Yesterday, I was having a stroll on Bellary road which besides being a National Highway is International Air Port road in Bangalore now. It was an evening time. Though, sunset had taken place, it was not yet completely dark. Being, an important road, Bellary road has become a busy congested road too. As a result noise pollution, air pollution and traffic hold up as in the other parts of Bangalore have increased and are unbearable on this road also. Its outlook has entirely changed now. It is flooded with cars, auto rickshaws, lorries and other automobiles. Illumination was piercing my eyes. It was flood of lights. I was wondering whether it is the same road which I used to tread earlier. I was on the service road. I was on that section of service road between Big Market and Laxmi Wines. Upcoming majestic " Godrej Apartments " were attracting my eyes. Suddenly, I came across playing cards scattered all over the middle of that road. Somebody had thrown those cards there. They seemed to have been discarded. Previous day there was heavy down pour. The cards were getting wet in stagnant rainy water there. They were expensive beautiful cards. The cards evoked chain of reactions in me. I felt that as a city grows gambling and other undesired games would also grow by leap and bounds in it . I wondered how many families those beautiful cards might have ruined? Wherever the cards might be they spell doom. They reminded me of Helen of Troy. They were lying there because of somebody's contempt and disgust only.
Playing cards is one among the various types of gambling prevailing in this world. Horse race is also a form of gambling. In 21st century we find internet gambling online gambling and many other innovative gambling. Gambling is a bad habit or a vice. Gambling is always risky and daring . Sometimes only gambling rewards. Most of the time one losses in gambling. Gambling is an evil. Gambling is addictive. Along with gambling, other vices namely wine and women occupy a gambler. They all go hand in glove. Neither common sense nor other senses work in a gambler. A gambler does not heed to even to wise counsel. A gambler seldom understands that bad money drives good money out. There is a proverb that means when one who is at the verge of being doomed completely; feel that they are very intelligent. Generally this proverb applies to a gambler. A gambler is seldom contented. A gambler often remains agitated. A gambler subjects himself to lot of tension in his life. As a result a gambler develops high blood pressure and becomes diabetic also. In short, gambling affects one’s health adversely. A gambler does not need anybody to plunder their wealth at all. Gambling turns a king into a beggar. Money earned in gambling is easy money only. It is not at all hard earned money. A gambler roams in a world of fantasy. Gambling spares nobody. It does not matter to it whether one is old or young, whether one is male or female or whether one is poor or rich or whether one is educated or uneducated. Gambling is a world wide phenomenon. Gambling is a disease. It is spread in different forms all over the world.
Though gambling is not the best way to make money. It is one of the easiest way to make or to lose money.Many people indulge initially in gambling as a form of recreation. Gamblers often say fortune favors the brave. But, theirs is not braveness. It is foolishness.Gambling is a craze. It appears like a magic wand but it is not a magic wand. Once one becomes a slave to gambling, it makes them dance to its tunes. Gambling is an addiction. Gamblers prosper rarely. Gamblers not only drown themselves but also try to drown others too. On the other hand, it is those who run gambling houses who generally prosper. Success stories are a few as far as gamblers. Gambling is speculation. Gamblers trust numerology. More than anybody else gambler depends on dame luck and stars. Luck and stars give a slip to a man who depends much on them. Gamblers are by and large optimistic and overconfident. Of course, optimism is always good. Optimism is a positive thought. But one should never have a kind of optimism that a gambler would have. Gamblers think that they are smart. But a gambler is not smart at all. One whose stars are good generally only comes out of gambling unscathed. Betting and gambling are synonymous. Betting has no bounds. It need not necessarily be money. Betting can be anything. Dharmaraya in great epic Mahabharata pledges Draupadhi, his better half in gambling. There is no field where gambling or betting has made an entry in this modern world. Gambling plagues a sizable chunk of humans. Majority of gamblers subscribe to pathetic stories. Majority of gamblers burn their fingers in gambling. It is a gambler who generally becomes a pauper. As a consequence, not only a gambler but also their entire family undergoes hardship. That is the reason why a gambler' son does not become a gambler. It is a lesson to others to note. After downfall a gambler neither earn sympathy nor pity from anybody. A gambler does not have moral standing and they cannot advise either their kith and kin or anybody too. Gambling may compel one to stoop to any level. It is self realization at nick of moment can only save a gambler from utter ruin. Many jurisdictions, local as well as national, either ban or heavily control (by licensing) gambling. Yet, at anytime there would be no dearth of numbers for gambling in this world.
Life itself is a gambling. What is wrong in gambling? That is what a gambler always states. To a person suffering from jaundice everything around appears yellow. That is how a gambler feels that life itself is a gambling. Life is not a gambling. It is serious. People face dilemmas and are unable to take a firm decision in their life. Thus, they take a chance once in a way in their life that too during testing times. That is certainly is not gambling. No betting is involved there at all.
It is lust for money that leads one into gambling. Moreover, gambling appears to one as an easiest way to become rich by overnight . Money earned in gambling is not hard earned money at all. It is always easy money only. Numerous games could be played with cards alone. In one card game if a player gets 3 aces, he is elated. In another card game if a player gets 3 aces he is depressed. Moods of a person undergo change in gambling frequently. Gambling is just like a roller coaster ride. It produces thrills. Gambling is always risky and the risk is not mere financial risk. A gambler has to overcome sometimes other risks too. Gambling reminded me of Las Vegas. Las Vegas is perhaps the best known gambling destination in the world. Las Vegas is known as entertainment capital of world too. Las Vegas city is in Nevada. Nevada is a desert and a state in USA. I have not so far come across a city in my life which is more busy and buzzing with activities during night times than during day time like Las Vegas. It is a city to be visited especially during night time. It appears like a man made heaven during night times. Las Vegas is famous for nocturnal life. There may be a few cities in this world which are more illuminated than Las Vegas. Everywhere, we come across colorful dazzling lights at Las Vegas. Las Vegas is full of Casinos. Still Caesars palace, Hilton Flamingo, MGM Grand, and Mirage Hotel stand before my eyes. How can I forget those slot machines, those tokens, those tables, and enthusiastic crowd at midnight? Marriage has no sanctity in Las Vegas. It was appearing like changing of costumes. On one side people were getting married and other side they were coming out divorced.
I remembered Reno City too. Reno city is also in Nevada, It is also famous for Casinos. We stayed in Hilton Hotel there. How can I forget buffet breakfast which I had in that hotel? They provided bowls of variety of fruits and juices as much one can eat in buffet at cheaper rate. They were served by half nude waitresses. It was a matter of commonsense to understand what they lost in restaurant, they would make up in Casinos.
Of course, I recollected gambling dens prevailing in our cities and villages too. Lives of several gamblers who crumbled before my eyes flashed into my mind. A rich man’s failure in gambling draws public attention. However, nobody regrets a rich man’s failure. A remark that his parents might have amassed wealth by unfair means and he might not have been aware of value of money and might have drained all wealth in gambling is quite often heard from every quarter on that occasion. There is no doubt in the fact that the rich man and his dependents feel the pinch. They feel humiliated. Their life certainly becomes miserable. Financial disaster sometimes even leads to a tragic end. In case of a poor man if he loses whatever a little he has in gambling it makes a little difference to him. That would add only to his woes. His failure as such, often goes unheard and unnoticed. But if a middle class man succumbs to gambling, it is totally a different story.
One is not at all aware of contents of their subconscious mind. Long term and short term memories are stored in a subconscious mind. When what and how subconscious unfolds its contents it is unpredictable.In a movie incident after incident parade before our eyes through out its course to depict us a story. Similarly, a series of incidents ran through my mind. It is thoughts that take one into past, present and future. How fast thoughts fly back? I think thoughts fly back faster than rays of light. Lives of Bhojanna, Ramanna,Chandranna and Hegde appeared on screen of my mind in no time. They are not fictitious people. They are real people who lived on this earth. Theirs is true story. They were all well acquainted to me. They were middle class people of the society. They were victims to gambling.
My neighbor by name Bhojanna was a gambler. Our house was being painted and I was supervising painting work of our house. Suddenly, there was hue and cry. I was distracted. I inquired with the painter what the matter was. I came to know that a lorry with goons descended near Bhojanna's house and flew off with every valuable that they had to set off their dues. This particular had a telling effect on only a son by name Shankar that Bhojanna had. Shankar felt insulted. Shankar was only fourteen years old. He was studying in high school. Always there was quarrel between his mother and father Bhojanna on financial matters.As a result there was no peaceful atmosphere at their residence at all . As a consequence, Shankar became mentally depressed. A few days later, heart melting screaming emerged from his house. Shankar had hanged himself to a ceiling fan in his house. Subsequently, Bhojanna vacated the house.
Temple is a holy place where no illegal activities should take place. However, in many villages these days we find playing cards and other illegal activities taking place in temples. After worshiping time, temples are secluded places and gamblers gather there. Coffee, tea, liquor, eatables and cigarettes were served from time to time thereto. What the supplier/suppliers wanted was money. They did not want to displease very important persons of village. Ramanna was a rich agriculturist. He had not added a single rupee to wealth that his elders had left him. On the contrary, he was losing everyday something from that kitty. He had not taken any gainful employment during his life time. He used to feel uneasy if he had not played a single game of cards in a day. Whether it was temple or anybody’s house, it did not matter to Ramanna to play cards. Ramanna never used to miss playing of cards.
Ramanna was a college drop out. His wife was an uneducated lady. He had not given much importance to education. He did not pay much attention to education of his children too. As a result, his only son could not even pass matriculation. He discontinued his studies. He became one among the disgruntled youth of that village
Ramanna did not make any addition to his holding instead as when he wanted money he disposed his fertile lands at throw away price. Agriculturists always choose cash crops. They borrow money from bankers and money lenders to raise the crops. If they are successful in their venture, they mint money. Agriculture is not a joke. It is bread earning a profession of many people. It needs heard work, devotion and a little bit of luck too. Crops need timely fertilizers, pesticides, water, supervision etc. Besides,crops need timely harvesting and marketing of produce too. Ramanna raised bank loans etc but paid a little attention to agricultural operations for he was too much involved in gambling. End use of a crop loan availed at a bank by a gambler normally is more utilized for gambling than to agriculture. Ramanna not only failed in his gambling but also in agriculture. He subsequently died of heart attack. The family was in dire straits.
Chandranna's story was not much a different story. He was an agriculturist cum a graduate school teacher in his own village. Teachers and parents should set an example to children. Their conduct should be exemplary and worth following. A child chooses either its teacher or parents as it roll model. Chandranna had good teaching skills but was not at all devoting much needed attention to his noble profession. Unfortunately, he was a prey to numerous vices. It is needless to say one of them was playing of cards. How Chandranna could be punctual at school having been busy playing cards till late in the night. He was not doing justice either to agriculture profession or teaching profession. He was not fully covering syllabus prescribed for an academic year to a class at all. As such, students could not perform well in exam. Chandranna who could have brought out many successful students on the contrary he was spoiling career of many students. Chandranna had two sons and a daughter. They were Vinay, Sara and Putta. Once, Sara was having fever. Temperature had exceeded 104 degrees. Chandranna was not being seen. He was in a gambling den. He was there in inebriated condition. With great difficulty he was to be brought to take care of his daughter. Decades passed, Chandranna did not improve. His son Vinay could not concentrate upon his studies. He became a college drop out and an antisocial element too. Once,he visited my nephew and my nephew was complained me that Vinay decamped with the valuables from his house.
One Mr. Hedge was my colleague. MR. Hedge hailed from Mangalore district in Karnataka state. There was no race course at Mangalore. Yet,he became an addict to horse race. How and why he became an addict is a wonder to me. He belonged to a poor family and graduated in commerce with great difficulty He was a certified associate of Indian Institute of Bankers also. If he had concentrated on banking, he would have certainly become one among the top executive of his bank. One fine morning he was dismissed from the services of the bank. He had misappropriated money from bank to cater to racing habit. When he was manager of a bank at Nagpur, he used to be often at Mahalaxmi Race course at Mumbai to take part in horse races. He was so mad after betting that he never bothered about his job, prestige or anything.
Many more gamblers might have invaded my mind, had I not reached my destination. I concluded that a gambler is one who kills a goose which lays golden eggs.