New Delhi, 1985. Alop Madiga was on his usual morning walk from the alley he slept in the night before along the Promenade overlooking the Yamuna River on his way to the fish market to beg, when he heard a man crying desperately. 

"Help! Help! I fear I'll drown! I cannot swim! Help!"

Alop heard the cries from some distance walking among many. Curious, he peeked over the edge of the embankment to see who was calling. He spied a man halfway down the steep muddy bank unable to climb back up and sliding ever more closely to the water. Alop couldn't swim either, but he felt the need to help the man so desperate for his life.

Removing his threadbare sandals for better grip, he climbed over the wall and sunk his toes deeply in the mud with each step and reached out for the man's desperate hand. "Don't worry, I will get you… I will get you. Just take my hand!"

The man finally grabbed Alop's hand and the two of them struggled to reach the wall and safety once more. It was difficult, but Alop dug his feet in deeply and that enabled them both to make it. Once on the wall, they sat side-by-side while the elder caught his breath from all the exertion. Finally, he calmed down enough to speak.

"Thanks be to karma that you came along! I am Raj Thakur. And what might your name be, young man?" He held out his hand in greeting, smiling, with the color returning to his face.

Alop was hesitant to shake hands. "Alop Madiga, just a lowly beggar… untouchable. I'm sorry that I had to take your hand to save you, sir. But no one else was coming to your aid and I'm sure you would have slid into the river." He kept his head down in sincere reverence to a man of such stature from his clothes.

"Now, now Alop, that nonsense was abolished in 1950. Why does it persist? You just saved my life! Young man, don't you know that you're my hero?" He reached out his hand again.

Alop joined his muddied hand with Raj's. "I am just a beggar. My father was a beggar. And my grandfather was a beggar. No one will hire me for good work and most people shun me. Why you, sir?"

"Because you deserve a reward for your good deed. I was taking my usual morning walk when I saw some interesting ducks in the river. I came over the wall to get a closer look, and these sandals had me sliding on that mud and I couldn't stop. All these other blokes just passing by like they are now and not one of them cared one lick for me. But you had the courage to reach out and save me. I must do something for you. I must give you a reward that will last. It's been a short time, but I've been thinking." Raj wiped his hand on the concrete ledge to scrape off some of the rapidly drying caked mud.

He reached into the folds of his waistband for his purse and pulled out four 50 rupee coins ($13.17) and handed them to Alop. "This is all I have with me. It will suffice for now, but I must do something more for you and your family for the great courage you've shown.  Do you have time to walk with me?"

"I have all the time in the world. But I have no family. My parents and my younger sister were crushed when our building fell in three years ago. It was substandard construction; all we could afford. Since then, I'm on my own. I've got all the time in the world, sir. Two hundred rupees is a fortune already… Isn't it?" He jingled the coins in his hand with a look of disbelief on his face.

"It is a fair sum that I have in mind. Too much for some, but not for me. That's why I am not giving it to you right away. I have a fellow in mind, a Parsi, who is just out of university, very good with money, and honest. I use his father to handle my monetary affairs. We did very well together, but the new generation like you needs new ideas and this young man needs clients."

"I am a beggar. Two hundred rupees will carry me many days. I have no future except tomorrow. Now, I must find enough food and water to last me until then. But if you will not give me this fortune now, I will walk with you to get it later."

With that the two rose from their seats on the wall, rested a bit from their conversation, and began to walk towards the central monetary district where the stock market was trading Indian corporations and worldwide companies. After some distance in a part of town that Alop was unfamiliar, they came to the stalls where the money brokers worked. Many dishonest and greedy. That is why they came to see Behram Seth.

Raj approached his booth and called out, "Behram! I have found you an investor! This young man, of… I didn't get your age… wants you to manage his small fortune of 10,000 rupees ($686.57) that I'm going to give him. Do you think you could do that for him?"

"I'm not exactly sure, sir, but I believe I'm 20 years old as near as I can count." Alop interjected, eager to please, after hearing such a princely sum mentioned.

"I suppose so. I know you to be a man of your word." Behram Seth had learned to be cautious.

"This is Alop Madiga, shake hands with Behram Seth, the man who is going to take your fortune and give you a better way of life. Oh, and don't mind the mud, Behram, Alop just saved my life from the river and that mud is sacred." He laughed, recalling his good fortune being saved earlier and the other two fellows joined in with laughter of their own.

Behram felt the need to explain himself. "That is a fine sum to invest. I believe that India is about to move from being a Third World country into First World status through technology. So, I have decided to invest in technology companies emerging from the place they call, Silicon Valley. There is one company I have in mind that is not from there but writes software for all the companies there. I think that's where I will buy stock for you with this money. Microsoft, they call it. You will do well."

What Behram had said was Greek to Alop. He had never been to school and knew nothing outside of his neighborhood of birth or any idea of what the future would be except what he could gather from begging.

It was Raj's turn to be cautious. "That sounds very risky to me, but I am an old man and know nothing of what you young men are doing these days to change our country so quickly. So, I will leave it up to you to give my new found friend financial freedom with your wise investing of his money." There was a twinkle in his eye as he wryly danced around his displeasure to what Behram was proposing.

Behram gave instructions to Alop about what he was going to do. "I want you to check back with me every year or so, and I will show you how your investments are doing. If there is extra money from earnings, I will give you some. But the idea is for your money to grow so I will not give you too much now so that later, as you get older, you will have money to live on without begging."

Alop shook his head in agreement, but really didn't understand why he had to wait to get this great fortune. Why it was being put in this other young man's hands to keep for him, and maybe, cheat him out of it later. To be polite, he said, "Okay, I will come back," but in his mind, Alop thought that 200 rupees in his hand was good enough for now and he wouldn't argue about what some other man had told him to do.

With everything settled, Alop and Raj said their goodbyes and parted for the day. Alop was starving by that time and with his newfound money bought some curried rice and hot tea from a streetside vendor and found his way back to his sleeping place by nightfall.

As time went on Alop continued in his dreary lifestyle and forgot to go back to Behram's stall as directed. When he occasionally did think of it, he doubted if he could even find the place. After all, it was so far from his usual places of living and begging near the fish market.

Thirty years passed…

Behram was returning in his Mercedes from an appointment in town and thought he would stop at the fish market to bring home some fresh fish that his family could have for dinner that night. Behram was driving himself because chauffeurs were no longer the style and he enjoyed the challenge of driving through the crowds, carefully avoiding scratches from vendors carts and collisions with motor rickshaws that clogged the streets noisily zipping in and out of traffic. Inside the air-conditioned interior, the air was much better.

As he was searching for a place to park, he saw someone that he vaguely remembered, but he thought to get a better look. Parking the car and paying a man to watch it, he went to where he saw the man, with a long beard and long scraggly hair that had streaks of gray in it. Still, the face was recognizable after all these years. As he approached, Behram called out, "Alop Madiga, is that you?"

The man sitting cross-legged with his alms bowl before him looked up from his sleepy afternoon and replied, "Yes, sir. It is. Do I know you from somewhere?"

"Yes, you should. I have been managing your money for many years now. You are a rich man. What are you doing here begging in the fish market? You must get up and come with me. You don't need to do this anymore." Behram spoke sternly and shook his head in disgust. "Don't delay now, come with me."

At that insistence, Alop complied and got up to follow. Intrigued by what this fellow just told him. Was he rich?

They wandered off into the market where Behram selected some of the finest and most expensive fish in a quantity that Alop could not quite contemplate, paying the vendors in rupee bills that were larger denominations than Alop had ever seen. Alop helped Behram carry the bags of fish back to the Mercedes where Behram magically opened the trunk and they placed the fish in it. Behram motioned for Alop to get in the passenger side, and once again, Alop complied.

Alop was immediately struck by the smooth leather seats, now quite warm from the afternoon heat, but with a new car smell like he had never smelled before. Behram paid the man watching the car and they drove off through the crowded streets for a time until they reached streets where the car moved more swiftly and they left the crowds behind along with the heat of the day in the air-conditioned and quiet atmosphere of the luxurious car. Behram turned off the music so he could talk.

"Why did you never return to check on your money?"

"I didn't believe what that man I saved said that he was going to do. The money I got from him was enough. I made it last several days. How is he? Did he really do what he said?"

"I'm sorry but Raj Thakur passed away five years ago. I attended his funeral. Thousands attended. But my father passed before him and I took over managing Thakur's fortune. He was a good man and his word was kept. Like I said, you are a very rich man. When we get to my house, I can tell you how much. But until then, I can't tell you, precisely, but it's in the millions."

"The millions?" Alop could hardly imagine such a sum.

"Yes, millions."

They drove out of the older city into a newer subdivision with high walls, gates and stately mansions behind the walls. Finally, they drove up to one where the steel gate magically opened and Behram drove the car through to a circle drive in front of a huge house.

"I will take you to a guest room that we have where there is a shower and you can rid yourself of the grime and stink of the street. I believe, for now, you are my size and can fit in my clothes. After you have bathed, I will have my man, Anwar, come and trim your hair and beard so that it is more presentable for my family at dinner. You will be our honored guest. This fish will make a fine meal."

They entered a side entrance and Behram escorted Alop to a spacious and luxurious modern room like Alop had never seen before. Behram had to show him how to use the shower. He couldn't believe how it felt to have the massaging warm water on his skin and sweet smelling soap to wash off the grime that he had only been able to get rid of in the river. Afterward, he felt like a new man. And even better, when Anwar came in and cut his hair. When he put on the rich clothes of his host and looked in the full length mirror, he was astounded how handsome he looked. He never felt that way about himself before.

Anwar escorted him to the dinner table that was loaded with many dishes that he had never eaten and the fish beautifully prepared and displayed. Behram introduced him to his mother-in-law, father-in-law, his wife, and his three children, all teenagers in rapid succession. Alop only nodded in agreement but was lost in the smell and magnificence of the dinner he was about to eat. He was very careful not to be greedy and had trouble with the silverware given him to eat with. He struggled, and tried not to be out of place. Glad for the food that filled his belly quickly, but uneasy about eating with these rich people.

When dinner was over, Behram rose from the table and said, "Alop, please come with me to my office and we will see what you are worth now."

They ascended one of the central foyer's curved marble staircases to the second floor and then down a long hall to a very spacious room on the corner of the house overlooking Delhi. By that time, it was night and Alop had never seen so many lights so far in the distance before. He felt like one of the gods with a viewpoint like this. With floor to ceiling windows on two sides to the corner and rich teak paneling on the other two sides, the room resembled an office in a downtown high-rise office building and was also nothing like Alop had ever seen before. And the equipment on the desk facing a comfortable office chair on wheels were several flat-panel computer screens with many colorful images and lists on them, making the whole place seem like something science fiction to a person from the street.

"Let's take a look at your account and see what you are currently worth." Behram sat down on the comfortable office chair and began moving the mouse around, clicking and opening windows, and then typing usernames and passwords to reach the right page for Alop's account. Alop watched him do it with amazement from over his shoulder behind the chair. Not a man of reading and writing and with only street knowledge of numbers, he could only imagine what was going on. But soon, Behram zeroed in on one number and placed the cursor pointer on it.

"Currently, you are worth 157,606,461 rupees ($2,459,894). Compared to the dollar, the rupee has gone down in value since you first invested what Raj Thakur gave me to invest for you. I have done well in technical stocks for you so now you are a very rich man in America; and here, you can write your own ticket for what your life will be from here on out. You see, I was very fond of computers and computer software and IPOs (initial public stock offerings). So, I immediately invested your money in Microsoft, making software for other companies. With profit from that, I invested in gold, Intel, Netscape, Yahoo, Apple, Google, bitcoin and finally, Facebook. When I saw a company and its stock reaching the peak of its growth curve, I sold the stock and found others starting out. With that I got tremendous gains, along with a few minor losses. Do you understand, Alop?

Alop was dumbfounded. He didn't understand what Behram was talking about, but he did understand that the number of rupees Behram told him was beyond his belief. "Begging your pardon, sir, but you must be mistaken… That is far too much money for a poor man like me to even think about."

"That's why I feel I must help you. I will give you an annuity, say 7% of that amount each year to spend. And then, I will set up a trust fund for the rest that you can use however you see fit upon your death, to help others--other beggars--or other charitable causes. I know your transition to living like a wealthy man may be difficult, but I will help you all I can. It is my obligation for making all this money for you."

"That is very nice for you to do, sir." Alop's head was swimming with thoughts of endless rupees. He could hardly breathe.

With that, Behram took Alop to the family game room where they watched the latest Bollywood movie. After that, Behram's two sons introduced Alop to their electronic games. Alop found that he was quite good at driving racecars, and flying planes and spaceships. Something he thought he would never do in his life, walking everywhere he ever went before.

Alop sunk into the softness of the king size bed in his air-conditioned room and slept a sleep of wild dreams, awakening only to see the morning sun light up the flower garden outside his room. Curious, he walked outside amid the beauty and observed birds, bees and butterflies he had never seen before. Somehow, he had reached Bhuva Loka, simply because of a single act of kindness thirty years before.

Called to a sumptuous breakfast, Behram announced to Alop that he had canceled all appointments and would spend the entire day situating him in his new life. Beginning directly after breakfast with Behram's tailor being called to the house to measure Alop and outfit him with a suitable wardrobe of clothes for a man of his stature.

With that task completed, they got in the car and drove over to a nearby high-rise apartment building where Behram secured the rental of a top floor furnished apartment that dazzled Alop when he saw it and the view from the 20th floor of the city laid out everywhere below him. After that, Alop made a special declaration after they drove off from the apartment building.

"I am going to buy you a car. But I'm not going to buy you one like this. I know that you will have difficulty as you begin to learn to drive, so today we will get you a good used car that you can have minor accidents with at much less cost. Once you learn to drive well, you can certainly afford a car like this." Those words had Alop beaming. He couldn't wait to drive.

After much driving, they arrived at a used car dealership that Behram trusted and they picked out a 2001 Tata sedan that Alop liked the feel of after getting behind the wheel and taking a test drive with Behram driving. After he paid for the car and had it delivered to Alop's parking space in his apartment building, Behram announced, "Alop, I'm not going to give you the keys right now. I have instructed my sons, who are very good drivers, to teach you how to drive. They will also set up a computer for you with an Internet connection and tutor you on anything you need to know like reading and writing. They are currently off from school and it will be good for them to do this service for you. I also will help you whenever I can, and my household staff will help you with things like cooking, laundry and all the other essentials."

Alop Madiga had begun his new life. He was, indeed, a very fortunate man. Once he learned how to drive, he never forgot where he came from, visiting often the beggars that he knew in the streets by the fish market. He would give them alms that would carry them through hard times. Upon his death, he bequeathed a small fortune to establish a home for street beggars in Delhi designed to teach them usable skills that would allow them to get good jobs and off the street.

Copyright 2018 © Ronald W. Hull

2/2/18