The Horse Trading

The SHO starts yelling at the Jignesh and his parents. They feel so helpless and suffocated. They are eagerly waiting for their lawyer and relatives to turn up. Meanwhile Jignesh has already informed Shankar uncle about the police and all. He comforts him saying, “Face the situation bravely. You shall come out of it.”

SHO: “What do you think of yourself, you are harassing your wife for dowry?”
Jignesh: “No Sir, this is not true. There is no dowry system in our community. And we have not demanded a single paisa from them. We have kept her very well. She has left on her own as she hates my parents and wants me to abandon them.
SHO: “Do not speak in front of me, go out and sit there.”

Dejected and tense, Jignesh comes out and sits on the bench. His parents are equally tensed. Just then his lawyers and relatives arrive. They feel a little better. Rishi comforts him, not to worry. He and his colleague talk to the police and they demand 12 lacs to settle the case.

Rishi: “What is your take?”
Jignesh: “I have not done anything; I am not going to give a single paisa. This is our hard-earned money; it is not going to these unscrupulous and non-deserving people just on the pretext of these nonsense and draconian laws. By the way, what are the odds that I do not pay?”
Rishi: “They will lodge a 498A complaint against you and your parents and all three will be immediately arrested. I will try to get your parents bailed out tomorrow on health and age grounds, your bail might take two more days. At max, you can say, 4 days, not more than that.”

Jignesh looks wary.

Rishi: “Take your time, there is no hurry, think about your options and then decide.”

Jignesh talks to his parents. They were scared and wanted to get out of the mess soon, even by paying. Jignesh is stubborn, does not agree. He reasons, that if we give up so early, these people will again come up with new demands. What is the guarantee, that we agree to pay now, what they want and they will not harass us again.

Jignesh: “They will get this as an easy tool of extortion. I have talked to Rishi, he will get us bailed. Also once jailed all there options will go then. But if we budge now and avoid arrest, we will give them more weapons to attack.”

Jignesh’s parents understood he was right. But still they hoped something might work out.

Jignesh: “See papa, they are demanding 12 lacs. Worst come worst, even if I fight them in court the whole of my life, the expenses will be a fraction of 12 lacs. Rest we have to decide.”

Jignesh currently was forging strength. Heart in heart he was sinking. There were so many things he had to handle, but he had never learned to break down in front of his parents. His strength made them proud, and this made him happy. Seeing him not breaking down, they also get strength and get ready to fight. Just then his cell starts ringing. It was his client’s call from US. Jignesh gets tensed. What to tell him? Can’t ignore his call.

Jignesh: “Hello.”
Client: “Hey Jignesh, can we start?”
Jignesh: “I am extremely sorry, I have entangled in some serious personal issues, and can we take this call later. I am again very sorry for having postponed it. Please give me some time.”

Jignesh’s voice conveys more than his words.

Client: “No problem. We will talk later.” The connection hangs up.
Jignesh: “Rishi, I am not ready to pay a single paisa. Let the law take its own course.”

Rishi conveys the same to the SHO. The case is registered and they are kept in custody. Viral and her parents leave the police station. The SHO while leaving the station shouts at Jignesh’s mother.

SHO: “You do not have a daughter, that is why you are treating her like this. I will expose you in the media.”

Now Jignesh understands as to why the SHO was not in a mood to listen to them and how was the case registered. He had been properly bribed and told what to SPEAK and what NOT TO LISTEN. He knows the system is flawed. There are gory loopholes open to widespread misuse. He thinks who is going to stop this LEGAL TERRORISM. The enemy has invaded into the families, the hearts, and the trust circle and it is very difficult to identify and deal with such an enemy.

His mom is taken by lady constable to the woman’s cell. Except for the SHO the other policemen, were well aware that the case is false, were sympathetic towards Jignesh and his parents. On Jignesh and his aunt’s request, they are allowed to sleep in the cabin (and not in the cell) with fan on and a sheet to cover.

The Arrest

Manager: “So how do you find the job here?”
Jignesh: “It is good. The atmosphere is nice, but at times I do feel that the challenge could have been more.”
Manager: “Hmmm, how do you feel so? The product and the domain, both are so vast, there is so much of learning involved. You can in fact, pick up a module and master it so that any one comes to me with an issue in that module, I can say the module man is Jignesh.”
Jignesh: “Yeah I do agree that there is indeed a lot of learning involved, and as you see since the past almost one year I have been working on this particular module and know it in and out. But what I feel that product knowledge is not an issue, it all depends on my zeal to learn, but I feel the lack of chance to learn the domain knowledge and business processes.”
Manager: “OK, I will keep this in mind and if anything comes up, shall keep you in loop.”
Jignesh: “OK Thanks.”

Some days later a customer project comes up. They had some issues with the product which needed to be solved at an urgent basis. The manager comes to Jignesh and tries to know if he’d be interested in taking up the project. Jignesh, seeing an opportunity to improve his communication skills and customer interaction tactics, takes up the project. Now he is i2 Technologies’ face to the customer. He is whole-n-sole responsible for the project. He works extra time to keep up to his standards since he was handling it alone and was handling it for the first time; the whole product was at his disposal. But he had the confidence to pull through. Also he had a KEY AWARD to his kitty to boost his morale for his work on his previous assignment. But one thing pulled him back and that was his marital problems. His estranged wife was trying to control him with the help of her parents. His in-laws were pressurizing him to abandon his aged and dependent parents so that they can interfere in his daily matters and get a grab of his financial control. He was slowly realizing it was a coy from their side to malign his parents’ reputation amongst his relatives, and putting a social pressure on him to succumb to their unjust demands. But Jignesh does not budge, and does not take a decision against his principles.

Meanwhile he was excelling in his project and was delivering a performance. The client had given him the liberty to call at anytime he had a doubt and also used to arrange the calls according to Jignesh’s convenience, keeping in mind the time difference between India and the US of A. It was the 10^th September 2007, Monday as per IST, so Monday morning being a Sunday evening for the client and as some serious discussion was involved the call was scheduled in the evening so it is Monday morning for the client. So Jignesh planned his work accordingly, patched it up by 7: 00 P.M. and reached home. Just he had parked his bike and reached for the elevator when a man approached him.

Man: “Are you Jignesh?”
Jignesh got a bit wary seeing the man’s appearance.
Jignesh: “Yes, why?”

The man flashes his identity card indicating that he was from the local PS. Jignesh froze. He understood, his wife had approached the police with a false complaint. Though he tries a bit to act as if he does not know what is happening. The man stopped him in the parking area and did not allow him to use him phone as well. Then swooped down the whole team. They were about six in number. Jignesh was made to sit inside the police van and told to wait. The security person informs his parents that he is being detained by the police. They rush downstairs.

Meanwhile Jignesh was now told that a dowry harassment complaint has been against him and his parents by his wife and her parents. Jignesh tries his level best to convince the police person that this complaint has no standing and he has evidence to prove his point, but he is not given any chance. When his mom arrives, he passes over his laptop and HIS CELL to her and tells her in Gujarati to inform Rishi (their lawyer). His mom takes away the laptop. And then calls up Rishi as well her sister, who stays across the town. Then the Station House Officer arrives. He insults Jignesh and his parents very badly and shouts at them and threatens them. Jignesh, as advised by Rishi, maintains his composure and tries to convince the SHO about the nullity of the case, but he had been bribed properly by Jignesh’s FIL, so he is in no mood to listen. All the three are taken to the police station on pretext of investigation.

Thanks a lot dear

A letter to my …… half (Will fill in the blanks with the right word at the end and readers will justify it.)

Thanks a lot my dear wife. She is a wonderful person, an awesome teacher, who used to give tuitions to school students before marriage, at least which was what I was told. And I used to think, what is it that she used to teach to her students. Now that I have learnt so many things from her, I cannot help but share my experience with you as you all have been so kind enough to tolerate the nonsense I have been blurting out so far.

My beloved wife taught me that life is not a bed of roses and it has thorns in it as well. Not only that, she proved that she was correct as I am now actually living with those thorns. Thanks a lot my dear for teaching the real meaning of life and being so brutally real to me. I was such a big fool, having married to you I was trying hard to convince myself that I have got a good and a matured life partner until you taught me that life can have some serious and unforeseen problems as well. And such deep is your love for me that you teach me everything with a real and a practical example. Thanks a lot dear for teaching me that women can be so bad that they tend to ruin the whole family. Thanks a lot dear for teaching me that when a woman (read a married woman) lies about her husband and her mother-in-law, adding spice to the dish with her crocodile tears (actually even a crocodile might shed actual tears knowing you are being described with the crocodile as an allegory), the society and the law happily believes her and starts consoling her and hangs the innocent husbands life on the gallows. Had you not filed a false dowry harassment case on me (again to teach me a lesson as I refused to desert my aged and dependent parents as per your wish) I would never learned that this case can be filed by any married woman and can also be filed even if dowry has never ever been taken or demanded, and this case can be used as threat weapon, a fear psychosis tool and a legal channel to extort money, so thanks for this knowledge as well dear.

Till so far I had just seen the jail in movies, but thanks to your false case and thanks to the stupid Indian Legal System (still living in the dark ages), I had a first hand experience of jail. Till so far I had thought only bad people used to stay in jail, but surprisingly enough I found many good people there and also got unexpected help from them, so dear, thanks for this enlightenment. I will indebted to you my darling for this. Thanks to you, I got to know who are my real friends and who are not, for when you made my parents’ and my life a hell, I had my friends to fall back upon and they stood beside me like a pillar. My innumerable thanks go to Anju Masi, Pradeep Masa, Ashok Uncle, Ravi, Bharat, Priyanka, Subhadra, and Harshini and how can I not mention Shankar Uncle (Subhadra’s father). And my special thanks go to Ishwinder; your mental support means a lot to me brother. You remember you used to tell me, “Darling, I will always be there for you.” I laugh it off today, for when you chose to walk out of my life, none of the above people told me, “Virag, I will be there for you.” They just came and stood there and did their bit, whatever they could. So once again thanks to you I could know so many nice people. And my real and sincere thanks go to these people. And my dear wife, you very well know the smell (read odor) of the thanks I have been showering on you hitherto and shall continue to shower henceforth.

Today is 10^th December, we finish a quarter today, when I was tagged a criminal for an offence I did not commit. We also had a court date today. I find it so strange that when we had a nice 2 BHK flat, what made you choose the court as a place for dates. Thanks again for suggesting such a romantic place to meet, but this is not fair, as you call me there and do not come yourself. Sweetie, I will see to it that you come there and we have a nice time together. This is my promise to you, when you have given me so much it’s my duty; I am your MAN as per the law, so I have to return you whatever I get from you. Also the law, where it happily defines the “Natural Duties” of a MAN, it does not define any for the WOMAN. Now I know why sadistic females like you always crib of gender inequality. Anyways let’s celebrate the first quarter happily. So today was the court date. As expected I was at the court by 11, time when the court starts. I had a meeting in my office in two sessions, 12 – 1 and 1 – 2. I somehow convinced my manager for the first half, and told him that I will be there for the second half. But courts work at their own times. So I was sitting in the court, and we were waiting for the case to turn up.

My mom started complaining of back pain. Thanks to you again as now I know the posture which causes pain to her and will see to it that she does not take that posture again. Then I was feeling hungry so I went out and had some fruits. It was a mixed fruits plate and there was papaya in it. I hate that fruit, but my hatred for you was so deep that I ate that fruit (albeit unknowingly) and later realized that I had eaten papaya. So thanks once again dear, my mom gave up trying to teach me eat papaya (thanks to my stupid stubbornness I never learned to eat it), but see today I ate it and I liked it as well as now nothing tastes horrible than you, for you, as a life partner you have given me only bitterness and left no stone unturned in making my life horrible. When we were together, your bitterness was sugar coated with your false flattery and apple-polishing love gestures and now your bitterness is shameless like you as it comes naked to me. So thanks once again for removing that false paradoxical veil of sugar-coat.

Lunch time happened and then we had lunch at 2: 30 pm. We had white flour paratha. My father developed indigestion due to that. Thanks for the enlightenment, now I know where I have to be careful about my dad’s food. We had tea after that, there my dad told that the tea was laced with color (thanks to his 30 years of experience in the tea industry), so thanks again as I know now how does a color laced taste like and look like and I should not be happy that I am getting an economical tea. I was getting late for the office meeting. I finally told my teammate Bharat to handle the situation; he assured me he will do so. So thanks again as I know I can rely on him. After reaching office I met my manager and apprised him of my situation and he told me that he had managed it without me in the meeting. So thanks once again dear as I know my manager understands me and supports me. Venu, thanks (a real one) for this to you as well. And as you see I have been thanking, thanking and thanking in this post, thanking to you for the lessons you taught me in life and thanking others who were there with me when I found the lessons out of syllabus, so I will end this series with a last note of thanks to Rishi and Parvez (my lawyers).

And now I fill in the blanks, A letter to my bitter half.

It is up to the readers to justify why do I consider her as my bitter half, in spite of the lessons she taught me.

Thanks once again dear. I am indebted to you and this is a promise to you from your MAN as per the law and from a real spine-full MAN that I will repay your loan.

Twists and turns of life

Wow!!!, “Old is Gold”. As has been righteously said, “It takes years to make and a moment to break”. Yes folks, it took years of my parents’ (especially my mom’s), training, sacrifices, coaxing, scolding and bickering to ensure I not only get the excellent grades in school, but also get the best lessons of my life. It took 13 yrs of my academic struggle to ensure that I not only get admitted to one of the top notch engineering colleges, but also get the best stream available (Computer Sc. & Engineering). Thereafter it took four years of continous struggle and the agonies and ecsatacies of hostel life, new friends, new hardships, new survival strategies to make myself capable of facing the world, accept unforeseen challenges and finally it was the first day of my final year when the result of a 4 hr interview was my first appointment letter in an MNC with a “decent” salary. Then it took me 19 months before I could move to Bangalore, the dream city of any software engineer, and being the only son of my parents, I had nurtured a small wish all these years to own a house of my own, where my parents can stay and retire in peace. A handsome salary (credible enough to get me the required housing loan) and our savings ensured we will be getting a home of our own. Six months hence witnessed tireless efforts by my mom, assisted by me to see that small dream of mine materializing. Yes it took all these years of dedication, patience and efforts to reach this stage. And then came the final task for my parents, getting their only son married. An alliance came and things started to fall in place and in a year more I was a married family man. How the transition from a boy to man took place was hard to notice but easy to realize, with the rising pressure of new responsibilities. Life had been really good until three months after marriage till she refused to return back and laid conditions on return. Still we thought we could bring her back until that moment came when my wife walked into our house with her parents accompanied by the local police team threatening to file a false complaint of dowry harassment against me and my aged parents and thrust us unto the mercy of mercenary lawyers and greedy policemen. And suddenly it became so difficult to live. All this because I did not heed to her demand of deserting my aged and dependent parents, all this because I could not take leaves from office to join my in-laws on a pre-planned trip, of which I was informed only 2 days before the trip and all this because my wife did not want to accept the responsibilty of my parents and wanted a luxurious life full of pomp and honour and all this because instead of my wife taking care of my aged parents, made them take her care and all this because all these years her parents had pampered her like anything. And yes of course, all this because we are living in a country having biased non-bailable, non compundable, coznizable offence provision in its Penal Code, wherein the woman (read married woman) can simply walk into a police station, submit a writ complaint of harassment for dowry (either true or false) and hold the boy’s family at ransom. And yes it was the end of the happy days for us, atleast in the near future, for all that started as a relationship for life one year was dead now and the burden of the corpse was too heavy to be dreaded along but that’s what life is, has to be accepted and lived with strength. And so after all this I am here fighting a legal battle to safeguard me and my parents. Having being tagged a criminal for just getting married and not demanding dowry. Indeed it took a moment to break all that was built over these years.