A Failed Truce

 

To Rasagnya,

When I think of bus rides back home, who else could come to mind but you?

The blinds of the hall slowly opened to reveal the scene within. It was a small village near Krishna river, the land around the river, was filled with crops that stretched across vast lands. If one peered out the window, of the vehicle they’re travelling in and squinted hard enough, they can notice the people working in the fields in the draining sunlight. It was an ordinary settling, a land of hard work and agriculture, of hopes and poverty. Aditya and Tanay were childhood friends. They were of the same age and met in the only school of the village. They used to play games with the other kids in the village, but Aditya and Tanay always had the habit of competing. They played to win in hide and seek, maram pitti, kabaddi...it was a friendly rivalry, they even competed in studies.

One day, after school before going to the playground, Aditya was feeling troubled. Aditya’s grandpa was sick with a respiratory disorder, he was always coughing. Aditya had seen his dad struggle for sparing enough to buy medicines after paying for the other expenses. Aditya expressed his worries with his friend. Tanay didn’t have money with him but he remembered faintly that his uncle told him, “If you score a century in the cricket match this month, and I’ll give you whatever you want.”

Tanay’s uncle was a jovial man, always pushing him to do his best in cricket. Although Tanay’s parents weren’t very supportive of Tanay’s interest in cricket, Tanay’s uncle was different. Tanay had decided, that he would win the match and in some sense earn money for his friend. Tanay fist bumped Aditya and said, “Don’t worry, I will get enough money by the weekend.” This month’s match was special as there would be managers scouting for players for the upcoming district tournaments.

In the dim light of the setting sun, the playground was set, prepared with all the lines drawn with flour, indicating boundaries and the pitch. The evening was vibrant, there were stalls set up that sold buttermilk, cotton candy, bhel puri and fast food. There was a small audience which consisted of the villagers, small kids were shouting in excitement and glee, they waved around cotton candy and blew bubbles from little toys into the air. This may just be a cricket match for some, but this was a battlefield for the players to be scouted and to play professionally, along with the bubbles floating in the air, there was a stressful anticipation.

The players were divided into teams randomly by picking chits. It so happened that Aditya and Tanay were in different teams and so they were pitted against each other. Tanay remembers his promise of getting money to Aditya and so he vowed to score a century. Tanay’s team had won the toss, and soon it was Tanay’s turn to bat. Tanay played consistently, he avoided risky shots and instead went in for 1s and 2s. When the score was just a 4 away from becoming a century, Tanay grew ambitious and aimed for a for a four. But a fielder had caught the ball, amidst this Tanay’s batting partner had already started to run. Maybe his partner could make it, but Tanay didn’t want to take a risk so he stayed still. Tanay’s partner was out, but Tanay remained on the pitch and went on to score a century. Their team had quite a high score, but Aditya’s team had pulled through and managed to beat them. Aditya had average skills but could coordinate well within a team. The match was played with vigor throughout. The crowd hooted every time there was a boundary or someone was out.

Tanay did get the money for Aditya and Aditya was grateful. A week after the match, the results for the district cricket team were announced, Aditya had been scouted. Tanay hadn’t. Tanay was crushed, he believed the judges weren’t fair, he believed he was skilled enough to make it to the team. Tanay tried to suppress his feelings.

The gang of friends met up again for playing, Aditya and Tanay were practicing strokes.

Aditya hit a six and said in glee, “Did you see that? I think I got better at batting than you!”

Tanay had lost it, he grabbed Aditya by the collar and yelled in anger, “Do you think you’re that better than me, huh?” Tanay’s teeth clenched in anger, “I scored a century for you!” And Tanay went to explain that his uncle had given him money. Tanay suspected that the reason he wasn’t scouted was because it was his fault that his batting partner was out. Aditya felt a bit guilty, but he didn’t say anything.

This incident caused them to drift apart, maybe there wasn’t much anger initially, but the resentment and jealousy only grew rapidly as Aditya became more and more successful in cricket while Tanay lagged behind. Gradually their friends separated into two groups, the ones who hung out with Aditya had a reputation of being “the good kids”, and those in Tanay’s group were known to be “the delinquents”. Tanay’s mom would often make statements like “Why can’t you be more like Aditya?” which irked Tanay more.

Time passed in a flicker of the wind, both equally immersed in their own lives. In the progress of time, the cities developed rapidly but there wasn’t much change in their village. Instead the villagers had faced problems because of development, their village happened to be in the outskirts of a city. The trash from the city ended up in piling in the village and near the fields, the water of Krishna was becoming increasingly polluted and the agriculture in the village was taking a hit. Amidst these, the government was planning on constructing a dam and a biological park in the village. The villagers weren’t in favor of these constructions as it would take away their lands and no amount of compensation would be enough.

The government had resorted to violence, indirectly sending thugs to force the villagers into agreeing. Incidents of violence had increased in the village. The now grown up Aditya and Tanay’s groups had already noticed these and tried to put an end to these incidents. But individually, their numbers were too low to be of any help.

Reluctantly, they decided to unite against the thugs and formed a group that would stop the violence. They formed two divisions, one that would fight against the thugs and one that would publicly organize rallies and dharnas. They were relentless and strong in their reasoning and demands, in protecting the environment, integrity and agriculture of the village. Finally, the government put it’s decisions on hold and did not go against them because of the strong public sentiment.

The groups met to have a victory celebration, the previously separated members rekindled their friendships and drank to prosperity. Aditya was hoping that he and Tanay could go back to being friends, he called Tanay aside to speak to him. He lead Tanay to the top of a road crossing bridge on the highway they were on.

In a low voice, Aditya started, “Do you remember we used to play in that playground?” He pointed to a ground that was now secluded and stretched across the evening horizon. Tanay stayed silent for a while, and the only response to Aditya’s question was the strong wind blowing. Aditya said again, “Why don’t we put the past behind us and be friends again? We worked well together.” It was a peaceful moment, one that disguised their turmoil.

Tanay finally opened his mouth and said, “I think we’re too different now to be friends, you are successful, bright. Right now, there is an abundance of jealousy in me.” The clouds in the dim sky shifted as the sun set, and shadows stuck to Tanay’s face. “I also want to prove that though me and my friends might be delinquents, we can still succeed. I don’t resent you, it was my choice to help you back then. But I don’t think we can be friends either.”

With that, Tanay started walking away from Aditya. Aditya waited to see if Tanay looked back and when he didn’t, Aditya sighed and started walking in the opposite direction. Maybe it was petty, but it wasn’t trivial. It was just a failed truce. It was friendship broken by jealousy. And here, the curtain falls, to an ending which isn’t happy or complete. But it wasn’t like this for us, was it Rasagnya?

It’s a little beautiful that only you and I know the true origins of this story, you and I knew the ending even before it was written. Until we meet next time, I hope this is enough to occupy your thoughts.

- Soumya