In a tight corner

I hate going to Bangalore on official grounds. The very thoughts of the clogged traffic, congested office buildings and mechanized life makes me back off instinctively. Ravi, my manager called up at around 7:00 pm and asked me to report at Bangalore the next day. This is the second time he is calling me for the same reason. I ignored him first time, I thought he didn’t mean it, but with the second call he confirmed his decisiveness. I had to go, no escape.

I report to two managers, hanging my life by a thread. The faster the rise, quicker the fall. After a long rest iam back into action. Time to work my brains out. Lot of responsibilities and challenges, the way I wanted it always. Life has regained its momentum to take up the plunges. Now iam happy but a little tensed. Iam moved out of .Net project into SAP, the opportunity I was looking forward to. Few of the team mates are based out of Bangalore including the manager, and so I had to go down to Bangalore to visit them and build a good chemistry with the new team.

I had 1000 bucks with me when I boarded the bus – one 500 rupee note and five 100 rupee notes. Spent 225 on Volvo, and kept the rest with me, which means one 500 rupee note and two 100 rupee notes. I reached Bangalore by 9:45 pm, and headed straight to the prepaid auto stand, unfortunately the counter was closed, but there were auto drivers waiting to seize me. They were waiting for a prey, and I was their lucky one. It was like a vulture patiently waiting for its prey and striking when the opportunity comes. There were some 10-15 vultures around, offering a ride for meter charge, some were genuine and said I only have to pay them meter and a half. Though I don’t like the idea of post paid auto, I was quite helpless then. The next prepaid auto stand was at the railway station, which is some 10 minutes walk from the bus stand. I wanted prepaid auto bill and to my surprise one of the auto driver promised to give me one. I didn’t quite believe him until he took me to the railway station and bribed a local policeman on duty for giving a prepaid bill. An extra 10 bucks and I got the bill.

“Electronics City”, I told the auto driver. “I will pay you what is in the bill and not a penny more”, I asserted. He agreed. On the way I felt a lot pleased and had an ephemeral sympathy for the post paid rickshaw drivers. I thought to myself, “These people, they are struggling to live, they run their whole life behind the wheels of a rickshaw for a meager 50 or 100 bucks. Iam happy to take ride on a prepaid auto. I will live, let him live too” By 10:30 pm we reached EC, in front of Infosys gate 6. The bill was for 253 bucks, but he begged for more and I decided to give him 270. I needed change and so took out the 500 rupee note, and asked him if he had change. He didn’t say a word but took the money from me. He was groping his pockets as if looking for the change and then after a short while he said, “I don’t have change”, and gave me a 100 buck back. I wondered why he was giving me that 100 rupee note. “Boss, I gave you 500 rupee”, I told him. He denied. I checked my purse and I had only two 100 rupee notes left, the 500 rupee note is missing. I didn’t spend it anywhere; I had it with me till now. I have given it to the driver and so it is missing from my purse. Definitely I have not given him 100. Iam sure he had my 500 with him. But where did this jerk hide it? I asked the security at the gate for help and they checked the auto for namesake, checked his jacket, but no luck. The money is missing. Where could he possibly hide it? This is a magic, I gave him 500 bucks and he changed it into a 100 rupee note. Unbelievable! I explained myself to the security; they were in a dilemma and couldn’t take a decision, leaving it to us to decide. I again made sure that I didn’t have that 500 rupee note. I have seen this 500 note when I boarded the auto. It can’t go missing anywhere. My money is with him. I decided to take him to the police station. Behind the jacket I could see his hands shivering, the shameless fraud is scared and I could see it in his face.

By now the time was 11:30 pm, I was so mad with anger, I didn’t have the patience to think or wait,, I took him to the police station. The security said it was some 2 kms from the campus. After going some half a kilometer, at Infosys gate 4, the rickshaw came to an abrupt stop and he said “Sir, This is running out of petrol, what we shall do now?” I felt like smacking him on the head. I didn’t give up and we started walking towards the police station. The route was a labyrinth of confusion. We have covered some 2 kms already but couldn’t find a police station, and finally after going some 4 kms found one. The police men were fast asleep; I woke them up and narrated the whole incident. They were reluctant to believe whatever I said, I didn’t expect anything different. I had no evidence. I had no witness. My eyes were my only witnesses. I couldn’t convince anyone. After all nobody likes to be disturbed while asleep, and for that matter even police men on duty are no different. But one of them, seemed to have some sympathy, and said, “Sir, we shall put him in jail, file a case against him, but first you have to recover your money from him”. I jolted my head in partial acceptance. I know there was nothing else they could do. The same officer came back with us to check the auto. We lost the route back; even the driver didn’t know where he parked the auto! He was full of tricks. One opportunity and I would have smashed his head out. I always felt I had a terrorist in me. When I lose my temper, I go mad, I might go any extend, there is no limit to the atrocious thoughts that goes through the back of my mind, but they were rarely enacted. Putting it straight, I don’t have the nerve to do it. I think extreme but act moderate.

Back at Infosys gate 4, where the auto was parked, the police searched the auto inside out, but to my dismay he found nothing. He asked me to search again, but no luck. I searched his jacket, his pants, all the pockets, I searched everything and everywhere I could think of. I know this sounds funny, but I was in no mood and mind to mull over it. I was robbed, abandoned and humiliated. I hated everyone around at the apprehension of being disdained. The police didn’t say a word and left in a cab that passed by. I was surprised to see that it was already 1:45 am. I have spent more than 3 hrs on this, but in vein. Things were going little out of hand. I asked him to give me the change, and he was asking for more money. He grabbed my shirt; I grabbed on his collar and shoved him away, he nearly fell down. Just then the security at gate 4 came out and interrupted the scene, which would have gone worse otherwise.

I started walking back to gate 6, but he felt unsecured around the securities at gate 6 and refused to come. I literally dragged him to gate 6. It was 2:00 am already and I was quite exhausted having walked nearly 9 kms and brawling all the way. Back at gate 6, I asked him to come back the next day, so that we could talk to the SP. Despite the awful hoax, he was leeching around for more money. I would have killed him, if only I had a gun. This was not reaching anywhere. I had to go. I didn’t have any more time to spare. But at the same time I didn’t want to give this up, not at any cost. I moved in and as the security was checking my bag and identity, the driver sneaked in, but the securities towed him out instantly. “Sir, can u please settle this first. We can’t let this go on in front of the campus. It’s a disgrace for the company. “, one of the securities said. “Let him come tomorrow, I will talk to the SP and settle this”, I replied. The security was not convinced and said, “Sir, we don’t have any evidence. So please give him something more. Sorry, we can’t help it”.

Finally I had to give him alms, the most generous one ever. I gave him 100 rupees more making it a total of 600 rupees for a bill that was only 270 bucks. He demanded 70 more rupees but I ignored him. The one thing that kept me haunting was that nobody believed me, though I was innocent. The next day I shared this story with my friends, only to find that they had similar experiences, but not as exorbitant as mine. So now there are people who would believe and understand me; only because they had similar experience. But, where do they hide the money…? We are still confused. This is something beyond magic and still remains a treacherous sleight of hand.