The astrologer.....

Every night Janshetram had the same routine, he used to get out of the mill and enter the beer bar to drink the regrets in his life. He used to drink to forget, to drown the past into the bottles of alcohols.

He was a mill worker and earned a modest salary to feed his family, but his drinking habit took over the human in him and turned him into a monster his wife and kids had to face every night.

Every night he used to take the same dark road back home and at the corner of the street saw the astrologer. The astrologer had long brown hair and overgrown facial hair. Unlike other astrologers, he carried no stuff, no stones, and no parrots. The astrologer just sat there quietly, doing nothing, saying nothing.

He just had one board off front which read ‘All your problems solved. Astrological consultation just Rs 5’

‘He is a obviously fake,’ Janshetram used to think, but something in that astrologer made him glance at that corner regularly.

One day totally drunk, he glanced at the fat lady sitting in front of the astrologer. Out of curiosity, he stepped closer to listen to them, “You obviously are going to get freed of all your worries,” said the astrologer gazing at the palm of the fat lady.

“But my love life is a mess,” she replied, “My husband doesn’t love me anymore.”

‘Try reducing your weight a bit,’ thought Janshetram.

“Do one thing; know the Shiv temple on the top of the hill? Every Monday go there and while enchanting the Shiv Mantra, circle around the temple 15 times,” the astrologer said, “You will find your love life returning in a month.”

“Thank you baba,” she touched his feet.

“Remember, if you begin this vrat (the task to please God) you should not stop in between for anything or God will curse you.”

‘Obviously a fake,’ thought Janshetram and gazed at the astrologer.

“Yes, my son,” asked the Astrologer, “Do you want to consult?”

“You are a fake,” said Janshetram, “You do not know anything. If you are really so great can you tell me my past?”

The astrologer gazed at him for a moment.

“See,” Janshetram shouted, “Not upto the task are you?”

“I will,” said the astrologer, “I will definitely. But I will tell you the day you come to me sober.”

“Yeah right,” laughed Janshetram sarcastically and left.

Then he walked the same road stumbling on the road side poles and reached his house.

His wife was dutifully waiting for him with a hot food plate, she was rubbing the bruise from the last night while heating the food.

But today her husband was quiet, she did not understand. He did not pull her hair, he did not beat her. He quietly sat down in the kitchen waiting for food. She was surprised to see the change, as she never had a peaceful night in last three years.

The next day Janshetram did his work promptly while his attention was somewhere else… he was thinking all the time about the astrologer.

That evening, he did not visit the bar. The path suddenly seemed bright, the roads all lit.

The astrologer sat there, as quiet as always.

“I was waiting for you,” the astrologer said.

“If you tell me my past correctly, I will give you Rs100, right now” said Janshetram.

“I know you earn modest wages, son, I will not take a single penny from you,” the astrologer smiled and gazed at the palm.

“You came to the big city three years ago,” began the astrologer, “You come from a small village in Parvachi region of Rajasthan. Your family is your mother whom you cannot face, as you are ashamed of going there because of the deed you did three years back.”

The old thoughts came back to Janshetram, the friendship, the plot and the long run.

“You have been betrayed in your life by someone, someone very close to you. You had to run away from yourself, but now it is time to stop. Don’t run anymore for your betrayer is dead.”

Janshetram was impressed but he did not wish to accept defeat yet, “This is all very general, tell me something specific.”

“Fine, you have robbed, robbed God himself.”

The words hit hard, Janshetram pulled back his hand.

“You and your friend robbed the gold crown in the temple of your village, but your robbery was foiled by the priest who rang the alarm. You had to flee the village in total darkness and fell into a well while your friend ran away with the loot. You have not seen your village and your friend since.”

Janshetram sat stunned; all the past events came back to him. His jobless times, his plan to rob the temple, rob the very people of the village for not letting him into the temple. He came from a lower caste and was not allowed to enter the temple, tired of this, he and his friend, Shirmith, decided to punish the Priest by robbing the crown and then frame him for the robbery.

Unfortunately for him, things went haywire. The alarm was raised, he and Shirmith were chased by the villagers, while running he accidently fell into a deep dry well where he waited in the dark for three days, Shirmith did not return for him.

Then after three days he ran, ran forever leaving his life behind. He was haunted by the villagers’ cries for three years; he was haunted by the sense of loneliness for three years.

Every night he tried to drown these very voices into the numerous bottles of alcohol.

“Do you believe in me now… Son? So I may give you a closure in your fear and regret?” the astrologer asked.

“Yes, baba,” cried Janshetram.

“Your friend was caught soon after you fell into the well. He was taken to the village and the crown was reinstalled in the temple. The villagers condemned him to leave the village immediately. Your friend has received his calling, he is beyond our reach. Your mother is waiting for you son, no one knows of your involvement in the robbery. The damage is done, you have a life ahead of you son, bury the ghost of the past, and go back to your village. Lead a peaceful life.”

That night, Janshetram did not stumble on the way home. He suddenly realized how beautiful his wife looked. He ate the hot food with pleasure; his life would stay beautiful for days to come now. What a relief.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That night, the astrologer went to his hut in the outskirts of the city and started packing his stuff.

“Are you leaving again?” asked his elderly neighbour.

“Yes Chacha, I have to make a final pilgrimage to Ambarnath.”

“Son, you have been to many pilgrimages, Dehu, Alandi and Kashi to find peace, yet you did not get it in any at those places. Now your life is well settled in this city, you can always go and pray in any temple here. Why are you wasting your youth in chasing peace?”

“Chacha, I have taken many pilgrimages, but today I am truly at peace. This is my last journey towards moksha and have to leave”.