Ramu's Arrival

The moment the notice went out for the factory's new security guard positions, thousands of applications poured in.

Engineers, experienced technicians, skilled office staff, and along with them a whole crowd of applicants for the guard positions. Among that towering pile of applications sat one file that was utterly plain, utterly ordinary.

• A small passport-size photo in the corner of the page.
• Name — Ramu Das.
• Age — thirty.
• Education — higher secondary.
• Work experience — six years as a security guard at an old warehouse.
• Special skills — none listed.

An officer from the HR department flipped through the application and said, under his breath—

— "A completely ordinary candidate. Nothing much of a background."

The file was set aside with the rest of the routine shortlist.

At last, the long-awaited day of interviews arrived.

One by one, candidates walked into the board room. Some spun elaborate tales of their past experience, some sang the praises of their previous jobs, and some even claimed they alone could do the work of ten men, flawlessly.

Around midday, Ramu's name was called.

He walked into the interview room with slow, measured steps. He wore a clean, ironed white shirt, and black shoes that were old but carefully polished. In his eyes there was far more plain, ordinary courtesy and humility than any manufactured confidence.

Arindam Sen glanced over his file and asked—

— "Why did you leave your previous security job, Ramu?"

Ramu paused a moment, then answered with humility—

— "I didn't leave on my own, sir. The warehouse I worked at simply shut down all of a sudden."

— "If you're given a job here, what do you think your most important duty will be?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Ramu looked straight into his eyes and answered—

— "Whatever gate I'm assigned to, sir, I'll guard it as watchfully as the door of my own home."

Arindam Sen leaned forward slightly and asked—

— "And if someone close to you, or someone influential, tries to break the rules and get in unlawfully?"

Ramu shook his head without a flicker of doubt—

— "The rules are the same for everyone, sir. No one can be an exception to the rules just because I know them."

The officers on the board glanced at each other. In all the hours of interviews so far, they hadn't heard an answer that plain and that honest from anyone else.

Just as the interview was wrapping up, Arindam suddenly asked—

— "Do you have any questions for us, Ramu?"

Where most candidates would usually ask about salary, overtime pay, or leave, Ramu instead folded his hands and said—

— "There was one thing I wanted to know, sir."

— "Yes, go ahead."

— "Will security staff like us also be given modern training here?"

Arindam was a little surprised—

— "Why do you ask that?"

Ramu answered calmly—

— "Catching thieves isn't the whole of security, sir! What to do if a fire breaks out in the factory, how to get people to safety quickly in a bigger accident — we need to learn those urgent things too."

A warm, quiet smile spread across Arindam's face—

— "Yes, Ramu. At Nabajagaran, every employee receives safety training."

Ramu rose respectfully and said, with humility—

— "Then I want to learn that work with all my heart, sir."

He offered his greetings and walked out of the room with quiet steps.

The moment Ramu left, the HR head smiled faintly and said—

— "Sir, the boy looks quite ordinary. Nothing particularly sharp about how he presents himself either."

Arindam Sen looked out the cabin window at the distant sky and answered calmly—

— "Often, the most extraordinary people around us are the ones who look the most ordinary!"

A few days later, the list of finally selected candidates went up on the noticeboard. Right near the top of that list shone the name — Ramu Das.

When Ramu came home to his small room, appointment letter in hand, his elderly mother's eyes filled with tears of joy—

— "Oh, my boy Ramu! After all this time, will our days of such terrible want finally turn around?"

Ramu took her worn, roughened hands in his and simply said—

— "I'll try my very best, with all the honesty I have, Ma..."

That day, Ramu had not the faintest idea—

that starting from guarding this factory's gate, he would one day step into a role of such courage that it would save not just his own family... but the entire history of Nabajagaran Electronics, forever, from utter ruin!

(To be continued...)

Monday, seven in the morning.

Ramu stood in front of the mirror, dressed in his new deep-blue uniform. The fabric wasn't especially expensive, perhaps, but to Ramu, that uniform felt like the greatest achievement and honour of his life.

His elderly mother placed a hand on his forehead in blessing and said—

— "Do your work honestly, son. Even with an empty stomach, never lose people's trust or your own principles."

Ramu touched his mother's feet in respect and set out for duty.

Today, the factory's main gate held a special training session for the new guards. The security chief, Mr. Anderson, lined up all the new guards and said, sharply—

— "Your job isn't just to stand at the gate and salute, or to open it! Every employee of this factory, every valuable machine, even every file and document — their safety rests on you."

He then read out the factory's core security rules clearly:

• No one is to be let in without a valid photo ID.
• The number plate and time of every vehicle entering and leaving the factory must be logged.
• Everything taken out of the factory must be checked exactly against an approved gate pass.
• The slightest suspicion must be reported immediately to a senior officer or the control room.

Everyone nodded. Ramu took out a small notebook and carefully wrote down every rule.

After the training, each guard was assigned to a different block. And on his very first day, Ramu was given charge of the most important post of all — the main gate!

Many were surprised by this. A brand-new employee, entrusted with such a critical gate on day one?

Security chief Anderson only smiled faintly at his assistants and said—

— "I never make a mistake reading people."

Around midday, a gleaming, expensive car pulled up loudly right in front of the main gate. In the back seat sat a well-known and influential businessman from the city.

He rolled down his window and said, with an air of arrogance—

— "I'm a personal friend of Arindam Sen. Open the gate, quickly."

Ramu folded his hands with great courtesy and said—

— "Could I see your official ID or appointment authorization, sir?"

The man's face flushed with irritation and anger in an instant—

— "What did you say? You don't know who I am? You don't recognize my face?"

— "I'm sorry, sir, I'm new here. I don't know you."

— "Don't talk nonsense! Call reception, inside!"

Following procedure, Ramu immediately called the main cabin on the intercom. A few moments later, reception answered—

"Sir is very busy today, and there's no scheduled appointment set for anyone."

Ramu returned to the car and said, respectfully—

— "I'm sorry, sir. Without clearance from inside, I can't open the gate for you."

Furious, hissing with rage, the businessman spun his car around and sped off.

An older guard standing nearby whispered, frightened—

— "Ramu! You just turned away such a powerful man, on your very first day of work! You've surely lost your job now!"

Ramu answered, quite calmly—

— "If I break the rules with my own hands on my very first day of duty, brother, then there won't be a single rule left in this factory from tomorrow onward."

Toward evening, Arindam Sen was leaving the factory in his private car. He had watched the entire incident unfold from a distance.

He stopped his car near the gate and called Ramu over.

Ramu grew afraid. He thought he must have made some mistake he wasn't even aware of, and that he might lose his job on the very first day!

Arindam asked, calmly—

— "Did you refuse entry to a certain special guest this afternoon, Ramu?"

Ramu lowered his head and said, humbly—

— "Yes, sir. If I've done wrong out of not understanding some rule, please forgive me, sir."

Arindam Sen smiled gently and said—

— "Why would you ask forgiveness for doing wrong, Ramu?"

Startled, Ramu looked up at Arindam.

Arindam stepped out of the car, placed a hand on Ramu's shoulder, and said firmly—

— "He really is an old acquaintance of mine, a businessman. But I hadn't given him any prior clearance. You made no mistake at all — what you did was completely correct."

Looking straight into Ramu's eyes, he added—

— "Never let this unwavering sense of duty and this strict discipline change, no matter what pressure any situation puts on you!"

Every cloud in Ramu's mind cleared away, and a peaceful smile spread across his face.

That evening, back home, Ramu told his mother all about what had happened that afternoon.

His elderly mother smiled with satisfaction and said—

— "Walk the path of truth and righteousness, son, and people may get angry with you at first, yes — but in the end, those very same people will respect you the most."

Ramu smiled at his mother's words.

But he had not the faintest idea...

that the most mysterious, most strange turn of his life was about to begin that very night! Because from that night on, he would start seeing things in his dreams so unexpected that, at first, no one would want to believe them!

(To be continued...)

Nearly a month had passed since Ramu started the job.

In that short time, his humility and honesty had already made him a favourite of everyone at the factory. He always arrived on duty at exactly the right time, never wasted work hours idling on his phone, and greeted every employee at the gate with a smile. Whether it was the cleaning staff or owner Arindam Sen himself, his respect and manner toward everyone was exactly the same.

One afternoon, while eating lunch in the central canteen, a colleague teased him—

— "Say, Ramu, I've never once seen you angry or annoyed, have I, brother!"

Ramu grinned and answered—

— "If you show anger standing at the gate, people get scared, brother! Speak with a smile, and it lifts the other person's mood too, and the work goes easier."

Everyone at the table laughed at his answer.

That same afternoon, big news suddenly came from the factory's central stores department.

A very expensive part from the production line couldn't be found anywhere! Officials rushed about in a panic. They searched every shelf, every cabinet in the warehouse, but the part was nowhere to be found.

Finally, they went to the security room and checked the CCTV footage. It turned out that, in his hurry, a technician had mistakenly placed the part on a high shelf nearby instead of back in its proper box. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

But Ramu smiled faintly and whispered to the colleague next to him—

— "I thought this morning it wasn't stolen at all — it was just tucked away somewhere by mistake."

His colleague asked, surprised—

— "How did you know that?"

A little embarrassed, Ramu scratched his head and said—

— "Actually... last night I dreamed that everyone was frantically searching for a box. And it turns out it really was sitting behind a high shelf, covered in dust!"

Hearing this, the colleagues standing around burst out laughing—

— "So now you dream at night and find the factory's lost things during the day, Ramu?"

Ramu laughed sheepishly and said—

— "Oh, no, no, brother, that was just a coincidence!"

But it didn't stop there — two days later, something odd happened again!

A large factory truck was scheduled to deliver refrigerators and other parts to a showroom in a distant part of the city that morning. Just before the truck left, Ramu went up to the driver, quite hesitantly, and said—

— "Driver Dada, if it's at all possible, could you take the truck to the garage and get the brakes and both wheels checked properly before you leave today?"

The driver, surprised and a little annoyed, said—

— "Why, Ramu? What's wrong with the truck now?"

Ramu fumbled a little and said—

— "Actually... last night I dreamed our truck was stopped in the middle of a deserted road, smoke pouring out of it something terrible!"

Everyone started laughing at Ramu's words again. Still, out of sheer curiosity, the driver took the truck to the factory's own workshop and had the brakes checked.

The moment the mechanic opened the brake drum, his eyes went wide with shock! The main oil pipe in the brake line was so badly worn it was nearly about to snap! Just a little longer, and the hydraulic brakes could have failed in the middle of the road, causing a massive accident!

The news spread through the entire factory in an instant. This time, no one laughed at what Ramu had said.

About four days after that.

During a break, the labour welfare fund had arranged an outdoor film screening for the employees, with a large white screen set up on the factory grounds. Everything around was dark in the light of the projector.

Ramu sat right in the front row, on the ground, watching the film with great attention. A tense scene played out — a dark, thrilling deep jungle, and eerie music in the background! Suddenly, on the projector screen, a huge, terrifying, hooded venomous snake reared up and began slowly slithering toward the audience — that is, toward the front!

The instant he saw it, Ramu, sitting in the front row, leaped up with his eyes wide! Then he scrambled, stumbling, toward the back rows!

Everyone around burst into laughter at the sight. One of them, doubled over laughing, said—

— "Oh, Ramu! You really are something else, brother! That's a snake in a film on a cloth screen! It's not coming to bite you, is it?"

Panting, Ramu reached the back row and answered with dead seriousness—

— "Well, brother! You and I both understand the screen is fake... but does that venomous snake know it's in a film? What if it really does come out of the screen?"

With that, Ramu, without waiting a moment longer out of fear, gave up on the film entirely and dashed away!

At the sight of this, hundreds of workers gathered on the grounds erupted in waves of laughter.

But alongside Ramu's simplicity, another odd thing happened the very next day.

Arriving for duty in the morning, with the sky perfectly clear, Ramu suddenly said—

— "There's going to be very heavy rain today at four in the afternoon."

At the time, the sun was shining brightly all around, without a trace of a cloud in the sky. No one believed him. But the moment it struck four in the afternoon, storm clouds rolled in from nowhere and brought down a torrential downpour!

A colleague grabbed his hand, joking—

— "What's this, Ramu! Did you used to work at the weather department or something?"

Ramu smiled humbly and said—

— "No, brother, I don't understand any of the science behind it myself."

Small, strange incidents like this kept happening, one after another. Perhaps they were all quite ordinary, or simply coincidence.

Some at the factory said — "Ramu's luck is just very good."

Others said — "His instincts and powers of observation are far sharper than most people's."

And some began whispering — "Whatever that boy dreams... sometimes it really does come true, exactly as he saw it!"

Ramu himself, though, never once took any pride or made any boast out of it. In fact, whenever anyone pressed him too much, he would only say—

— "You can't run a real life on the strength of dreams, brother. The real thing is putting in the work, sweat and all."

Arindam Sen, sitting in his office, had heard these rumours too. He had only smiled faintly and told his officers—

— "No one should waste their valuable time on made-up stories and gossip. Everyone, please give your attention to your own responsibilities."

And yet, at that time, not a single officer or employee at the factory had the slightest idea—

that these small, amusing, coincidental happenings around Ramu were actually pointing toward a terrifying, blood-chilling conspiracy — one that would soon threaten to destroy this factory's very existence, forever!

(To be continued...)

Talk of Ramu's strange dreams and odd coincidences now made the rounds among people at the factory, both big and small. Some believed it all deeply; others just laughed it off.

But Ramu himself never made a fuss or dwelt on any of it. Just as before, he showed up for duty right on time in his uniform, kept watchful eyes on the main gate, and carefully logged the number and time of every vehicle in his register.

One day, under the harsh midday sun, Arindam Sen was heading out of the factory in his car for some special errand.

Just then, an eight- or nine-year-old boy was spotted crying outside the main gate, clinging to its grille as he wept.

Ramu, on duty, went over and knelt down beside him. With great tenderness, he wiped the boy's eyes and asked—

— "What's wrong, son? Why are you crying? Where's your home?"

Sobbing, the boy answered—

— "My father works inside this factory. I came after school let out to go home with him, but I can't find anyone inside!"

Without a moment's delay, Ramu took the boy's hand and led him into the security cabin. He turned on the fan, sat him down, and then called the main processing block on the intercom, and learned that the boy's father was doing overtime, which was why he was taking longer to come out.

Ramu himself walked to the central canteen and brought back food and a cold drink for the boy. He fed him with great care. Then he sent word for the boy's father to be called.

Sitting in her car a little way from the gate, Suchitra Sen had quietly watched the whole scene unfold. She didn't say a single word, but her eyes filled with a strange sense of satisfaction. To herself, she thought—

"My husband didn't make a mistake in choosing people — this Ramu proves it with every single thing he does!"

That same afternoon, an elderly couple came to the factory, their faces full of worry.

They'd run into some complication over the servicing and warranty of an old refrigerator they had bought with great difficulty. With the reception crowded with new customers, the elderly couple were quite lost, unsure where to go or whom to speak to.

Just then, Ramu's four-hour shift had ended. He was changing out of his uniform, getting ready to head home. But seeing the helpless elderly couple, he didn't turn away.

Ramu took the initiative himself and led them all the way to the service section manager's office. He stood there himself, spoke with the service staff, and made sure every bit of the paperwork was sorted out for them.

Once it was all done, the old man, quite moved, placed a hand on Ramu's head and said—

— "Son! Your shift ended a good while ago. Why did you waste so much time on us?"

Ramu answered with an innocent, wide smile—

— "As long as your work isn't finished, Uncle, how can my duty be finished either?"

Little, ordinary moments like this slowly began to shift the outlook of the other workers and employees at the factory.

Everyone came to understand — this plain man in the blue shirt standing at the gate wasn't just a salaried security guard... he was, in a way, the whole institution's most trusted face and its very first warm welcome!

Even customers who came from far away would tell the management, on their way out of the showroom or factory—

— "That boy at your factory gate is truly such a good person! His manner just warms the heart."

One day, word of this eventually made its way to Arindam Sen's central cabin as well.

He called for security chief Anderson and instructed him, quite firmly—

— "Don't ever, even by accident, let Ramu know that I've been keeping track of all his good deeds, or that I've heard the praise for him."

Mr. Anderson asked, surprised—

— "Why, sir? He ought to receive some formal recognition for doing good work!"

Arindam answered, calm but wise—

— "If good work is only ever done for the sake of praise or reward from someone, Anderson, then that good work stops the day the opportunity or the watching eyes disappear. I want to see just how genuine Ramu's honesty really is."

That evening, over a cup of tea at home, Suchitra Sen said to Arindam—

— "The company really ought to do something special for a boy as devoted as Ramu, Arindam."

Looking out the window at the night city, Arindam answered slowly and firmly—

— "When the right time comes, I certainly will, Suchitra."

A little surprised, Suchitra asked—

— "What do you mean, the right time? He proves himself every single day!"

Arindam Sen sighed and said—

— "Understanding a person's true character isn't just about the good, ordinary times, Suchitra... how a person holds to their principles in the hardest, most critical moments — that's the real test!"

Suchitra said nothing more.

Far away, under the factory's brightly lit main gate, Ramu was just then reporting for his night shift duty.

Ramu had not the faintest idea then—

that in just a few months, on one cursed night, a terrifyingly vivid dream would turn his entire life upside down! And that in trying to save the company because of that dream, he might well end up losing the very job he cherished so dearly...

But even if he lost the job, there was one thing he would never lose — the unshakable love and trust of ordinary people!

(To be continued...)