The Onlooker

By Subhash Hirve

Ricky is only happy to be out of school for some time. He never expected to find a mysterious diary in the park on the first day of his vacation. He finds he can’t stop thinking about it, puzzles as to why the writer does not name himself anywhere in the book, and starts to read the book. He’s astonished at the maturity level of the writer. As a six year old child, the writer is conscious of sin and recompense. He names the unknown writer as ‘the onlooker ’who observes the behaviour of number of persons inclined to commit wrong doings and afterwards suffer for it. That every narration stands converted into a unique story.
As the stories in the diary unravel, Ricky finds himself getting deeper and deeper into this new world and finding philosophy he needed to hear. Ricky’s life is changed by the depth and driven by the need for his unknown author to guide him.
This story may appeal to anyone with strong ethics or principles.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Subhash Hirve
• Release date: Sep 8, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301504541

Subhash Hirve

NAME:Subhash Vasant Hirve.AGE:54 Yrs.E.Q: B.COM.

Book preview

The Onlooker

By Subhash Hirve

Published by Subhash Hirve at Smashwords

Copyright 2012 Subhash Hirve

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Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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All the characters of this novel are fictitious and any resemblance with those living or dead is merely a coincidence.

All the incidents narrated in this novel are fictitious and none of them is free to define, to mean, to construe, to conclude, to perceive, to interpret anything.

Before forming any opinion about this novel, please go through the same between lines.

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Table of Contents

Chapter1: A dateless diary.

Chapter2: Lifework.

Chapter3: Heraldic diviner.

Chapter4: Cabal.

Chapter5: Ephemeral pleasure.

Chapter6: An adage.

Chapter7: A harridan.

Chapter8: Discrimination.

Chapter9: An inferno.

Chapter10: A human Satan.

Chapter11: Adulteration.

Chapter12: Espionage.

Chapter13: Two Ws.

Chapter14: Black hole.

Chapter15: Simulation.

Chapter16: Evildoers.

Chapter17: Knitting.

Chapter18: Gust.

Chapter19: Retardation.

Chapter20: Transgression.

Chapter21: Latent hands.

Chapter22: Restitution.

Chapter23: Abnegation.

Chapter24: Unfathomed truth.

Chapter25: Repartee.

Chapter26: Ill thoughts.

Chapter27: Legitimacy.

Chapter28: Besetting sins.

Chapter29: Indocile truth.

Chapter30: Meditation.

Chapter31: Commitment.

Chapter32: ‘Consumer’.

Chapter33: Leader.

Chapter34: Anathema.

Chapter35: In principle.

Chapter36: Scourge.

Chapter37: Greed vs need.

Chapter38: Incendiarism.

Chapter39: Cat’s paw.

Chapter40: Gospel.

Chapter41: Valedictory words.

Chapter42: Beware of sin.

Chapter1: A dateless diary.

Born among billions of people, he was a unique conscious being. He had his own lifestyle. He was an uncommon man though lived amidst the common people. In his school days, he was a clever, calm, and quiet student. In his days of youth, calmness and gentleness were obvious character of his behaviour. And, in a later part of lifetime, he was known as a wise old man by the commonalty. He travelled a lot in his lifetime. He met, observed closely thousands of people.

Ricky had these findings about the writer from one diary. But that diary raised some questions, doubts too in Ricky’s mind. Who wrote that diary? Where did he live? When did he write that diary? Why did that diary do not have any reference of dates and days? Why did that diary do not have any reference of names of persons and places?

These and a lot of other similar confused things, doubts and questions were gathered in Ricky’s mind about that dateless diary.

Ricky was a fifteen-year-old schoolboy. A day before only he was freed from the labyrinthine matriculate examination.

On that day, his eagerly long awaited first day of vacation, he got up early in the morning. After a while, he left for jogging. It was his daily programme to go to the garden, which was nearby his house, early in the morning. For him jogging was a salubrious exercise. That garden was very beautiful with full of greenery, variety of flowers, trees, and lawn. The sound of nature’s music composed by various kinds of birds was making the environment full of magic.

As usual after completing exercise, Ricky sat on the lush green lawn. What a surprise! From there he noticed one diary, a good looking and attractive diary with the golden letters `DIARY` on red cover of it which invited Ricky’s attention. It was lying on the garden bench. He went to the bench and took it. The beautiful beds of flowers were beside the bench. He was pleased to see the palatial beds of flowers. But a second later his attention once again was attracted by that diary.

Ricky after taking the diary looked around, but he did not find anybody in the vicinity. He opened up the first page of it thinking that with the help of personal information contained therein he could reach the writer. But it was of no use, because the very first page was blank. That was the only page Ricky found blank. He felt a bit surprise about the oddity writer for not mentioning anything about himself. All other pages of it were full of words. Ricky turned over the pages rapidly. He noticed that not even a small space was left blank where one could add a single word.

Ricky decided to take that unnamed tome to his home. In fact, that tome attracted him towards it.

He was enthusiastic to know about the occult contents of it.

Ricky once again keenly started turning over the pages of the diary and while doing so he was giving a rapid look at the contents. While going through the pages he was surprised to note that there was not a single word about the writer. The writer’s name, age, address, and et-cetera not single worded information was available in the diary.

Now it was a time for Ricky to leave for home. So, he left the garden. On the way back to home his mind and brain were involved in the contents of the diary. `Ultimately, what else it could be? ` With this question in his mind he reached home. He kept the diary on his bookshelves.

After a while, at friend’s call he left to ramble on nearby hill. A nice cham-pain was seen from the top of the hill. But while rambling on top of the hill his mind was with the diary. Until noon, he enjoyed with his friends and after that returned to home. He had meals.

Immediate after meals, Ricky decided to read the diary, his mind was eager to go through the writer’s say.

Ricky busied himself in reading. The contents of the diary were, however, ocular ones. His mother pleased to see him busy in reading. Nevertheless, while reading he got puzzled what to read first and what to read later. He found himself in a position similar to that of a child in a toyshop who used to get perplexed while choosing toys which one to buy and which one to leave. In that puzzle context, Ricky passed his time until evening. Mother entered his room with a cup of coffee.

Ricky quaffed coffee. He was pleased at first sight with the writer’s work. He wanted to leave for an evening walk as there was once again a friend’s call. Before leaving, he searched a niche to keep the diary, because by the time it had become a valuable thing for him. The absence of any reference of names of persons and places, dates and days, was a matter of great surprise to him. Only thing was that the red cover with golden letters `DIARY` on it made the diary attractive. Moreover, all the pages were bounded properly with a due care `What a diary it was!

Ricky left with his friends.

That was how Ricky spent his first day of vacation.

Chapter2: Lifework.

The next day, Ricky as usual woke up before the sunrise and left for jogging. After returning to home from the garden, he rested for a while. The attraction of that diary was well in tact in his mind. After a while, he took the diary from niche to go through it. On earlier two occasions, he had a rapid look and read few lines of some pages. However, this time his eyes remained stared at one page which was read as:

‘Once I was standing by the entrance of my home. That was a pleasant morning time. Father was watering the plants of flowers. I was very eagerly watching the beauty of flowers. A six-year-old child in me was thinking about the creator of those beautiful things around me.

Suddenly, I heard a bark of a dog which disturbed the pleasant environment around us. That was a result of inkling from one notorious boy to his pet dog. It was that, my neighbour, an eleven-year-old mischievous boy provoked his pet dog to bark at a pedlar.

The pedlar was about to scream to see the snappish dog running towards him. He thought that the dog was about to scrabble him and so he got frightened and hurried. On hearing the barking of the dog the poor pedlar started running with fear and fallen down. That resulted in a severe abrasion on his right leg. He writhed with pain. The boy kept laughing at the pedlar with a great joy.

He made the dog yap. On hearing yelp, the yokel pedlar hurried with a loud yowl. And that scene proved a fun to that boy.

Meanwhile, other pedestrians rushed to help him. For a while, he felt to snarl, but controlled himself and kept quiet and decided to sneak. With a yearning, I looked at the poor pedlar.

I did not like that mischief. I really felt very sorry for that rowdy behaviour from that notorious boy. Ultimately, I could not understand as to what gain he did out of that rowdyism. One should be an innocuous.

At mother’s call father left watering the plants and we both went inside the kitchen to have breakfast.’

Ricky stopped reading, as coincidentally there was a call for him to have breakfast.

Ricky had his breakfast. As usual, after a while, there was a friends’ call to play a football but he preferred to stay at home. He took and started playing the banjo. While playing the banjo he was thinking about the incident noted in the diary. What could be the reason behind noting such a common incident?

According to Ricky, the mischief of that kind was bound to be played. After half an hour, he stopped playing the banjo. He again took the diary and continued the reading which was read as:

‘In the evening, when mother and I were returning from the market, I saw that mischievous boy was cycling. He came in a great speed on his bicycle and took a sharp turn and as a result, his bicycle got skidded. The tyro cyclist toppled, and sustained an injury. He collapsed on the same spot where the pedlar was injured. His right leg got badly abraded. One of his friends rushed at him. We returned to home. In fact, I was little bit pleased to see that rowdy boy was punished by some unique system.

A six-year-old boy in me was busy in thinking something. That second incident broached me that the boy got punished for his sin which he committed by teasing the pedlar. The incident, which took place in the morning, was fresh in my mind. Somewhere, I was feeling that the incident occurred in the evening had some relevance with teasing the pedlar, the incident which took place in the morning. Had the boy not teased the pedlar he would not have slipped from his bicycle. On the other hand, my mind was not ready to accept the correlation between those two separate incidents which had taken place at different points of time. Both the happenings were very different, and apparently, there was no reason to have any correlation between the two. The boy slipped from his bicycle simply because he was cycling carelessly. Even then, somewhere I was feeling that the abrasion to the boy’s leg was one sort of punishment for his act of teasing the pedlar.

The next day I kept on thinking over those two separate incidents and trying to find out some relevance between the two. I busied myself in interpreting those two events.

I was thinking about those two separate incidents which took place at two different points of time. I found both of them inscrutable ones. Finally, I concluded that the incident which occurred in the evening was just an outcome of the incident occurred in the morning. At an early stage, that was simply my induction.

The second incident was nothing but retribution of the first one. My sentient mind liked to believe in reasoning of those two separate incidents, one sinful incident had given rise to another disastrous incident.

Nevertheless, I, aged six, decided not to conclude like that so hurriedly because I wanted to find the veracity in my surmise. So in order to find the truth, I determined to watch the various events, day-to-day happenings around me. Thus, that became my lifework. To observe the various events, incidents and to narrate them in dairies were my sincere attempts to blab to myself that bad things bear bad results. I was all to see the role of the divinity.

Ricky stopped reading and heaved. He astonished by the mode of thinking of one six-year-old boy. He also started thinking about the writer’s opinion. However, a moment later he gave it up.

The second day of Ricky’s vacation was over.

Chapter3: Heraldic diviner.

On the third day morning when the Sun was shining in the sky, at friends’ call Ricky left for playing football and before leaving he informed mother accordingly. As scheduled earlier that match was about to be played. Ricky and his friends reached the ground. The opponent team was already over there.

Both teams busied themselves in deciding the kind of strategies to be adopted while playing. Ricky’s friends also consulted with him. One of his jovial friends invited his attention toward something.

Some of Ricky’s friends as a part of strategies were sheer about some malpractices also. Ricky thought over it and after a while flatly refused for any malpractice. He jibed at one of his friends.

There the environment was so pleasant as if it was agog to watch the juvenile sports. The match was started with a great thrill. The rival team got the early breakthrough in the fifth minute off a penalty kick. For the next twenty minutes, a tough game ensued with Ricky’s team going all out for an equalizer, with its game including a few hits and misses. They could manage to equal the score in the twentieth minute in an identical way. On returning for the second session, a bit of rough play was indulged in by the rival team in order to gain an upper hand. Ricky’s team also tried to dominate the game. His game raided the rivals. But, the fate of the team was sealed with a well-scored goal by one agile boy from the rival team in the sixty second minute.

However, the match was very exciting one. In fact, a goalkeeper from Ricky’s team had a good knack of stopping the ball but unfortunately, he could not save his team from the probable disaster. In a thrilling encounter, Ricky’s team lost the match. Even then, Ricky was happy for a fight given by his team without any sort of malpractice. It was a mirthful spectacular match.

Ricky returned to home. He had lunch. After that, he entered his room and started playing the banjo. Then he took a nap about half an hour. By the time, one part of his mind was occupied by the diary, which was compelling him to think over the contents of it. After a while, he took the diary.

Ricky’s habit of reading any book was slightly different. He never used to read any book consecutively page by page. Even while reading novels also he used to select pages at random.

So habitually, he was looking for pages in the diary to go through one or some of them. At one place, he noticed something attractive one where the writer wrote that:

‘In fact, I had noted all these incidents in yearwise diaries with detailed references of names of persons and places, dates and days also. However, at fag end of my life I felt that all these references were immaterial. All those incidents, representing the propensity of human behaviour were omnipresent. I realized that almost all kinds of people and events were worldwide and therefore, the references of names of persons and places were not of any importance. In this diary, I expressed only a main theme of the particular incident. I made it terse by doing away all unimportant details, references of names of persons and places, dates and days.

Therefore, I determined to narrate the extract of all those happenings noted in yearwise diaries at one place, in only one diary. That is how this diary came in to being.

Narrating the précis of all those detailed descriptions of various incidents, in this diary, I realized that every sin is nothing but a heraldic diviner of a disaster, which may follow in future. Sin is a root cause of a disaster. In order to emphasize this I composed this diary in such a way that it should not remain merely a narration but should prove a mentor.

While going through this diary one may find this like a botch. But one must attempt to form a sequence of various incidents with a simple logic that wrong doings were followed by some unfavorable results. I simply observed and narrated the incidents and while doing so never played a role that of a cynic. I never intended to be cynic. In no way it is a diatribe.

I narrated the various incidents with intention to strengthen my belief that bad doings bear bad results. I wanted to dogmatize the same. While observing those incidents I acted like an emissary. I do agree that the syntax of this synopsis of narrations is not so attractive that one may feel to read. Even then, one should go through it in order to find the reasoning of the various incidents. By observing those various incidents taken place at different places at different points of time, I unraveled the exact reasons at the root of them. The text of this diary is itself veracious one and if one feels to test veracity of it one may commit sin, indulge wrong doings and wait for their results. Certainly, the contents of this diary are not merely verbiage though one may find some portion of this text as verbose. So, this is only a single lined truism, truth of this wordy diary.

After going through that page, Ricky came to know the reason for the absence of references of names of persons and places, dates and days. He found the writer quite right in saying that bad doings bear bad results. Once again, he turned over couple of pages rapidly, which were full of words describing number of incidents, observed by the writer. By the time, he had become more enthusiastic to go through the narrations contained in the diary.

He found the days of the vacation as the most appropriate time to utilize to read the diary. He determined to complete the reading by end of the vacation.

With that determination, Ricky’s third day of vacation was over.

Chapter4: Cabal.

The next day morning, mother who had to make three calls to make him awake awakened Ricky. As soon as Ricky got up, he remembered that day’s programme. Three days back only it was decided by his friends to go somewhere for a picnic.

After returning from jogging, as he expected four of his friends were waiting for him at his home. There, at Ricky’s home all had breakfast. His friends thanked his mother for a tasty breakfast.

The quintet left for backwoods. It was a pleasant morning time. On the way, some other friends also joined the quintet. Every one of them was in a joyous mood. One of them was babbler who kept on telling so many things through-out the way. By telling about the teachers and classmates, he kept the group laughing and cheerful. Ricky also tried to banter his stories. At one beautiful place, all they decided to rest. By then it was a noon, a time for meals. There they had a nice feast. Because of the density of varied trees, the environment was quite pleasant. Some of the backwoodsmen also joined them. Every thing was beatific. At a far off distance, a beautiful sight of the cordillera was seen from there. Ricky like a croton boy was looking at delectable scene of cordillera. For a moment, he remembered his trip to the seashore and pleasant experience of getting wet with spindrift.

By the time, Ricky’s friends were in a mood to make that afternoon a memorable one. They always perambulated during the vacation. Some of them busied themselves in cutting jokes making others laugh. Some others engaged in badinage. One of them was singing a stanza of one poem learnt by him at school.

But Ricky isolated himself. He had his own way to amuse himself and that was to read something. He sat on one stone reclined against the tree and started reading the next narration in the diary. Since long, he was agog to do so.

As he turned over the page at random, his eyes fell on the following lines:

‘There was a good natured woman serving in one multinational public limited company which was engaged in manufacturing the electrical goods. She was a mother of two kids and widow of an ex-employee of the same company. After the untimely tragic death of her husband, she was employed on compassionate ground.

The untimely tragic death of her husband was ultimately a dreadful blow to her. Afterwards every thing became good enough to survive her with two kids. She busied herself in her work in the company. The onus of rearing the kids was on her slender shoulder which made her forget the sorrow.

One year after she joined the service, one new officer came on transfer in that company as her new boss. The eyes of lascivious officer fell on her beauty. She also at first glance, realized his attitude towards her. She had no choice but to work under his administration. Once he wrote a love letter to her. Since she was a widow, he took her ‘consent’ for granted. On seeing her, he started singing a madrigal. He started eve teasing. She never either liked him nor his behaviour. She never paid any heed to his ‘reminders’. Literally, she was fed up with his advances. The poor woman got afraid of him. Because of her resistance, he started harassing her in one way or the other. She was forced to work under him in a repugnant situation. Once he shamelessly proposed her. She was well aware of his outrageous activities. She expressed her repugnance. She flatly refused his proposal telling that she had not any interest of that kind in him. Due to that, he became restless and furious too. In order to gain her company, he tried all means but he could not succeed. The poor woman had to face so many troubles put forth by him. She was firm in not responding him. Her agony was that daily she had to work with that brazenfaced senior. But that sneaky man was after exploiting her. Many a time, she tried to snarl but the situation was not allowing her to do so. There was no taboo for him of any kind. The taciturn poor widow hardly could do and say something. She never felt any need to truckle.

Once he tried to trap her and succeeded in that. In fact, I had noted this incident in detail with the names of persons and full particulars of that love and hate story. However, here while précising the same I have omitted all the particulars being immaterial. I again turn to the episode; the officer somehow succeeded to establish that but because of her negligence the company had to suffer a heavy monetary loss. Then only two options were open to her. The options were either to leave the job and face the consequences or to ‘obey’ him. To choose the first one was but impossible for her. Ultimately, she had to fall prey to the crooked concoction made by him. She had to ‘obey’ that barefaced man. She was forced to work in a repugnant situation. Finally, she had taken that unpleasant decision. Not only was that she made face the sneer indulged by her colleagues but also she had to smile in response to their snigger. That sneaky man was after exploiting her. She was sexually exploited for months together. Her life was full of affliction. He was not leaving any opportunity to agonize her. That all ended up only when she left the job. She was in anguish until then. Certainly, that was not gentility. The officer’s cabal made her life miserable.’

Suddenly, cachinnation disturbed Ricky’s trance. His friends were busy in merriment. They were laughing at one milksop. While reading, Ricky forgot that he was with his friends at one picnic spot. His friends were enjoying a buffoonery talk. He just had a look at them and smiled.

After spending a long time over there, they remembered that their dear ones were waiting for them at homes. All the boys left the picnic spot.

Ricky returned to home in the evening.

Thus, the fourth day of his vacation was ended.

Chapter5: Ephemeral pleasure.

The fifth day of vacation was also a precious day for Ricky. On that day also he along with his friends went to some another place of xyst. The surrounding was full of pleasure. Some boys preferred to stroll over there. On reaching over there, when Ricky’s friends were strolling through the beautiful place, he took the diary and continued reading:

‘My ruminant mind was thinking about the heart broken woman for weeks together. Certainly, it was not fair on the officer’s part to abuse that frail woman. I was thinking that why at all a human being should be so selfish and cruel. Was not anything there to stop all that? Or, was it that ‘might is right’? I noted that incident and forgot it.

But, after lapse of eight years once again I had to take a note of it. It was so because that sinister officer was made suffer by the diviner. He tried to victimize another woman subordinate in a similar way. He arranged just everything to establish that because of negligence on the part of that woman, the company had to suffer a heavy monetary loss. But that wise woman’s counter plot made him a victim. That was foisted on him. He was not aware that his rivals were planning to wriggle to endanger him. Ultimately, he was terminated from that sinecure. He had to face the dismissal. Unceremoniously he was expelled from the company. It was a great buffet to him. The divinity was succeeded in punishing the sneaky human being.

After the dismissal, he had to suffer a lot. The poverty-stricken chap subsequently got isolated. He was aware that his rivals endangered him. He noticed snigger rested on the faces of his rivals. He remembered as to how he tantalized one working woman eight years back. He felt to have been tantalized in the same manner by his colleagues.

After noting that incident of his dismissal from service followed by the poverty, I felt that the dismissal was the result of his lewdness. The implication of every sinful act always used to be abutted to it.’

With the end of the précis of the officer’s sufferings, Ricky stopped reading. He looked around. His friends were looking so happy as if the world was at their oyster. The freakish boys were enjoying at the xyst. The ivy was making the environment more pleasant. It was really a jovial jaunt by jocose Ricky and friends.

Ricky noticed that one of his friends was going through a memoir of one great warrior. He noticed one ornithologist who was observing the birds. There everything was just stupendous one. From there one beautiful tarn was seen at far off distance. The boys were well conversant with the topography of that region.

Ricky and his friends were playing a role of ‘rover’. The boys had come over there with an intention to romp.

After a while, Ricky’s sensitive mind started thinking about what he had just read. The unfortunate widow when she was in need of sympathy was maltreated. What was the ultimate result of the maltreatment given by her boss? Could there be a gap of eight years between the misdeed and its results? Or, was it simply the writer’s hypothesis? And if so, why should not both sin and its implications be simultaneous? A fifteen-year-old boy got perplexed.

With the perplexity, Ricky once again took the diary and started looking for some page to go through. One page attracted his attention. He started reading:

‘One incident which took place in my schooldays had clung to my memory. One of my teachers was in habit of collecting money from the students for one reason or the other. He also used to force the students to join his tuitions at his home. He was so lazy that hardly he taught in the class. The students who joined his tuitions could get through the exam. That was because he used to give the list of probable questions to those students. The remaining students were not too dunce to understand his tactics. But they were few in number.

Of late, that was made known to the higher school authorities. Once as usual, he was asked to set the question papers and simultaneously school authorities busied some other teachers in the same task. On the day of annual exam, the students were given a question paper set by other teachers which was very different from that of set by that corrupt teacher. The exam was over. As expected by the school authorities, number of his students failed miserably. For that, he had a sermon, which he deserved. As a result, that bad person had to face mortification. Ultimately, he was given an admonition by the school authorities. The torpid teacher had to bear with all that. He had no other option. To have a taint he felt to have been badly insulted. After some days, he suffered from both disorder of mind and ill health.

In fact, teacher is an architect who builds the students not only educationally but also morally and mentally. He is a good beau ideal for his students. Therefore, it is obligatory on every teacher’s part to maintain and keep clean his effigy. Merely ostensible sympathy and love for students are certainly of no use. Pedagogy is an important and noble work which moulds the minds and brains of students to make them sane and responsible constituents of the human society. So, any compromise in this kind of work and that too for making money is neither palatable nor tolerable. A teacher should typify himself. Else, what students could learn from one unctuous teacher?

A teacher should make students understand the true and wide meaning of education which nurtures civic values, tolerance, co-operation, unity and much more.

That incident was one more lesson for me which inculcated on my mind that pleasure got by the doer of misdeed is ephemeral.’

After going through the writer’s narration about that teacher, Ricky breathed hard. ‘A teacher only can best mould children’s mind with good values. A teacher is nothing but students’ idol.’ Ricky thought to himself. ‘And therefore, every teacher must be moralist one who lives a moral life.’ He further opined to himself. He also liked the writer’s thoughts about the teacher. ‘Teacher should teach properly to sentient students instead of to be sluggish and deceiving them.’ That was one more thought entered Ricky’s mind.

Meanwhile, Ricky’s friends asked him to join them to dance. So, he joined them and started moving in time with music. The tweet was also making the environment more pleasurable. One of the boys danced like a zany in a great zing. After a while, Ricky got separated from them. The gavotte was continued without Ricky.

At one corner of the ground some boys were dancing, that was something alike acrobatic dance. Ricky and his friends laughed to look at those bizarre body movements. He noticed one of his friends tried to copy them and remembered his submission of a false ae-ger to the class teacher.

After being separated from the gavotte, Ricky once again started reading the diary. By the time, the diary reading had become his monomania. The page he selected at random was read as:

‘Once I received a letter from my one time college classmate. He was residing in the neighbouring town. There was happy news about a new arrival and so I was invited to meet them all. I had no option but to go. On reaching there, my friend took me to the maternity hospital to see the new arrival. There I met wife of my friend and a baby boy. When we were talking about something, one doctor, a young gynecologist, entered the room, and had one look toward the mother and the baby and asked some casual questions. He was very handsome and soft-spoken doctor. For a while, I got impressed with his personality. After meeting my friend and his dear ones, I returned to my home.

After lapse of twelve years, I received another letter from the same friend intimating the good news of the same kind. In response to the invitation, I went and met my friend and his twelve-year-old school-going son. Then we went to meet his wife and a newly born baby girl. She was admitted into the same hospital.

Coincidentally, in my presence the same doctor to whom I had seen twelve years back at the same venue, arrived there and started enquiring of the mother and baby. But, as soon as I looked at him, I got terrifically shocked as he looked very ugly because of the white patches on his face and other parts of the body. For a while, I lost in a thought thinking that as to what made that handsome gynecologist the victim of that disease and look so ugly. I felt little bit sorry to see that doctor’s rueful face. He suffered of albino white.

I asked my friend about the doctor. But he could not tell much about the doctor. Apart from the physiological reasons, what else could be others reasons behind the white patches, I started thinking. I wanted to know, to find out the reasons behind the doctor’s suffering from that disease. With the findings, I wanted to strengthen