Let them rest in peace

Greed. A sin that has seduced the best of mankind from times unknown. Many a treacherous journey he undertook in search of treasures hidden as greed became his god. Man dared to venture into the nature's womb, enticed by the riches it held. Closer and closer he got to hell. But is he prepared for it's secrets, only time will tell.

His gaze was fiery. His skin glowing. The thews of his forearm rippling. His tall frame casting an impressive shadow as he stood over his nemesis. He offered a prayer as he raised his hammer to strike down. 

This was the 34th time Radhesh was tightening the leaking joint. He was impressed by the remarkable endurance of his bodily pores to sweat profusely for hours on end. His eyes, after protesting the moisture for a while, now simply refused to work. He sensed their presence only from the burning. His arms, slippery from all the perspiration were using muscles he did not know existed, to hold on to the hammer. 
His phone rang before he could strike. Had the phone been cheaper or him wealthier Radhesh would have gladly smashed the electronic nuisance. 
 
"Good afternoon young man. It's bright and sunny out there eh?" Radhesh was not impressed by his CO's observation skills. It was Tamil Nadu. Barring exceptions, it was always bright and sunny out there. But entering into an extended telephonic conversation with one's boss regarding the meteorological idiosyncrasies of the state seemed imprudent.   
"Indeed sir"
"So all's well what?"
"Indeed sir"
"Well, Radhesh, things are to the contrary here in the office".
"Wow. It rained there? That is good sir. You know the state urgently req..."
"Oh! Don't be silly young man. I was talking about the epidemic we are under the grip of!"  
"Sir?" Radhesh was jolted. A popular reaction when the conversational rhythm is so rudely disturbed by one's interlocutor. Besides he had no inkling that he was so out of sync with the daily affairs of the state. An epidemic right under his nose and he had no whiff? Perhaps a breeze through the newspaper once every leap year would do him good.     
"Yes, my boy. The epidemic of loneliness. It has already pushed 4 of our best to get married this month. It is a catastrophe I tell you. Nothing less!" 

At this point, someone not privy to the state of affairs might consider Mr J.Ranganathan, Radhesh's boss, to be a heartless man vis-a-vis his stance on the marital affairs of his subordinates. Radhesh knew otherwise. Mr J was, usually, a tender soul with his heart intact and well. The sudden onset of a romantic fervor amongst the young brigade, however, had left his department scrambling in a manpower crisis. A severe one. There were unconfirmed rumours that Mr Ranganathan had personally requested the prospective grooms to get married in a staggered fashion and proposed auspicious dates that were convenient from the organisation's stand point.  Apparently the proposal did not go down well with the wedding parties. 

"Oh yes. I heard sir".

"Then you must also be aware that we are in a tight spot of sorts." Mr J hesitated.
To describe oneself as percipient might be deemed immodest in a cultured society. But Radhesh knew what was to follow. Closed door discussions rarely remained a secret in his oganisation. The lesser the people involved in the discussion, the faster the information spread. As if each worked harder to compensate for the numerical disadvantage. Anyway, Radhesh's moles in the higher echelons had conveyed that the management, after careful consideration, had arrived at an amicable solution for the manpower crisis. Any individual taller than 6 feet and heavier than 90kgs was to perform their shift duty alone. A punishment for being liked a little better by the gods. 
  
 "Radhesh, let me be honest with you", Mr J continued. 
"We need someone dynamic to handle night shift at the rigless testing site TNP#1. You are the best we have. I know you shall accept the challenge with gusto and will not be so brazen as to question your willingness. Pack your bags. We will try and shift you as early as possible. Good things should not be delayed, eh? Oh, and please note that you will be alone at the site. So that's that. Cheerio!"


Radhesh wanted to protest. By the time he had found the words to respond Mr J had long hung up, and was 2 sets down in his regular evening tennis match. 

TNP#1. "The well from hell", as the overdramatic drilling crew liked to refer to it. The well was plagued by several delays, unanticipated complications and minor accidents inciting the more credulous to suggest the involvement of paranormal beings. A common phenomenon across all rigs. The drilling rig and it's crew had since moved moved to a new location. But the stories they sowed still flourished. 

Standing at 6'3" tall and tipping the scales at the century mark, Radhesh was the ideal Oil and Gas professional. His job interview had lasted the whole of 2 minutes. There was scarce competition for a man of his proportions especially to the south of India.  "Majestic!" one of the interviewers had commented as Radhesh bowed his head to pass through the doorway, the top of which would have been of no particular interest to the average Indian but posed a safety threat to Radhesh. 

That was half a decade ago. 5 years of being a production engineer in the oil industry and he was yet to meet anyone from the other side of life. Nor did such an encounter interest him. You see, Radhesh was a man of reason. Logical and Grounded. He firmly believed that if it came down to a hand to hand with the dead his dimensions, as impressive as they were, would not be of much stead. If anything, the greater acreage per unit body only made him a more attractive target.

Circumstances as they were, it was with trepidation that Radhesh arrived for duty next day. Dhanraj was his reliever in the day shift. A veteran with more than 3 decades in the industry he was a colourful character although some might opine that his display of hues resembled the pragmatic approach of a chameleon rather than the opulence of a butterfly. He always had engaging stories for those who cared to listen. His most popular ones "The headless hunter of Hitlerpuram", "The Mad Magician of Madanam" and "The Bloody banshee of Bhuvanagiri" were retold across different parts of India.

"This site is haunted, I tell you sir. They should have shut the bloody well for the night! The other day I told Mr J straight to his face that neither me nor any sane man would stay here alone at night!". Dhanraj was already inside the shift vehicle before it had come to a complete halt. Remarkable agility for a man who considered movement of any sort to be overrated.

"Must have gotten Ranganathan sir all flustered eh?" 
"Well it did. Initially. Then he said he would send you". Such ingenuity. Radhesh could not but admire the intricacy with which the insult was incorporated. 

"Sir, let me ask you something. Do you believe in afterlife?" Dhanraj continued. 

Radhesh suspected there was more to this query than just a casual philosophical tete-a-tete. 

"Either way let me tell you a story. You know that kid Sekhar from mechanical? One night, he was relieving himself behind the electrical in charge's bunk when a stone landed so near him as if someone with poor aim had targeted him. He sensed someone was approaching him from his right side. "Too quick to be a mere mortal", the kid swears. He stopped the pee business midway, a superhuman feat, nothing less, and bolted back towards his bunk. You know how quick that kid is. Yet, before he could reach his bunk a hand grabbed him by his shoulder, he says. Such strength in those arms. He was brought to a standstill in an instant. He swears he heard the words "You pest! That is the last time...." before passing out. So unfortunate"

"Oh unfortunate indeed. Was he alright?" Not that Radhesh found the story plausible but one had to show that one was capable of compassion once in a while.

"Oh the kid is fine. Heard that he has not taken a leak to his satisfaction since the incident though. The unfortunate part, however, was that the poor sod could not hang on a few seconds longer to hear out what that dead soul was so upset about!"

"Dead soul? I don't think there is any post life involvement there Dhanraj ji", Radhesh smiled patronisingly at his colleague.

"Did you not hear my story sir? The kid was attacked. You should speak to shekar yourself".

"Ah yes. The attack. My guess for the mystery assailant is the Electrical in charge himself. He has been known to protest quite vehemently against the use of the backside of his bunk as a latrine"

Dhanraj merely smirked and seemed to have said " All the best" with his thumbs up, although the words Radhesh heard were "You will find soon enough".   

Rigless testing, as the name suggests is when you test an oil or gas well after the rig has been transported to a different location. An ideal profession for someone who prefers solitude. Radhesh was the only living being at the site that had less than 6 legs and could move around. Noting down the flowing pressures every half an hour can become quite the mundane activity and by midnight Radhesh was convinced that some some company, even from the other side of life would be preferable to the prevalent silence. His collection of 90s hit Tamil songs had run out. Radhesh was wondering if he should venture into the next millennium or stick with the 90s albeit the not so hit ones.

"Thambi!" (Brother in tamil), Radhesh felt a hand grab his shoulder. There are moments in one's life where one would prefer that one's consciousness leaves him in peace rendering him unaware of what happens next with his life. The present scenario qualified as one. However, as much as Radhesh wanted it, his consciousness seemed unwilling to abandon him at this crucial juncture. 
The grip on his shoulder tightened. Almost painful. Radhesh wondered if the hand had a body attached to it but did not have the courage to turn around. What if it was just a hand? 

"Thambi, Neruppu (Fire)!!" 
Oh! So that was how he was to go. Unfortunate. He had wanted to donate his body for the posterity to learn, but arguing with a dead soul about the betterment of future generations seemed counter intuitive. His mind was racing. This was when one counts his regrets was it not? What was his? Did he have any regrets? "Oh come on! You imbecile! You can't even find a regret?" Radhesh cursed himself as his mind let him down for one last time.

"Thambi, look at the fire!!" the hand forcefully turned his head towards the gas flare. Balls of fire were dropping off from the flare line. As Radhesh watched the nearby field was turning crimson. He may not have spent time reminiscing on the regrets of his life, but there were few sharper than him when it came to his job. He pieced together the scenario in an instant. Oil had somehow passed into the gas flaring line and then spilled from the line onto the nearby field. If not doused immediately it would spread. A calamity was imminent.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. All one needs to overcome a fear was a greater fear. For Radhesh, the fear of hurting someone else was greater than the fear of a personal harm. The adrenaline kicked in. The hormone had to be acknowledged and Radhesh spurned into action. First the oil supply had to be cut off. He checked the pipe lines for a leak. Sure enough he found a by pass valve slightly open which caused the oil to enter the flaring line. He shut off the valve. It seemed weird that both Dhanraj and himself had missed it during their routine inspections. But blame game was not a sport he indulged in. Now for the fire. He rushed to field, fire extinguisher in his hand and determination in his heart. He assessed the scene. Not too much oil had entered the flaring line and the fire had not spread beyond a limited area. Even the small extinguisher in his hand would do the trick. 

Once the fire had been doused and the area was secure, Radhesh's thoughts went to the preservation of his job. Had anyone else witnessed the incident? It was 01:00 AM. There were no spectators to watch the event. The fire had done no apparent damages either. All seemed well.

A man in white shirt and white dhoti was waiting near the well as Radhesh got back from his tussle with the inferno. Radhesh had forgotten about the wretched limb. Must be the owner of the hand Radhesh guessed, his intellect, buttressed by the elevated adrenaline churning out astute thoughts. In a way he was relieved that a body was, in fact, attached to the hand and it was not just a severed hand that had spoken to him. Must be in his 60s. There seemed no malice in that charming smile of his. Was there? Of course the big question remained. Dead or Alive?

"Thank you sir. Things would have gone beyond my control by the time I saw the fire. Everything is fine now. No damage done. In fact I believe the little ash might help the field!" Radhesh had to convince the gentleman that all was well lest he alerted the other villagers about the incident. 
"Come thambi. Come sit down and have some water. You did good. no one will notice. Do not worry" 
Although not convinced that his life was entirely safe just yet, Radhesh was beginning to relax a little. The shoulders returning to neutral position. An awkward moment of silence passed. Should he engage in small talk?  As someone who generally preferred not to start a conversation with a stranger or even with a close acquaintance, the very thought of starting a conversation with a being whose dead or alive status was yet to be confirmed was preposterous. He had read something about social awkwardness, what was that? Yes. 'You can afford to be socially awkward after you have been successful'. Wow. Not even remotely connected to his present predicament was it? 
"What is your name thambi?" Radhesh was saved from the inner turmoil.
"Radhesh...sir"
"Radhesh. That is a good name. I am Vyramuthu"
"That is a good name too sir" It was pertinent on such occasions that one be polite lest one incur the irk of the phantom being. Vyramuthu laughed as if he knew Radhesh did not give 2 pennies as to his name.
"You know all this land, this is mine. Our's."
"Oh is it? That is good sir" So he was the owner of the land. That was a relief. Radhesh finally gave the elderly gentleman a smile. Although the fortunes of real estate did not fascinate our innocent hero, he still wondered who the 'Our's' was.
"Yes. I love this place so much that I used to sleep here. Oh, Radhesh! This used to be such a peaceful place. Then, one fine morning you fellows started coming here with those huge machines and enormous trucks. All that noise and light. Pounding away at the ground. I and some others like me lost my sleep that day thambi! These days I just wander about at night"

Radhesh gulped. The pertinent question here was when Vyramuthu mentioned sleep did he mean above or below the ground? But, as cats had shown, curiosity could kill you. 

Radhesh, being a pragmatic man, realised that an apology would be the more propitious approach at least on a near term basis. Questions were for a later time. 

"I am sorry if we disturbed you sir. But you should know that it has been only a few hours since I have arrived at this location and against my wishes at that. Moreover, those guys and I belong to entirely different departments. Nobody likes them, I tell you. Technically, I cannot be held responsible for your lost sleep under such circumstances can I? I can do you a favour though. I can find you the names of those involved along with their current locations if you would prefer to confront them regarding the inconveniences they had caused you"
Vyramuthu laughed. Not the ideal response one would expect in a truce proposal. But before Radhesh could reiterate his proposal Vyramuthu became somber. Almost melancholic.
"You are a good kid Thambi. Working hard. Your parents must be proud"
"Well...." No one had found a modest response for that
"I have a son too. Looks just like you. Well, a little fairer and a little shorter I think. Definitely slimmer. But overall just like you."
"Is it? What does he do?"
"Nothing. Ruining his life and his family's! Loafing around all day not giving a care in the world. I don't know what he is going to do now that I can no longer support him" Again Radhesh wondered about the reason for Vyramuthu's lack of support for his son. Old age or death? 
"You will see him in the morning" Vyramuthu continued. "He comes here for his daily routines, if you know what I mean" Vyramuthu gave Radhesh a sly smile.
"Of course. Why does everyone... you know do it here?" Old or abandoned wells always attracted poor chaps looking for some relief from the strains of excess load on the bowels.  
"I don't know. I suppose the smell here is a sort of laxative" Vyramuthu said with a straight face and then both of them laughed.
"He was a good kid you know. But bad friendships! Alcohol! That ruined his life. I am convinced that he will mend his ways if given an opportunity"

"Hm..." radhesh nodded. 

"Maybe you could help him thambi. You seem like a big officer. Can you try?"
He was not a big executive. He knew he was the smallest of fish in his organisation. Truth be told, he did not have the authority to sanction the purchase of a paper pin let alone get anyone employment. However, there was a look of hope in Vyramuthus's eyes. How could the eyes of a dead man be so alive? Radhesh did not want to disappoint those eyes. Nor did he want to upset a dead man.
His department was, in fact, looking for some local labourers, on contract basis, for laying down some pipe lines at this well site and several other sites nearby. Maybe he could speak with Ranganathan sir regarding this.
"I will try Vyramuthu sir. But I cannot give any promises just yet. And if it does happen, it will be on temporary basis. Maybe a couple of months?"
"Oh! That is fine thambi. It is a start. May god bless you" Vyramuthu was almost in tears. 

The fact that ghosts believed in gods validated their existence didn't it? Radhesh thought. While never a staunch believer, he had never scorned nor arraigned the many gods he had been introduced to even under the influence of a strong communist peer group back in his college days. At least that gamble went his way.
"Please ask him to meet me by 6.30 in the morning. My shift ends at 07:00."
"Oh thambi I can't speak to him about this. If it is meant to be, he himself will come meet you thambi. His name is Karigalan"
"If you say so sir."
"Thank you once again. Your parents are truly blessed. Oh! I forgot. Ask your crane driver thambi to be gentle while driving his motorbike won't you. Our streets are small. Our kids not used to high speed traffic either. We don't want anything untoward happening to anyone right thambi?"
"Of course. I will warn our crane operator."
"Thambi. Talking to you has made my mind lighter. Maybe I will get some sleep now. See you"
"Good night sir" Radhesh said as Vyramuthu walked away from him. The well site suddenly seemed to be engulfed in fog. Despite his best efforts Radhesh could not make out where Vyramuthu was headed to as he disappeared just as aruptly as he had appeared. As per tradition, since ghosts were usually responsible for tailing around humans, Radhesh decided not to pursue the soul.


At 6:00, as Radhesh was taking the final readings to wrap up his shift he noticed a man loitering about his bunk. The chap must have been in his early 30s. Upon close observation, radhesh noticed the following. He was: 

"Fairer and shorter. 
Definitely slimmer.
And overall nothing like him what so ever"
There! That had a nice ring to it. Perhaps a career in the music industry might have done him well. Anyway Radhesh guessed that he was about to have a conversation with Vyramuthu's son

"Good morning sir. I am Karigalan"
"Ah yes! Nice to meet you. Your father had mentioned you" 
Karigalan was silent for a while. 
"Did you say my father?"
Radhesh nodded. Tentatively.
"No sir. You are mistaken. He left us awhile back"
That was exactly what Radhesh was afraid of. While a great business opportunity for those who faked it, Necromancy or the ability to see and speak with the dead was certainly an inconvenience that Radhesh would have preferred to avoid.  
"I am sorry ji. It must have been someone else then."
"That is fine sir. It has been some years now. Our crops had failed us for 3 years in a row. You know the pressure from the debtors, the public humiliation and shame. Too much for a proud man. He took his own life."
"Oh! Again I am sorry". So it had been some time since Vyramuthu had passed on. Well, he did not pass on exactly. Why was he loitering around here when more exciting realms awaited him.

"hmm" Karigalan cleared his throat.

 "Oh! Was there something I could help you with?"
"Indeed there is sir. Do you think there would be some work I could find here. Any work would be fine sir". 
"I can try but cannot promise anything yet as I had told your .....", Radheh remembered that he could not mention Karigalan's father and still appear sane.

"I cannot promise you anything. Let me talk to my office. Come meet my colleague here by afternoon won't you? He will let you know"
Karigalan was profuse in his gratitude. 


During the charge hand over, Dhanraj seemed a little disappointed when Radhesh did not report any paranormal activities at night. Radhesh had no intention of being a character in one of Dahnraj's stories. Besides who would believe him? Some experiences remain true only till they are shared. 

"And Dhanraj ji, we need manpower for our pipelines right? One of the locals seemed interested. I have asked him to come meet you in the afternoon. Could you speak with Ranganathan sir regarding that? And..." Radhesh stopped himself. The crane operator was only available in the day. Radhesh could not have personally witnessed the said individual's stunts on the 2 wheeler could he? Random warnings regarding someone's driving skills might get him recommended for a psych eval.
"Forgot what you wanted to say eh sir? That is fine. You know youngsters these days are showing early symptoms of dementia. Lack of physical exertion if you ask me"
"Alright then Ji, I will see you in the evening" Radhesh tapped the driver's shoulder indicating him to speed up a little bit. Any more delay and Radhesh would have to listen to one of Dhanraj's famous "back in our day we used to carry horses on our backs and not the other way around" stories.

"Ranganathan sir was so desperate he would have taken anything with 4 limbs that could get the work done. Apparently there are so many lines to be laid your boy was asked if he could supply more manpower. Turned him into a contractor eh? You should ask for a commission sir, I tell you! Or have you already? Hahaha" Dhanraj had scoffed. There was a tone of interrogation in that laughter that Radhesh chose to ignore. 

"Oh! And one more thing sir. I could not load our tubings today. Our crane operator had not reported for duty. The nitwit met with an accident. Apparently he landed himself in a ditch while avoiding a goat on the road. What a chump!" 

Dhanraj's comments during the charge hand over were always rich in its literary depth. 

01:00 hrs the next day. With each rustle of a leaf or a sudden blow of wind, Radhesh jumped and looked around anticipating a hand on the shoulder and "Thambi in his ear". But Vyramuthu finally seemed to have found some sleep. Radhesh was in 2 minds though. Yes, he was afraid. There was no guarantee that a conversation with a dead soul would go well just because it went well the previous time. It was always a tight rope. The post life beings that he had heard or read about had always seemed incapable of handling their emotions well. Sensitive beings they were. Things were to the contrary with Vyramuthu though. He seemed to possess immense restraint. Besides Radhesh enjoyed the excitement. The lack of charm with the fairer sex rendered Radhesh devoid of a romantic interest that could keep him company through the night.

He had news to share with vyramuthu as well.

"Thambi!", the voice and the hand on the shoulder were now familiar to Radhesh.

"Yes sir. So good to see you" Radhesh was surprised at the words that he heard himself say
"Oh so good indeed. Thank you for helping out Karigalan. I saw his family happy after a long time today"
"Oh. I did nothing sir" Radhesh beamed and continued.

 "My colleague tells me that our crane operator met with an accident today. Apparently he veered his vehicle to avoid hitting a goat and lost control of his vehicle"
"I know. I was there thambi"
Of course, Radhesh thought. If Vyramuthu could predict the future, being at the present seemed a walk in the park.
"You know it was not completely the crane thambi's fault. Our roads have not been repaired since very long. It used to be fine. Don't mind me saying this thambi, but it was your heav vehicles that initiated the damages to our roads. Then came the rains, of course"
Yet again Radhesh had no clue how to respond. It seemed as if he had already apologised for the entire organisation 2 times over. Any more apologies might just seem manufactured. Besides, an apology did nothing to improve things did it?
"Have you noticed our street lighting thambi?"
"Not really. No"
"Exactly. That is because of the abysmal state it is in. The other day my grandchild suffered a snakebite because of the poor illumination".
"Is there no one you can complain to?"
Vyramuthu smiled tragically. The smile of a disillusioned man.
"Governments have come and gone. Big officers and their henchmen keep visiting us only to see if our servitude can match up to their egos. Their pockets filled with our sorrows. That is the truth of this village."
Radhesh had never found Social work to be his calling. But his insensitivity was not to be blamed. The heart, though probably covered under several layers of cholesterol, was still soft and when introduced to such melancholies was moved. He simply had no clue how or where to start. 
"I see that my stories have troubled you thambi and it is of no concern to you. That is the sign of a good heart. But you have important work to do. I do not wish to bother you with my sorrows son. How many days will you be here for?"
"Another 10 days"
"A lot of time for us to talk later then. Will see you later thambi". There was the mysterious fog again into which the wraith disappeared.


Over the course of the next few nights, a similar pattern followed and Radhesh had become quite fond of his conversations with Vyramuthu. They had deep conversations his job, his life but majorly about Vyramuthu's village. Radhesh felt like he knew the village and its people personally. Their sorrows started becoming his own. A week later things had reached a certain point where he was losing sleep over the distress of the villagers. Their school needed new roofs. Their homes needed toilets. And here he was sleeping in an air conditioned room with running hot water. The guilt was eating into him. 

Radhesh's organisation did have a social outreach progarm. Although he had not met him, Radhesh had a heard a lot about the head of the program, Mr Arumukham. An exceptional gentleman. One phone call and he would make your troubles his own, Radhesh had heard. Once, during the pandemic, Mr Arumukham had personally travelled from Chennai to Madurai to arrange a hospital bed for a colleague in emergency. He is not without his critics though. The more cynical amongst the mankind might find offense with the fact that Arumukham was never available at his rig site where his primary role as an employee of the organisation lay. His altruism often took precedence over his duty. A small clink in an otherwise exemplary character that Radhesh was willing to overlook.

Yes. Arumukham sir was the right man to approach. For once in his life he would take the initiative and reach out to a stranger for the people of Eraly. Vyramuthu's village. His village.

 

"Sir, I am Radehsh, an engineer in the production department"
"Yes. Yes. Radhesh. The tall fellow right?" Radhesh was surprised that Arumukham remembered him despite having met only once. That too briefly. Then again there were not many Indians who were above 6'3"
"Yes sir. Are you on duty?"
"Yes Radhesh. I have come briefly to the kalappal panchayat for some work but otherwise I am on duty. Tell me Radhesh." Radhesh ignored the fact that Arumukham's rig was now in Tiruthuraipundi, a good 20Km away from the said location. He had things to get done. 

Radhesh described the whole scenario to Arumukham who was a willing listener.
"First of all thank you Radhesh. We were, in fact, in the lookout for a good project for this year's CSR funds. Can you get a representative from there to draft a letter citing their demands? I think even the management would be in favour considering the number of wells we have planned there!"

Radhesh was elated. He lost sleep yet again but now out of excitement rather than guilt. He joined the rarefied company of the few, if any, who could ever claim to be anxious to catch up with a ghost. Vyramuthu would be exhilarated. Radhesh wanted to see those lively eyes of the dead man light up. 

Midnight passed. Then another hour and then another. Soon the first rays of sunlight were lighting the skies with hues radhesh did not particularly appreciate. His last duty of the shift was coming to an end. He did not know if he would ever meet Vyramuthu again. Of course he did not want vyramuthu or any unsalvated soul for lack of a better word for that matter to follow him home. But he did rue not being given the opportunity to play the "Bringer of hope" role. Selfish. Maybe. But if Narcissism could help a village what was the fault? 

At exactly 6:00 hours Karigalan reported to the well site for his daily activities. His was the most accurate biological clock radhesh had seen. Radhesh called him over and conveyed the gist of his conversation with Arumukham to Karigalan.  Karigalan thanked him copiously.

"Nominate someone from the village's side to carry out the negotiations with our organisation at the earliest, before the cSR funds are utilised elsewhere. And Karigalan, do one thing for me. Please name the new road, if it does get sanctioned, in Sri Vyramuthu's name wont you?"
"Sure sir".
 To Radhesh's surprise, Karigalan did not seem flustered with the fact that Radhesh knew his father. Nor was there any query regarding the request that should have sounded weird to a normal person. Radhesh let it pass.

"Deeper and deeper I plunge into the darkness, soothed by the knowledge that the greater I traverse the night, the closer I am to light" 

2 years had passed since his "escapade in Eraly Episode" as he liked to call it. He had not had the opportunity to visit Eraly again in those 2 years. He had not recounted his experience to anyone. Not even his wife. For an outsider, nothing about him had changed. He was still the 6'3" giant. He may have left the century mark significantly behind but he was still the hardest worker in the field. Yet the event had left an indelible impact on him. And the fact that he could not say a proper goodbye to his old friend left him with a feeling of incompleteness. As if his business there was unfinished.
He was euphoric when he finally got assigned a well in Eraly again. It almost felt like homecoming. He noticed that the streets had gotten wider and the tarmac shone black. The dilapidated School was now a proper building. "M Vyramuthu lane", the sign on a road read. Radhesh smiled. 

Around a 100m away, he noticed an old man with a child on his lap. The little chap was laughing hysterically as he watched the antiques of a kid goat. The aged soul had on a white shirt and a white dhoti reminding him of Vyramuthu. Even his face... No it could not be. Radhesh got a little closer to confirm. Yes. It indeed was Vyramuthu. In the 2 intervening years, Radhesh was yet to be disturbed by any being from the afterlife. And now he was seeing a whole family of ghosts? Even dead goats? Now Karigalan was stepping out from the house and talking to Vyramuthu! Was he dead too? Eraly seemed to be making Radhesh loose his mind.

"Sir??" Radhesh had not noticed his driver shaking him. He must have been in a trance for a while.

"Sudhakar. You see that family there?" Radhesh asked his driver.
"Which one sir?"
So it was just as he feared. He was apparently seeing family of ghosts now. Is it a family of ghosts or do we have some weird name for a group of ghosts like a school of ghosts or a pride of ghosts?
"Oh! you mean Vyramuthu anna?"
Radhesh was startled as any man would be. He was convinced that the ability to see beyond life was limited to certain chosen individuals. 
"How do you know this Vyramuthu?"
"Sir, Vyramuthu anna is a demi god in our village. Everyone reveres Vyramuthu anna, the great Sarpanch of Eraly"
"What are you blabbering about? How can that man be....He is..." Lost for words Radhesh looked at his driver pleading for more explanation
"He maylook old sir, but he is irreplaceable I tell you. Why do you think he has been the Sarpanch for almost 2 decades now? You know he even decided not to marry for serving this village selflessly"
"You are clearly misguided in your data collection dear Sudhakar. The man was clearly married. You too see that happy family over there don't you?"
" No sir. I am afraid at this point you are the one making the wrong assumption. That is Karigalan and his family"

"Exactly my point"

"What do you mean sir?" 

"What do you mean what do I mean?" Radhesh realised the he was losing cool for no fault of Sudhakar's.

"Sorry Sudhakar. Let us try again. You say vyramuthu is not married?"

"Yes sir"

"So this Karigalan fellow is not Vyramuthu's son?"
"No sir. Karigalan's father had passed away a long time back. Suicide. Financial troubles after a crop failure apparently. Anyway Karigalan went away for a while. As far as I know he used to work in the oil field in Saudi or Kuwait or some place like that. They say, he was really good at his work. He came back after an accident. Became an alcoholic. Always creating trouble for his family. It was Vyramuthu anna who finally got him a job you know"

"I do. I do indeed" Slowly Radhesh started identifying the pieces that could solve a puzzle.

His driver seemed confused by this response.

"Karigalan is like a son to Vyramuthu anna. In fact there are a bunch of youngsters here that Vyramuthu anna is really fond of and refers to as his sons. He treats them as such too. These fellows would do anything for Vyramuthu anna, they say. His own army. Such personal bonds helped Vyramuthu anna to remain a Sarpanch for as long as he has been. In fact he has seldom faced an opposition in the elections. If my memory serves me right, he has only been challenged once before. I think that was a ...."
"A couple of years back" Radhesh completed the statement for his driver. That was when he had visited Eraly last.  

"And then what happened?" Radhesh ignored the shocked expression on his driver's face. 
"Well sir, anna might look like a simpleton but his political mind is sharp. as the saying goes "Cometh the hour Cometh the man. He came up with this brilliant epiphany that if a company was benefitting from our village then the company needs to share some of that benefit with the village."
"And so he approached our organisation" The bigger picture was slowly forming in Radhesh's mind. 
"Yes sir. Vyramuthu anna keeps talking about a mystery benefactor.  I wonder who that is. Probably Arumukham sir. You know how he is when it comes to helping people. And all the advertisements that our organisation was giving to it's social work got the notice of the MLA and the district authorities. I guess they were ashamed. Soon they started chipping in. First came the roads, then the new School building, toilets, even street lights. All that you see around you sir, is the result of one man's perseverance. Vyramuthu anna. You can guess what happened in the elections cant you sir?"

"Oh Yes, I can!" Radhesh realised that he was played by a political mastermind. Every piece of the intricate puzzle that Vyramuthu had laid out for him seemed to be falling right into place. Starting with the fire. If Karigalan had worked in oil fields he must have a basic idea of the production lines and the gas flaring lines. All he had to do was open the by pass valve ever so slightly. Oh! How he was fooled. The fire created the backdrop for a grand entry for Vyramuthu. It also created a sense of obligation in Radhesh's mind. Vyramuthu lived around cattle. Getting a goat to run around on the roads as unsuspecting crane operators sped along must have been easy enough for him. The prediction of the accident created the trust. 

Once vyramuthu was inside radhesh's head came the crown jewel. The psychological manipulations. Oh Vyramuthu was a genius. It was as if Vyramuthu had known Radhesh for years. His preferences and his prejudices. His quirks and his fears all were used to weave an intricate story. 

Radhesh wondered if he should accost Vyramuthu. But for what? After all Vyramuthu never lied. He may have withheld the truth, but that was for the greater good of his village. And boy did it help. Perhaps every village needed a Vyramuthu. Someone willing to risk and sacrifice everything including his own identity for his people. 

Radhesh did not know how long he stood there lost in his thoughts. 

"Sir, Ranganathan sir called. He tried calling you but could not reach you. Sir, he says there is a change of plan and you are to attend duty at the rigless testing site AD#59. If you don't mind me saying this sir, it is a dangerous site. People say it is haunted". 

Radhesh smiled.