Prakash's Journey

 Preamble: During Blogchatter's A2Z challenge during the month of April 2024, I am writing mini stories on various subjects and characters on each day of the month except on Sundays. The name of the protagonist shall begin with the alphabet assigned for the day.  

A small start up automotive company in Chitoor, Andhra Pradesh decided to start a canteen for its employees. Although the company was not required to run a canteen as per statute in view of the number of employees being less than 250, the management wanted to introduce it as a welfare measure. The lowest quotation was won by a party from a far away district of Rajahmundry. The contractor however, was confident of providing efficient service and also making profits for himself. Prakash aged about 52 years came as the supervisor of the canteen contractor. 

Although genial most of the time, if and when a wrong button was pressed, Prakash could take offence and be really angry. On such occasions, you find him switching language from Telugu to English and revealing a little about his past. " You know I was a senior level officer with a loving family and a comfortable lifestyle. It is life's leela ( play) that I gave it all up when a call came to me to retire to the caves in the Himalayas. It is another matter that I could not continue that path as I became seriously sick while atop the mountains forcing me to return". The story goes that although Prakash returned from the mountains, he found it awkward and delicate to  return to his family and old way of life. After all he had bid them 'Good bye' and had openly relinquished his worldly life. 

It is another matter that he had not only come back to this world but  presently,  also work to keep starvation at bay. Sometimes, he lamented at the financial struggles he was facing and recalling the 'comfortable' life he had led and would have continued to have, had he not left for the Himalayas. When you are neither in this world nor in the other world of the sanyasis , at times thoughts of dejection enters your mind. You also end up feeling a strong sense of loneliness as relationships with people  build over many years  had become unavailable and lost forever. It's like a person becoming incognito losing all sense of identity. Prakash confessed to having suicidal tendencies at times.

Then it happened. One day during the morning shift in the factory there were hushed discussions amongst the employees. It seemed that Prakash, the canteen supervisor had died the previous night. As he had no known relatives , the canteen contractor took the onus of cremating the mortal remains. One of the guys in the group commented " What a strange journey this person Prakash's has been on. Even if we want to renounce and become a sanyasi, it cannot happen just like that. It happens only when you have God's will and blessing on your side."  

As they say "Man proposes; God disposes" quipped another guy.

NB: This post is a part of  challenge #BlogchatterA2Z