Get up stand up

Today in the morning a scar from the past brought back some memories from days gone by. I asked him, “You sure you don’t want to do this.” Staring on the rough ground and broken parched up tarmac he nodded, which I took for a yes. He started walking briskly towards the bike that was lying beneath the lanky tree. After settling himself on the metal horse he drew out a cigarette and lit a match which he threw in a careless but calculated manner. He puffed the smoke and I thought he would smile and change his mind. He kept on staring at the speedometer with his head hanging as if he was in a deep thought process. With the cigarette still dangling from his lower lip he drew a long breath and glanced at me. I smiled back at him and we drove off. It was wee hours in the morning and it was just an hour or so for the twilight. It had been a long night and a lot had happened during the course of the night. So much had happened in the bosom of the night that our lives had changed radically. Too tired to go over the chain of events I took out a crumpled cheroot and lit it after settling myself on the stairs of the sophomore’s hostel. I sat lost in my reverie when a gradual change in the sitting posture made me realize that I myself had a gash winking at me underneath my shirt. I got up and went to my room and stripped myself naked and finally noticed the many cuts that I had endured in the brawl, although brawl would be a euphemism for what we had been through. I went to the common shower area and stood there underneath the shower for a good half an hour. As I gazed at the brown of the mud mix with the red of the blood go down the cesspool, I felt light and clean in my head. So many times we let the bullies have their way. The “bullies”, if you notice are everywhere. They can be found right from the kinder garden to pre-school, high school, engineering college, medical schools, B schools, office place, jogging parks, swimming pools ad nauseam. It’s just that at some point of time we just stop getting bullied. I also made such a decision, though not for myself but for a close friend. It was summer of '99 and I had just entered my room when Sid came breathing heavily. He said, some guys from our batch had gone violent during an innocuous ragging session and a first year guy had sustained serious injuries. Upon inquiring about the injured guy, he said the guy’s name was Prashant. My eyes popped out of my socket, as Prashant was one of my closest friends kid brother. Prashant had requested me not to divulge that he was my acquaintance, as he wanted to sort his things on his own. I regretted on giving in to a kid’s whim and fancies, after all they are just kids and we grown ups are supposed to know better. I quickly rushed to the college hospital and saw him plastered up on his bed. His right leg was suspended at forty-five degrees from the hip and his nose was heavily bandaged. He looked at me and tried to smile though the pain from the effort made him go back to previous state of sporting a straight face. I said a few comforting words as I couldn’t get any more information from him at that point of time. I went outside and got him fresh juices and some automobile magazines. The kid was an auto-fanatic. After two days he was discharged and I in turn had utilized the time to investigate the whole incident. But to my chagrin I seemed to be going in circles. It was a cul-de-sac. No one was saying for sure the name of the guy responsible. During these two days I had in turn followed up my case for the kid to stay with me in the second year hostel as I said he would be safe. The college authorities hushed the whole case unless it caught some local media’s attention. As soon as the kid shifted with me I started pestering him to name the guy who did this to him. But the kid was just not letting it out. After a lot of persuasion from my end he finally said, “ Ramie did it.” The name was enough. It explained just fine, why no one was pointing him out. Ramie was the son of the IG of that area and was known for using his dad’s position to have his way around. Prashant was a smart kid and he did not deserved what happened to him. Day by day I was getting restless. Every day as I saw Ramie in the hostel mess it stabbed me in my heart. All I wanted was an apology. I spoke to the dean and he said,” Until unless you don’t have a witness besides Prashant, we can’t do anything.” One fine evening in the month of October, Prashant and me were sitting in the college lawn, both of us engrossed in our books. Hearing footsteps I raised my brow to see Ramie with his gang closing in on us. “ I heard you had high tea with Mr. Dean.” Said Ramie. “ Its none of your god damn business.” I said. “ Hey, we also went through the same shit when we were first years, so why don’t we just close the chapter now and here.” he said. “ You need to apologize in front of the whole first year.” I replied. He smiled and walked off. I had a group task that evening so after deciding to have dinner with the kid, once I come back from the project, I left for the lab. I came back around 2200 hrs and yelled Prashant from downstairs. After five minutes I went upstairs and saw the room locked. I started sweating. I rushed to Ramie’s room and it was closed too. I checked all the rooms of his fellow mates and none of them were there. I came outside and started to think where might they all be? There were a million landmines going off in my head at that point of time. I took off o my bike and set off for hunting my kid brother. I rushed out off the college premises and started searching all the roadside dhabas. After driving in the city for around two hours I finally thought that it would be better for me to go back. As I was rushing back I saw them all. I could see them just off the highway road in a damp. It was dark and the light from the traveling vehicles on the highway was the only light that highlighted the group. I threw the bike and ran towards them. When I was very close, someone saw me coming and they all started dispersing. As soon as they scattered, I saw Prashant on all fours on the grass. I picked him up but he was not able to stand up. I picked up a nearby log of wood and dashed for the nearby guy. I hit him on the head with all my might. The guy gave a shrieking wail and his fellow mates turned around. They were five of them. They rushed forward and caught me but not before I welcomed them with some mighty sucker punches thrown in their face and another couple free kicks in their groin. After they had pinned me down on the ground, Ramie started punching me in my face and chest. After sustaining a couple of sharp jabs I closed my eyes and curled so as to protect my face. Suddenly the blows stopped. I opened my eyes and saw that the kid had hit Ramie on his head and he rolled sideways on the ground. This blow was enough to weaken the remaining ones who stood stoned and looked down at Ramie to see if he was dead or alive. I got hold of a rod and banged one of them in the leg which was returned by a rain of blows from every where, but some how I was not scared and I could sense it that they all were scared. The rule of any fight: Never show you are scared. Their blows weakened and Prashant and I in turn broke two legs and some noses. Now all of them were down and we stood at a safe distance ready for the next round. They all picked up Ramie and scuttled. After they all had left, Kid hugged me and cried. It was strange two guys smiling and laughing in the dead of night embracing each other standing in a damp. I asked kid, “ Do you wanna report them to the police” He said” No.” I asked, " You sure." After that day things were just fine for the kid. Though I heard that Ramie had to stay in the hospital for a month. Sometimes you just need to put your foot down. That’s what we did and the kid walked with his head held high ever after. Though this was a closely guarded secret between Prashant and me, I am breaking the promise and I hope he doesn’t mind. (A few events are fictional and bear no resemblance to any person or place)