tried out the telephone directory, 10 Gopals, out of that 3 Gopal Mishra's !! hope gopi will be one of those three...
"Hii gopi, remember me ?? Raghu da.... ", me called one among them....
"Haa.. u bastard, ell tappskond hogidde.. nan dudd vapas kodtyo enu... ??? "...
"oops !!", wrong number... !!
When the other two also failed, I realised he didnt even have the money to have a telephone connection !! Tried the postman... No use...
Justdial girl didn't even get a single Gopal Mishra name in her directory...
"Uncle, do you have any idea where did this person who stayed in this house next to you shift ? ", I asked one of his neighbours. I had searched for his address with those post cards he sent me.
"Hmmm aa hotel huduga taane... ond varsha aa college lu dudididda nappa lab assistnt aagi, amele adello adyaaranno hudkond hodanappa... vapas barle illa... sumaru 3 varsh agirbodu bittu hogi... amele ondina bandu owner kayge key kottu, innu munde illi iralla sir, antha heli hortnappa... ", Chatterjee uncle replied....
"So he even worked fr my coll as lab assistant, then 3 years back he left this place... then he sent me the letters for almost a year, from a new address", I thought...
"thank you uncle ", I smiled.
"Yes Raghav, he did work with us for an year. At that time he stayed in the house u went before. He left the college almos 3 years ago. He even forgot to take his salary check of the last month ! Came and took it after an year... ! But he dint tell us his place... "
When I went to invite my principal Dr Ravishankar, he told me this...
I went back to the postman and asked about the various contacts gopi had during his stay in the house. He had just a few contacts then.. One among them interested me...
"Mudde Gowda,
Shree sai krupa associates, property dealor,
Kengeri, Bangalore ".....
A realtor as his contact ?? I wondered...
"3 varshada hinde Gopal Mishra annoru yaaru nam hatra bandilwalri...
Elli avra address kodi nodana.. ", gowdru uttarisidru !! Gave him the address..
"Ee addressa !! ondimsha taali... ". Ond nimsha kaade....
"Oho.. !! ade addressu... !! baddi maga, hesru change madkond bandidno namm hatra...! lofer, elli halag hogtannri, yavathadru sikke sigtaane !! "
Gosh.. !! Y the hell s this guy angry,,, y wud gopi change his name n come to this guy,,, I thought I had come to the wrong address, or got a wrong contact...
"Sorry sir.. adu.. avragiralla... umm, ello.. ello tapp address ge bandirbeku nanu... ",I was about to leave..
"Ree... Raghav, sunidhi foods alli server aagi kelsa madtiddovn ivne alwenri... ond varsha alle iro college li kelsa maadtidda taane ee lofer... ?? ",
Whaat ! he indeed had dealt with this guy... !! that too with his name changed... THAT TOO HE USED MY NAME... !! Am I searching the right person... my heart was a little bit scared now... 'GULP', made my throat !!
I had to turn back and nod my head...
"Nodri, ee boLi maga nan hatra 3 laksha iskond parari aagidane. Eno dodd deal aagide, ond cricket league li chance sikkide, 10 laksha sigo haagide, mane shooriti ge kodtini, ond 5 laksha kodi antha kelda.. avn jothe avna senior nu karkond bandidda... ella ok aagithu... 3 laksha advance kottidde, 2 laksha bere dina kodtini andidde...
aa match kooda nadililla, nan duddu siglilla... erd sari avn mane nuggi hedrsidde... moorne sala hodre mane khaali... !! naav ellig hogona swamy .. ??? entha kal nan maklu huttidarappa nam deshdalli... !! sigli kayyge, boli maga.... !! Police navra kann tapsi escape aagidanalri.... !! ".
did my heart just stop beating !!! who the hell am I searching here... ? Mr Gopal Mishra, whom I knew... or this screwed up ass Raghu Kashyap ?? Apparently, both are only one person !! shit !! En madirbod ivnu...ell irbodu... ?? How the hell did he change so much.... !!
Had lots more doubts in my head...
my mind is trying to convince me: Raghav !! shut up n leave this place right now... I sense something strange and fishy going on.. U better not involve yourself in this... U have other commitments, remember them... Searching a long lost friend, who has probably screwed up his life by now, cheated this person big time, and 'mysteriously' missing with a police warrant running behind him is clearly not a good idea... LEAVE THE PLACE AT ONCE...
my heart is begging me to stay: Raghu, think about the last day u met gopi... ten years ago, that evening...
.
.
. (in sepia mode )
"Raghu, so u sure u'l join the army ?? "
"Nt sure kano... though am much intrested to join.. !! If I cant, will be some screwed up techie for sure... ! Le, elli idru ninna thumbaa miss madkotino... nin jothe open aagi matadid bittre, inyaar jothenu asht open aagi matadilla... nin kithod joke galanna innu hego kelodu... ?? "
"me too le... nam joke galu, naav matadtiddiddu namge mathra artha agtithu alwa !! dat was d best part !! nam nam code language li hudgirge hesridodu, aa hudgir munde ne aa code language alli avlna propose maado hage !! :) miss those days yaar.... ", my eyes were almos in tears...
"hu.. ka.. kano... sig.. sigtiro avagavaga... kaldog... beda... ! ", i couldn't control then.... 10 years of frndship,,,, now we're gonna get separated... !!
"maga... itko idanna... nanna lucky cricket ball idu... played that last match with the same ball !! as a token of remembrance.. !! "...
"sure gopi... u take here... my parker !! wrote ma finals with that pen !! "... handed over to him a jet black parker... !
I wrote 'Gopi Kashyap' on that ball with the parker.... We had an agreement that day, the next time we meet, we would write 'Raghu Mishra' right next to it !! Eradu deha, onde manassu anno haage.. !!
.
.
.
(back to normal mode)
That's it !
I took out that ball. The space next to "Gopi Kashyap" looked pretty much empty... I will stay here !! I decided then... ! I was more than determined to fill up that space... I had to look out for a friend who s currently screwed up... solve his problems, come what may, and provide a better future !! yeah, I WILL FIND HIM FOR SURE !!
His old home was empty. None had come to occupy that room. I chose to stay there for the week till I find him... !!
"Hii gopi, remember me ?? Raghu da.... ", me called one among them....
"Haa.. u bastard, ell tappskond hogidde.. nan dudd vapas kodtyo enu... ??? "...
"oops !!", wrong number... !!
When the other two also failed, I realised he didnt even have the money to have a telephone connection !! Tried the postman... No use...
Justdial girl didn't even get a single Gopal Mishra name in her directory...
"Uncle, do you have any idea where did this person who stayed in this house next to you shift ? ", I asked one of his neighbours. I had searched for his address with those post cards he sent me.
"Hmmm aa hotel huduga taane... ond varsha aa college lu dudididda nappa lab assistnt aagi, amele adello adyaaranno hudkond hodanappa... vapas barle illa... sumaru 3 varsh agirbodu bittu hogi... amele ondina bandu owner kayge key kottu, innu munde illi iralla sir, antha heli hortnappa... ", Chatterjee uncle replied....
"So he even worked fr my coll as lab assistant, then 3 years back he left this place... then he sent me the letters for almost a year, from a new address", I thought...
"thank you uncle ", I smiled.
"Yes Raghav, he did work with us for an year. At that time he stayed in the house u went before. He left the college almos 3 years ago. He even forgot to take his salary check of the last month ! Came and took it after an year... ! But he dint tell us his place... "
When I went to invite my principal Dr Ravishankar, he told me this...
I went back to the postman and asked about the various contacts gopi had during his stay in the house. He had just a few contacts then.. One among them interested me...
"Mudde Gowda,
Shree sai krupa associates, property dealor,
Kengeri, Bangalore ".....
A realtor as his contact ?? I wondered...
"3 varshada hinde Gopal Mishra annoru yaaru nam hatra bandilwalri...
Elli avra address kodi nodana.. ", gowdru uttarisidru !! Gave him the address..
"Ee addressa !! ondimsha taali... ". Ond nimsha kaade....
"Oho.. !! ade addressu... !! baddi maga, hesru change madkond bandidno namm hatra...! lofer, elli halag hogtannri, yavathadru sikke sigtaane !! "
Gosh.. !! Y the hell s this guy angry,,, y wud gopi change his name n come to this guy,,, I thought I had come to the wrong address, or got a wrong contact...
"Sorry sir.. adu.. avragiralla... umm, ello.. ello tapp address ge bandirbeku nanu... ",I was about to leave..
"Ree... Raghav, sunidhi foods alli server aagi kelsa madtiddovn ivne alwenri... ond varsha alle iro college li kelsa maadtidda taane ee lofer... ?? ",
Whaat ! he indeed had dealt with this guy... !! that too with his name changed... THAT TOO HE USED MY NAME... !! Am I searching the right person... my heart was a little bit scared now... 'GULP', made my throat !!
I had to turn back and nod my head...
"Nodri, ee boLi maga nan hatra 3 laksha iskond parari aagidane. Eno dodd deal aagide, ond cricket league li chance sikkide, 10 laksha sigo haagide, mane shooriti ge kodtini, ond 5 laksha kodi antha kelda.. avn jothe avna senior nu karkond bandidda... ella ok aagithu... 3 laksha advance kottidde, 2 laksha bere dina kodtini andidde...
aa match kooda nadililla, nan duddu siglilla... erd sari avn mane nuggi hedrsidde... moorne sala hodre mane khaali... !! naav ellig hogona swamy .. ??? entha kal nan maklu huttidarappa nam deshdalli... !! sigli kayyge, boli maga.... !! Police navra kann tapsi escape aagidanalri.... !! ".
did my heart just stop beating !!! who the hell am I searching here... ? Mr Gopal Mishra, whom I knew... or this screwed up ass Raghu Kashyap ?? Apparently, both are only one person !! shit !! En madirbod ivnu...ell irbodu... ?? How the hell did he change so much.... !!
Had lots more doubts in my head...
my mind is trying to convince me: Raghav !! shut up n leave this place right now... I sense something strange and fishy going on.. U better not involve yourself in this... U have other commitments, remember them... Searching a long lost friend, who has probably screwed up his life by now, cheated this person big time, and 'mysteriously' missing with a police warrant running behind him is clearly not a good idea... LEAVE THE PLACE AT ONCE...
my heart is begging me to stay: Raghu, think about the last day u met gopi... ten years ago, that evening...
.
.
. (in sepia mode )
"Raghu, so u sure u'l join the army ?? "
"Nt sure kano... though am much intrested to join.. !! If I cant, will be some screwed up techie for sure... ! Le, elli idru ninna thumbaa miss madkotino... nin jothe open aagi matadid bittre, inyaar jothenu asht open aagi matadilla... nin kithod joke galanna innu hego kelodu... ?? "
"me too le... nam joke galu, naav matadtiddiddu namge mathra artha agtithu alwa !! dat was d best part !! nam nam code language li hudgirge hesridodu, aa hudgir munde ne aa code language alli avlna propose maado hage !! :) miss those days yaar.... ", my eyes were almos in tears...
"hu.. ka.. kano... sig.. sigtiro avagavaga... kaldog... beda... ! ", i couldn't control then.... 10 years of frndship,,,, now we're gonna get separated... !!
"maga... itko idanna... nanna lucky cricket ball idu... played that last match with the same ball !! as a token of remembrance.. !! "...
"sure gopi... u take here... my parker !! wrote ma finals with that pen !! "... handed over to him a jet black parker... !
.
.
.
(back to normal mode)
That's it !
I took out that ball. The space next to "Gopi Kashyap" looked pretty much empty... I will stay here !! I decided then... ! I was more than determined to fill up that space... I had to look out for a friend who s currently screwed up... solve his problems, come what may, and provide a better future !! yeah, I WILL FIND HIM FOR SURE !!
His old home was empty. None had come to occupy that room. I chose to stay there for the week till I find him... !!
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