In the Company of Women

For men, wine and women are like soda and lime. Both energize their brain and body and make them climb the ladder of their dreams (in dreams only).

There was a time when it was difficult to get at least one woman for even the most dedicated and eligible men and how many bachelors lived and died singing “every night in my dreams…"without finding their ‘Ro-se’!

Jew lived much later in LooB. LooB or Land of oblivion is a place far from the ‘madding crowd’ where wine and women and (sea) water is abundant and has a culture of its own.

Jew was dumped by his school mate fiancée for few reasons known and few unknown to him. He lived with a ‘heart of stone’ nurturing hatred for all the young girls. He was the most serious guy in the land of oblivion when the story started; the one with a 916 Hallmark heart and also a loner. He came there to pursue his post graduation.

After a year of his studies he jumped that wall of the college and reached the foreign orphanage run by French missionaries nearby. He just went to stay there not because of the urge to do service for the physically ill and orphaned people. It must be because of Velmi.

In the orphanage Jew ate, slept like anyone else and shopped vegetables and groceries for the kitchen. He had to climb to do fitting, repairing, cutting down trees in the church compound. There he dug graves for those who died. He cleaned vessels and helped Velmi (@Anna) in cooking.  Velmi was staying there in the ladies section and involved in the activities in kitchen of the orphanage and the nunnery after returning from her college.

The part time jobs took Jew’s major portion of the day. After the sun disappears yet another day for him began.  He had to showcase his skills in the art of consumption and thus became a master. The owners of ECR midum Bar, Kalapet Charaya Shop, James Scott Bar are indebted to his generosity as their profit had gone to a stunning high after he took over their brand ambassador ship.

 Jew emerged from the role of a student to a prospective earning member after one year of his stay in the orphanage. He was proud for having the degree so that he could easily pay all the debts now in the BARS in the ECR where he made his mark. It was because by the time he had established a very strong platform with father Daniel the head of the orphanage and the church.

Jew emerged into the role of an affectionate sibling to our [1]Anna Karenina and all the ‘fathers and brothers’. Anna never wanted the ‘brotherisation’ ceremony a grand function rather she followed a small logic. She called him “my younger brother” with a musical note and the amicable relation was praised in the kingdom of almighty even. The identity was established and  publicized with much praise. Thus Anna got a brother for her and she called him ‘[2]Brother’ Karamasov afterwards.  Karamasov never felt rest when he took up the big responsibility of a brother-picking up, dropping her sister to and from the bus bay, helping her in kitchen, helping her in finishing her BEd. project works!! [After her PG in Jew's college Anna got a BEd. from an outside college].

 And before anyone could find a yardstick to estimate the deepness of affection between them, she had finished her life in the orphanage and migrated to foreign. Karamasov had nothing but few bottles of rum to offer to his stomach and thus bid her farewell.

Alice in the wonderland

Before starting to LooB, Alice had visited few book-shops and found the book “easy ways to commit suicide” by one non famous author and brooded over some usual ways of dying. She spent her mid night oil trying to finalise the latest way to end her life. Due to certain reasons she could not make up her mind for hanging from the ceiling or jumping to the train. In death also there should be dignity. A certain doubt regarding the output had spoiled her plans and the idea was put on hold for a year. LooB seemed like a fuming land in the extreme summer of July (The month Alice joined for her Master of Philosophy). And she didn’t know whether it was from the furious sun or the last hope within her that was burning out.

For Alice, LooB, had been a place to stay until she could invent a novel method of dying. She was fragile due to starving or fasting, living on the idea of a meaningless life, mentally ill and dangerously weak due to continuous illness. Yes she spent her days spinning the notion of a ‘dooms day’ after many years of waiting for her ‘life’. On the contrary, the mysterious territory taught her a way to live life again from the ashes.

The strange desert land seemed unfriendly initially to Alice as it was her first stay outside her home. She could not even find the health to thank god for giving a way to escape finally from her home town.  She was really an Alice in the wonderland. All fresh faces, with lot to discuss, dream and to enjoy and Alice had nothing to contribute to such group of youngsters and was brooding over her past. “She is an unusual character”, both the boys and girls in the campus commented.

Alice met Jew closely during a charity trip together in which he was the in-charge. It was the sixth or seventh month of her stay in LooB.  He seemed as a very dedicated self and she was happy to see an equally serious person there for the first time. Alice waited for a chance to 'become friends with him'.

Pee ( hostel mate of Alice who was pursuing her second MA there) was the easy access to reach Jew and he used to meet her outside the ladies hostel with his close friend Crazy Mohane during the nights. Pee was excited when Alice told her wish. Her roommate Chatty who always opposed Jew never found it a worthy idea. She always used to have logger heads with him. [Chatty was a funny person to listen to. If she opened her mouth, she closed it only when she finished the story of the last person in her village.] Anyway one day Pee and Chatty were able to bring Alice and Jew together for a small chat.

It was after a month or so that Alice got a call for her from Jew asking if she could identify his voice. Later Rajju’s (Alice's classmate) mobile phone kept ringing during the afternoon hours to enquire about the health and well being of Alice when Rajju goes for a nap after her lunch. Night was when Jew utilized his Airtel Student Package offer to call up Pee and spoke till he slept.

Pee had sad stories to tell and she seemed to respect Alice for her age and considered her as bridge and a mediator to connect to Jew. When Pee once narrated the qualities of her ideal man Alice felt an air of relief because Jew never fitted inside those frames.

Jew became the symbol of generosity and kindness to Alice and he appeared as caring as a [4]Good Samaritan. Jew became her caretaker. Slowly she gained confidence in herself and for life.

Jew was known for his rudeness. He never missed any chance to fight. It was said that Jew had waged war with all ‘young girls’ for their ‘approach to life’ then. For him no girl was trustworthy (except Anna, Pee and Alice). “Never discuss what we talk to any stupid girl out there”, he told Alice and was very much particular that she would be closer only to him. (The only girl with whom he spoke softly and politely and with respect).

One night Alice was shocked to see Pee suffering like a snake. She was love sick!!! Calls came less to her cell from Jew after that. Jew started giving more attention to Alice than Anna or Pee. Pee looked for Alice for mercy which was never granted. During her departure from LooB she wept and never said anyone the reason. She stood for hours looking outside the windows  of her room which faces the entrance of the hostel and sang the song of departure. Merie and Laurie (classmates of Alice and also a friend of Pee) sang chorus to her. Alice felt relieved and she was busy composing another ‘[5]songs of innocence and experience’ for her forthcoming days in the desert.

 After a heavy summer, rain came and Alice enjoyed the midday warmth of sun and evening cool breeze. There was no one to sing and dance in the back ground as it was summer vacation for everyone. The whole 800 acres of campus became a cape of good hope which was once a place where [6]angels feared to tread. Alice never felt sun, rain and chillness as she was under the protective shield.

The relation between Alice and Jew severed suddenly after six months or so and slowly Alice too became his past.She was on a visit to his house with a feeling that she found a home for herself after years of exile . Alice never knew that it will also be a [7]Golgotha for her (Jew's house was located on a small hill). It was when she disclosed to him that her future lies in his hands that Jew smelt a great danger. He swore that he would never be anywhere near the ladies hostel and that she too was one among the three ‘sisters’ [along with Anna and Pee]only with whom he was moving close.

Father Daniel Jones was a savior to many. Our hero confided in him life’s most sorrowful events and about the troubles he had including Alice after his decision to stay away from her.

Alice worked day and night for bringing back those wonderful days but she was strongly advised and was kept at a distance. Jew felt her presence as most repelling.

Every now and then people from various countries used to come for doing voluntary service to the orphans and the patients and French girl Pauline came and stayed there for few months. So soon she found her [8]Count of Monte Christo in the orphanage.  Jew started building his dreams around his [9]Mercedes and our Alice was informed strictly not to disturb him as he was busy scheduling his marriage with Pauline and his shift to France. What would have happened? we don't know. Later Pauline finished her work in LooB and left for France thanking the good company of Jew and assured him to send a T-shirt on every birthday and thus made him happy.

Pauline left.  Alice was forgotten. Sree came after [The new entry was heard pursuing her graduation somewhere far and was from another corner of Jew's state].

Alice occasionally sent messages to Jew but got no reply. It was after two and half years of parting their ways that Alice received  a message from him. “I am enjoying my life on the ‘shores of love with my lover and I don’t even think about you. I will live with the girl whom I love, she is waiting for me. I never liked you at all”.   (after that Alice got no messages) She could not be able to think if it was the beginning of a True love story or the end of an old one? Jew must have moved into the next phase of his uncertainty. Don’t know what happened to father Daniel Jones. Jew could not follow him to Canada but only wished him ‘Bon Voyage'.

After four years, once Alice went to LooB to stay for few days. Jew had been into some jobs along with the job inside the orphanage and had lost his hallmark heart years before itself. For Alice Jew was still a golden memory who brought her back to life and could never be hated or forgotten. She intended to become normal friends with him and also planned to have a quarter  and to party. But to her dismay he refused even to face her telling that he would be busy. The last drop of reverence was gone when she saw him in the company of a new batch of female students outside the college building during the night. Jew noticed Alice watching him from a distance. Suddenly he came out from the group he walked past her keeping his head bend like a shameful thief accompanied by police.  
Alice was sitting on a stone bench contemplating. It was during the night before her departure after staying in LooB for three days. She wondered if she was witnessing the [10]Metamorphosis of Kafka and  then decided to read the novel [11]Frankenstein and overcome that sorrow or to take a half or quarter of bagpiper and chicken. Alice could not sleep that night. She recollected the day when she swallowed a bottle of kingfisher beer [and became giddy] for two reasons- to beat the sorrow of a tragedy of losing Jew’s guardianship and then to show equality with men.

In LooB Jew had mastered many things not because he already had his masters in PHYSICAL education. It took time for Alice to understand that for him each woman turned merely the magical medicine to enjoy the present and to forget his past. He enjoyed the Company of Women and never understood them or took them for his future.

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[1]  Russian Novelist Leo Tolstoy’s novel (1877)

[2] The final novel by Russian Author Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1880)

[3] Tamil comedy actor, script writer and play Wright

[4] The parable of the Good Samaritan is a parable told by Jesus  in only one of the gospels of the New Testament. According to the Gospel of Luke (10:29–37) a traveller) is beaten, robbed, and left half dead along the road. First a priest and then a Levite come by, but both avoid the man. Finally, a Samaritan comes by. Samaritans and Jews generally despised each other, but the Samaritan helps the injured man. Jesus is described as telling the parable in response to a question regarding the identity of the "neighbour", who should be loved.

[5] Songs of Innocence and of Experience is an illustrated collection of poems by William Blake (1789)

[6] Where Angels Fear to Tread (1905) is a novel by E. M. Forster, originally entitled Monteriano. The title comes from a line in Alexander Pope's An Essay on Criticism: "For fools rush in where angels fear to tread".

[7] Golgotha or calvary was, according to the Gospels, a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where Jesus was crucified

[8] The Count of Monte Cristo  is an adventure novel by French author Alexandre Dumas completed in 1844. It is one of the author's most popular works, along with The Three Musketeers.  The story takes place in France, Italy and islands in the Mediterranean during the historical events of 1815–1838. 

[9]  Mercedes is the fiancée of the hero of The count of Monte cristo,  Edmond Dantès

[10] A major change in the appearance or character of someone or something(meaning)/ The Metamorphosis  is a novella byFranz Kafka, first published in 1915. The story begins with a traveling salesman, Gregor Samsa, waking to find himself transformed (metamorphosed) into a large, monstrous insect-like creature.

[11] Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, is a novel written by British author Mary Shelley about eccentric scientist Victor Frankenstein, who creates a grotesque creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. Since publication of the novel, the name "Frankenstein" is often used to refer to the monster itself.