Goli No 20 ..... and Nagesh dies ......

..... Year 2002 ..... had gone to dombivili after a long time ...... to attend a friends engagement party along with wifey and daughter ...... Though i had been to dombivili on and off ....... however, i never got an opportunity to catch up with a few of my childhood friends......

..... by now I was a moderately successful corporate finance guy ...... with a house and a car ...... as we were comming out of the engagement party ..... with other friends ...... somebody shouted Venkyaa..... as i turned around ...... i saw my old friend rajesh ...... he had a grim look….. muttered ....... Nagyaa gela re ...... i didn't respond ........... couldn't comprehend ...... what he had just said .......

Rajesh continued ....... Nagyaa ne atma hatya kela ...... vihirith body millale ..... I still didn't respond ...... seeing no reaction ...... rajesh walked away ....... It took me some time for the words to sink in ........ i walked towards nagesh's house ....... like a dumb zombie ...... the whole world had come to a stand still ....... i was totally dazed ......

As i reached his bungalow ..... i saw a huge crowd ...... an ambulance standing outside the gate ...... and near the gate I saw a body wrapped in white …… I didn’t want to see Nagesh like this ….. he was my childhood hero ….. he couldn’t be a coward …… he was so courageous ….. bold ….. adventurous …. few of my childhood friends were standing there ...... they were discussing nagesh's suicide ........ someone commented he couldn't face life ...... I couldn't tolerate it ....... I was disturbed .....

I turned around and walked back …… picked up my family and drove back to Mumbai …….. That night i couldn't sleep …… I had several questions unanswered …. but one question stood out ....... Why did Nagesh commit suicide…… this was not possible …… for a courageous boy like him ….. I wondered whether in the rat race of life ...... i had forgotten all about my childhood friend and hero ...... I didn't even bother to find out ...... how his life was....... may be i could have .......

During the weekend ….. I some how gathered courage and went back to Dombivili ….. Checked out with a few friends …… one of them took me to the well …… where Nagesh’s body was found ….. it was the same old deserted well on the outskirts of Dombivili …… where we had spent many afternoons in our childhood ……. As my friend described ….. People had seen him sitting on the wall of the well ….. on that fateful day …… it seems he had consumed poison …… and then jumped into the well …… leaving a suicide note behind……

I asked my friend to leave me alone ….. I spent few hours sitting on the edge of the well ……. starring at the bottom of the well ..... Childhood memories of nagesh & me flashed in front of my eyes ......... I was choking with old memories ......... Days spent in baniyan and half chaddi on the mumbra mountains …… vasai bridge ….. diva khadi .,….. tamarind tree ….. under arm gachhi cricket ..... long drives on bhaadyacha cycle etc .......

I was still pondering …… Why did Nagesh kill himself …… What went wrong ....... Why did i drift away from him ..... Is the rat race important or friendships ..... May be he needed me more than my clients ....... I was filled with remorse and guilt .......

And then suddenly i remebered Nageshs words …… Chal, Venkyaa , bindass ....... kai hoth nai…

Goli No 19.... Nagesh's adventures continues....

........my adventures with nagesh continued till 1980........he had great fascination for mountains ........ sometimes he would take me to mumbra ....for hiking and trecking.....mumbra devi temple ......on the top of a dongar in mumbra ..........two stations away from dombivili ....... on central line in mumbai....... after three hrs of trecking and some rock climbing in monsoons ........ we would reach the top of the cliff ..............nagesh was shivaji maharaj...........and i was tanaji ......... as the summit would get conquered nagesh would post a kathi flag.......a stick with a chindi cloth....and shout jai bhavani.......i would support jai shivaji.........

from the top of the cliff we would see the twisted snake like creeks ....... mumbra - dombivili tracks with trains criss crossing .......like tiny ants...the wind blowing on our face.........and nagesh would go to the edge of the cliff......sit on the edge legs dangling ..........200 ft above ground level............i would shrug from going to the edge.......and nagesh would say........chal venkyaaa bindaas kai hoth nai.......

............nagesh had the same fascination for the sea.........one day he took me to diva khaadi.......a creek connected to arabian sea.........on the fringes of dombivili.........except for one or two fishing boats ............nagesh and me would get in to our undies and jump in to the shallow creek waters and try swimming.......

some fisher men warned us against the dangerous sinking sand......but nagesh would say .....venkyaaa chal bindaas ......kai hoth nai.............some times he would request the fisherman to take us into the sea...... and one day nagesh with a tyre around his back and a rope tied to the boat..... jumped into the sea........ with gay abandon....... and i could hear "Venkyaa Chal udi maar kai hoth nai".......

...... I had many more memorable adventurous moments with Nagesh..... like spending a night in a chinchach jhaad (tamrind tree) ...... waiting for ghosts to appear....... and getting inside a huge deserted well on the outskirts of dombivili........ this all continued till 1980's....... when we were still a tenant in his bungalow ....... and then we shifted residence ....... I got into a new friend circle ...... completed my college ...... moved to mumbai ....... got married ....... got into business ....... I forgot all about nagesh ..... till.......

Goli No 18... Nagesh and me ..... vasai cha pool..

........year 1975......dombivili.......a smalltown.......still a village on the fringes........ metamorphosing in to a town.............vasai-dombivili- railway bridge was under construction............90 % of work was completed........vasai was on western railway edge.........dombivili on central railway edge ...... this bridge connected western railway to central railway.......passing thru so many villages on the fringes of Mumbai around the creek.......

nagesh 12 yrs.....our land lords grandson.......... bold... courageous........ adventurous........my guru.......i was 10 then.........nagesh introduced me to vasai bridge........on the edge of diva creek.........25 ft above ground level ........ single line rail track........ goods train running on trial basis...... three times a day........ we would chase the slow moving goods train every evening and jump into the open wagons …….. la …. Sholay ishtyle……… and play jai …. Veeru in the moving goods train …………

There was a sweet spot........... Dangerous spot ..... a place where....... vasai-dombivili- railway line ..... crossed the thane dombivili central line railway track....... with four tracks of suburban both fast and slow trains running below...... the fifth track was for goods train....... Nagesh & I ..... one evening were sitting on the bridge above tracks ....... in banyan and half chaddis ...... legs dangling 25 feet above ground level...... looking at the trains criss-crossing below ........ counting bogeys …..

Suddenly we saw a goods train...... open wagons filled with 'waalloo' (sand)...... moving at snails pace on the fifth track ....... Nagesh looked at me with excitement ...... he shouted. "Dan ta…..dan..... Venkyaa, chal udhi maru yaa...... sholay sarka...... he shouted gabbar mein aaraha hoon .....meaning.... let us jump..... from 25 feet.... into the moving goods wagon below....... filled with sand....... before i could realise ....... he jumped filmy style ...... I could actually see him frame by frame going down .......

he landed on his hands and legs on the waalu (sand) in the goods train ....... slowly the train picked up speed ........ but i saw nagesh motionless...... lying on the waaloo..... I didn't knew what to do..... i was shell shocked ....... whether to jump ....... which was impossible for me ...... or to call for help ....... and then i saw ...... nagesh moving ...... in the wagon ...... he stood up and started waving his hands towards me ......

I climbed down the bridge and ran towards the track ....... behind the goods train ...... in a few moments ....... i saw nagesh limping on the tracks ...... but his face was radiating with success, joy and happiness ......... I gave him a shoulder ....... his shoulder and wrists were writhing in pain ..... but nagesh was still smiling ...... my hero had grown .... by a few inches in my heart ....... my respect for him increased .....

the next few days ...... i saw nagesh limping with a sprained leg and a fractured hand ..... asking me ....... to accompany him to vasai-dombivili bridge .......... I and nagesh spent many evenings ....... on the bridge ..... with the sun setting on the creek ....... and the trains passing below us ...... remembering the great leap ........

Goli No 17...... Nagesh and me...... Happy Diwali

I was a Seven Year old………………..staying in Dombivali……………. In 1973 Dombivali was a sleepy little town…………far away from Maddening crowds of Big Mumbai ………..A Small Suburb………….lots of trees………..old wells………….ponds……….a small village……….. trying to metamorphosing into …………. big town

…………..ours was a ground plus one Bungalow…………….landlords were a Big Maharashtrian joint family staying on 1st Floor ………. We Tenants resided on the ground floor ………… lots of Trees Ashoka …. Coconut ……….. Jamun …….. Peru …………SitaPhal …………. Mango……… etc …. and lots of colorful Flower Plants… All colour Roses………. Gulmohur………… shoe flower……Hibiscus…….. Jasmine…... Mogra…… A tiny Tulsi at the Entrance………

Nagesh was the landlord’s grandson………a year older than me……fair ………. Brown Hair …….. sharp features ………. Resembled Junior Gavaskar ………. he was Bold …… courageous and adventurous ………. he was the guru ………and I was his chela …… whole day I would ball for him under arm and he would bat………

My father was very strict……….and had a good temper………I was always afraid of him…….. once during diwali………on the first day………Nagesh asked me to spend the night in his terrace………so that we could get up early and start Diwali fireworks ………… reluctantly though my mother agreed………without informing my father

………Around 12 in the night Nagesh and I sneaked in to the neighboring Gogte Kaka’s ………. Bungalow……. a hot tempered……..… Six feet plus……… Scowl faced……. Mean eyes………. ever ready to scream at Kids…….. and always wearing……White Banyan………. Pajamas………. Nagesh's family had a bhaandan with him just two months back……and we wanted to get even………

We carried some Sutli bombs……Nagesh would light the Sutli bombs………threw into Gogte's Balcony………….and we would hide in the bushes outside the gate………. Gogte Kaka …………. came out after the Second Bomb exploded ………… screamed Kon ………. ahey ……… *@## $##@……… Samor yaa………. I was shivering in the Bushes…………lots of Mosquito’s were biting …………… But I didn’t move …………. Nagesh was smiling

……After “Gogte Kaka” went inside……….Nagesh and I slipped into his Backyard……This time we threw the Bomb………through his Kitchen window…………and ran out…………climbed a tree in his compound and waited……….”Gogte Kaka” was Mad……….He came with a Torch…….this time his wife and kids along with him ……….. He went into the Bushes ……….. near his kitchen ………..

I was trembling with fear……… Nagesh lit a Bomb and threw on his terrace ………..Gogte Kaka rushed to the terrace screaming & shouting @##$...... followed by his wife ……… I froze ……….. couldn’t move out of fear ………… Nagesh was Gutsy ………… This time he carried a ladi in his hand ……… lit it and left it on his front door ………………… and ran out thru the main gate ………… I got down fast and followed him ...... we hid in the bushes outside his gate .......

Suddenly somebody grabbed my shoulders…………..and then Nagesh’s Neck ………. He was a strong man in khakhi uniforms ………… he was a havaldar on night patrole ......…… I was terrified ………trembling with fear …… It was like a lion who had a goat by the neck…….…He took us to down the road ……… 5 minutes of walking ....... I trembled ........ after we entered the police station......... They asked us about our parents ....... I knew what will hapen to me....... if my father came to know about me being in a police station.......

I started crying ...... Nagesh didn't drop a shed of tear ...... The havaldar .... threatened that he will put us in a lock-up ...... we saw some drunkards ...... and gaudily dressed females ........ I even saw the lock-up room ....... I had visions of me and Nagesh behind bars........ in a filmy style....... the inespector asked me and nagesh to do.......... hundred Uthak baithak's ....... by the time the clock struck Four Gongs of Ding Dong …………. Ding Dong

I knew my father will get up ....... Nagesh and me appologised ........... after hundred baithaks ....... the havaldar saw me trembling ......... sympathised and let us go ............. I and Nagesh ran straight home..........

I reached home…..Mother had meanwhile got up………..was puting rangoli ………… I took …………. oil Bath…………Got into new Dress ………… lit some crackers with my Dad and Sister’s………………went to the Temple……..on our way back ………with some Diwali faral ……. we visited our neighbours………….

I was reluctant ……….. But amma insisted ……………as I went in and sat Gogte Kaka wished every body Happy Diwali ………….. and offered Diwali Faral…………….to every body…………..I didn’t touch it …………. My Mother asked me to take ……….. my favourite Karanji ………. Gogte Kaka smiled at me and said…………happy Diwali………. with a twinkle in his eyes..... I thought may be ....... he knew........ about the crackers..........

Diwali ended....... but the next few nights I sweated with fear ……… that will the havaldar come home and expose me to my father ………….. though it never happened ……. even now after thirty five years...... as I hear the diwali crackers bursting ………some where in my subconscious mind ………. I can still see very clearly Nagesh and me at the police station ....... doing our Uthak Bhaithaks...............

I saw many more Diwali's ....... but this Diwali night ........ in Dombivili police station is the most memorable......... Diwali ..........