Who is the bumpkin now! : The Tribune India

Join Whatsapp Channel

Who is the bumpkin now!

On the very first day of my posting in a government department, I got introduced to Mr Varma, the only senior colleague in my branch.

Who is the bumpkin now!


LR Sharma

On the very first day of my posting in a government department, I got introduced to Mr Varma, the only senior colleague in my branch. He readily took charge of me like an elder. I too acquiesced to his tutelage because I was ignorant about everything, including the little town where I was posted. In a sense, I was an uncouth village lad, straight out of college. I abhorred smoking and drinking. 

‘What kind of a field officer will you make? This is a tough job. You should be acquainted with these stress-busters, otherwise you will have to fold your tent and go home,’ he warned. I was petrified with the scenario he presented before me on the first day of my joining! Yet, I was impressed with his demeanour, his impeccable dress sense, the way he puffed the cigarette, like actor Dev Anand. ‘Come for dinner with me at 7 pm. You need a brief.’ I swallowed the jibe, but was happy at the dinner invitation.

When I arrived, there were three of them sitting across a table in a small cubicle of a hotel. I was asked to occupy the fourth seat. Behind me was an open bay window, on which a vase adorned a fern plant that swayed in the soft breeze. A bottle of liquor, four glasses and a jug of water sat on the table. 

Mr Varma introduced me to his friends and asked one of them to serve us all. ‘Please, not for me!” I pleaded. An enraged Mr Varma gestured to his other friend, ‘Prashar, hold his hands, Parmar will drain the stuff in his throat. He is not to remain a meek dud in the department!’ 

As they got up, I shrieked, ‘Please stop, I will do as told! But I will take only one small.’ They clapped and agreed. ‘Okay, the elixir will work in its own way.’ I lifted the glass, clinked with theirs and then touched the rim to my lips, pretending to take a sip. I had been a ragging-hardened college student. Assured of my obedience, the trio got busy in drinking and discussing mundane topics. In a flash, I got an idea. Stealing a glance, I emptied the glass in the pot on the window and silently heaved a sigh of relief, continuing the act of sipping for the next half an hour. ‘I am feeling dizzy,’ I moaned, clamping my head with both hands. They exchanged glances and smiled. ‘The stuff is working fine with the kid.’ They all laughed.

After a long wait, dinner finally arrived. I was so hungry that I literally pounced on the food, caring little for the scant table manners that I had learnt. ‘Look, the hungry wolf is devouring greedily,’ Parmar quipped. They laughed again. 

But I had the last laugh. The dumb bumpkin had taken them for a ride. My forced initiation to Bacchus had failed.

Top News

'When government changes...': Rahul Gandhi after Rs 1,800 crore fresh I-T notice to Congress

'When government changes...': Rahul Gandhi after Rs 1,800 crore fresh I-T notice to Congress

The Congress leader accuses the BJP of indulging in ‘tax ter...

Chief Judicial Magistrate's court in UP's Banda orders judicial inquiry into death of gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari

UP court orders judicial probe into gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari’s death, seeks report in a month

Ghazipur MP Afzal Ansari on Tuesday alleged that his brother...

‘Heart attack or poisoning’: The life and times of Mukhtar Ansari—crime and politics

‘Heart attack or poisoning’: The life and times of Mukhtar Ansari—crime and politics

Eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh are among the poorest regions...

CBI files chargesheet against 20 institutes, 105 individuals in Himachal Pradesh multi-crore scholarship scam

CBI files chargesheet against 20 institutes, 105 individuals in Himachal Pradesh multi-crore scholarship scam

22 educational institutions were on CBI radar in the scholar...


Cities

View All