Benign Flame: Saga of Love by BS Murthy (sci fi books to read TXT) đ
- Author: BS Murthy
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âThe Boss wants you to devise the tactics and leave the logistics to him,â said Nagaraju as though to lighten Rami Reddyâs burden.
âTo my mind at least, the procedures are foolproof, not amenable to twists and turns,â said Rami Reddy, and turned to Sathyam as though wanting him to second his opinion. âWhat do you say Sathyam?â
âYouâre absolutely right sir,â said Sathyam, without a second thought.
âAccommodations in the Limited Tenders and passing the bills out of turn are different anyway and we managing them for you all through,â said Rami Reddy.
âThatâs why youâve been getting peanuts all the while, now get us these mega projects, and have a million each,â said Nagaraju enticingly.
âEven if we click, it might lead us into the remand in the end,â said Rami Reddy, as though to raise the stakes.
âWell, to cover all risks, you both can have an extra million each,â said Nagaraju falling for the bite.
âDonât mistake my saying so but when it comes to settling the accounts, invariably it all boils down to one excuse or the other. I know people shying away from parting with farthings that is having pocketed undue pounds,â said Sathyam to Nagaraju.
âI appreciate that,â said Nagaraju as though the deal was about to be signed and sealed. âShow us a foolproof plan and take fifty percent in advance, and the balance will be yours after the tenders are opened, but before you leave the office. That should satisfy you.â
âTempting as it is, I donât see how we can pull it off,â Rami Reddy thought aloud.
âAs youâre involved with the tender openings for more than a year now, given your acumen, Iâm sure you can spot a loophole or two,â said Nagaraju to Sathyam.
âI didnât apply my mind to that but on the face of it, given the stringent procedures, it looks a tough ask though,â said Sathyam thoughtfully.
âWhen the drink gets into the system, it might throw up an idea or two, wouldnât it?â said Nagaraju opening the Johnny Walker with the black label.
âAnyway, itâs stupid not to give it a try, Sathyam, letâs review the whole process, and see if we can find a way,â said Rami Reddy.
âAs you know, sir, at the scheduled time, the sealed tenders are opened in the biddersâ presence,â Sathyam began recounting the tender procedure in place. âEven as all watch with their eagle eyes, of course from some distance, I sort out the documents, and encircle the bid figures of each of them. Then I place them all before the members of the tender opening committee for the authentication of the respective bids with their signatures. Once that done, as the gathered take note of them, I read out all the bids, one by one, and thus, by the time I announce the last bid, the L-1 would be an open secret. However, if we try to favor a higher bid, then, as you know, all hell would break loose.â
âWhy not we change the topic, you can report the matter to the Boss, appended with my apologies. He might as well try his luck with the Tender Evaluation Committee if he could,â said Rami Reddy, as if in conclusion.
âWhy give up, when half the bottle is still for the taking,â said Nagaraju, more out of hope than any expectation.
But at length, when they all came down to the dregs, Sathyam said dreamily,
âIf only the Tender Committee chooses to look the other way, take it from me that the projects are already in the FMâs pocket.â
âReally!â exclaimed Nagaraju, as his eyeballs almost came out of their sockets, as if to probe Sathyamâs mind. âOh, come on, reveal the plot, and leave the rest to me. If only you need, we can even put the blind in the committee.â
While Nagaraju laughed heartily at his own joke, Rami Reddy was piqued by his subordinateâs one-upmanship.
âLet me see if itâs workable,â said Rami Reddy, bogged down by his failure to come up with something on his own, but not with any idea to examine what Sathyam might bring on to the table for he was far too inebriated by then to comprehend much of what was happening then.
âTo start with, FMâs benami tenders would have blank bids,â announced Sathyam.
âWhat!â Nagaraju exclaimed in surprise.
âOnly to turn into L-1s in the end,â said Sathyam with a triumphant look.
âNonsense,â said Rami Reddy dismissively.
âWhy this cynicism Reddygaru, let Sathyam Saab explain,â said Nagaraju, seemingly hopeful.
âIf only the committee members authenticate your tenders without figures, then we can turn them into legal L-1s in the end,â Sathyam said with an air of certainty.
âBut how?â said Nagaraju in disbelief.
âThis s how; once the committee turns blind to the blank spaces, and signs on the dotted lines,â said Sathyam, assuming a measured tone, âI would place each of your tenders at the bottom of the respective piles. Then, for a given project, as I read out the bid figures of all the tenders from top to bottom, at every stage, I would make a mental note of the prevailing L-1. Thus, in the end, as I pick up your empty tender lying at the bottom, I would state some amount, lower than the lowest. So, Nagarajugaru should be alert to note the figure I blurt out for all the three works. Once weâre done with the crowd, weâll have all the time in the world to insert the lowest bids in those pre-authenticated blanks in your tenders? Now tell me, what do you think of the coup in the making?â
âBrilliant Saab,â exclaimed Nagaraju hugging Sathyam.
âSeems workable,â said Rami Reddy shaking Sathyamâs hand.
âThere would be a few loose ends to tie up though,â said Sathyam, with a top-of-the-world feeling. âFor matching the typeface on the tenders on the whole, we need to use the same typewriter all through. We should buy a machine for our section, but before we take it in, weâll use it for typing the bid-less tenders at my place. Thus, after the tender opening, as we fill in the blanks on that machine in our office, the typeface would come clean, even under the microscope. As a way of extreme precaution, on both the occasions, we might use the same typewriter ribbon. That would ensure that even God wouldnât get a wind of our manipulation.â
âThis to say the least itâs a Sherlock Holmesâ stuff,â said Nagaraju missing the point in his excitement.
âYou can take care of the typewriter and all, put up a note tomorrow itself for my approval,â said Rami Reddy enthusiastically to Sathyam.
âOh, itâs unbelievable!â exclaimed Nagaraju confidently, âSo, the three biggest ever civil works in the country fall in our lap, isnât it as good as that? All weâve got to do now is to put in place a pliable committee to do our bidding, but wonât that be a childâs play for the Boss. You will get your million each by tomorrow evening, sealed, and delivered at home.â
âItâs time we left,â suggested Rami Reddy.
As he headed home in ecstasy, Sathyam was jubilant in his exuberance.
âRupees two million for my billion dollar idea, isnât it brilliant?â he thought excitedly, âOh, itâs nothing short of genius, really. Why, itâs almost a revelation! A couple of blank bids to follow, and wonât I show the Prasads of the world their rightful place? If only I could tell all this to Roopa, she wouldâve an idea about her husbandâs grey matter. How sad it is that neither I can share my triumph with her nor present the booty to her, to show her that I care. Besides, I canât better our lifestyle either to make it lavish for her. How am I to explain my spending spree to her? But why does she have such an aversion towards cutting corners? Well, after touching five or more, I should resign and venture into some business or the other. Wonât I be able to pass off all this as business profits then, even from the beginning? And that would be the time to flaunt my wealth and make her move in a limousine of her own. Meanwhile, Iâve to lay low, tucking the money tight in the attic.â
âWould one ever come to suspect the secret show?â he thought, after reaching home. âNo way, isnât it all so foolproof. But what if it were to leak out later? If it ever comes to that, leave alone her, can I ever face my dad? Wonât the old man scowl that the fair family name is soiled. What an idiosyncrasy! Of what worth is a family name, when no one had heard of it? Mummy, though, might understand. Whatever, the die is cast, isnât it? Now even if I wonât play ball, the play will go on, that is for sure. Why should I be the loser, after all? Besides, wonât I have to make her rich, at all costs that is? What a lovely wife to have, how will she be feeling on the train now?â
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Aboard that Rayalaseema Express, entwined with her man and her mate in that four-berth coupe, Roopa in the seventh heaven raved,
âOh, how Iâve been dreaming for our threesome in a coupe on the move.â
âCount on me to make those come true now,â said Sandhya amorously to Roopa.
âWith both of us lending him our helping hands, isnât it strange that he needs to double his effort,â said Roopa enlacing Sandhya.
Thus in their uninhibited lovemaking that went on well into the night, even as the lesbianism of the women charmed their manâs eroticism, his libido, exhilarated by their eagerness, occasioned their gratification. While the lovers felt equally blessed, as if the bliss of their love triangle had been seeping into her cradle as well, Saroja didnât stir from her sleep all the time.
By the time they reached Tirupati in the morning, it was well past ten, and hiring a cab, they soon set on their journey to Tirumala, the abode of Sri Venkateswara, the Lord of the Seven Hills.
âHow is it that the Lord is also called Balaji?â Sandhya asked Raja Rao.
âMaybe to make it easy for the North Indian tongues that find it hard to pronounce our South Indian names,â he said, fondling Saroja in his lap.
Reaching Tirumala in time, they checked into a cottage reserved beforehand, and having rested after lunch, they visited Papanasam and other places of pilgrimage on the seven hills. In the end, spurred on by the spiritual stimuli, they spent the night in ecstatic union before going to the temple at dawn for the thomala seva of the Lord. While Roopa thanked Him for her fulfilled life, Sandhya prayed in gratitude for His saving her manâs life besides blessing her mateâs love. As for Raja Rao, he wished that the Lord would nourish their love for one another, forever.
After the Lordâs seva, Raja Rao took out a coral necklace and a pearl chain from his wallet, along with a plain gold chain, and gave them to the poojari to perfuse them with the Holy water, and even as he was chanting appropriate mantras, he whispered to his women,
âHear him sanctify our union.â
When the poojari handed him the ornaments, Raja Rao adorned Sandhya with the coral necklace and enlaced Roopaâs nape with that pearl chain, all with a feeling of blessedness. As though to demonstrate the weakness for his women did not overshadow his paternal feeling, he adorned his daughter with the blessed gold chain.
âIâll revere it like my mangalasutram, blessed by love, and sanctified by god,â said Roopa reverentially placing the pearl chain on her eyelids.
âIt feels like Heâs blessing us,â said Sandhya mystically, and while fondling her pearls, Roopa fondly looked at the deity.
âEven if we discount the belief of the devout that the Lord manifests here, one may still explain the aura of the deity; the faith and reverence of His devotees in His omnipotence couldâve imparted that perceivable power to His Idol,â said Raja Rao,
In time, as they went round the market place, Sandhya picked up a
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