There was molten iron, about 1600 degree Celsius, in the vessel and it was being tapped into the ladle kept in the steel transfer car below. Suddenly, a worker from the overhead crane dropped into the ladle that was, perhaps, hotter than a volcano.

It was difficult to know immediately who that unfortunate man was. People began to run helter-skelter in the foundry. The Head of the Foundry Department and many of his subordinates gathered there but nothing could be done. It had happened so suddenly and it was unprecedented. There was no chance of survival, for all knew that the man had liquefied, and perhaps evaporated within a few minutes. If a drop of molten steel, accidentally, reaches your skin, it leaves a wound that hurts more than a bullet injury. And that ill-fated worker had fallen into the ladle that was full of molten steel.

The officers of the Foundry Department took a quick decision and summoned all the workers to the staff room for a roll call, so that they could get to the name of the deceased.

In one shift there were about one hundred workers. They were horrified and they were looking around to find the friends and co-workers.

Senior Mechanic Tarun was also there and he was looking for his Electrician friend, Sandeep. He did not see his friend nearby and a horrifying thought ran through his mind. He was not ready to go with the thought. He was not ready to even think that his friend could be so unfortunate.

The workers standing near the ladle had seen a sudden play of sparks in the ladle for a few seconds and then everything had calmed down. The distance between life and death was just a few seconds, and how fragile this body is!

In the state of mourning, carrying their gloomy and dejected figures, the workers gathered in the staff room. All those who were working in shift ‘A’ were present there. Tarun was trying to find his friend but he was not present there. The Head of the Department had the computer list with the workers’ names on it. He called the names one by one and after getting the reply form a particular person he ticked the name.

The Divisional Manager had his own suspicion; he believed that a worker who was to be retired soon had committed suicide by jumping into the ladle. There was a provision of providing the job to any of the deceased’s children after his death on duty, and then there was a big amount of insurance money.

Tarun got restless and sad when he heard the suspicion. He cursed the time because elders, many of them, were ready to sacrifice their lives to secure jobs for their children. It was really horrible and inhuman.

When the counting was over, the manager’s suspicion proved to be baseless but Tarun’s suspicion changed into reality. It was his electrician friend, Sandeep, who had fallen into ladle. Sandeep was a very healthy young man, about 28 years of age and he had not committed suicide. The foreman of the workshop had sent him up to repair the overhead crane. Had he fallen onto the ground instead of falling into the ladle, at least, his body would have been there to perform the last rites. But he had simply evaporated, changed into vapors, disappeared before their eyes and they were unable to do anything.

Tarun was on the verge of crying loudly. Sandeep had invited him to his house because Sandeep’s sister was going to be engaged that evening. In the morning, they had punched their attendance cards together. How happy Sandeep was! He had only one sister and being her elder brother he had to arrange things for her marriage.

The stench of burnt flesh spread in the air in a few minutes. The smell reached the workers in the staff room. It was a very frightening aspect of human existence that a few minutes before their friend was alive and now they were feeling his presence in the form which no one would ever like. Tarun burst into loud cries and like a mad man he began to run in all direction. He ran towards the ladle but the colleagues pulled him back.

The Divisional Manager addressed the workers, “Friends, Sandeep was a very hard working and experienced electrician. I am deeply hurt by this sad incident. I had my suspicions and I thought that an old worker had committed suicide to help his family. I am ashamed and I am sorry for that. We can’t change destiny and I believe, now after this sad incident, that the thread of human life is so fragile that it can break any instant. Now we have a bigger challenge before us.”

He stopped for a while and looked at the faces of the workers. They were eager to know what he was going to say.

The D M continued, “You know that we have been trying to get Quality Certificate from the Government for more than one year. You also know that the team of the specialists is already in our factory. At present they are checking the accounts but they may come here any moment and put forward a few questions. I know that it is not the right time to tell you about the Quality Certificate but I am under obligation.”

He minutely observed the facial expressions of the workers standing in the front row. He wiped sweat from his forehead with an expensive handkerchief and then resumed, “But the circumstances have, unfortunately, changed so dramatically that it is necessary to inform you beforehand. If we don’t get the government’s Quality Certificate, we won’t be able to sell our steel products in the market and the factory will be forced to stop production. It means our workers will be jobless. I see that our future is at stake today.”

He whispered something in the ear of his assistant and then said, “If the members of the Quality Control Team find out about this accident, a bad impression will be created and the entire process might be disturbed. I should not, at this unfortunate hour, tell you what I am going to say because in doing so I feel that I am a criminal who is going to commit a crime but before committing that crime I want to make you a party to the crime. For the time being we will have to act like uncivilized animals, who, in spite of knowing that one of them has died in front of their eyes, continue to run towards the food which they hope to get quickly. They never look back at the dead body of their friend. I know it is not right and I am deeply sorry for all this. But, if you want to save this factory and your jobs, please behave for just on day in a manner that shows nothing bad has happened in this workshop…”

The workers were stunned and they began to look at each other. It was clear that there was immense amount of hatred for the Divisional Manager but the senior workers knew that whatever he was suggesting was for all of them.

Tarun could not control himself and he left his chair, “How is it possible, Sir. Sandeep and I had reported for duty together this morning. This evening his sister is going to be engaged. At least his parents should know immediately that their son has been sent on an eternal duty, never to return. They will come to ask me. How can I lie to them, sir?” He began to weep loudly. A few workers moved forward and held him in their embrace. They tried to console him in every possible way.

The Divisional Manager expressed his sympathy and called his subordinate and sent Tarun to his office cabin to rest. Most of the workers knew that the shrewd manager was pretending to be one of them but, actually, he was a snake who never spared anyone. He was a very good actor. Tarun having gone, the manager continued, “I can understand Tarun’s feelings, but we must be very practical in this time of crisis. I don’t think it is advisable to risk the future of four hundred workers to satisfy four members of the deceased’s family. My decision is final and I don’t want this news to spread beyond the boundaries of this foundry. No one is going to inform Sandeep’s family until the Quality Control Team has left the factory. Think about your future and decide accordingly. Now, you can go back to your work…”
           
They began to move out of the staff room in a state of shock and uncertainty, as if they had been ordered to walk barefoot on the edge of a sword. They knew that it was not a suggestion by the Divisional Manager, it was an order and if they did not follow his order, action could be taken against them. On the other had, there was their duty towards their former colleague and his family. They were lingering between dualities.

The Divisional Manager, in his cabin, offered a cold drink to Tarun, and, pretending to be sympathetic, said, “I know Sandeep was your intimate friend and it is a very difficult time for you. His death is undoubtedly a shock to all of us. You are an educated person and I know that you will not take any rash step and you will keep the future of other workers in your mind. You will have to control your emotions.”

“Please don’t tell me anything now, sir, I am in normal state of mind…” said Tarun and walked out of the cabin. He reached near the steel transfer car began to stare at the ladle which was filled with molten steel. The stench of burnt flesh was still there.

He began to murmur, “Sandeep, my friend, which style of leaving this world is this? There are so many ways of departing from this world but you simply disappeared, without leaving even a trace! You did not leave any trace of your body behind for me to shed tears. You simply vanished! This is not right, my friend!”

Tarun remembered that Sandeep did not like to climb the overhead crane alone but he could not disobey the foreman. His gentle friend could never disobey anyone.

Tears were falling down nonstop and Tarun was saying, “Now the manager is telling me not to inform anyone about your death! How can I do that?”

Suddenly, he felt a touch of a hand on his shoulder. It was his friend Ketan. He tried to comfort Tarun and said, “Let’s go now, Tarun. You can’t do anything by staying here.”

His seniors, who were very close to the Divisional Manager, were standing at a distance, staring at him with their threatening eyes, as if trying to say that he should obey the order of the Divisional Manager, otherwise they could employ other means.

The workers had reverted to their work and the steel ladle was being lifted by the crane. The molten metal was reloaded in the vessel to get the required temperature. Tarun thought that even the smell of his friend’s burnt body would fly away in a few seconds. His mind was in a kind of turmoil and he imagined that his friend, mixed with steel, would become steel rods, brides, and rail roads. His friend would be a part of so many steel equipments in very near future.

Ketan tapped his shoulder again and said, “Come Tarun, let’s go home. Sandeep will never come back…”

“But Ketan…Sandeep was here this morning?”

“There is not even a trace that he was here.”

“The record is on computers, other workers are there and I am here.”

The computer records have been erased and the workers are not going to utter a single word to confirm that Sandeep was here. You are the only one who can stand as a witness but then you will have to choose between justice and the jobs of so many people.

Sandeep’s father used to work in the same factory. He had already retired. He met Tarun and other workers of the family and asked about Sandeep. He looked for Sandeep everywhere but there was no clue.

After about a week, Tarun decided that he could not hide the truth and he decided to meet Sandeep’s father.

He met Sandeep’s father on the way and said, “I was going to your house.”

“I was coming to your house. I want to know why you are silent. Why doesn’t anyone know where my son is?” said Sandeep’s father. “In our days there used to be solidarity among the workers and all stood with one voice if something happened to any of their colleagues but now it is different.”

Tarun was silent.

After a while, Sandeep’s father resumed, “Today, people have facilities and they have all the comforts but they are mentally bankrupt, they are impotent because they lack courage to speak truth. They don’t want to lose their jobs…” he paused and then continued, “A fellow worker had lost his one arm in our factory. The management did not want to compensate, so we stopped work to get justice for our fellow worker. Believe me, if you can’t protest, be ready for the worse!”

Tarun understood what Sandeep’s father had said. His father had stopped for a while. Tears were rolling down and making lines on his cheeks. He said in trembling voice, “Tarun, seven days have passed but you have not said a single word about your best friend. I can understand the internal duel that you are facing. My son, Sandeep was your intimate friend, like your brother. I have heard that a worker fell in to the ladle and died. Was it my son? Speak out, Tarun…”

Tarun could not control himself and he began to weep like a child, “Yes, uncle…yes, he was ill-fated Sandeep…your son…Sandeep…my friend…Sandee. Please forgive me, uncle! I am a coward because I lacked the courage to tell you that your son had passed away. I am a criminal, uncle…”

………….

Next week, Tarun stood as a witness in the court of law. He had already been contacted by the management. They had tried to lure him by monetary means and they had also promised him promotion. Tarun did not want the promotion which resulted from the hiding the truth of his friend’s death. He spoke at length in front of the judge and did not hide anything.

The factory did not obtain Quality Certificate and in a few months many workers got fired from their jobs. Tarun knew that he had made many enemies but he was satisfied that his friend’s soul must be at peace.

After the verdict, that ordered a handsome compensation to Sandeep’s family, all eyes were looking at Tarun. His fellow workers were obviously not happy with him and their stares seemed to be threatening.

Suddenly, a hand tapped his back very softly. It was Sandeep’s father. He embraced Tarun and said, “I lost my son but I found a son who has not changed with the changing times. Your truthfulness has bought me. I don’t want this compensation. They are giving me one million rupees but it will be my gift to you so that you could start your own business.”

Tarun knew that he could never accept that amount which had resulted from the death of his friend.