GODBOLE AT IT AGAIN

A.K.RAMAN
“Long time no see, Dr.Godbole” I called out loudly to attract the attention of the person walking briskly in front of me” But the person continued his brisk walk as if my loud call did not reach his ear drum at all.
It was a hot summer day and very few ventured out to avoid sun stroke. The mercury was hovering around 47 degrees centigrade. The road was almost deserted. I had to attend a meeting in the morning which was scheduled to be conducted in an air-conditioned hall. A friend drove me to the hall in his air-conditioned car. Everything was fine till then. The meeting concluded earlier than expected and we were driving back home. Suddenly I remembered an errand which I had kept in abeyance for a long time. It could have waited for some more months. But as fate would have it, I decided to complete it and asked my friend to drop me at a convenient place. Within few minutes I realized my folly, but by then my friend had disappeared in his car and I found myself being scorched by this hot sun. To describe Dr.Godbole is very easy. You describe Professor Claculus of Tintin comics I would vouch that you have described Dr.Godbole. I found this man covering his head with a woolen muffler marching briskly. My first instinct was to ignore him. But the Goodman in me forced me and hence my loud call.
“Long time no see Dr.Godbole” I called out again slightly louder. But there was no response from him. I increased my speed, overtook him and made a u turn so as to block his way. He jerked to a halt and stared at me with his expressionless egg like eyes.
“Dr. Godbole don’t you recognize me” I asked in between my gasps for breath.
“Of course I recognize you. The trouble is that you remind me that I had to abandon the project I was working at that particular time.”
“But Sir! Please don’t blame me. It is news to me. You mean you have abandoned important projects like inventing time machine!” I exclaimed. “Please don’t tell me that you have abandoned the other project of reducing the size of humans to solve the problem of scarcity. In fact I stopped you just to know the latest developments in those projects.” I continued.
“No! No! Youngman. I have not abandoned any project so far. They are kept in abeyance to be continued as soon as I find time.”
“But I thought you are going somewhere in connection with one of those projects.” I said.
“My dear boy! You know about only a couple of projects on which I am working. In fact there are number of such projects. Usually I don’t discuss about them with any body.” He said with a twinkle in his eyes.
“So you are out in the sun in pursuit of another project about which I have no Knowledge” I pretended surprise.
“Yes” He said curtly.
“I thought you like me so much and I am the most privileged person in the world to know about your future discoveries.” I moaned.
“Of course you are. It does not mean that I have to waste my time explaining complex things which you could never understand.” He waved his hand as if to put me in place I deserve.
“Please give a hint. I will go to some library and make myself fit enough to understand whatever you say.” I wanted to prolong the conversation.
“No. No. No. Please don’t sit on my neck. I have got work to do.” He tried to dismiss me.
“But Sir! I have not yet told you the main purpose of interrupting you on the way.”
“You have already told me that you wanted to know the progress of the projects about which I discussed with you when we met last time. I will keep you informed as soon as I achieve something concrete. Now let me go.” He tried to brush me aside again.
“No Sir! In fact I was trying to get an appointment with you for sometime. But I could not get it. This is a God sent opportunity. Please let us go inside the park and spend sometime in the shadow. I want to suggest some projects on which you have to work in the interest of humanity.”
“I am not interested and I don’t take suggestions from persons of your caliber.”
“But this is very important and only a person of your caliber can work out a solution. Please don’t disappoint me.” I goaded him towards the park.
“Oh! What a pain you turn out to be! Better let it be really worth of my time. Otherwise I will never allow you to meet me again.” He warned.
“Let us sit on the bench under the big tree” I ignored his warning.
“Come on. Let us get over it. Shoot your suggestions.”
“In fact two things are worrying me for some months and I decided to bring those to your attention. I know only you can work out a solution.”
“Please don’t beat about the bush. I have no time to waste.” His impatience showed in his tone.
“It is about global warming and ….”
“And what? Come out fast.”
“Drying and disappearing of rivers” I hurried to add.
“You want me to work on these.” The sarcasm in his voice was obvious.
“Yes Sir. Only you can do it.” I replied.
“Silly. Silly. Silly. What is there to work on it? There is nothing to solve.” He said dejectedly.
“Nothing! Nothing to work on! The whole world is worried to find a solution. You are saying that there is nothing to work on.” I was really wonderstruck.
“Yes. A hundred times yes.” He was very emphatic.
“Yes? Do you mean that you have got a workable solution?” I asked.
“No solution is required. Population explosion is the main reason. Rivers can not disappear just like that.”
“Please elaborate.” I insisted.
Oh God! OK. There is no other way. Let me explain.” He sighed.
“I am all ears.” I prompted.
“Tell me what is worrying you?”
“Let us talk about global warming first.” I prompted.
“I thought you are intelligent. Tell me what you want to know about this global warming?” He queried.
“The rising temperatures” I replied.
“Let me come to your level first and make it as simple as possible.”
“That is the thing I like in you most.” I adored.
“Have you ever gone to your kitchen?” He asked.
“Yes. Many times.” I replied without knowing the connection between global warning and my kitchen.
“Then you might have observed that the kitchen is warmer than the other rooms whenever something was cooked.”
“Yes” I replied confusion still lingering.
“Why is it warmer?” He quizzed.
“It is warmer because of the heat produced by the stove.”
“Great! If the stove is put off the temperature falls to the normal again. Is it not?” He asked.
“Yes.”
“Then you know the solution.” He told in a concluding tone.
“You suggest that all of us stop cooking and the global warming is solved once and for all.” I wanted to know.
“Don’t be silly. Please think of the number of automobile engines running through out the world. Millions and millions engines are heating the air. Add to it the heating due to huge thermal, gas and atomic power generating stations, industrial boilers and other equipments. With all this heating it would be a wonder if global warming had not occurred.” He concluded.
“Is it as simple as that? People were telling that it is due to the carbon dioxide and things like that.” I wondered.
“Yes! It is as simple as that and it has got nothing to do with carbon emission.” He emphasized.
“OK. What about drying up of the rivers?”
“My dear fellow! If there is no water in the catchments area how can a river flow?” He asked.
“That was my question Sir.” I said
“Where has all the water gone?” He asked me again.
“That was my question Sir.” I repeated.
“Water just can not disappear. I think you remember the law of conservation of mass.”
“Yes. Yes. Mass can neither be created nor destroyed. It can be converted from one form to another.” I replied to show off my intelligence.
“If mankind has taken out all the water flowing in various rivers and stored them in their back yard how can you expect rivers to flow? Naturally they will dry up.” He went on.
“The solution is very simple. Pour out all the water from millions of water tanks in residential buildings, Railway stations, Industries, Townships etc. etc. All the disappeared rivers would appear again.”
“You mean that we have stored all the water in our back yard………….”
I discontinued as some movement behind the bushes caught my attention. Before anybody could realize, four men accompanied by Mrs.Godbole pounced on Mr.Godbole. A doctor pushed a syringe in Mr.Godbole’s body ignoring his protests. Within few minutes Mr.Godbole started his return journey to home, carried away by the four men. I went back home completely relieved that he is safe again.
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