‘In the absence of my parents, I would not mind at all. At present I am bound to conform to their wishes. I do not have the liberty to do as I choose.’
‘In that case, may God liberate them from the temporal world!’
A package was prepared that very night; in the early hours of the following morning, Chakradhar deposited it in the library. He did not encounter any problem because the library opened quite early. Soon after he had deposited his packet, his friends collected it and took off with the wares. These were distributed in Naim’s room as bequests among the friends. One individual got the watch and another the handkerchief and so on and so forth. In lieu of the single rupee that they had contributed, they received goods worth about five rupees each.3
Men in love can be very, very patient. Despite all the effort he had put in, poor Chakradhar had not had any one-to-one conversation with his enchanting but cold-hearted beloved. What an amazing person she was, to write such charming letters and yet not suffer a moment’s trouble to look at him in person! Poor Chakradhar thought about taking the initiative to speak to her, but he could not gather sufficient courage. He found himself in a halfway house. Nevertheless, despite all the setbacks, he had not lost hope. After all, he had given up ritualistic practices; he had had his hair cut after the latest fashion; he capered about in English attire, looking like a phony Englishman! He also began to speak English, which was, in fact, flawed. At night, he would pick up a book of English proverbs and study them by rote, like a lesson. The poor fellow had never taken such pains in his reading, even in the lower classes. Every now and again, he would employ the idioms he had learnt in his discourse, without discernment of their proper usage. On a couple of occasions he spoke English in the presence of Lucy. As a result, the curtains were raised on his competence and felicity of language.
Notwithstanding, the crooks did not have mercy on him. One day Chakradhar received yet another letter from Lucy in which, after many protests and implorations, she petitioned:
I have not had a chance to see you play either football or cricket. It is crucial for an Englishman to be adept at exercise and playing outdoor games. I am confident that you will consider this insignificant plea. No one in the college can match up to your English clothing and appearance, and your proficiency in the English language. I would like to see you outshine everyone else on the playground as well. You must play tennis for you may have to play mixed-doubles matches with me against other ladies. Then, you and to a greater extent I, will suffer dishonour.
Chakradhar received this letter at ten o’clock. As soon as they broke for afternoon games, he went up to Naim and requested, ‘Can you get the football out for me?’ Naim was the captain of the football team. He smirked and replied, ‘Is everything all right? What will you do with the football at this time of the afternoon? You have never so much as glanced at the playground. What makes you want to play today, in the scorching heat of the afternoon sun?’
‘How does that concern you? Take out the ball. I will defeat you in playing ball too.’
‘If you hurt yourself, you will run into trouble unnecessarily and I will be held responsible for providing first aid. For God’s sake, forget it for the moment.’
‘After all, if anybody gets hurt, it will be me. You do not stand to lose anything in all this. Why are you so reluctant to take out the ball?’
Naim took out the ball and Chakradhar began to play under the hot afternoon sun. Every time he fell to the ground, the audience would clap but he was so engrossed in his game that he hardly noticed this. Just then, he saw Lucy coming outside. Delighted, he smiled broadly and played with greater enthusiasm. Nevertheless, every time he aimed a kick at the ball, he would miss. Even when he managed a kick it turned out fruitless. Someone or the other would effortlessly kick the ball high up in the air and he would claim, ‘Were I to hit forcefully, the ball would go higher up in the air.’ But what was the point of all this? For a couple of minutes, Lucy stood laughing at his foolish behaviour, and then addressed Naim, ‘Well, Naim! What has come over this pandit? Every day he seems to put on a display of some sort. Has he gone off the handle?’
‘That is exactly as it seems.’
That evening, when everyone returned to the boarding house, Chakradhar’s friends got together and complimented him, ‘Yaar, you are very fortunate! We kicked the football with so much gusto, yet nobody appreciated our effort. Everybody praised you—especially Lucy—she said that she has seen very few Indians play as elegantly as you. She said you play like the accomplished players of Oxford. She was very happy to see you on the field.’
‘Did she say anything else? Tell me the truth. What did she have to say?’
Naim spoke up, ‘Oh come on! Now don’t compel me to speak my mind. It seems as though you have been playing stealthy games. You are an incredibly crafty chap! We people merely stood by gazing while you walked away with the trophy. No wonder you showed up in new colours every day. Now matters
