Greed Lust Addiction

by Ravi Dabral

  Col. Pandey said, “I will investigate and update you soon.”

  Before disconnecting the call, Col. Pandey said, “By the way, just to update you, as per your request, we investigated about Guruji’s background and have collected many surprising and shocking facts and evidence about Guruji’s past before he settled down at the ashram and became Guruji or Swami Atmanand - which is not his real name. Now we also have information about his enemies particularly his rivalry with the high-profile politician who tried to use Suman Kulkarni as a honey trap.”

  Suraj said, “I am very curious to know about all this and will soon come to your office.”

  Guruji received a call and was talking over the phone for over fifteen minutes. After putting the phone down, he came to Suraj and said, “Suraj, Mr. and Mrs. Jain were in Delhi for their court hearing. There is sad news. Delhi Police called and informed that Mr. and Mrs. Jain were found dead in their room. They found a suicide note.”

  Suraj was shocked hearing this sad news.

  Guruji further said, “In the suicide note, Mr. and Mrs. Jain said that nobody should be held responsible for their deaths. The police are investigating this case and suspect that this may be a murder case due to rivalry or property dispute. The police found our ashram phone number on their mobile, so they were asking whether we have any doubts about anyone. I informed them that I would discuss with my ashram volunteers and revert to them soon.”

  Guruji and Suraj became very sad on hearing this shocking news. Suraj could still remember Mr. Jain’s words, “Our decision is final. We will not give a single penny to them as long as we are alive.”

  51

  Lust Test

  O ne day when I was about to leave the ashram, I got a call on my mobile. There was a female voice on the other side.

  I said, “Hello!”

  I heard a sweet voice, “Hi Suraj, how are you?”

  I said, “I am fine, thank you, sorry I am not able to recognise your voice.”

  The voice on the other side said, “Suraj, I am Anjali, do you remember me?”

  I said, “Anjali (paused for a few seconds), are you Seema’s sister?”

  She said, “Yes, you are right.”

  The moment I came to know she was Anjali, my heartbeat started rising. My pulse rate increased. I had been eager to hear her voice for so many years, and suddenly her voice was coming from the other side. My body and mind got rejuvenated on hearing from her.

  Anjali said, “I am in Dehradun, and Seema told me about your story. I came to know that personally and professionally there was a lot of turbulence in your life.”

  I said, “Yes. There was a struggle period, in fact, it has still not ended.”

  She said, “Seema told me that you are at the ashram. When will you be back in Dehradun? Can we meet tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 p.m. at my house for lunch? Then we will talk in detail.”

  I said, “Yes sure, we can meet, but I may be a little late as I will be coming straight after attending an interview.”

  I was excited to see her.

  She said, “OK, see you tomorrow” and disconnected the call.

  Before her call I was normal, but now my body started shivering with the same old sensation. Old memories began flashing in my mind like movie pictures. The nostalgia effect; going to her home as a tutor and her colourful dresses. I was eager to meet her as soon as possible.

  Next day after an interview in an online news portal run by an international New York-based media house, which went very well, I reached Anjali’s home ten minutes early. I had brought a chocolate packet for her and some fruits. My heart rate was very fast, and the pulse rate was going up and down at the thought of meeting her after such a long time. I didn’t know why. I had never experienced such pleasant feelings ever before in my life. I pressed the doorbell. When I was thinking about how she would look, I saw Anjali in front of me. I was mesmerised seeing her and was not able to utter anything.

  Suddenly, I woke up as if from a deep dream sequence.

  Anjali asked, “Hello Suraj, how are you?”

  I said, “Hi Anjali, I am fine. Thanks. Nice to see you after so many years, how are you?”

  She said, “In eight years, your appearance has changed. Now, you look like an intellectual.”

  I said to her, “Thanks, you have also become beautiful.”

  She said, “Thanks Suraj.”

  She was looking lovely in a colourful salwar-suit with a white shawl. Her face was glowing. The red lipstick shining on her lips was giving the impression of the petals of a rose. Her hair was very long. She took me to the drawing room and made me sit on a big sofa.

  She asked, “How is your family? Seema told me that you have a little son. How is he?”

  I said, “My family members are fine, and my son is also good. You tell me. Finally, you are a doctor.”

  She said, “Yes, finally after five years of MBBS and three years’ postgraduate MD degree.”

  I asked, “Now will you be joining any hospital or will you start your own practice?”

  She said, “Before starting my own practice I need to work in a hospital for at least four to five years to gain experience.”

  I asked, “What is your area of specialisation?”

  She said, “I am a psychiatrist.”

  I said, “Oh, that’s great. Nowadays, there is a lot of stress in work and personal life, so you have a bright career ahead.”

  She smiled and said, “Still, I will pray to God for less stress in this world.”

  We both laughed. There was no one at home, so she went to the kitchen and brought two glasses of water, some juices, and snacks.

  I asked, “Now, Professor Bhatt must be searching for a suitable boy for you.”

  Anjali said, “Yes, there is pressure to get married, but it is difficult to find a suitable match.”

  I asked, “What type of person are you looking for?”

  She said, “I am looking for a person like you.”

  I just smiled and said, “You are a talented girl, well qualified and almost settled in your career, and you will surely find a person better than me.”

  She stood up and sat beside me on the sofa and kept her hand on my hand. This action of hers created a sensation in my body.

  She said, “If we had conveyed our feelings to each other then we could have waited to marry each other.”

  I said, “Our values and sanskar stopped us. Also, career was our main priority.”

  Anjali looked straight into my eyes and said, “Suraj, I still love you.”

  She came near me and kept her head on my shoulder. She put her hands around my neck and hugged me tightly. I also thought of hugging her tightly, but then my intellect flashed Priya’s image into my mind. Within a fraction of second, my inner consciousness warned me, ‘Suraj how can you be disloyal to Priya?’ I immediately controlled myself. Suddenly, Anjali tried to kiss me. I stopped her.

  I said, “Anjali what are you doing?”

  Anjali said, “I missed you a lot for so many years. Now, this is the time to express my love for you.”

  I said, “Anjali I can understand your feelings, but now we are grown-ups. We need to be sensible and should behave with maturity.”

  Anjali said, “You are my first love, and I want to have you forever.”

  I said, “Anjali, please control your emotions.”

  Anjali said, “Seema told me that you have a disturbed married life. Your wife is very materialistic.”

  I said, “Nowadays, that’s a common issue in every relationship including married life.”

  Anjali said, “If you are disturbed in your married life and want to divorce your wife, then I am first in the queue to marry you.”

  I laughed, “Why should you marry a divorced man with a kid?”

  Anjali said, “No Suraj, I am serious. In fact, I have a plan for you. My father has an ancestral property, a big farmhouse at the outskirts of Dehradun, worth around ₹ 6 crores, and my share is ₹ 2 crores
. After marriage, I can give you this ₹ 2 crore so that you can return all your loans and we can live a happy married life.”

  I said, “Anjali, so nice of you. You are a girl with a kind heart.”

  Anjali said, “No Suraj, I am serious. We both love each other and are now mature enough to take independent decisions. Can we plan to marry each other?”

  I said, “Sorry Anjali, being a married person, it is unethical and immoral for me to even think of such thoughts.”

  Anjali said, “Suraj, you have not changed even after so many years. Oh my God, you are still the same person with values, sanskar, and morals which are rare to find in today’s materialistic world. There is no doubt that I still love you from the core of my heart. As a psychiatrist, I was checking whether after extracting out greed and addiction, if you have any lust inside you. You have proved that you are a virtuous person following the righteous path and having a golden heart controlled by intellect and reasoning power. I am proud of you. My love for you has increased manifold.”

  I said, “Thanks Anjali, for your positive words. Forgive me if I have hurt your emotions and feelings.”

  Anjali said, “Maybe we are not meant to become soul mates in this life.”

  I said, “Anjali, I pray to God that you get a nice life partner.”

  Anjali said, “Now for the next three years I am not planning to marry because of day and night shifts in the hospital. Hopefully, by that time I might find a virtuous person like you. Let me admit you have set high standards which will be difficult for anyone to match.”

  We had lunch together, simple home-cooked food prepared by Anjali. We discussed many things. My mind was thinking about Anjali’s lust test and how my intellect and inner consciousness saved me.

  When we were about to finish our lunch, I got an SMS, “Hi Suraj, Congratulations! You are selected. Please reach our office today by 4:30 p.m. to complete the joining formalities.”

  I showed this message to Anjali. She was delighted and congratulated me.

  I said, “Anjali, please allow me to leave to reach there on time. We will meet some other day.” She held both my hands and said, “Best of luck! Take good care of yourself.”

  She hugged me and tears started flowing from her eyes. Seeing her tears, my eyes too became wet. We both looked at each other for a few seconds. Then she said, “Suraj we will surely meet again.”

  I left her house. After walking for a few steps, I turned back. She was still standing at the front door of her house, waving both her hands!!! I don’t know why but my eyes were still wet. I started walking fast without turning back at her. She was my past. Now I have to focus on my present—Priya and Ujjawal.

  Investigative journalist’s journey will be continued ………

  Epilogue 1

  Feedback from Ex-ashram Volunteers

  W ithin a few months, there was good progress in the villages. Farmers were delighted. Ashram volunteers were regularly updating the smart village project results to other volunteers through emails, WhatsApp groups, and calls. Many of them visited the villages two to three times to see the progress.

  Mr. Chopra mentioned in his email, “I am thrilled with the results. Instead of approaching banks which are considered fair weather friends and only lend funds to projects of politically connected corporate houses which become bad loans at a later stage for obvious reasons, I am in constant touch with seed and venture capitalists, hedge funds, asset management companies, and high net worth investors. They are impressed with the smart village project results providing them both investment and philanthropy opportunities. Very soon I will visit the villages with my investors.”

  Mr. Ghosh wrote in his email, “I have started organic farming in Assam to support the local farmers. I buy directly from them under the brand name ‘NatureNurtureU’ and export to developed countries. Thanks to Farmers Welfare Society for allowing me to use this brand name. My business is flourishing. I request Guruji to open such ashrams all over India and in foreign countries to teach the world how to be materially and spiritually rich. I am preparing a list of activists such as Mr. Subhash Palekar (expert and pioneer in the field of Natural & Zero Budget Farming), Mr. Madhu Chandan (promoter of Organic Mandya) and many others to bring them on the ashram’s advisory board. I salute all my team members for their hard work and sincere efforts in making a dream come true.”

  Haroon narrated, “I like Guruji’s practical way of teaching philosophy. Apart from teaching philosophy and spirituality as a theory in classroom settings, it should be taught practically using concepts such as welfare meditation and smart village projects. I am following this path, and the results are phenomenal.”

  Mr. Jain mentioned in his email, “I have prepared a project report to discuss with various management schools, colleges and universities to send their students for at least fifteen days in every six months to learn in the fields rather than in classes as part of National Social Service (NSS). If we’re going to lessen the burden on cities, then we need to stop migration by creating employment and business opportunities at the village level through smart village projects. This is also important for the protection of the environment. More development at the village level means less population and pollution in cities.”

  Indu Bala said in her email that while working on the assignment in the villages, she found that Uttarakhand folk music and dance can rejuvenate our body and intellect and has a connection with soul and spirituality. Now she is doing in-depth research on folk music and dances of other states.

  Suman wrote in her email, “Soon I will come to the ashram to take guidance from Guruji and Suraj to promote such smart village development projects in Maharashtra to prevent farmers’ suicides.”

  Mr. Chatwal mentioned, “Before coming to the ashram I thought real estate market is down, but after working for villages, now I see there is huge growth potential in rural areas particularly after the success of smart village projects which has increased the income levels of farmers. We can develop infrastructure and logistical facilities such as constructing low budget houses, pavements, roads, clubs, schools, hospitals, dispensaries, toilets, rainwater harvesting tanks, solar, hydel and wind energy plants, warehouses, cold storages, shops, malls and cinema halls covering at least twenty villages. My NRI sons have shown a keen interest in the smart village, community development, and tourism-related projects. They are in the process of convincing their NRI friends to invest in these projects instead of investing in multiple personal houses, speculative stock markets and precious metals and stones, which leads to accumulation of wealth in just a few hands without any productive results for the economy at the root level and benefit to the deprived people of the society.”

  Roberto said in his email, “Wow! It’s great news, smart village project performance is outstanding, Human Welfare Party won elections, and Satara village team won the soccer tournament this time. Glad to know that now the soccer team is planning to participate in the state-level tournament. This news gives me motivation and a sense of purpose in my life. As a mentor, I am associated with an organisation that helps in the rehabilitation of drug addicts. I am playing for a reputed club. My goal is to represent Italy in international soccer tournaments, and I am very near to achieving that goal. I miss you all, particularly the village children with whom I spent three months. I want to come there again to meet all of you. My regards to all and bye for now.”

  Similarly, other ashram volunteers sent emails to Guruji and shared their progress in personal and professional lives. After attending the self-reform course and learning about welfare meditation, their perspective towards life had changed. They had learnt how to be away from greed, lust and addition, and how to use intellect and reasoning power which bring to the fore virtuous qualities such as empathy, positive attitude, and concern for the welfare of society. They also informed that they were developing and practising some hobbies to keep themselves stress-free in their hectic routine schedule. They mentioned that they were eager to
attend the soul-awakening course.

  Epilogue 2

  Reforms: Legal, Political, Media, Institutional and Humanism

  R etired Judge Mr. Madaan discussed with Guruji and Suraj that to protect the democracy, constitution and to have the rule of law in the country, intellectuals such as retired and current judges and journalists should take ownership and play a proactive and vital role in spreading white magic among the masses. They can do so by initiating reforms in the existing corrupt political, legal, economic and institutional system with the ultimate objective to transform the society for a better tomorrow. He requested Suraj to prepare a note on legal, political, media, institutional and religious reforms which he would forward to the top court judges and his friends in the legal fraternity for their review, consideration and action.

  In a few days, Suraj prepared a draft note in consultation with Gulshan, and after review and inputs from Guruji submitted it to Mr. Madaan for his final evaluation. The content of the draft note was as follows:

  “Legal reforms: The present judicial system is based on the adversary or rivalry legal system wherein the legal battle is fought in court between two parties to take revenge from each other using their facts, evidence, and witnesses as weapons. In this rivalry system, there is scope for powerful parties (politicians, celebrities, mafias, white-collar criminals, corporates, etc.) having muscle and money power to twist facts, manipulate evidence, and buy or otherwise threaten witnesses to make their case strong against the weaker parties. This they do with the help of high-cost influential lawyers cum touts.

  There is a need to promote and adopt an inquisitive or investigative legal system. Through this system, investigative and detective arm should be provided (similar to investigative agency to government and intelligence agency to armed forces) to the judges at the lower, higher and top court level. This is to independently cross-check and verify facts, evidence and witnesses on a need to know basis before giving a final judgement. This will also give a threat to powerful parties and their influential lawyers that the judges can independently verify their facts, evidence, and witnesses – so be careful while submitting or producing such evidence to the court.