Sir, I have heard a lot about you. I am in a severe financial problem. Please help me out”, he said to the old man.
“Why did you come here? I am a retired man and can’t do anything for you…” With despair in his eyes, he continued pleading before the old man, “Sir, I see hope in you. You can perhaps understand my predicament. I have two daughters and an ailing mother. I need help to keep all of them going. I am willing to do anything for you. Please, sir!”
The old man was a retired government official, putting up over his monthly pension. All his children had settled abroad. His wife had passed away a few years back and he was living alone, being looked after by his two helpers whom he used to sustain by one portion of his monthly pension. As such, he did not require any other aide. However, known for his compassion, the old man recruited the needy person looking after his garden though there were adequate people around for housekeeping.
With an extra person at his home, the old man slowly found it difficult to manage his finances. The burden was getting hard. Therefore, he used his good offices to absorb the poor person as a casual daily wager in one of the government institutes. The person worked there for a short period and was relieved soon because of a lack of required qualifications for the job. The old man strived a lot for the continuation of his services on humanitarian grounds, but all in vain. However, because of his benevolence, he did not leave a poor person in the lurch. He retained him as a helper at home and promised to sustain him all along.
Months and years ticked away. The poor person worked well for his master. The old man increasingly kept relying on him for most of his everyday chores. Gradually, the new helper became his man Friday. He was trusted to the extent that he even used to take care of his master’s bank accounts. In return, the old man would always go the extra mile to help him out in different ways. He used to donate regularly for the education of his daughters and the medical treatment of his ailing mother. At times, the old man would ask for money from his children abroad as a provision to man Friday.
Came September 2014 deluge. The fateful floods. Many of the houses in Srinagar city were washed away. The kind old man’s sweet home was one amongst them. Given his health status, he was shifted to a friend’s place in Delhi because of the cold winters that followed. Back home, the rebuilding of the house was rapidly set off by his son who flew from US to Srinagar for overseeing the reconstruction work since his old father was moving into depression by being away from his roots.
To his utter surprise, the old man’s son was shocked to know that there was a discrepancy of several lakh of rupees in his father’s bank account. After a lot of scrutiny, it was revealed that man Friday had fraudulently withdrawn a huge amount of money from the old man’s account. The son immediately ousted him. However, on his father’s relentless requests, he did not report the matter to the police.
Why did the helper dupe the old man? Why? Is deception so veiled, so inexorable? Is trust a fragile expectation? Perhaps, yes. The contours of betrayal nowadays are too invasive to obscure the culture of kindness. People take goodness and sincerity as a far-granted commodity that can be stabbed and slaughtered anytime, anywhere. And ironically, people brag of having dirty guts to do so!
Here, the old man was living alone but was obviously experienced enough to pick up the treachery of his man Friday. He perhaps ignored his mischief because, at this stage of a solitary life, he had turned dependent on him. In his sub-conscience, he might have feared his loss. The loss of someone who was substituting for his children’s role and responsibility. The one who would help him in everything, from wearing clothes to taking him up to the washroom. The one who made sure to administer him medicines as advised by his doctor. The one who used to listen to his masters scolding silently, as it was something very expected of the old life tantrums.
But, does all this justify the betrayal by a man Friday? Is trust a material bargain? Do our circumstances license the brazen breach of expectation? Is goodness getting stolid, unable to touch or tame individuals ?
People like old man have every rationale to see through the prism of doubt and distrust while dealing with human situations where skepticism has less scope to interfere. And persons like man Friday have no explanation to let down the trust of those who believe in the ultimate doing of good, no matter how deceit descends on them. For the simple reason, the right people inevitably keep doing the right things even with the wrong people. That is why characters like man Friday usually go scot-free. Around us, and everywhere else.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK