TASK - SELF HELP – Margaret Maxfield
EACH TO HIS OWN
Vijay stretched luxuriously as he retired for the night. As he snuggled down into the bed he thought, “I cannot believe that the Gods have shown me so much favour.
Who would have thought that a massive new steel works would be built by the British at Durgapur and that his friend in high places would have told him that they were looking for someone to arrange for all the materials and machinery to be processed through Customs quickly when it came in to the airport? Of course, his friend had required a little something for this information, but never in his wildest dreams could Vijay have imagined the wealth this would bring him.”
He smiled as he thought of his nickname amongst the people building this fine works. Mr Fixit. Yes, he was Mr Fixit all right. And he not only fixed it for the British Consortium, but he quickly found he could fix it for himself. It was not his fault that they were so stupid that they did not know the going rate for the necessary bribes. He had managed to beat down the recipients as well as inflating his expenses to the Big Boss. And that, with the very good wage they gave him for doing this work meant that he was now very rich. When this project was finished in five years’ time, he would be able to retire and live for the rest of his life in complete luxury.
As he closed his eyes. he thanked Shiva for all he had done for him.
Sunita stretched luxuriously as she retired for the night. As she snuggled down into the bed she thought, “I cannot believe that the Gods have shown me so much favour.”
She smiled as she thought of the changes that had come into her life since her father had taken this job with the British people. When her mother died, he was far too busy to take over the running of the house, so he had appointed her in charge of all the domestic arrangements. And it was wonderful.
She now had charge of the appointments of Bearer, Mahli, Dhobiman and Sweepers. She was responsible for all the expenses necessary to run a home appropriate for a man of such prosperity and the beauty was that her father was really stupid. He had no idea of the costs of everything, so she kept the Bearer on a tight reign and indented for at least twice as much as she paid out, so she now had her own bank account and it was filling up nicely.
If this was to last for the next five years, she would have enough money to leave and set up her own establishment, free from her stupid father and from any second wife that he might decide to marry.
As she closed her eyes, she thanks Kali for all she had done for her.
Joginder, the Bearer, stretched luxuriously as he retired for the night. As he snuggled down into the bed he thought, “I cannot believe that the Gods have shown me so much favour.”
When he had taken the job of Bearer in this wonderful house, he had no idea that he would be responsible to such a stupid girl as Sunita. He was able to go to the market each Sunday and purchase two goats, two lambs, several chickens, ducks and etc, together with all the other food necessary for such a large household. And she was so lazy that she had no idea of the costs of anything. He now fed and housed his family for nothing and had a very large bank account into which he religiously paid all his super-charges every week. If this went on for a few years, he would have enough money to start up his own business. Perhaps he might have enough not to have to work himself, but just to employ people to run it for him.
As he closed his eyes, he thanked the Gods for all they had done for him.
Ahmed, the Mahli, stretched luxuriously as he retired for the night. As he snuggled down into the bed he thought, “I cannot believe that the Gods have shown me so much favour.
He had been desperate for work when Joginder had taken him on. His master at that time was cruel and mean and he had worked all the hours of daylight for just accommodation of the poorest kind. Now he had control of this large piece of land. He had set out the formal gardens in the British style as this seemed to suit the big boss and at the back of the house he had a massive vegetable garden.
The Gods had certainly smiled on him when they gave him a boss like Joginder. He did not know one plant from another and had no idea as to how to grow things, so Ahmed had free reign as long as he kept the kitchen supplied with vegetables, Memsahib supplied with fresh flowers every day and the formal gardens suitably grand to impress any visitor who came to the house.
It was good that Joginder was so stupid. He didn’t know the cost of anything in the garden and had no idea that the amount of vegetables and flowers grown were far too much for the household, so it had been easy to amass large amounts of money by supplying produce to people outside. He had a bank account for the first time in his life and loved to see how the balance grew when he deposited his spare money each week.
As he closed his eyes, he thanked the sun and the moon, for all they had done for him.
‘No name’, the sweeper, an untouchable, stretched happily as he retired for the night. As he snuggled down into his paliasse he thought, “I cannot believe that the Gods have shown me so much favour.”
As he closed his eyes, he thanked his Gods that he had a bed and shelter! |
