XXXVIII James Mohandas Jesudasan

James Mohandaas  Jesudasan.

He was at the Skylab. Sipping Chai, having a smoke. He had to satisfy himself to sit and be alone, missing his friends, who had already stepped out for a drink session that he was told Arvind had agreed to sponsor.

At least that’s the news he was given by the - ‘Server’ , ‘Abbas’ -  who regularly served them at Skylab.  

Abbas was 13.

James or Jimmy or Mohan or Anna , people called him by so many names and he too responded to them all.

He too had stepped out late in the evening to walk towards Skylab for the usual rendezvous with friends over tea and cigarettes. He too saw the sky sending out hordes of orange flame clouds chasing after the setting Sun. He too felt a bit circumspect, that Sunday, when he stepped out. He too had to pass through the basthis as he walked with cigarette in hand.

Head bowed down, long hairs flying, a beard waving –an old faded blue jeans, and an equally old khadi kurta, flapping, slow , as he walked.

He was again a typical South Asian guy, 5’8” , a bit dark brown, long hair as was the youth style then ( even if he was a bit older than his actual ‘gang’ he still looked their age, not older ) his hair had a thinner feel, so even if he had long hairs it did not look ominous, it just floated nice and heavy.

James Mohandas Jesudasan was born to a Malayalee father who had a Tamilian Wife from Madurai. 

But, despite his deep rural family background, he was cosmopolitan, well read, well aware and someone whose point of view on almost all things , mattered. To all who he spoke to,

He spoke with authority and knowledge.

Mohan had finished his tea and had stepped out of Skylab to check out how to reach his other friends who had left to catch up on some beer and whiskey, he too ached for a drink.

Just then, he saw a small crowd rushing towards his direction, there was someone running his way, and someone else chasing with inanities in Hindi and Telugu, Mohan soon realised that it was a local rogue who was running towards him and he was being chased by none other Arvind. , Mohan could hear Arvind screaming  – Maakey loudey ! Madarchoth ! Nee Amma ! Naa Tho denguntava ? Loudey key baal ? Nee Amman dengesthaa ra reyy ! the words flew. 

Actually they were just a few of the normal stuff that was spewed at times like these in Hyderabad, so for those who knew it, it was really like sipping tea. 

Arvind’s drunken fury was also being seconded by a few of Mohan’s friends who had also joined Arvind in a mob attack of one poor rogue who seemed alone, defenseless.  

Before Mohan knew what was happening, Arvind was on the guy, and so were many others, beating the hapless rogue like one would beat a dog, Arvind was clearly drunk, and so were most of his gang members, a part of Skylab had stepped to watch the melee but a few remained sipping chai, those staying inside were either inside ‘coz such incidents were not new or they were inside ‘coz they were more ‘decent’.  

Those who were outside were either those who wanted to know if it was any of those they knew who was getting thulped  or to just to watch the act of pseudo masochist sadism. For whatever it was worth.

Mohan, finally thought enough was enough as he watched , he knew the cops would soon be in - he stepped in, kicked the rogue who was in the middle of the whole mob attack to scoot, the scoundrel simply ran for his life making sure he profusely Thanked Mohan before fleeing -  Mohan then restrained Arvind and all the others to calm down by screaming well above their own ‘collective’ voices.

Soon they had stepped once again inside Skylab.

The Radio was still on . It was now Binaca Geeth Mala on Radio Ceylon. Ameen Sayani was going all out giving Indians their count down of the best Hindi film songs.

 They ordered tea for all.