Gambling temptation of Gopu

The Gambling temptation of Gopu

Vikram started walking again desperately fast after pulling Betal down and Betal started another story to break his silence. In a city named Illapur lived a rich man who had no children. After lots of worship and pooja in his old age a son was born to him who was named Gopu. As the son was born after so many years of difficulties his parents pampered him a lot and so Gopu became spoilt child. They gave him whatever he asked for. While going to school Gopu used to gamble and also lie if anyone complained but his mother used to cover up and favor Gopu.

If anytime his father used to say anything to Gopu, his mother used to stop him by shouting at him. Soon Gopu grew up in to a young man. Once, his father gave him a hundred gold mohurs and asked him to go to the market of Anantpur to buy grains for his business. He told him that the previous year they used to sell one sack of grain for one mohur in the market and since that year the yield of crop had been good so they should get a fair deal. Gopu promised his father that he would get such good business that his father would be proud of him. Gopu left and instead of going to the market he went to gamble. His associates were very happy to see him. They tempted him to gamble more and more and Gopu lost everything he had. He went to his mother and emotionally blackmailed her and once again she covered up for him and gave him two hundred mohurs to give to his father so that his father would think that Gopu had earned them.

Gopu swore by his mother that he would never gamble again in his life. But as it’s said that gamblers and drunkards never say the truth, Gopu once again went to gamble with those two hundred mohurs. After a few months, both his parents died. Now Gopu had full liberty and there was no one to stop him from anything. He made his house a gambling place and he was gambling all the time. He went on losing everything, his father’s money, mother’s jewelry, property and the house too. He reached to such a stage that due to gambling he was thrown out of his own house. He was homeless and roamed about on the streets and kept thinking that if he would get some money he would gamble and get back his lost wealth and property. Suddenly he remembered that one of his father’s friends named Hemagupt lived in Chandrapur who was very rich. Gopu went to his house and Hemagupt welcomed him and told him to consider him as his father since his father was no more. Gopu told him a false story that after his father’s death he had set out for an island with all the wealth for business but in the middle of the sea a cyclone came and his ship turned upside down which is why he lost everything. Hemagupt believed him and consoled him. Just then Hemagupt’s daughter Ratna came who was wearing lots of jewelry. Gopu kept starring at her jewelry. Hemagupt introduced her to Gopu. Hemagupt liked Gopu very much and so he got his daughter Ratna married to him. After their marriage when Gopu and Ratna left for their house, Gopu was worried since he didn’t know where to take Ratna as he did not have a house. Also, he did not want his wife but only her jewelry so he thought of a plan. While they were passing by the jungle, he asked Ratna to remove all her jewelry and give it to him on the pretext of fear of the robbers. Ratna agreed to it. He made her sit on the parapet of a well and as soon as she removed her jewelry, he pushed her in the well. He then straight away went to gamble. Meanwhile, Ratna screamed for help. A man, who was passing by, heard her cry for help and pulled her out of the well. Ratna then reached her parents house. Here, Gopu once again lost everything in gambling. Ratna made up a false story and told her parents that on their way a few robbers came and robbed her of her jewelry, pushed her in the well and took away Gopu with them. A passerby man saved her and brought her home. Meanwhile after losing everything, Gopu was roaming around here and there. Once again he thought of a plan to get money and jewelry. He thought of going to his in-laws house and telling them that their daughter had given birth to their grandchild and so out of happiness they would give lots of money and jewelry. Just as he reached there, he knocked on the door and to his surprise, Ratna opened the door. Ratna told him the story that she had told her parents and asked Gopu to stand by the same.

Hemagupt and his wife were very happy to see their son-in-law. He told Gopu not to bother about the jewelry that was stolen as they had lots of it and would give their daughter a lot more. While going off to sleep, Ratna removed her jewelry and kept it aside. Once again Gopu was tempted to steal the jewelry. So he got up slowly and took her jewelry and just as he was about to leave, Ratna got up. Gopu throttled her.

Saying this, Betaal stopped and asked Vikram whether Ratna did the right thing by concealing her husband’s crime just to be faithful to her husband and telling a false story to her parents, there by hiding the truth from them or was she wrong. Vikram replied that when Gopu had pushed Ratna into the well, it was then she should have understood that he loved her jewelry and not her. Ratna was foolish to save Gopu because one should never trust gamblers and liars. A person who takes a slap unknowingly is fine but if a person takes it the second time knowingly, then he is a fool and she paid for her foolishness by giving away her life. Betaal once again as per his terms flew away as Vikram opened his mouth.