Bag of 50 Lakhs

Mr. Ranjit Bose was waiting for his friend. Last night, his friend Milan Rana called and said he would visit today. Ranjit hadn't seen Milan for two years. Milan was a businessman, but one day, the E.D raided his house. They suspected him of having black money. Milan came to Ranjit with a bag full of money, nearly 50 Lakhs. Ranjit wasn’t surprised by the money, but he was shocked to learn his friend was that rich. That day, Milan handed the bag to Ranjit and said, “Don’t tell anybody about me, just keep this bag. I’ll take it back in time.” Maybe today was that time, after two years.

Ranjit was ready with the bag. It was 10 am, but Milan still hadn’t shown up. Ranjit opened the bag for the second time since Milan gave it to him. He had kept it in the almirah and only took it out today. He hadn't touched a single rupee because he was just that honest, and he was convinced that money is the reason for human unhappiness. But this belief came after many failures to earn that much money. Seeing the money again, he wondered, "Why did his friend go to such extremes just to get this?"

Ranjit was reading newspaper while drinking tea. On the first page a big ad said, "3BHK for 30 lakhs!" He looked, counted floors in the picture, and then he looked around his house where he had been living in for 10 years, paying just 5000 rent. First floor, one bedroom, one kitchen, one bathroom and another room which was drawing room by day, garage at night and sometimes bedroom for guest. He was happy here. Actually he didn’t have that much money to buy a flat. So, he convinced himself that, he is actually happy here, these 3BHK flats, with swimming pool and lush green lawns were mere luxury. If you lived here for 10 years with no problem- just then a piece of plaster from ceiling fell into his tea. He noticed and smiled, because he had to be happy in this house.

After a while, the doorbell rang. "It must be Milan," Ranjit thought as he opened the door. But no, it was a monk begging door to door. Annoyed, Ranjit tried to shut the door, but then the monk said, “Ranjit, I am Milan Rana”.

Ranjit paused and reopened the door. It was Milan’s voice. Now he recognized the face. But what had happened to him? The Milan who was wanted by the police two years ago was now a bald monk in saffron robes!

All Ranjit could say was, “Come in.”

Milan and Ranjit sat on the sofa(cum bed). Before Ranjit could ask anything, Milan requested a glass of water. He drank it calmly and said, “Hare Krishna, He will bless you.”

Ranjit was baffled. Was Milan pretending to be a monk to escape the police? Monks give up everything, so why was he here? To take the money?

“Milan, don’t worry, you can speak freely here. Nobody is going to recognize you,” Ranjit reassured him.

Milan replied with a serene smile, “My dear friend, in the vast universe, I am just a tiny creation by the creator. It doesn’t matter if people recognize me or not, because I have nothing to hide.”

Ranjit was even more confused but decided to wait and see what Milan would say next.

“Ranjit, every people get the result of their karma at some point. I did a lot of frauds, dishonest scams, befooled innocent people. For what?” Milan continued, “Money and what did these money gave me? A Criminal tag”

Ranjit was speechless. Milan was talking like a real monk. Had he really changed?

“Okay, Ranjit, let’s get to the point,” Milan said. Ranjit got ready to hand him the bag.

“I’ve been trying to visit for a long time but couldn't find the right moment. If you don’t mind, please help me by giving some money as…” Before Milan could finish, Ranjit placed the bag in front of him. Surprisingly, Milan ignored it and continued, “...as a donation for our new ashram in this town.”

“Donation?” Ranjit echoed.

Milan took a paper from his bag, wrote “1000 rupees from Ranjit Bose,” and handed it to Ranjit.

Ranjit gave him a bewildered look. “Hey, all the money in this bag is yours.”

“No, no, my friend. It’s not mine,” Milan insisted.

“Remember, two years ago you came to me with this money, asking me to hide it safely. It’s been with me since then. The full 50 lakhs, all yours,” Ranjit tried to convince him.

But Milan was firm. He shook his head and refused to take the bag. He only wanted 1000 rupees for the donation.

Ranjit handed him 1000 rupees, and Milan left the house saying, “Hare Krishna.”

Ranjit closed the door. The questions about Milan still running in his mind, unanswered. But now a bag full of 50 lakhs was sitting on his table. He sat on the sofa, stared at money for a while, took newspaper, flipped back the page, took his phone and started dialling the number written in the ad.