A Godly Affair

1
"Repay your debt in a week or shut down your dispensary." Mr.Mehta ordered.
"Please sir, give me some more time. Do you think I am a fraud?" Dr.Lal replied.
"Because of you, I couldn't attend the enlightenment course of Siddeshwar Maharaj (A Godman in India is known as Maharaj). I haven't visited his Ashram. So remember this is the last warning, Rascal! If I don't get my money within a week, the underworld will be after you. You don't know who I am." Mr. Mehta clenched his fist and left Dr.Lal's dispensary with anger.

Dr.Lal, the 'doctoring' genius had graduated from a donation college. Living in a country where one could buy anything but life, the educational degrees were bought like chocolate cookies. Too ecstatic of being a doctor, he had purchased a new dispensary in heart of the city. His financier, Mr. Mehta had planned to capture his dispensary because of his long pending debts. Dr.Lal was having sleepless nights until a new patient made his way in his dispensary.

"What are these marks on his forehead?" the mother of a newborn asked him.
"I will have to do some research on it. You can come back after a while," he replied. The same day he saw another patient with such marks. As he was treating both the mothers for over half a year, he realized that there was a problem in his treatment.

He spent his whole Sunday doing research on his laptop. He came to a conclusion that due to overdose of a medicine, every child born under his care would carry such signs. 'Already a debt to repay, treatment going wrong, God I am gonna land up in jail soon!' he thought.


2
"So how is your channel going?" he asked his friend Jay.
"It is crashing everyday. Can you imagine a year ago it was called as the most popular news channel? And today the producers are asking us to shut it down." As Jay was talking, lightning struck in Lal's mind.

"Bravo! Do you want your channel to be the most sought out one?"
"Of course."
"Then get ready. We have to meet the managing director of your company," he said and banged his telephone.

SOMETIME LATER

"Are these news channels crazy?" Mrs Mehta proclaimed.
"What happened?" her husband enquired.
"Just come and have a look at T.V." As he watched the 'Breaking News' his heart came in his mouth.

'Ladies and Gentleman, a doctor, has announced that he can foresee the future of a child born under his care,' the news channel flashed.
They were showing two of his patients, with a unique birthmark and Dr.Lal claimed that such marks could alter the future of these children.

Soon Dr.Lal became a hot property for news channels. He was invited in various news channels. Debates were held. Polls were taken. Experts were called and soon he became the most famous doctor in his area.

3
That night his telephone rang.

"Hello. Whose this?" he asked.
"Your destiny," a voice replied.
'Destiny? Is this a threat call? Oh no. I guess Mr.Mehta called the underworld!' he thought.
"Sss... Sorry. I didn't get you," he said with lump in his throat.
"So when are you going to stop this nonsense?"
"What? It's none of your business. And please tell me who is this?"
"I am the creator, the operator and the generator of mankind. I am God"
"So you have called me for violating your copyright, isn't it?"
"This isn't a prank call. Remember, I am watching you. This is the last warning."
"What? Listen..." before he could say anything the phone was disconnected.

'Wow, that prank was even better than mine,' he thought and went to bed.

His telephone rang early morning. He picked up the phone to hear the same voice again. It was God again. Refusing to believe him, Dr.Lal openly challenged him.

"I don't know who you are, but remember, I have the support of local MLA. In India, a politician is bigger than God! So don't mess with me," he said and banged the phone.
'You are going on a wrong path son,' God said to himself.

4
Given no choice, he decided to take charge of the situation.
The Lord was all set to expose Dr.Lal's true image. In an avatar of a man he arrived on earth. Since millions of years, he hadn't come over here. His conception of Earth was just like his own paradise. He thought of just roaming around in the vicinity for a while.


While on his way, he saw a bunch of people had gathered around a building. Curiously, he went there, to see a couple throwing their young kid on the ground from a fourth floor apartment.

"Stop it!" he ordered. The mob looked at him outrageously. After taking a deep breath and swallowing a lump in his throat, he changed his tone and asked one of them,
"What are they doing?"
"Sshh. Don't disturb. It is an ACT OF GOD. Whenever a young child is born in our society, in order to please God, the parents throw their infant from their house to the ground. If the aunt, who is standing below, catches it, we get the signal, whether God wants the kid to live."
"This is absurd. Have you all gone dumb and retard?"
"Enough!" said one of the relative of the child, "Let's call the police."
"For what?" God looked confused.
"For hurting religious sentiments," a voice said and soon a dozen of men armed with bamboo sticks started chasing the Lord. Since he had already left behind his powers at heaven he had no option but to run for 'his life'.


5
"Crazy men," he said as he gasped out his breath in shock while hiding behind a tree. Besides the tree he saw a deluxe Ashram of Siddeshwar Maharaj. A high profile Godman, with a perfect background of being a college dropout and a serial rapist, he was an inspirational figure in the city. People worshipped him, while the politicians payed him for their 'good luck'.
'What's wrong with these men?' he asked himself. He again made a lame attempt to confront the Godman.
"Hey this is wrong! He is a criminal." he shouted. He met with the same response. The only difference was that, this time the men who attacked him were armed with guns instead of bamboo sticks. Within an interval of 20 minutes he had seen two horrific instances. More horrific fact was that people had accepted it under the name of religion.
Soon he realised that there were millions of Dr.Lal's roaming scot-free around the globe where they were worshipped, saluted and treated as VIPs. Realising that it was impossible to stop this plague in a country where Ashrams got more respect than a school he walked away with wet eyes without confronting Dr.Lal.
Years went by, and people soon started realising that Dr.Lal had a 'divine power'. Soon they started worshipping him, built his temples and elected him as a representative. Today Mr.Lal teaches his followers the importance of 'honesty and moral values'.