Prakash Chatakdas had been a spoilt brat since his childhood .Being the only child , his parents doted on him. Everything he did, no matter how silly or destructive , was acceptable.
Prakash hated academics.but had the knack of sucking up to the teachers and making sure he at least passed his grades .
Finally at the end of high school it was time to take the University examination .
As this was done on the computer at a designated center where his buttering ability was totally useless ,he was stumped .as to what to do next .
Alone in his room with his reading lamp on, he was close to panic. To add to his frustration , a big fat cockroach sat on his lampshade as if staring down in mockery .
Without thinking, he took a swipe at it with his hand , killing the cockroach and accidently braking the bulb at the same time .
In the process, his index fingers went into the base socket and 220 volts of good old Hindustani electricity shook his entire body .
As he nurtured his painful finger tips , his parents heard the noise and rushed up to see what was happening .They were shocked to see his hair standing up straight on top of his head .
“ How cute ! , : said his adoring mother .
“You must have done your afro in secret , but we both love it , don’t we Daddy ? “
As they left the room , Prakash noticed a change had come over him . Everything he had read in the last month was at the tip of his fingers . He could devour a whole text just like that .
Even Swami Vivekananda who had the distinction of memorizing a book by reading an entire page at a glance could not match him .
Next morning at the examination hall, he caused a stir with his hair standing up like live wires . Prakash couldn’t care less .
He finished all the questions in one third the allotted time.
But alas , by the end of the day , his hair had settled down and he had lost his magic memory . He was back to being the lazy brat Prakash once more .
His finger tip took two weeks to heal although the soreness lasted longer .
Needless to say he stood first in Mumbai University !
Keeping his secret to himself, Prakash Chatakdas sailed through every examination at the very top., becoming as famous at the same time .
It was finally time for the last big test ., the I.A.S .examination .His future job and livelihood depended on it .
Just to be doubly sure ,on the morning of the exam. , after getting dressed, he stuck his finger into the live electrical socket twice, for an extra jolt of 220 volts times two .
“ Goddamn , “ he thought “ If only I had shaved last night . No time now .”
As Prakash walked into the examination hall , all eyes turned towards him .
Like an apparition of some zombie movie, he was walking slowly in a half squatting shuffle… like a giant crab with a hemorrhoid affliction .
His arms were away from his chest, his famous afro with wiry straight hair standing up made every candidate , including his supervisors open their mouth in astonishment .
Little could they know that the armpit hair and the rest of it between his butt were stiff as a wire poking into his skin .
Prakash took his exam. in that position , first with his left hand , then with his right , to rest his aching upper arms
.All the while , the watchful video camera on the wall put there to catch cheaters , recorded everything .
“ He must be a master yogi . “ said one supervisor to the other ..
“ He has to be . How can anyone maintain the Veer Bhadrasan position for such a long time . But could he not\find a better location or time for it ? “
The news got around , especially repeated on all channels after Prakash stood first in India in the I. A S.
The following year , as the students entered the hall for the next IAS exam, the news media rushed there to record the most amazing sight ..
Every student entered the building in a slow crab walk, sideways with upper limbs straight out in full Veer Bhadrasan position, which they had all been practicing for the IAS examination !
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