Gobindo Babu was sitting by the river Ganges when he saw his long serving servant dressed in all whites, fresh clean shirt and dhoti and wearing a white cap walk by him. The servant smiled at him as he passed his master. Gobindo Babu suddenly remembered that his servant had died recently. He called him, “Hey, you died recently, isn’t it? Am I hallucinating?”

“Yes Sir, there is no confusion, I am your deceased servant. I am now a Yamdoot. You see that person taking bath in the river, he will drown in a moment. I have come to take him with me.”

“Do Yamdoot wear such all-white dress? I thought they wear black clothes. You are joking with me.”

“The real Yamdoots wear this white uniform only.”

“You have been with me for many years, I have taken care of all your needs, hope you remember that. Can you do me a favour?”

“Yes Sir, you have been a benevolent master, how can I forget that? What favour do you want?”

“You will let me know in advance when my time on earth is nearing the end.”

“Okay Sir, I will let you know well in advance.” The servant said and took the drowned man with him.

Many years passed, Gobindo Babu, always at peace knowing that his ex-servant will let him know in advance of his death. His wife would often ask him to get the house renovated, or go on a pilgrimage but would always reply, “What’s the hurry, I will do all those things before I die. I am not dying any time soon, so relax.”

One day, Gobindo Babu woke up in the middle of night to find his servant in same white uniform standing by his bed. The servant was smiling at him. “When will you come to take me? I will finish all my pending works by then.” Gobindo Babu asked.

“I have come to take you now.” The servant replied with a smile.

Gobindo Babu got angry at his servant and shouted, “You rascal, didn’t I ask you to tell me in well in advance, the date you come to take me?”

“Sir, it is not upon me to come at will, I can come only when my current master, Yamraj ji orders me. But we did give you notices periodically, you ignored them.”

“When? How?”

“Sir, earlier you could eat anything plateful, but can you now? Then, earlier you never needed a specs for reading or otherwise but now need them badly at all times. You also take a handful of medicines morning-evening; you carry a stick while walking lest you fall down, you huff and puff climbing the stairs. All these are notices only which you ignored and now cursing me when I have come to take you with me at the end of your tenure on mother earth.”

Source: An adaptation of a Bengali short story of same name by renowned and respected author Shri Bimal Kar.