A Brotherly Influence

After a somewhat moderately long period of total forgetfulness, the memories about him struck me again. He had a great influence on my life so far, on the way I think and on the way I behave. I will not introduce him to you as my role model, or anything of that glorified sort. But, it is true that he had a unique charming method to attract anyone to his charisma. Everyone who met him became his friend or follower the next day, because of his conversational abilities with which he used to attain the leadership of any group that he happened to became a member.

I know I have told you enough about my Trivandrum life. This blog had its origin during my time there. But stories about him I hadn't written, of which the reason I am also unaware of. He was living next to my room at a place; a place, which was very rural, but close to some business areas, where he was doing a job, and I had just initiated my career. Though, at first he was slightly indifferent to me, partially owing to the simpleton image I used to create in everyone’s mind, he even apologized for underestimating me, later when he found me as a capable one.

We became friends despite of the difference in our ages. Even though he had a great superiority over me in experience, and knowledge, he took me as his trustworthy, and treated me equally. We pretended several times as brothers, both in public and in private; and enacted scenes in a very sincere manner as if we were family members. I don't deny that he used to exploit such occasions to put commands on my head, supported by the elder brother role he played. 

Some days we together went to a bar in the city at night times. We traveled on bus leaving our vehicles at our apartment. His sense of taste in liqueurs was commendable. We used to occupy a table positioned at the centre of the bar and spoke each other joyfully and playfully in the spirit of the drink that we consumed. We used to have fried fish as accompaniment, encouraged by his knowledge in cocktail accompaniments. It was in his presence and with his encouragement, I learned to shed my inhibition and started to speak to everyone.

He used to share with me about his business plans, and about the plans that he had in my mind regarding his dream home. He drove with me on weekends to some different places located close to the city, where he had bought some acres of land in order to do merchandising. Last time when I saw him before leaving Trivandrum, he was in the process of achieving his dreams one by one.