Eviction notice (PROLOGUE)
प्रणव आणि त्यांच्या कुटुंबीयांना आम्ही दिलगिरीपूर्वक कळवतो की या नोटीसला प्रसारानंतर पंधरवड्यात त्यांची योग्यरित्या हकालपट्टी केली जाईल.
- पुणे पालिका
We regretfully inform Pranav and their family that they will be duly evicted in the fortnight following the circulation of this notice.
One
Pranav Shinde had drops of sweat rolling on his body when he turned on his laptop to see an urgent email in his inbox. He tried to take his handkerchief and used it to clean his sweat, but the sweat moved too swiftly to be absorbed by the handkerchief. He opened the email. The email looked normal, and nothing out of the blue before he got to the third line. The third line was when he became numb, cold and silent, sweaty and without a word from his mouth. His wife was calling him to the kitchen, but when no response came, she felt worried. And moments later, she ran to her husband.
“Pranav, what happened?” She asked.
“Nothing to worry about,” he lied nervously as his sweat drained onto his t-shirt.
“Then why is there a river of sweating on you?” She said with a stern look, demanding the answer from her husband.
“Nothing, sweetheart. Everything will be okay,” her husband responds.
Preeti was unimpressed by this answer and thought that her husband was hiding something from her. She turned a little and saw the laptop. As she read the email, tears filled her eyes. Pranav held Preeti’s hands in his hand.
“Everything will be okay. Just don’t tell aai-baba about this yet,” he told Preeti. She nods and then wipes the tears off her face, using her palm, before returning to the kitchen. As Pranav sees his father walking slowly towards him, he hastily closes the tab and snaps the laptop closed.
“Baba, how are you? Have you taken your diabetes medicine?” Pranav asks nervously.
“I’m good, Pranav. Yes, I took that tablet Dr. Bajaj gave me.” Dhiraj said with an assuring look.
“I really wanted to take us to Kolhapur this year. Because of the lockdown, we can’t go. We will surely go to both Jejuri and Vithoba next year,” Pranav said in a meek tone, as he would’ve taken them if not for financial worries.
“No, Pranav, what you did was right. We must stay here at home.” Dhiraj exclaims with an approving smile on his face.
The mention of staying at home triggers Pranav, who is breathing faster than usual.
“Can we watch the news, Pranav?” Dhiraj inquiries.
“No, baba, why don’t you watch Ramayan or something?” Pranav nervously responds.
“I said what I said. I want to watch the news,” Dhiraj firmly counters.“No look at anything else but news, please baba,” Pranav begged his father.
His father sighed slowly and ran towards the living room, where he turned on the TV and began watching a retro mythological show.
Pranav stepped briskly to the bathroom, remembering not to make a noise. He then turned on his phone and called his senior, Rakesh Reddy.
“Rakesh, Sir, I needed your help,” he weakly said as the phone got picked up.
“What, Pranav: I’d be happy to do anything I can,” Rakesh said in a diplomatic and sharp tone.
He told his dilemma to his senior.
“See Pranav, I’d help if I could. But I don’t have money now,” Rakesh said as he slyly ignored this call for help before turning down the call.
“Pranav!” A yell came from the living room.A call came from the police station.“Your siblings are here. Pick them up for the things they’ve done.”
Two
Thinking about all this, Pranav had drifted to the police station. The police station bore a very ominous look, as if it were a building full of prison and not a police station. Pranav gulped even more.
“Pimpri Chinchwad Police Station” was painted in bold white Marathi and English text on the top part of this police station.
The logo was oversized, imposed above the white text with the words “Maharashtra Police”, a flowery star with a hand on top of it, and the text - “Sadrakshanay Khaligranay” - Defend those who are virtuous, and Decimate those who are vicious. His siblings were going to be vicious if he didn’t maintain his fortitude.
Thunderstorms of antagonism overran his mind as he strolled to the police officer. He clenched his teeth and clasped his hands.
“Yes, sir, I am Pranav Shinde,” he said in a meek tone.“Very well, Mr. Shinde,” the officer sneered.
“Sir, can you explain to me what exactly happened?” Pranav asked weakly.
“Well, these two reckless people were riding around on a now-seized scooter without a mask, asking people to come to a concert. What should I say? A concert!” the officer said and paused. He continued, “I stopped them and asked them to mask the hell up. They began saying rude things to me and behaving like idiots. The worst kind.”
“You guys!” An annoyed Pranav growled at his siblings.
His sister made a very offensive expression with her hands.
“You’re supposed to help me,” “Why if we did nothing wrong?” the brother said.Pranav turned his face to the angry police-officer, who bore the same ominous look.
“Look, I’ll pay the fine for them. I know they’ve done wrong, but…”
Pranav whispered softly into the ears of the police officer. As it would happen, the police officer began sobbing lightly.
“Go away,”
The police officer unbolted the holding cell and Pranav’s brother hugged him tightly. His sister was more interested in how he had managed to not give anything and still let them go.
Three
“I want to tell you the truth.”
All members of the Shinde household were sitting on the fifteen-year-old couch in the living room, where they were all on their phones. Pranav began to gaze at the walls as he prepared to tell the truth to them.
Preeti rolled her eyes at Pranav.
“Aai-baba, didi, bhau, Preeti and my kids, please listen.”
Everybody hid their phones and began staring at him.
“We will lose this home in 14 days.”
Gasps of worry resounded throughout the living room as they began wondering of their future. The dreams Pranav’s younger brother had of success in music, and that of aai-baba to travel the world were shattered as if they were glass that broke into shards as it dropped down.
Preeti knew what to do. She walked forward and stood close to Pranav.
“Pranav has a solution, doesn’t he?”
“Yeah, I have a solution. This home is just too expensive for us in COVID-19 times. I don’t think we can pay the rent for a 2BHK flat in Pune for long.”
“And?” Preeti nudged her husband.“So, we will have a roof over our head. Just, the roof would be on - walls which are close.”“So do we need a smaller flat than this one, dad?” Pranav’s adolescent son Prithvi said.
“Yes. We can afford a very small flat, and we have to adjust there.”
“I know we’d need more space with a growing child and joint family, but, it is more important to stay together than to live comfortably.”“But, Pranav beta, how are we getting a flat at this time?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll find it. We’ve got two weeks - pack up.”
Just then a friend of Pranav called. Siraj Pathan runned a huge real estate business, which spanned all over Mumbai, Pune, and Nashik.
Pranav picked it up.
“Hello, Siraj Bhai, how are you doing?”
“Yes, I’m good. You know, I have a home you guys would like.”
“Okay, tell me more.”
“Dr. Shaikh Parvez, my uncle, has lived in Dubai since last year, remember?”
“Yes, I think I’ve met him before.”
“So, he has a fully-furnished bungalow in Viman Nagar that has been unoccupied,”
“And -”
“They need a caretaker for their furnished posh bungalow in COVID-19 times, because intruders and thieves can cause damage. Somebody responsible, and somebody trusty. I thought you’d be the best man for the job, Pranav. You’re known to be the most trustable person whom I know in Pune.”
“Yes, and-”
“Would you like to move from your home to that home?”
Pranav was speechless.
“Why are you speechless, Pranav bhai? You can tell if you don’t want the home.”
Pranav tells Siraj about them losing their home.“Thanks to all the devs! Siraj, you’ve been an angel. We were going to be homeless - and you, you were the guy who came up with a solution.”
“No, Pranav. You didn’t tell me but I deduced from your behaviour something is wrong. In tough times, we humans have to help other humans. It is basic humanity, and the compassion we have. So are you coming over to my place at 7 PM?”
“Sure,I’m coming over to your place at 7 PM.”
“Good!”
Pranav ended the call.
Pranav squealed and jumped in excitement. They’d finally found a home, a place to be! And, they were being paid for it.
“What happened, Pranav?”
“We got a home! We will be caretakers for Shaikh Parvez’s posh fully furnished bungalow! We’ll have everything, live comfortably and even get money to take care of the place. And when this crisis is over, I’ll find a more permanent solution!”
Squeals and screams of happiness filled the Shinde household. The members embraced and jumped, and began packing for their next home.
---
Epilogue
15 DAYS LATER
15 days later, the Shinde household are sitting in the bungalow’s balcony, enjoying the evening tea. They’re incredibly thankful to god for the blessing of this home. After many days is the tea of relief.
the end.
GLOSSARY
- Aai : Mother
- Baba: Father
- Beta : son
- Didi : elder sister; honorific for women/girls of equal or slightly higher age.
- Bhau/Bhai : Brother; honorific for men/boys of equal or slightly higher age. Literally “bro”.
Dev/Deva/Devs: God.
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