STORY-JUDAS

JUDAS We three were fast friends. Damu and Ravi were hard core Communists . The Party was banned at that time and our activities were top secret, because Police was on the look out for members of the party. I could not understand all that was going on ; I joined them because we were friends. They stopped studies after tenth standard, while I continued and joined the College. There I formed the Students Federation and we used to discuss politics , without mentioning the word Communism. In 1942 the Party decided to support the Government war efforts against Japan and ban on the party was lifted . I graduated and married my class mate. I got a job as clerk in a Bank and studied for passing the qualifying examination for promotion to Officers grade Needless to say that I became Bank Manager in due course. In this capacity, I wielded considerable power, as sanctioning loans was a leaver to mint money. I forgot politics and my friends R and D called me Judas. “you have become a capitalist ,”D said. I kept mum. They needed money and I gave them this nectar of life, which all needed. My wife had many friends . One was a havala agent , I learned later. I never bothered to enquire her bank balance. Wherever I was working, she bought or constructed a house. We had separate cars. In 1942, the Party decided to help the war efforts of Britain , when Hitler attacked the USSR and Japan joined Hitler. General public hailed the INA of Subhash Bose, but Communists exposed him. The ban on the Party was lifted . After India became free, the Party reversed its policy in 1948, when the Randive thesis was accepted and called for armed struggle to overthrow Capitalist Nehru regime. I opposed this line and the rupture with my friends became complete . At Pariyaram, a Police station was attacked , some Policemen killed and guns were carried away. Later, D confessed that he took part in the attack. Police repression became terrible . Some CIDs in plain cloths watched my house too. I managed a transfer to Delhi. When this policy was abandoned and the Party decided to take part in elections, I came back. However, my wife’s involvement in havala was discovered and I was asked to take voluntary retirement. In our old age, we three used to review our life. I had helped in the marriage and studies of their children and D had to agree:”It was good that you became a Judas. We gained nothing from politics . Now the Comrades do not even recognize us.” I said:” Judas was not an enemy. His uncle befooled him, saying that hey want to save Jesus from the public by keeping him in jail. Poor Judas committed suicide”