Anirudh- The Story Of A Misread Barrister

Chapter-15: A Warm Welcome

After a tiresome journey, we finally reached Madras. As the train came to halt, I spotted my friend Subbu on the platform, who was already present there waiting for our arrival. If not for him, I don't know what I would've done. I guided Bondita to get down the train carefully while I followed her with the luggage. Once we got down, we approached Subbu and he immediately hugged me with a wide smile.

"Anirudh, my brother, how are you man?", he asked.

"I am like this Subbu.", I said by pointing my hands towards my wounded body.

"You tell me about you. It feels like ages since we met.", I added.

"I am absolutely fine and very happy to see you here.", Subbu expressed his happiness.

He then turned towards Bondita and uttered, "So this is your wife.....(paused for a while)...I am sorry. Is this Ms.Bondita, the brave girl whom you always talk about?", he asked smiling kindly at Bondita.

She reciprocated his greetings by joining her hands together in a Namaste.

"Come, let's go to our house.", saying this Subbu took our suitcases in his hands, in spite of my denial, and walked towards the exit. We got into his car and started riding towards our accommodation. Subbu was driving and I sat beside him while Bondita took the back seat.

Then I asked him, "Subbu, were you able to arrange the accommodation as per my requirement. I mean, I need to be close to Bondita and her mother; only then I can take care of her studies and safeguard them."

"You don't worry Anirudh, everything is ready as per your wish. In fact you are lucky enough I must say. The house opposite to us was occupied until last month. That uncle works in the railways. Recently their family had vacated the house as they got transferred by the British government to Bombay. From now onwards it's going to be your house and we are going to live opposite to you, so that you can ask us for any help that you need. We have become neighbours from friends.", he said with happiness.

"How can we stay in one......?", I was still speaking when Subbu interrupted saying, "That is really a big house and just by closing a door in the center, it can be partitioned into two portions. In one portion you can stay while Bondita and her mother can stay in the other one. What do you say?"

"There's nothing to say dear. I feel so much relieved now. All this is because of you. If you are not there, then I don't know who would've helped us in this difficult times.", I said thankfully.

"Please don't say that Anirudh. It's nothing when compared to the help that you did to me. If that day, you didn't give me confidence to live, I shouldn't have been with you this day. Today I am confident enough that I can do anything in this life and most importantly I am very happy in my world.", he said gratefully.

Subramanian Iyer, dearly called by everyone as Subbu, was my classmate during our graduation days in London. Initially he used to be too shy and found it very difficult to adjust to the life in London. Hailing from a traditional upper caste family, his dressing and attire was way too traditional. On top of that, he couldn't get rid of all that due to the restrictions imposed on him by his family. This used to make him an odd man out among the entire class.

Though I too hail from a traditional Brahmin family, I found it easy to adapt myself to the western style of dressing and etiquette; all thanks to my father. Taking this as an opportunity, the Britons used to mock him and make fun of the vibhuti marks smeared on his forehead, his dhoti and the turban he used to wear. Unable to bear the insult, he attempted to kill himself by jumping off from the top floor of our college building. Fortunately I saved him on time and later we became very close friends.