Franko
“Unbelievable…so unexpected and shocking.”
The reactions to the news more or less reverberated with similar words. The people of the town were struggling to cope with their loss without being least affected by the soothing words of condolences.
It is a small town. People know each other. The appalling news is to hang about the most favorable talk of the locality. How can they forget the remarkable narrative out of their mind so quickly?
It seems like a fairy tale. A star was born, captivated the people of the town with his brilliance, and stunned them with his startling exit.
While his glory was swiftly ascending toward its peak, his story abruptly ended as an ill-fated fallen star. Initially, no one was ready to believe the shocking news, but its confirmation plunged the city into gloominess.
The horrible news did not remain confined to the city. It caught the attention of the media and became breaking news. The channels got flooded with different versions of the account. The electronic media was in the lead with its 24×7 telecast. The art of giving a sensational twist to the event was so perfect that the viewers almost forgot to blink. People were glued to their screens and dying for the latest update. They changed their daily routine to have additional time for the news. The dissimilar adaptation of the incident made them so confused that they could not visualize at once that narrative was getting weaved under the influence of financial interest and affiliation. It was too late when such a realization came to them.
The entire nation was in a frenzy. People wanted to know the truth. They were getting impatient as the case got a new turn every day. Various groups mushroomed over the night, and demand for justice began to rend the air.
The administration was alerted and came into action. The government assured of full justice to the victim. They submitted the reports of postmortem, forensics, and investigations on time without sharing with the public in the apprehension of an evident danger of unrest in society. It was obvious that the reports were not as per the expectations of the masses. The authorities were not in favor of taking any risk in the prevailing situation.
However, they ordered further investigation into the case.
His immense popularity was a surprise to me. I had never imagined that the people would love him in such a way. Within fifteen years, he elevated from a corporator to a Member of Parliament. He was the youngest member of the Lower House during his time.
After completing his degree, he left for some unknown place. Suddenly, after a long time, he reappeared. He was very much there. But somehow, my eyes could not recognize him instantly. I apologized for his suffering, although it happened simply due to his changed look. He appeared beaten and broken – physically as well as mentally. Since our long acquaintance, I had never found him so distressed. His long face and blank look filled me with pity for him.
In our college days and later on, every one of our group had been amazed and curious about his different approach to life. His explicit and unflinching frankness was the everlasting source of our gossip.
He was Franko, an energetic young boy with great courage to lead his life on his terms without getting least bothered by the perpetual condemnation.
Our society follows the beaten path and always negates the unconventional. The root of such spontaneous behavior lies in its instinct of opting for an easy and seamless journey.
It is nothing but purely a pluralistic attitude in defensive mode. The behavior towards novel and unconventional is quite different in the world of individuals. An individual may be a part of the collective behavior, but he is not only curious about novelty but even envious of those who prefer a different path.
Franko was always full of surprises. He suddenly jumped into the arena of politics. His spectacular story of success in politics surprised everyone because of his exceptional ability to transform himself according to the demands of the situation. As a political leader, he was not the Franko I had known since our school days.
With his final stroke, he shocked and surprised everybody with his unexpected exit from the physical world.
