DESIRE FOR LUXURY
Looking at the green tea gardens spread far and wide in the lap of the beautiful valleys of the mountains, it seemed as if someone had spread a green sheet on the ground. Major Ramandeep's beautiful and grand house was built in the middle of the gardens. Major Ramandeep was no longer able to walk on his feet. His leg had been damaged in an accident, so he used to take the help of a wheelchair and used to look at his tea gardens from the balcony of his house.
Dozens of men and women used to work in his gardens. That day Major Ramandeep was looking at his gardens sitting in the balcony of his house. At that time his manager came to him with his cashier and two security personnel. The manager told Major Ramandeep that his cashier was trying to run away with his lakhs of rupees and he caught him red-handed. Hearing the manager's words, Major Ramandeep's mind flashed like a bolt of lightning, he got a jolt and he started immersing himself in the memories of his past and started thinking about himself.
Seeing him silent, his manager said, "What happened Sir, what are you thinking about?" When the manager asked Major Ramandeep when he saw him silent, Major Ramandeep came out of the deep abyss of his past and said to the manager, "Manager Sahab, you go and you people too. He told the two security personnel standing in front. After they left, Major Ramandeep said to the cashier, 'Mr. Mehta, can I know your compulsion, because of which you tried to steal the company's cash? ... Yes, there was no compulsion, just seeing so much cash, greed came into my mind. I thought that with this much money, I would do my own business and like you
I will become a rich man, said the cashier. 'Mr. Mehta, greed is a very bad thing. You know this greed leaves a man in a bad state. It ruins and destroys him. This greed has ruined not just one but many lives. Do you know, twenty years ago I had a friend, whom people knew as Vikram Singh. He was a cashier in a bank just like you. He had two small children and a beautiful and well-behaved wife Devki. Everything was going well, but suddenly Vikram Singh got obsessed with becoming a rich man. He wanted to have a big bungalow, cars, and servants. For which the obsession of earning as much money as possible was on his mind.
On the morning of June 5, Vikram was getting ready to go to the bank. Both the children had gone to school. His wife Devki was waiting for him at breakfast. After getting ready, Vikram came and sat at the breakfast table. Both of them started having breakfast. While having breakfast, Devki said, "Come home early in the evening. Today is our wedding anniversary. We will all go to the temple. The children have also been insisting to go out for many days, we will take them out on this pretext." "Okay, I will come home early in the evening," Vikram said smilingly as he went to the bank after having breakfast. Devki got busy with her household chores. On the other hand, after reaching the bank, Vikram got busy with his work. The next day was the first of the month. The employees had to get their salaries and the pensions had to be distributed to the pensioners. Therefore, around three o'clock, the car brought cash from the main branch. Vikram got busy handling the cash. Today, Devki was much happier than other days. Today was her tenth wedding anniversary. In these ten years, Devki had got all the happiness that she had imagined before marriage. When Devki went to her in-laws' house after marriage, there was no one else in her in-laws' house except Vikram and Devki. Sometimes, Devki used to feel very lonely. But Vikram gave her so much love that she forgot everything and got lost in his love. After the birth of Shalabh two years after marriage and Sharad three years later, their house started echoing with the laughter of children. It was two o'clock in the afternoon. Only two hours were left for the children and Vikram to return. So Devki was busy cooking. Today she had cooked all the food of Vikram's choice. As soon as the children came back from school, Devki changed their dress and then fed them. It was four o'clock. The bank manager and other employees left one by one. Vikram was left alone in the bank.
Vikram glanced at the notes kept in the cash chest. Seeing the bundles of two thousand rupees each, Vikram's eyes were dazzled. An idea flashed in his mind like lightning and he started thinking that he should run away with at least one and a half to two crore rupees from these bundles. "This would be a big crime. After running away with the bank's money, you will not be able to escape. The police will block every place. You will be searched everywhere. One day you will be caught." His soul said. "Fortune favors those who play with danger and move forward with courage." His mind reasoned. There was a storm of thoughts in Vikram's mind, which was not stopping.
Finally, the desire for happiness and prosperity became strong in his mind. It is said that the path of evil is very attractive and tempting. The mirage of wealth and prosperity destroys the wisdom of a man. And he automatically starts walking on the path of crime. He forgets that this is such a path on which once you start walking, it is not possible to turn back. Vikram thought that the time had come to give shape to the happy and luxurious life that he had been dreaming of living for years. He thought that luck itself was knocking at his door, so he should not miss this opportunity. Vikram made a plan in his mind to improve his future life with that money from the bank. He brought seventy-eighty bundles of two thousand rupees each from the cash room hidden between files and envelopes and came to his seat kept those bundles in his briefcase and went home with all the employees in the evening. As soon as Vikram entered the house, both the children hugged him saying "Papa has come", "Papa has come". As soon as Devki saw Vikram, a smile came on her face. Seeing her, Vikram also started smiling and said, "Devaki, I have called a taxi. You get ready. We are going on a trip. First, we will watch a movie and then have food in a hotel. After that, we will also go shopping." Devki's face lit up with happiness on hearing about going for a walk. The children also started chirping. Devki went to the room to get ready.
Vikram quickly changed the children's clothes and everyone sat in the taxi and went for a walk. Vikram knew very well that tomorrow morning as soon as the bank opens, his theft will be caught. And then the police will be after him. Therefore, the farther he goes from the city during the night, the better it will be. When the taxi had gone far away from the city, Devki asked Vikram, "Where are we going?" Then Vikram silenced Devki by saying that we were leaving this city and going somewhere far away. Hearing Vikram's words, Devki started looking at him with surprise and started thinking why Vikram was doing this. But she did not say anything further to Vikram and sat quietly.
The hungry and thirsty children fell asleep sobbing. As it was late in the night, Devki also started dozing off, but sleep was far away from Vikram's eyes. Colourful dreams were floating in his imagination. The whole night passed in his eyes. In the morning, it was four o'clock. He had come almost three hundred kilometers away from the town but Vikram did not let the speed of the car slow down. He was driving the taxi at a speed of eighty. Suddenly Vikram saw a police car coming from the front. Vikram thought that maybe the police were looking for him. He asked the driver to turn the taxi to another route. Due to the high speed, he lost his balance and lost control of the car. The car jumped and fell into a ditch several feet deep. As soon as it fell, the car caught fire. Vikram was awake so he was able to jump out of the car with the briefcase. The car was burning fiercely. Maybe the petrol tank had burst. The fire was so intense that it was not possible to take out the driver, Devki, and the children from the taxi. Everyone's heart-rending screams were hitting Vikram's ears like molten glass.
For some time Vikram stood there bewildered. Then hetaking briefcase, come from another taxi to Siliguri. Even after the tragic end of his wife and children, his love for money did not diminish. After coming to Siliguri, Vikram took a room in a hotel and started living there. On the other hand, Devki and her two children were burnt alive in a fire. There was no one to identify them, so the police considered them unclaimed and cremated them.
Vikram bought a tea garden in Siliguri and started living in a big house there. Now he had a bungalow, cars, servants, and all the means of luxury, but there was no one to support him in his happiness.
It is man's nature that when he is sad, he wants his loved ones to share his sorrow. Similarly, when he is happy, he also wants his close ones to be with him in this happiness, but Vikram has no one to share his happiness. He was alone. During the day he was busy in the tea gardens, but at night when he was alone in his bungalow, he would remember his wife and children. He would feel a pang in his heart. When the grief increased, he would resort to alcohol to forget it, but even in intoxication, the memories of his wife and children would not leave him. Now what could he do except cry and repent!
It is a very touching story. The cashier spoke while taking a deep breath. Major Ramandeep looked at the cashier's face and said- Do you know Mr. Mehta who this Vikram is? "Who is Vikram, Sir?" the cashier asked with deep curiosity. "That Vikram is me." Major Ramandeep said in a flat voice. "You?" "Yes, Mr. Mehta, today I have all the wealth of the world but no peace. I have all the comforts of the world but no wife, children, and no one else to call my own. Mr. Mehta, I succeeded in my purpose and also threw dust in the eyes of the people but could not escape the eyes of God.
You can see my fate. After losing my wife and children,
I have not been able to sleep peacefully even for a single night. I always feel as if a dense forest of cactus has grown around me and they keep bleeding me.
Mr. Mehta, if I wanted, I could have got you punished for your crime but I did not do so because I do not want your condition to be like mine. You get stuck in the quagmire of crime. Mr. Mehta, money earned through hard work, honesty, and truth gives comfort and satisfaction to a person. Now it is up to you to decide what you want, money or... the quagmire of crime?" saying this Major Ramandeep walked towards his drawing room pushing his wheelchair.
The cashier stood speechless. The faces of his wife and children flashed before his eyes. Overcome with remorse, he went inside and fell at the feet of Major Ramandeep in a posture of forgiveness.
