my lord.’ Then Karna the tutee of Parushurama and an exalted archer was exasperated and in a state of vexation, cast a glance at his favourite deity the Sun God, and threw aside Lord Agini’s bow which he had upraised and taken aim, ready to shoot the eye of the rotating fish which was perched on the ceiling of the majestic hall of King Dhrupad’s court. धृष्टद्युम्न उवाच|| दुर्योधनो दुर्विषहो दुर्मुखो दुष्प्रधर्षणः | विविंशतिर्विकर्णश्च सहो दुःशासनः समः ||१|| युयुत्सुर्वातवेगश्च भीमवेगधरस्तथा | उग्रायुधो बलाकी च कनकायुर्विरोचनः ||२|| सुकुण्डलश्चित्रसेनः सुवर्चाः कनकध्वजः | नन्दको बाहुशाली च कुण्डजो विकटस्तथा ||३|| एते चान्ये च बहवो धार्तराष्ट्रा महाबलाः | कर्णेन सहिता वीरास्त्वदर्थं समुपागताः ||४|| In Mahabharata, though Karna who was known as Radheya, a mere charioteer’s son, a Suta Putra, he was invited to participate in Draupadi’s Swayamvar along with preeminent Kshatriyas Kings which included Duryodhana, Durvisaha, Durmukha among others. King Dhrupad had obviously invited Karna to participate in the Swayamvar or else he would not have been seated among nobility and blue-blooded kinsmen. It also indicates that Dhrupad did not quite consider Karna unqualified for the Swayamvar. This was a brand-new chapter in Karna’s life. Karan Kumar of the Teli caste, whose father was a chauffeur was not invited to the Swayamvara at the Sampoornanand Hall because of his inherent talent. His passport was not meritocracy but the caste he belonged to and that was the brand-new chapter of modern-day India. Some intriguing relationships It was one of those inexplicable relationships. Parshati was smitten and indisputably impressed with Karan Kumar. He was fascinated by her class, nobility and intelligence. But she was hesitant to carry forward the relationship as His Eminence, her father, would not have permitted such a relationship. Yet, the two were extremely matey and enjoyed each other’s company. He was a budding police officer but a flotsam and jetsam in the eyes of her estimable family. Friendship in the exotic valley of the Queen of Hills between the two was slowly but surely developing into an intimate relationship. Meanwhile there was a third angle to the triangle in form of Arjun, who despised Karan as he was not one of them. He lived in the same Narmada Hostel building in the academy and partook food at the same dining table. That was commensality, a defining moment during Kalyuga in modern times. And he did not regard it as a brand-new chapter. “Some politicians of peerless pedigree have been known to share a meal with women like Ramavati of the Dalit community to garner votes and bureaucrats too were compelled to follow suit rather unfortunately,” regurgitated the pandit from Uttar Pradesh in his elastic mind. He had read exhaustively about the elasticity of the Brahmanical mind which made them dominate Indian politics and bureaucracy for a long time and was not willing to concede space to the lower lamina of the society. There were two more edges in this pentagon in form of Vrushali and Supriya. Both were interested in a fellow backward class mate, Karan Kumar. Sometime in 2018 in Washington A distraught Parshati held a wailing Abhimanyu in her hands as she saw her husband Arjun Dubey being wheeled in to Evergreen Health in Kirkland at the University of Washington Medical Center. He was bleeding profusely after being felled by bullets. Arjun Dubey was in a precarious condition. Abhimanyu, her son had been born with a congenital impairment in his heart. Sampoornanand Hall At Mussoorie, 10 hours and 30 minutes ahead of Washington, around the same time a lady walked up to the podium tentatively and addressed freshly inducted officers to the prestigious civil services of India. “I rise to speak about Barack Obama’s rare personal account about how he has been affected by racism, during a town hall meeting on race and policing.” “The former President of America spoke of how when he was a child growing up in Hawaii a female neighbour once refused to travel by a lift with him.” “‘She was just worried about riding the elevator with me,’ Mr Obama candidly remarked.” “The remarkable former President talked of that sense of being feared as a black man that continued as he grew older.” “‘Over time you start learning as you're crossing the street, suddenly the locks start going on doors,’ Mr Obama added.” The young lady officer who was selected to the preeminent Indian Administrative Service named Supriya, spoke with candour and conviction. A few faculty members who taught at the academy in 2014 recalled a similar kind of impassioned speech made by an officer named Karan Kumar. A Few Years Back, 2013 While Vrushali clambered the ladder of the fashion industry, Supriya painstakingly prepared for the Civil Services Examination. They had both secretly nursed an interest in the Indian Police Officer. Vrushali scorched the ramp and also made a foray in the tinsel world. There was a sudden inflow of wealth in the Nishad family living in a village in the vicinity of Pratabgarh . Meanwhile Karan on completion of their respective probation period, made a formal proposal to Parshati Singh. He was always bewitched by her brains and beauty and smitten with love. Parshati too was attracted to the intellectual acumen of the police officer and his emotive speeches and writings about the impoverished and unequal conditions of the backward communities in the northern parts of India. The two married much to the consternation and indignation of Raja Dhrupad Singh. The Rajput communities of Rajasthan and Bihar were outraged. This was a brand-new chapter in the emerging India. Arjun Dubey who always fancied himself to be the rightful suitor of Parshati was dismayed by the turn of events and established contact with Parshati’s father to seek retribution. Karan Kumar’s parents too were astonished with the decision taken by their son and the former chauffeur was left helpless in the defining moment. Vrushali in Mumbai was appalled as Karan Kumar whom she considered as one of them chose to marry someone from the upper caste. Parshati was excommunicated by her family and community as the tearful foreign service officer left for Paris on her maiden assignment. Karan was allotted Tamil Nadu cadre and posted as Superintendent of Police at Dharmapuri. The two had celebrated their honeymoon at Carlton Hotel, Kodaikanal unmindful of all the chatter and clangour about them. At Dharmapuri Jail Sometime in the first week of May 2013, a group of robbers reportedly broke into a firm in Dharmapuri district and robbed the cash stored in the locker. The financial firm provided loans to women’s self-help groups. According to some sources, employees at the firm, who arrived for duty on May 6, found the doors broken open and cash missing from the locker. On receiving information, the Bommidi police registered a case and suspected the role of the firm’s staff in the incident. The staff, which had left after work the previous day, were found to have deliberately left the main grill gate unlocked with a plan to carry out the heist. Inquiries with around ten employees at the firm led to the police zeroing down on the suspects. The role of Salem Central Prison Warden, Perumal was suspected in the burglary, and a special team of police picked the 28-year-old as he emerged out of the prison in Salem. This incident triggered a flutter as news spread that Perumal was kidnapped. The Dharmapuri police, however, revealed that he was taken for an inquiry. The police also detained a thirty-year-old Senthil, a staff of the financial firm, and Ilavarasan, the car driver, in connection with the case. “They along with notorious thief Saravanan, who was then in the Salem Central Prison in connection with a different case, had executed the burglary. We also suspect the role of the prison warden,” the police said. The police had recovered Rs 10 lakh from the suspects of the Rs 1 crore stolen and plans were afoot to take Saravanan in custody to inquire into the incident. Further investigations revealed that a senior police officer had actually masterminded the case. This information was revealed to the prying media by the District Magistrate Arjun Dubey. News Channels, social media, newspapers and magazines had all reported about the heist and soon the culprit was found behind bars. He was none other than Karan Kumar, the Superintendent of Police of Dharmapuri who had pleaded guilty. The castigated and maligned police officer was suspended and imprisoned for the misdemeanour. He was sentenced to a jail term. The Year, 2014 District Magistrate Arjun Dubey, though not wearing battle fatigues or khakhi became the toast of the town for his scrupulous pursuance of the case, through the Deputy Superintendent of Police, an officer named Selvan. The twice born officer was feted at various functions for his exemplar performance in the arrest of Karan Kumar, though it led to a turf war between the IAS and IPS officers. It was at Mumbai that he addressed a large gathering of people and encountered Vrushali who was now the toast in the fashion world and an emerging starlet of the film industry displaying both talent and her curvaceous body. At Dharmapuri Jail “Dear Karan, I had always pined for you, but you never paid attention to my entireties as you were attracted to Parshati. We travelled different paths. But for once I seek redemption from utter humiliation. And for once I invoke caste and kinship feeling to avenge the opprobrium I faced. The person who is drawing all media attention and arrested you molested me. I know he is now the husband of your former wife who deserted you upon the purported crime you committed, which I am sure would have been for a motive, not to merely make money but for a purpose which I am sure a lofty purpose,” was a WhatsApp message sent by Vrushali. Karan Kumar, the suspended IPS officer was mortified reading the message. The chauffer’s son was aware of the roving eye of his batch mate, the twice born IAS officer Arjun Dubey. He recalled those romantic moments during honeymoon time at Carlton Hotel with Parshati. During one of those love making nights, Parshati whispered something sensational which rattled Karan. “I have a confession to make dear hubby. I do not wish to live with a guilt all my life. Prior to our marriage in some weak moments at Mussoorie, I had shared some passionate and physical moments with Arjun.” Once Karan was suspended and jailed, there was whopping pressure on Parshati to seek separation from her husband which she had done and was readmitted by Raja Dhrupad Singh and her clansmen in the feudal society to which she belonged and the twice born Arjun Dubey tied the nuptial knot with his love. Sampoornanand Hall, 2018 “Our struggle has reached a decisive moment. We call on our people to seize this moment so that the process towards democracy is rapid and uninterrupted. We have waited too long for our freedom. We can no longer wait. Now is the time to intensify the struggle on all fronts. To relax our efforts now would be a mistake which generations to come will not be able to forgive. The sight of freedom looming on the horizon should encourage us to redouble our efforts. It is only through disciplined mass action that our victory can be assured. We call on our white compatriots to join us in the shaping of a new South Africa. The freedom movement is a political home for you too. We call on the international community to continue the campaign to isolate the apartheid regime. To lift sanctions now would be to run the risk of aborting the process towards the complete eradication of apartheid. Our march to freedom is irreversible. We must not allow fear to stand in our way. Universal suffrage on a common voters’ role in a united democratic and non-racial South Africa is the only way to peace and racial harmony,” continued Supriya, quoting Nelson Mandela as the rapturous assemblage rose in unison . In Washington at the same time The life of chauffer’s son like his namesake life 5000 years ago, the charioteer’s son was filled with vicissitudes. But this Karan, the IPS officer requited himself something which Radhey could not do. This was a brand-new chapter in Karan’s life. There was a wry smile on his face as he surrendered to Washington Police. “I may lose Arjun whose life is hanging tenuously as he was fatally wounded, but I thank you once again for the 90 lacs you sent for Abhimanyu’s treatment,” Parshati was to inform Karan as she met him in prison. This was a defining moment and a brand new chapter in the lives of Parshati, Karan and Abhimanyu.