Jhontu Palit and his only friend.

seed #378

Jhontu palit was as dedicated as an ideal man should be in all his duties. And he believed to do his duties with a smile. Diligently. Forcing more smile. And forcing more diligence. 

Jhontu would always wake up with before the cock could crow. The cocks of mansukhgunj have come to hate the guts of Jhontu. This  we will save for another story. 

Jhontu believed that you should your best for work, so he dressed up like it was his last day alive. This will become an irony down the story. He was flamboyant and graceful. He liked his shirts crisp and suits well fitted and of rare silks. He spared no detail on the colours, after all it was manskhgunj.

Jhontu palit’s was always early to start his day. He believed in starting early made work a more pleasant experience, in turn life more pleasant and fruitful. Jhontu did this to avoid the morning rush.  Also he did this so he can iron his clothes to appropriate satisfaction and get ready when his official hours start.  You see Jhontu takes work very seriously and his dressing. So it is only natural if he is a little finicky about it. 

Long before he could find a solution, Jhontu seemed to have shamed all the dhobis of mansukhgunj for shirts which lose their crispness on wear. Some incidents are still remembered on the annual dhobi picnic by the ghats. This has made the  ghats an area of unmentioned contest between Jhontu and the dhobis. Especially after jhontu shifted to ironing his shirt himself, on the ghat, right in front of their faces.

People hated Jhontu palit for being over zealous and dedicated towards his work but were helpless for they too believed in being over zealous. Jhontu palit was the official, officiating the death ceremonies and certificates in mansukhgunj. He had discovered a great solution to keep his shirt crisp and suits without creases.

Before the official hours one could see jhontu dancing and dangling naked around the pyres, barbequing his clothes.during the office hours one could see jhontu hopping like a peacock on a ramp, being overzealous towards the grieving family. He would cry with them and louder and hug them and beat their chest. Everybody did not take it well. Everybody would not like to be consoled by someone called jhontu. And sometimes it was pretty evident on the reflection of their faces on the shoes of Jhontu.

The shoes of Jhontu would shine as bright as the burning pyre. This was because of shontushine. Shontushine was a young man who would himself would hate to wear shoes because he loved to polish them. For him the place of the shoes was in the hands not on the feet. 

Since jhontu would get his shoes polished with every new pyre, he and shontushine became friends. His only friend. Well kind of, because nobody would like to have a friend called jhontu. So even shontushine avoided him, failing to acknowledge him in public except he times, he would come to get his shoes polished. However he respected Jhontu for being particular, particularly about his shoes.