The Man

That morning at dawn, Trilochon Siddhanta and Nilmani Vedantatirtha were returning home after their ritual bath in the Ganges. This was their daily practice. Both were devout Brahmins, and their friendship ran deep.

As they walked along, absorbed in their silent chanting, someone somewhere began shouting: "Please, help me! Won't someone help me?"

At first neither of them paid attention, for both were deeply immersed in divine contemplation. But as they walked further, they heard the cry more clearly.

Both were quite startled at first. The morning light had not yet properly emerged. The world had not yet shaken off its sleepy stupor. Only a few birds chattered away with much to say. From distant factories came the occasional horn blast. Everything else was silent.

Besides, the path they were traveling was rather like a forest trail. The city lay two miles away. Taking the paved road would considerably increase the distance, so they always used this route. Where had this disturbance come from today!

On this deserted path, at this pre-dawn hour, they could not fathom who might be crying out in such a manner, or why. But though they knew no reason, both felt a chill creep over them. They exchanged glances. What was this about?

Nilmani Vedantatirtha, affecting an air of complete fearlessness, said: "What is there to be so afraid of, Trilochon? As long as this sacred thread remains on our bodies, as long as the Gayatri mantra remains on our tongues, even Death himself would not dare touch these forms. What are mere mortals to us!"

"Don't I know that, Nilmani? If we don't have even this much faith in our hearts, then all these years of prayer, penance, worship and rituals have been for nothing." Saying this, he stepped forward two paces and asked with infinite courage: "Who is it? Who is crying out like this?"

"Me! I'm the one crying out. Please help me a little."

"We can't see you at all. Where are you calling from?"

"Sir! Do you see a well there?"

"A well? What did he say, Nilmani? Does anyone live in a well?" A terrible pounding started in Trilochon Siddhanta's chest.

"Hush! This is that demonic illusion at work. Sri Hari is testing the faithful Brahmin. But we too are prepared. We have not touched water without completing our threefold Gayatri chanting. We have faithfully observed all rituals and customs. What have we to fear?"

Despite all these words, neither of them could summon the courage to move forward. Standing right where they were, Nilmani Vedantatirtha called out with all his might: "Look, whoever you are, do not attempt to obstruct a Brahmin's duty. Stand aside from our path. The time for morning prayers is passing—that sin will touch you alone."

"For mercy's sake, sir! I am in great distress—that's why I'm asking for your help. Please don't be angry."

"Are you really human?" Trilochon asked forcefully from behind.

"What kind of question is that, sir?"

"Then where have you come from?"

"From my own village."

"Your name?"

"My name? Yes, I had a name once. But how strange! I can't seem to remember my name now."

"Hmm, I understand." Trilochon came to a firm conclusion. He said: "I suspected as much from the beginning. This is that demonic trickery—their work is to create obstacles for devout Brahmins' worship and sacrificial rites. Therefore, Nilmani, without any further mental agitation, chant the Gayatri with single-minded devotion and move forward!"

Now both of them began chanting mantras at the top of their voices.

But the moment they stepped forward, the voice cried out again: "Are you leaving? If you leave, I'll truly die, sir. Don't abandon me, I beg you."

This anguished cry disturbed Siddhanta somewhat. Despite considerable fear in his mind, he asked: "Are you really in danger?" But thinking he hadn't asked the right question, he corrected himself: "Tell me, are you really human?"

"Yes sir. I really was a human being."

Hearing this, Siddhanta's flesh began to crawl. He said: "Was? And now? I mean, at present?"

Both their bodies were trembling.

The voice said: "Now I'm drowning—nearly dead. I can't stay afloat much longer."

Again the two looked at each other. What was happening—nothing could be understood. Finally, with incredible courage, Nilmani said: "Shall we look into the well once, Trilochon? It seems the person is truly in danger."

Without moving an inch, Trilochon said: "Certainly we should look. Self-sacrifice in genuine distress is a Brahmin's absolute duty. Therefore, you go forward."

Nilmani then stretched his neck slightly and asked: "What were you doing here at this early hour?"

"Sir, simply searching for food."

"This is the time for beasts and birds to feed. Humans at this hour should be praising their chosen deity."

"Sir, when there's fire in your belly, no one else's name comes to mind!"

"I understand, I understand. The man is living a purely animal existence. Forgetting the Father of the universe, these people spend their whole lives wandering in search of the very food He provides. Not once do they beg for His mercy. How will God forgive them, tell me, Trilochon?"

Trilochon now stepped forward a little and said: "Look, brother, just once remember the name of the Compassionate One—you'll see, all danger will disappear."

"Master, countless frogs and so many insects are constantly biting me—there's no end to it. Besides, I'm not getting much strength in my hands and feet either. I can't stay afloat much longer, learned sir. Please do something quickly."

"How can we pull you out from there, brother? We're returning from our bath in the Ganges. We have no means to pull you up from there. Besides, this place is so deserted that even if we called out, no one would respond. Listen to us, brother—we are Brahmins, therefore unaccustomed to false speech. You call upon merciful Narayan with single-minded devotion—He will surely rescue you."

"Oh my God! Something bit me again!"

"Where are you coming from?"

: I can't remember. I can't remember the name of my village. I can't even remember my own name. All I remember is that three months ago I lost my job. Lockout at the factory. Whatever we had at home, we've sold it all. But still the gnawing hunger won't end. Last night I beat my little boy so badly that he came down with a fever. That's why I went out in the dead of night to find him something to eat. I found plenty of ripe wood apples here too. But I couldn't give them to him.

: Why?

: Because I fell into this well. My foot slipped suddenly. I've been trying ever since, sir, but I just can't get out. This well is very old and broken. It's cracked in places too. I thought I could climb out using the cracks as footholds. But there's so much algae that it's impossible to get a grip. Besides, the water is so cold that my hands and feet are going numb. And on top of that, this terrible rotting smell. If you don't help me a little, I'll surely die here.

: Look, brother, God is very merciful. He who threw you down there will also pull you up. Who are we? We are really nobody. The Lord himself says this in the Gita. Tell me, you are Hindu, aren't you?

: I can't quite remember that either. Now I can't remember anything at all.

: Who are you?

: I can't say.

: Where are you coming from?

: I don't remember.

: Tell me, do you have any caste or religion?

: I can't quite remember.

: That settles it! He's lost his mind, you see, Siddhanta? The matter became clear to Vedantatirtha. He said again, "If this man were Hindu, then at this final moment he would at least once remember his chosen deity. Since he's not doing that, he's definitely a Muslim."

: Why should that be? Don't Muslims call upon their God at the time of death?

: Oh, leave their God out of it! Their whole thing is full of wickedness. Come on, come on, let's move along now. The time for our daily prayers is about to pass. What nonsense and trouble!

As they started to walk, Trilochon Siddhanta suddenly felt a cramp in his thigh muscle and was forced to stop for a moment. Taking advantage of this pause, he called out loudly, "Look, don't lose hope. Our prayer time is passing, so we're moving ahead. If we meet anyone on the way, we'll certainly tell them about you."

The day grew a little warmer. The man gradually became more lifeless. From time to time he would cry out desperately, then fall silent again. Meanwhile, a few small children came to gather dry twigs and leaves, spotted the man, and ran off shouting and calling, quickly gathering a crowd. Most of these were people from the outskirts of town—they worked in the city's factories or offices. They too couldn't decide what to do. One said, "Someone quickly bring a strong, long rope, and everything will be sorted out."

Another immediately said, "Where will we find such a rope around here?"

: "But we have to find something, don't we? Or should we all just sit around twiddling our thumbs?"

: "Well, we can't do that. But we need some equipment, otherwise how can we do anything with what?"

: "That's exactly what I'm saying. No shield, no sword, all talk and no action."

: "Hey, you listening? You have a bicycle, why don't you take a ride around and see if you can find anything somewhere."

: "At this hour of the morning, whose house should I go to and search, tell me?"

: "Then what can be done? Should we all just sit here quietly? Meanwhile, the man is about finished."

: "I'll tell you what—someone should jump into the well from here. Then we'll pull both of them up." An intelligent suggestion from someone.

: Another commented, "Now that's what I call intelligence! One person is drowning before our eyes and we can't do anything for him. Now let's drown someone else too."

The man flared up. "Making pointless comments without understanding what's what is hardly the mark of an intelligent person," he said.

: "Well then, wise man, why don't you jump in yourself?"

: "If it were possible for me, I wouldn't be asking anyone for favors. I would have jumped in long ago."

: "Why can't you?"

: "I have a heart condition."

: "Good lord! A heart condition? Tell me, you haven't had a heart attack yet, have you?"

Ha ha! Ho ho! Hee hee! Everyone enjoyed the little joke. One person said in as serious a tone as possible, "Is this the time for jokes? Please, everyone be serious."

: "Look here, from what I can see, it's better for us not to try doing anything. It might backfire and make things worse."

: "So?"

: "So someone should go to town and inform the police. That would be the best thing."

: "That's not a bad suggestion."

Everyone more or less agreed. So someone immediately got on his bicycle and went to town. The others, after waiting for a while, became busy with their daily tasks. Someone said, "Let me go have some tea." Someone said, "If I don't get the coal home, the stove won't light at all." Someone else had to collect rations. The few who were still there were still quietly discussing various plans. A little later, the man returned from town. But seeing no police with him, everyone was surprised.

: "What happened? Why did you come alone? Couldn't you bring them with you?"

: "No."

: "Why?"

: "They wouldn't come."

: "They wouldn't come even for such a serious case!"

: "What does this mean? How long will this nonsense continue?" The speaker's voice had a tone demanding explanation.

: "What important business are they attending to there?"

: "There's a fight going on with rice sellers in the city."

: "Rice sellers? Bravo! Now that's what I call heroic men!"

: "Well, whatever you say, meanwhile they've thrown bricks and stones and cracked open the skulls of two brave warriors."

: "Long live our heroines! Give those sons of bitches a good lesson. The bastards bite the hand that feeds them."

: "But what about this man? He's almost finished too."

: "Hey, sir, can you hear? The situation is very bad. I can't think what to do."

: "No need."

: "What do you mean?"

: "You don't need to do anything more."

: "Why?"

: "Because I'm drowning anyway. My hands and feet have gone completely numb. I can't go on."

: "You can't go on? What a disaster! Wait just a little longer. Something will be arranged right away. People in town know about it. Some arrangement will definitely be made."

: "But I'm getting sleepy. Terribly sleepy."

: "Good God! You're getting sleepy?"

By now news of the accident had spread throughout the city. From somewhere a group of young men appeared on bicycles, carrying some equipment. Seeing the waiting crowd, they said, "What's going on? What have you all been doing here since then? Still haven't managed to pull the man out? Then what's all this hullabaloo for? Move back, move back, all of you! Hey Pitu, climb up that tree right now."

The boy named Pitu immediately scrambled up the tree with quick, nimble movements. The first boy said, "Here, take this rope." He threw the rope toward him, and Pitu deftly caught it. The other boys gathered around the well.

The leader's orders came: "Tie one end of the rope firmly to that branch. Let the other end down into the well."

Everything was done according to plan. The leader now leaned over the well and called down, "Listen there, brother! Can you hear me? Just hold tight to the end of the rope. You don't need to do anything else. We'll pull you up properly. Everyone ready?"

"Ready, boss."

But the man gave no reply to the leader's words. Nor did he grab the rope. Then he called again, "What happened, brother? Take the rope. The operation is about to begin. What's the trouble? Why are you delaying?"

"You're shouting for nothing, chief. His head's almost half submerged. The brother's already gone. Can't you see?"

"Then the case will be punctured. All right, no worries. When the tiger has arrived, there'll be a resolution one way or another. Pitu, you go down quickly then. Grab the brother's neck from behind with one hand, and the rope with the other. Can you manage it?"

"Right, boss."

"Hey, all of you move further back. We'll pull both of them up."

Everyone took their positions. Pitu was descending.

Suddenly a thunderous shout rang out. "Hey Tiger, hey Pitu! Don't you dare move another inch. Stop that operation, or you'll all be in deep trouble."

A firm voice indeed.

"The man was drowning, we're pulling him up." (Tiger's firm voice.)

"This is our area—who are you to pull him up, you fool? Don't we know how to pull someone out?"

"Fine then, I'll leave it to your hands."

"Bastard, how merciful you are!"

Saying this, Rocket looked at his companions and laughed. He said, "You get his game plan, don't you, Bheku? He'll hand the man over to us and then at this evening's meeting he'll say, 'This is the role of your progressive panchayat leader Kebalaram Baman. A living man struggled and drowned in his own area for five to seven hours, and not one person came forward to save him. Yet did they not know about it? They surely knew. But still no one came. Why? Because the man was of no use to anyone! So what does it matter to the party whether he drowns or burns to death? The party is everything to them, everyone else is nothing. This is their sample of progressiveness.' Nice move you've made, boss. But such moves won't work here. Go on, get lost, all of you."

"What if we don't go?" (Tiger's fearless question.)

"Then there'll be corpses."

"Don't try to scare us. We've drunk mother's milk too."

"Good for you! Now go back to that mother's lap."

"I won't go. Let me see your power."

"Fine. Bheku, let the operation begin." (After a pause, he said,) "Start!"

The moment he spoke, a thunderous bombing began. The unarmed people, sensing the situation, had already moved away. Only the warriors from both sides fought with heroic valor. All around, smoke and dust darkened everything. After some time, all fell silent. Some were hit in the hands, others in the legs or head. In the final tally, it was found that only Pitu from Tiger's group, who had been hanging by the rope, had died from a bomb blast.

That afternoon they organized a massive funeral procession with those two corpses. They paraded through various streets of the city. It was a deeply solemn procession. Profoundly somber. Occasionally thunder-like shouts rang out: "Martyr Pitu, may you live for ages!" "Martyr, we do not forget you, we shall not forget." Pitu's corpse was at the very front of the procession. They had made the body as glorious as possible. It was almost covered with various flowers. Besides this, candles were lit around the palanquin. Incense was being burned too. Sandalwood paste dotted the dead man's face. Dead Pitu was established in infinite dignity.

At the very end of that procession was the corpse of the unknown man. Despite being in such a large procession, he received no mention at all. He remained as silent as merely another dead human being. Someone bold among the waiting crowds on either side asked, "Who is that one?"

The procession's brief reply: "Nobody. Just some man."