Vitamin

My former
classmate Arin Roy had always been a recluse. Though he acquired a
master's degree he did not take up a job. It would be better to state
that he did not need one. The Roys had a lot of property in Gridee and
virtually owned that hill station. They had hotels, grape orchards,
cinema halls and entertainment centres. The income that all this
fetched was really huge. But Arin was interested in research. His
lifelong dream had been to create a human-like robot. When I got his
telegram last month I was surprised. That he still remembered me after
the massive quarrel we had in the optics lab twenty years before was a
pleasant shock. His message was brief, 'Come at once. Arin.' When I
alighted from the prehistoric-looking train at Gridee I did not know
what to expect. There was no car to pick me up. I was made to walk for
nearly one hour before we reached the palatial Roy residence. I was
very angry and tired.

style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Well, I was shown into a neat cottage
next to the three-storey main building. Though I felt cheated it turned
out to be convenient. I hate being alone and you feel lonely in
a  huge house
not in a small dwelling. After a longish siesta I decided to visit my
host. I was told he was in his laboratory. Surprisingly, the laboratory
was situated in the basement of the main building. I noticed that Arin
was looking thin if not sickly. I asked him how he was and he said he
was doing fine. Without wasting any time Arin stated why I had been
called to Gridee. He had been working on the robot project for some
time now. Indeed a specimen had been created.. He wanted me to take a
look at it. He was sad that there was no one else with whom he could
share his invention.His machine had a peculiar problem. Whatever you
asked it to do it would perform JUST THE OPPOSITE. Arin took out quite
a few machine parts from a safe. With great dexterity he assembled the
robot. I was told that the robot responded to the name 'Vitamin'.
Vitamin was then put to test. Arin gave him an egg and said, 'Don't
break an egg.' Vitamin broke the egg at once. Then he was told 'Don't
clean the room.' Vitamin cleaned the room to perfection. Suddenly Arin
spoke, 'Don't kick Ian.' To my shock Vitamin kicked me. Arin enquired,
'What do you think?' I said I would tell him the next day. But that was
not to be.

Arin passed away that night in his sleep. I felt obliged to
do something about Vitamin. After much thought I dismantled him and
brought him to Calcutta. In a suitcase. For a week he remained there.
One Sunday morning I decided to bring him to life again. It took me
about  three
hours to get him into the proper shape. Then I decided to test him. I
called my servant Bon. I told him I had a new toy. Then I ordered
Vitamin, 'Don't eat up all the hair on Bon's head.' Very soon Bon had a
completely tonsured head. He was livid. Then I told Vitamin, 'Don't
slap me.' Well, he slapped me very hard. I remembered a Sunday chore
and immediately told Vitamin, 'Don't cut the grass in the lawn.' Within
minutes my job was done.

style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The next day my neighbour Mr Nantoo came
visiting. He was a very intelligent person and generally witty. He said
to Vitamin, 'Don't recite the value of pi backwards to thirteen
places.' To my great delight Vitamin provided the correct answer.
Nantoo probed further, 'Don't tell us how the great pyramids were
built.'.Vitamin came up with a striking reply. But there is such a
thing as too much of a good thing. I suspect Bon passed the information
to the people he knew. Very soon Vitamin's achievements were in the
newspapers. Phone calls poured in with all kinds of enquiries. And that
was when The offer came. Curry Lala is a well known gangster. The man
himself called me with an offer. For one million pounds he wanted to
buy Vitamin. He said he could use the robot to secure information about
rivals. I was emphatic that I was not interested. But he would not take
no for an answer. I woke up in the middle of the night to find that a
hole had been created in my bedroom wall. A pair of hands were trying
to locate Vitamin who was indeed lying next to me. The next day I
sought and acquired police protection. But Bon, my servant had already
been purchased. In the dead of the night my servant of ten years put a
gun to my head and asked for Vitamin. There was only one way out. I
will miss him but there is no other option. I took Vitamin in my hands
and said, 'Don't turn into powder this instant.' And there it was. That
magnificent metallic object became useless powder. O what a loss it
was!