WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

What goes around comes around.

Ragini was stunned. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It was beyond her imagination that a close family-friend could be so resentful! She had no idea what harm she had done to Namita which may have instigated her to spread malicious gossips about Ragini and her parents. Ragini pondered a lot and ultimately realized that Namita was forever a jealous person, who could never be happy even if life was rewarding her well and always believed that everybody around her were of no good.

They were once close neighbors in a small Northeastern state of India, where Ragini had spent the first sixteen years of her life. Namita, being six years elder to Ragini was always looked upon by Ragini as a pretty elder sister, who had a lovely voice and was good in studies too. Their parents were close to each other and there were many happy occasions, when all the families in the neighborhood would get together for lots of fun. Ragini was more close to Namita’s younger brother. They were classmates and studied in the same school.

As time passed, Namita finished her studies, got married and became busy with her married life. Ragini completed her schooling and moved away from her birthplace to a bigger city for her higher studies and went on to become a reputed academician in her field of Engineering. Ragini gradually lost touch with Namita and would just gather pieces of news about Namita and her brother from her parents, who were still very close to Namita’s parents.

As the years went by, Ragini too got married and moved abroad where she got into a very good job, working as a professor in a reputed University there. Ragini’s husband, who held a responsible position in a company one day came home to tell that he had met a gentleman years back in Kolkata and thought that gentleman named Manoj could be good for the company he worked for. The company was looking for a good Engineer and Ragini's husband somehow managed to get Manoj selected for the position. As it turned out, Manoj was Namita’s husband and Ragini was thrilled to get in touch with Namita and Manoj again. They arrived in Dubai and Manoj started working with Ragini’s husband in the same firm.

Ragini was happy to meet Namita after many number of years. She gathered that Namita worked for a government school as a teacher in India and voluntarily retired to join her husband in Dubai. Their only son was doing very well in studies and had a bright career ahead of him. Ragini was genuinely happy for them and made sure that they were settled comfortably in the new place. She felt that a piece of her childhood had come back again. The two families met often in the weekends and gradually they started having many common friends too.

Ragini’s reputation as a good professor was known to many and some friends genuinely praised her for doing a job so well and at the same time, effortlessly managing her household chores and bringing up her daughter who was also doing very well in her school and board exams. Ragini in these conversations sometimes sensed a sort of resentment from Namita but ignored that many times.

Ragini’s daughter had scored 95% in her Xth board exam and she got to know from a common friend that Namita had discussed this as a lie to that friend, because she believed that Ragini’s daughter was an average student. Ragini still ignored those remarks. The same remark was repeated two years later during 12th board exam result, But by that time half the friends in Dubai knew that Namita was suffering from jealousy and was delusional in character, She never saw the good in others and was jealous of anybody doing well including Ragini. Ragini’s daughter had received a gold medal from her school because of her outstanding 12th grade board exam result and this finally made Namita to keep her mouth shut for a while.

Ragini felt the negative vibes emanating from Namita whenever they met and gradually she started avoiding Namita because of her unnecessary remarks and out-of-the-world jealous disposition. This made Namita more angry. Namita too started losing all the friends she made, as people got hurt by her rude behavior and sarcastic remarks for almost everybody. It seemed only she was perfect and she openly labelled some of her friends as ‘losers’, because they were stay-at-home moms and wives. She called herself professional as she was tutoring school children from home and told everyone that she was earning a lot more than many engineers and professors put together. This made her a laughing stock among many in Dubai, as it is a small city and everyone knew what the other was doing. Ragini heard that she had applied for jobs in Dubai but never managed to get a decent one and this made Namita more and more frustrated day by day.

Meanwhile their husbands were always on good terms and remained as good friends. Ragini remained busy with her job and other activities and did not try to meet Namita anymore as she felt that positivity in life would be affected, if toxic people like Namita were around her. But she did get news that Namita had taken to writing as she was good in literature and wrote well. She started singing again and had opened a YouTube channel for her songs. This made Ragini heave a sigh of relief thinking that Namita won’t feel so frustrated anymore and would be more than satisfied with her life. Ragini was wrong.

As Ragini’s career was progressing well and she got the promotion she deserved, she felt elated. The news was heard by Namita, but of course there was no congratulatory message from her, as was expected. But it was a bolt from the blue one day when Ragini heard through a common friend that Namita had spoken rotten things about her and her parents. Namita had told that Ragini was an average student from childhood. After that she went on to say that Ragini’s mother had affairs outside marriage and her father was a corrupt officer hence they could manage to make her study in reputed schools, colleges and establish Ragini well in her career.

Ragini did not know whether to cry or laugh hearing this. She went into shock and could not speak or think properly. Ragini cried herself to sleep many nights and ultimately had to seek psychiatric counselling to get over this shock. Her parents, husband and in-laws gave her a lot of support and positivity to get over this nightmare.

Ragini’s parents were working under State government and both held high positions in their jobs throughout their lives. They retired as reputable Government servants and draws handsome monthly pensions to this date. They have an extremely happy married life and are an inspiration to many couples till date. For Namita to speak of them in such a way, was unthinkable.

Ragini always stood first in school and everyone knew her as the first girl of her class. She was always sincere and hardworking. She scored high marks in both her school board exams and even cleared NTSE scholarship for her higher education. Namita’s parents always had high praises for Ragini and in front of Namita, they always congratulated her for her brilliant results. Ragini went on to complete her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Engineering with good grades and worked her way up to a successful career.

After the initial shock got over, Ragini started researching about Namita’s sick attitude and behavior and came to the conclusion that some people suffer from delusional jealousy. It is a sickness which needs serious exploration and behavioral therapy. Delusional jealousy is a psychotic disorder.

Ragini does not want to meet Namita anymore. But if there is a chance meet between them, then Ragini would tell Namita to practice gratitude and improve upon her self-esteem. Ragini would also want to tell Namita that there is a thing called ‘Karma’ -what goes around comes around!