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An Enigmatic Poseur -- Part 5

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by ojaantrik, Mar 12, 2016.

  1. ojaantrik

    ojaantrik IL Hall of Fame

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    5. Epilogue ​

    This has been a long story. Yet a short epilogue is in order, at the cost of the reader's patience no doubt. A few weeks ago, I was speaking to the student who had inquired from Arnab the brand of his car. He teaches in Australia now and knew a little more than I did about Arnab's life in the US. I reminded him of the BMW conversation of the early nineties, to which he responded with a merry laugh. And then I asked him the question that I was itching to ask.

    "Have you ever met his wife?" I blurted out. He hesitated and then told me that, as far as he knew, Arnab had never married.

    For a reason I couldn't explain to myself, I got the answer that I was expecting. Arnab had been accused of being an imposter of sorts at a rather early age in his life. But he managed nonetheless to remain afloat in the river of life, rising up to a peak that not too many manage to reach.

    He is a successful professional, untouchably so, who continues to be a bachelor for reasons best known to him. While the girl he had once lost, lives still, languishing in benign neglect. Untouchably so, for reasons that are not hard to surmise.

    And I seriously doubt that the river of life will ever arrange for them to see each other again.
     
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  2. jayasala42

    jayasala42 IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Ojaantric,
    Your interesting narration of' "An Enigmatic Poseur' captivated me.A casual flow without any frills of artificiality.
    As a person much interested in studying the psychology of human beings I feel that this enigma is present in most of the individuals and common among women.It starts as an inferiority complex and travels in an opposite direction .The end product is your hero of the story.In our life we so many people with this enigma and most often they work hard and take inhuman efforts to make their words prove true.

    What starts as a blatant lie becomes a total reality.Many psychologists consider this as a good trait for success.Normally such traits are considered as part and parcel of human character and not considered a bad trait ( comparable to smokes and drinks)and for matrimony purposes normally this enigma does not stand as an impediment.
    I do not know whether what you have narrated is real time incident;
    It may be considered a human weakness that can be easily overcome but not a terrible trait to get anxious about of affecting career or personal matrimonial life.
    We are used to live in a world of imperfection and having come across many people of this sort in personal life,I don't consider this as an enigma at all.
    Thank you for having ingrained a psychological research topic in your fiction and made me introspect for a while.
    jayasala 42
     
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  3. Kamalji

    Kamalji IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear OJ,

    Wonderful and sad tale. Yes maybe Arnab wanted to prove to the girls parents and ot his friends, that he could become soemthing in life, and he did. And he never married, as he loved just that girl, who is not a widow, and neglected.

    Sad, but brilliant study OJ.You are the master, the finest writer that i have come across. Keep writing, please.

    Regards

    kamal
     
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  4. vaidehi71

    vaidehi71 IL Hall of Fame

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    Sir,

    Very well written story. I could not resist finishing it.

    Too many unanswered questions still remain even after reading it. All we could do is guess the reasons. Is it because of that girl, or did anyone else come inbetween as so many years have passed, Arnab alone knows it.

    But anyhow he has grown up in his field and has a successful career. Has that alone brought happiness to him, he alone knows it. The way he told about his BMW shows one thing, that he does not like to be boasting about his current status. Moreover a person changes a lot from being a young naive one to a more matured person as he goes through his life journey.

    Thanks for writing.
    Vaidehi
     
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  5. Balajee

    Balajee IL Hall of Fame

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    OJ what if it is long. It is absolutely captivating. This Arnab is far more interesting than the one who gives headaches to people on TV.
     
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  6. Viswamitra

    Viswamitra IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Sri Ojaantrik:

    Thank you for presenting such captivating real life incidents in your inimitable style. I couldn't resist reading all of them one after the other so that I can enjoy the flow of thoughts.

    First thing first. I believe the life of a human runs exactly the same way as the river originating and going through some rough places down the hill until it reaches the destination of ocean of love. I visualize the banks of the river as pleasure and pain and as long as the river doesn't indulge in either one of them and maintains equanimity, it would reach the ocean of love.

    Second, I am not sure whether it is the variety of eye wears that are offered in Calcutta or the choice of the Bengalis, almost everyone appeared to wear similar glasses to me for decades. It is like identifying a Chinese or Japanese in their respective countries as they all look alike unless we decide to have a closer look.

    Third, I am lost between the thoughts that why won't you help a well-meaning friend who wanted to save his cousin's daughter from winning the hands of a person who lied about his credentials to what was wrong in an eligible bachelor trying to win the heart of a woman by boosting his credentials with the hope that he could achieve higher goals after finding a great life partner.

    Fourth, I guess his disappointment in not winning the woman of his choice motivated him to achieve great heights but the bitterness he experienced in his effort at a young age caused him not to make an effort to find a life partner and remain single. Frankly, I thought the brilliant woman you interviewed was your friend's cousin's daughter who was a colleague of Arnab. If this was a fiction, the author would have given that twist for sure.

    Fifth, his early life lesson might have humbled him so much so that he stopped boosting anything in life and remain simple for the rest of his life.

    You are a wonderful writer and everyone knows it here. I also wonder how strong your memory is. Your neurons are very much in tact as young as your childhood days.

    Viswa
     
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  7. Cheeniya

    Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    My dear OJ
    I feel sad, very sad. I knew it wouldn't be a story. It has far too many real characters to make it a work of fiction. The River of Life be damned OJ. It can successfully ferry unworthy people to their destinations and sink the good ones mercilessly. I do hope Arnab does not carry any secret sorrows in his heart. His reticence acquired during his journey through life is indeed worrisome.
    Sri
     
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  8. jskls

    jskls IL Hall of Fame

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    Respected sir, what a story! Sad one indeed. Way you had presented was wonderful. I initially thought you were talking about the politician. Thanks for sharing. Enjoyed reading
     
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  9. satchitananda

    satchitananda IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear OJ-da, what a wonderful narrative. Enjoyed every bit of it, though must admit, I wish Arnab had had a happier life. It is really puzzling why life is so unkind to some persons for no apparent rhyme or reason. True, he made it to the helm of his professional career, but that is rather a one sided existence. He certainly deserved a more rounded one.

    You know, OJ-da, queer as it might sound, I feel reluctant to read the sequels of your stories - because I know it is leading to the end of the narrative and I just wish I could keep reading them for ever.
     
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  10. ojaantrik

    ojaantrik IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear jayasal 42,

    It is not a piece of fiction. However, I never discussed the issue with the protagonist. So, what I have presented is my view of the incident. There could be other angles from which one could view the thing. I am not sure that I shall be able to analyse the matter from a psychologist's point of view, formally speaking that is. But I have a psychological postscript to add to what I have said. I will bring it up below when I respond to Cheeniya. I could have said the things I have to add here itself. But Cheeniya is so upset that I think I shall wait till I come down to responding to his comment.

    oj
     

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