The Colour Red-A Short Story

There was a time when we were the best of friends. 

In fact the word that comes to mind was 'inseparable'. 

Rudra and I did everything together. We were born  just five days apart - 

on the 2nd and 7th of September 1985 with me being the older cousin.

Oh I forgot to mention that our fathers Uday and Pratap Singh were twins 

and our mothers Ruhina and Anandi were best friends  too.

We grew up in the lap of luxury in a large and beautiful Haveli  called 'Umang' 

(Hope) in Rajasthan as our fathers were Princes- nobody actually called them 

Rajas or Maharajas any more after the titles were abolished by the government 

in the 60's but to the common people of the state, royalty was as blue blooded 

as ever and it would certainly take at least one more generation before that 

feeling of loyalty, some actually called it " reverence' , departed forever.

Image Courtesy-Getty Images

Growing up in the eighties had a very special charm, enhanced further by the 

fact that we lacked for nothing.The best of cars, bikes, dogs and horses 

and of course clothes and travel were things we took in our stride and now that 

I think of it , it clearly occurs to me that we were so well protected from 

the harsh reality of the real world by our doting parents that we no clue 

whatsoever of what lay ahead.

So do I blame anyone for that? No one except myself- I really should have seen 

it coming- that huge financial crash when our fathers died at the young age 

of 45, in a short span of just over two months. Yes, I remember reading 

somewhere that twins when separated by death or disaster tend to pine for 

their lost sibling and in many documented cases, follow them to the grave 

as well. So while the death of my Uncle Pratap who had pancreatic cancer 

was expected sooner rather than later, that of my father Uday Singh, of a 

massive cardiac arrest two months later, was entirely unexpected. 

And soon after that came the series of events that shaped the rest of our 

lives in so many different ways.

Before I continue with the story, I must tell you a little bit about myself. 

I'm Jai Singh and just like you might have seen in the movies, I look a lot like 

everyone's idea of the quintessential Indian Prince- tall, dark and handsome -

add to which a Mensa verified IQ of 148 and that is probably the reason that I 

even thought of undertaking what I did.But to know more about that you will 

have to wait just a little bit longer.

After my father died, I learnt that the Haveli  I thought would be our home 

forever had been put up as collateral to the bank and if I didn't arrange to 

pay back huge  loans  which my father and his brother had taken from the 

bank in order to keep up the foolishly affluent lifestyle that we had  grown so 

accustomed to over the years,  our home would be taken away in a matter of 

months. If we were really lucky, the bank might decide to extend the 

grace period to a  year. 

It took me some time to understand the exact implications of what would 

happen if we lost the Haveli.While we wouldn't exactly be homeless since 

there was one house in Delhi as well as another country home near London, 

this grand house was virtually our ' Pehchan' or if you will, our identity. 

It truly defined who we were and even more, what exactly we stood for, our 

ancestral lineage, in front of the world. As my mother Ruhina told me in the 

deep depths of her despair- the first over the very real loss of her dearly

beloved husband followed by the very likely loss of her home, "Without  Umang,

I too might as well be dead!" 

And if I thought her statement on that particular day just a wee bit exaggerated

,I really didn't think so a couple of weeks later as both she and my Aunt  Anandi

 seemed to be pining away at an equally rapid pace. From vibrant, beautifully 

maintained middle aged ladies before the passing of their husbands, they seemed to be slowly, but surely,  aging, and very rapidly at that, right in front of our eyes.

But what of Rudra in all this? It came to me as a stark and very uneasy 

realization one day that he really couldn't care less. It was all hunky dory as 

long as he had the unlimited funds that his rich father had provided him with 

and he could  squander  away much as he pleased - wining, dining and leading 

the good life all over the world for as long as he could. But on the day that I 

decided that  something had  to be done to raise the huge amount of money 

we needed to have to pay back the loans  our fathers had taken from the bank and started a discussion with him,   hoping that he would come up with something that would help me out, he just laughed

.Laughed out aloud - then looking at my sombre expression decided to change tactics.  " Or one of us could marry a billionaire."

Followed by a wink.

For some reason that I really cant define, I found that statement and that wink

very offensive.

And yet, I tried to be reasonable- or as reasonable as I could be under those 

very trying circumstances.But for all that I tried, I might well have been talking 

to a brick wall. In fact, in a surreal moment, I actually saw myself from up above-trying to plead with someone I just didn't seem to know at all. Could that really be my best friend, my cousin and someone who I had looked upon almost like a twin?

Until another agonizing thought overtook that one.

Maybe I had just never known him... at all?

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Time passed - it must have been just over a week after that day and I was 

upto my ears in trying to sort out the family finances. Running from pillar to 

post is not how I would normally like to refer to anyone's condition, least of all

 my own, but that would probably be the most accurate phrase to describe what

I was going through. It was exhausting and it was also very disappointing. 

But even worse was the realization that of the many friends that I thought I 

had, it was a really bitter pill to swallow when I saw how little support we had 

among the other Rajput elite- it was as if all that warmth and affection that 

had been the hallmark of all those people who we met and partied with on a 

regular basis, seemed to have evaporated.

Just like that...Poof! 

My mobile rang and  I looked at it impatiently- I really didn't want to talk to 

anyone just then as it had been a particularly exhausting day with everyone I had spoken to coming up with  one excuse or the other in order to avoid helping us out and the term ' fair weather friends'  had never been so meaningful as it was that day.

Then my mood changed almost instantaneously - on the screen I could see the 

image of the stunningly beautiful and even better natured Seerat. Seerat, the 

love of my life and someone who had shared a great deal of it  till three years 

ago when she had gone to London to study Law. But not before sealing our

 relationship with a secret engagement- so secret that no one, not even Rudra 

knew of it. And the only reason I chose to keep it that way was because she 

was convinced thar her parents would never let her marry me . 

You see,  our fathers had been rivals. Rivals not only in life but also in love- 

both vying for my mother's  hand and it had been a bitter pill for Jamsher Uncle 

( which is what I called Seerat's father ) to swallow when she had chosen to 

marry my father. Even though he had gone on to pursue Seerat's mother, 

the very beautiful and talented British  artist Ruth Walker, he had clearly never 

been able to put that episode out of his mind. And it may sound odd if I spell it

 out, but the fact of the matter is that self respect and pride ( Izzat) is very 

important to a Rajput. Be it man or woman, we are acutely conscious of who 

and what we are and any slight- real or imaginary, has to be dealt with and 

handled- sometimes discretely and sometimes...

 "Hello ' I said with a smile in my voice and Seerat responded likewise. 

" Hello my love. How are you managing? " I had communicated with her soon after my father's  death and she was aware of the financial crisis that I was in the midst of.

" Swimming against the tide," I replied as honestly as I could and she 

understood exactly what I was saying- we had this perfect equation where we could pick up exactly from where the other had left off and sometimes even the thoughts inside each other's heads.

" Which is exactly why I'm coming back to India- I will be in Delhi tomorrow and with you the day after. And we will deal with all of it together. As you always said, two heads are better than one".

I felt a huge surge of relief wash over me- it was just so good to be able to 

share. All I told her was" I'll  be waiting."

Two days later my dreams turned to reality and Seerat was with me in my arms

where she belonged and it was almost as if she had never gone away. It felt so

good just to be able to touch and feel her- the bottled up anger , hurt and pain 

that I had been grappling with after my father's passing seemed much less 

acute and I knew-It was all because of Seerat.

" Its high time we got married " she announced and I gaped .

Laughing at my expression she continued- " And do I need to propose as well? "

That was all that I needed to hear before reaching out and holding her close  to  my chest -so close that I heard her say, with a half smothered laugh, 

" If I'm still alive by then."

I laughed out aloud at that- and it felt so good- i just couldn't remember the last time aid laughed so much that the tears ran down my eyes.

And was convinced-Things were going to get better .

But as it happens that wasn't quite  how it turned out.

Because Rudra came in the way.

It was on the very next evening that he ran into Seerat at the Club and 

decided in a split second that she would be his meal ticket. I must add here 

that Seerat had come into a very large sum of money when she turned 21- 

money which she had inherited from her maternal grandfather, Lord Andrew 

Walker and was a very rich young woman by any standards. Not surprisingly, 

word had filtered down even in Rajput circles and with her reappearance after 

three years, tongues had started wagging more than ever. 

Which was exactly how Rudra had got wind of it and his Machiavellian brain( or so I began to think of it) had started ticking.

And so he walked into my study the morning after Seerat had sat at exactly that same spot and told me with a smile, " Ive got my meal ticket who will get us out of this mess."

Then looking at my very obvious surprise, he continued, 

" Her name  is Seerat and I dont mind saying that shes as beautiful as she's  

rich..And one of these days I will make her my wife and use some of those billions she's  reputed to have inherited to get this house of the bank's clutches."

All I saw in the aftermath of his words was the colour red.

And my mind was made up - Rudra must die.

Leads me to think as I sit down to write this story- Are we all murderers in  

waiting or are some of us more wired to commit the ultimate sin- that of 

taking away another human being's life? I also know that there are no real 

answers to that question at the moment,  nor are they likely to be so at any 

point in the near future.And that is something that I would like to leave to the 

philosophers to debate about.Or then maybe you, the reader , to think about it seriously and come up with your own theories on it.

Its really difficult to recall my exact response to Rudra's bombshell. I do 

however remember thinking that I should wait for Seerat to be able to break 

the news about us to her parents before I could tell him anything about my secret engagement with that very same Seerat. All the while, a horrible little voice whispered in my ear, " Do you really think  it 

will be a cake walk? Particularly after the history that Seerat's and your father 

shared?"

" You really cant be serious", I responded 

" Oh but I am", Rudra replied. " Absolutely and totally. Watch me get into 

the act, starting tomorrow. I'm fairly certain that I've managed to create a 

good impression about myself last evening so just  give me a week and you 

will probably see my ring on her engagement finger."

Without waiting for anything further from my side, he turned and headed back 

towards the door but not before I heard him say, " I guess, I'll drop in at our 

family jewelers today and start checking out a few options. You know, I really wouldn't want Seerat to tell our kids later that their father didn't even let her choose her engagement ring."

The sound of his cheery whistling was the only thing that echoed around my study room and I could hear the sound of my heart pounding. And behind my eyes, all I could see was the colour red.

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Something good happened later that day. When I was feeling a little calmer-

 of course after a long phone conversation with Seerat, I decided to call 

Mr Mehra, our local branch  GM and have a general chat. In the course of that conversation I was able to convince him to call his CEO in Mumbai and see if we could get a loan extension.

And to my very pleasant  surprise, the tele conversation concluded 

satisfactorily with him agreeing to do the needful.No promises were made 

and none were asked for but I certainly felt a little more hopeful than a 

week ago.

My mother came in just then and asked if I would accompany her to her friend 

Suhasini's home for lunch if I didn't have any fixed plans and I agreed. The fact 

was that I hadn't  been very social lately and today was as good as any to 

start getting out and meeting a few people. And I doubt if anyone could have been  more pleased than my mother when I said." Sure, I'd love to. When would you like to go"?

" How nice, " she replied. " We will leave at sharp 1 pm" With that she was off 

and I couldn't help but see the look of happiness that I clearly had been the 

cause of.  

Must confess that the lunch hosted by Suhasini Aunty who was one of my 

mother's oldest and best friends, was a very pleasant change. Wine and 

laughter flowed  in  abundance and their home looked absolutely beautiful. 

I found myself enjoying the afternoon and just as I reached out for a bowl of 

nuts to have some, I saw my mother talking to an attractive young lady in 

chiffon and pearls. Before long she brought her over to introduce me and it was 

then that I realised that this was Shalini, Suhasini Aunt's daughter now all 

grown up.

I also realised one other thing- my mother and Suhasini Aunty were clearly 

hoping for something more to come out of this meeting but  what they hadn't 

factored in was the fact that Shalini and myself had never really looked at 

each other that way. In fact, when we were much younger she had been a bit 

of a tomboy and happiest when climbing up a tree, running around in shorts 

and swimming in the pond close to her house. Given that background, her 

transformation to this svelte young lady attired in chiffon and pearls was a 

very major one but xxxI guess that is what growing up is all about.

 Back home and in my office I sat down and went over my books- it was 

becoming an arduous task to balance the accounts and though I hate to 

repeat myself, Rudra was of no  help whatsoever.With the added complication 

of what I had to do now.

Its strange that when you know someone as well as I knew Rudra, you also 

know every little habit and nuance of that person. And so when I actually began

to think of ways and means to kill Rudra, all I had to do was think about all that he liked to eat and drink. That would be the key to all of it and that would also help me pinpoint exactly how I would accomplish

my goal. In all fairness, I spent some time thinking about why I should not do 

it, or then what if Rudra failed in his attempt to woo Seerat and make her his

 wife- or as he had put it so crudely, his " meal ticket." But reality soon  

re asserted itself itself and I knew that if Rudra set his mind on anything- good, bad or ugly- he would accomplish it and damn the collateral damage if any. 

And so it was that the plan began to form in my mind- slowly but surely and I

knew that I must do it. It was difficult to imagine life without Seerat and in 

some strange way I believed that if Rudra wasn't removed from the scene,  I 

wouldn't be able to make Seerat an important,  correction, the most important 

part of my life.

Considerable research later, I zeroed into the poison that I would use. It had to

be non fussy, efficient and impossible to detect- and my choice was methyl 

alcohol. Methyl alcohol  is distilled from fermented wood, unlike ethyl alcohol 

which is distilled from fermented grain and is considerably more toxic.  

Commonly found in perfumes, antifreeze, paint removers and varnish,if 

ingested, it metabolises into formaldehyde in the body. Once the formaldehyde 

enters the body, it can cause fatigue, headache, nausea, vertigo, backpain, 

severe abdominal pain, dizziness, vomiting and blindness.All this results in 

rapid and shallow respiration, cyanosis, coma, falling blood pressure and finally 

death occurs from respiratory failure.A person can ingest methanol and not feel 

any symptoms for twelve to twenty four hours after which it is too late to save 

them. And this is exactly what I was banking on- a time lapse of such a large amount would make it impossible for anyone to pinpoint the cause of death.

I knew exactly how I would do it- next time Rudra visited me, I would ensure 

that I offered him a drink. Top that up with some cheesy bites and savouries  

and the a job would be done! Accomplished and to be forgotten after that day. 

all, Rome wasn't exactly built in a day and it was going to be job to ensure that the status quo remained that way.As for Seerat, I refused to think of her at the  time and that was probably for the best. 

She was my dream girl and nothing and no one would come  our way. Next morning I woke up with a single point agenda- procuring the methanol 

and let me tell you that for a man of my position and stature in society

( whether real or perceived) it was easy - so easy that it left me seriously 

wondering how easy it was to buy poisonous substances in India- but then you 

really wouldn't know just how easy it actually was, until you had a real need to

 procure something on those lines. 

And it was all do easy after that- Rudra walked into my office just before 7 pm.

He was dressed to the nines and was wearing his favourite cologne . I learnt 

that he was heading to the Club and knew that it was now or never.Some 

casual conversation later he gloated, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then.

And don't be  surprised if you hear that Im  engaged to be married by then."

" How about one for the road? " I asked. 

And it all went according to the plan."

Why  not? " 

"I'll just use the washroom before that- if you don't mind,"  he replied and I 

used exactly those moments to put in about 10 drops of my newly acquired 

bottle of Methanol. True to our family tradition he gulped down the drink that I 

handed over to him and with a flourish  in less than 30 seconds!

I observed him carefully as he walked to the door.

I knew that time was running out but suppressed the urge to check my watch.

I took a deep breath and started counting in reverse under my breath..

Ten, nine, eight seven..