IT was midnight when the watchman inside the beggars home heard the sound of sobbing outside. He peered through the old rusty gate and found a well-dressed old man lying crumpled. “What is it you want sir?” asked the sentry,
“I want a place to stay!” sobbed the old man. “This place is for beggars sir. This is a beggars home!” “I am a beggar now,” cried the old man without lifting his face. “Let me in” “I cannot let you in now sir. It is well past midnight.”
“I have nowhere to go,” said the old man. “I have been thrown out by my son. I have no bed to sleep on, no house to go to, no food to eat. I raised a monster, and the monster finally attacked me!”
“That is no way to speak of your son sir. I am going back to sleep.” “Stay watchman, stay five minutes. Do you have a son?” “A little fellow sir.” “Ah they are all little once. Does he cheat in class?” “Sir?”
“Does he cheat in class watchman? You know what I mean; copy from his neighbour’s exam sheets, brings back home work which you do for him?” “Boys are boys sir!” “That’s what I also said that day when I was called to his school. ‘Your son was caught copying,’ the teacher said. ‘Don’t be a fool son,’ I told him afterwards. ‘Don’t ever get caught again!”
“Did he sir?” “Never. It was good advice I gave. Managed to cheat without getting caught ever! Then wanted to be a doctor. I paid for a Backward Caste certificate, so he could enter medical college.” “He became a doctor sir?”
“I helped him a bit. When the exam date came, he asked for money. What for? I asked. Question paper, he said with a wink. How much? I asked with a wink. Five lakhs, he said and we both laughed.”
“Five lakhs!” asked the watchman. “Was peanuts to make him a doctor.” “With so much money to spare, why are you here sir?” “Thrown out,” sobbed the old man. “Papers forged, police hushed, judges bribed!” “By your son? No sir, no son would do that to his father!”
“No son should,” agreed the old man, “but I taught him well? Trained him to be a cheat! Taught him deception and deceit! Coached him to be charlatan and crook! My boy was not reared a son, he was raised a fraud!” “Sir I have to go and sleep.” “You will let me in, in the morning?” “Sir, there’s no room in this beggars home.” “No room? No room even in a beggars home, for a monster like me..!”
