The Co-Wife & other Stories

by Ruth Vanita

  Lakshmi said, ‘Beti, spend only as much as we can afford. Now there is no one else to earn. We have to dig the well ourselves to drink its water.’

  Subhagi said, ‘Amma, Babuji’s rites will be performed with splendour, even if it means our ruin. Babuji won’t come back to us. I want to show Bhaiya what a weak woman can do. He probably thinks that we won’t be able to manage things well. I’ll smash this arrogance of his.’

  Lakshmi didn’t say anything more. On the thirteenth day, Brahmans from eight villages were fed. Everyone was astonished and full of praise.

  It was evening; everyone had eaten and left. Lakshmi was tired and went to sleep. Subhagi was tidying up, when Thakur Sajan Singh came and said, ‘You also rest now, Beti. Do all this tomorrow morning.’

  Subhagi said, ‘I’m not tired yet, Dada! Have you calculated how much money was spent?’

  Sajan Singh: ‘Why do you ask, Beti?’

  ‘I just wanted to know.’

  ‘About three hundred rupees.’

  Subhagi said, hesitantly, ‘I owe you this money.’

  ‘I won’t ask you for the money. Mahto was my friend and brother. I had a duty towards him.’

  ‘It’s enough that you trusted me so much. Who else would have given me three hundred rupees?’

  Sajan Singh thought to himself, ‘Is there any limit to this woman’s wisdom and goodness?’

  6

  Lakshmi was one of those women whose life springs cease to flow when they are separated from their husbands. After fifty years of constant togetherness, this lonely life was a heavy burden to her. She now felt as if she had been deprived of her reason, her strength and her good sense.

  She had often prayed to God to take her before her husband, but that prayer had not been answered. One has no control over death but has one no sway over life either? Once renowned in the village for her wisdom, for the good advice she gave, Lakshmi now seemed half-crazy. She could hardly put two words together.

  She stopped eating and drinking from the day Tulsi died. At Subhagi’s insistence, she would go into the kitchen to eat, but she could not get a morsel down her throat. For fifty years, she had never once eaten without her husband having eaten. How could she break that rule now?

  Finally, she developed a cough. Weakness soon compelled her to take to her bed. What could Subhagi do? She had to work ceaselessly to repay her debt. But now her mother was ill. If she went out, her mother would be alone. If she sat with her mother, who would work in the fields? Subhagi soon saw that her mother’s time had come. Mahto had had the same fever!

  Who else in the village had time to help out? Sajan Singh came twice a day to see Lakshmi, gave her medicines, consoled Subhagi, and left. But Lakshmi’s condition continued to deteriorate. In a fortnight’s time, she too passed away. Towards the end, Ramu came and wanted to touch her feet, but Lakshmi rebuked him so sharply that he could not go near her. She blessed Subhagi, ‘I feel fulfilled to have had you as my daughter. You alone must perform my last rites. I pray to God that you may be born of my womb in my next birth as well.’

  7

  After her mother’s death, Subhagi had only one aim in life—to return Sajan Singh’s money. Three hundred had been spent on her father’s last rites, and about two hundred on her mother’s. A debt of five hundred rupees and she had to repay it all on her own! But she did not lose courage. For three years, Subhagi worked day and night. People were stunned by her ability to work and by her spirit. After farming the fields all day, she would grind flour half the night. On the last day of each month, she would take fifteen rupees to Sajan Singh. She never failed to do this. It was like an immutable law of nature.

  Proposals of marriage started coming for her from all quarters. Everyone was eager to marry her. Whoever’s house Subhagi went to would find his fortune made for him. Subhagi always answered, ‘The time has not yet come.’

  Subhagi felt boundless joy on the day she paid the last instalment. Today, she had fulfilled the severest vow of her life.

  She was about to go when Sajan Singh said, ‘Beti, I have a request. If you tell me not to, I won’t ask you, but if I do, you must promise to agree.’

  Looking at him with gratitude, Subhagi said, ‘Dada, how can I refuse you anything? I am your slave.’

  Sajan Singh: ‘If that’s how you feel, I won’t ask. I haven’t spoken about this so far because I knew you considered yourself indebted to me. Now the debt is paid. I have not the slightest claim on you. Should I ask?’

  Subhagi: ‘Whatever you say.’

  Sajan Singh: ‘Look, don’t refuse, or else I won’t show you my face again.’

  Subhagi: ‘What is it?’

  Sajan Singh: ‘I want you to bless my house by becoming my daughter-in-law. I generally maintain caste distinctions, but you have broken all my bonds.1 My son worships your name. You have seen him very often. Well, do you accept?’

  Subhagi: ‘Dada, such a great honour will drive me crazy.’

  Sajan Singh: ‘It is God who is honouring you. You are the living incarnation of Goddess Bhagwati.’

  Subhagi: ‘I consider you my father. Whatever you do will be for my good. How can I refuse what you ask?’

  Sajan Singh put his hand on her head and said, ‘Beti, may your marriage be forever blest. You have respected my wishes. Who in this world is as fortunate as I am?’

  The Anxiety of Authority

  TOMMY LOOKED STRONG. HIS BARK PIERCED THE EARDRUMS OF THOSE forced to listen. He was so well built that in the dark he could be mistaken for a donkey. But whether or not he had the valour expected of a dog had not yet been tested in battle. A couple of times, the cowards in the marketplace had challenged him, and he had come forward to teach them a lesson. Witnesses say that when he fought, he fought with a will, although his tail was more effective than his nails and teeth. It cannot be said with certainty who won the day, but since the other party had to call for reinforcements, it seems only fair, and in keeping with the rules of warfare, to declare Tommy victorious. On that occasion, Tommy used his wits and showed his teeth, as if requesting a truce. But since then he has not thought it proper to engage with rivals who are devoid of principles.

  Though he was peace-loving, the ranks of Tommy’s enemies grew day by day. His peers were angry with him because, although strong and healthy, he was cowardly. The marketplace gang hated him because he did not leave a single bone even on the rubbish heaps. He would get up before dawn and chew up the leaf plates and bowls outside the sweet shops, and the bones and offal outside the slaughterhouse.

  So Tommy’s life became increasingly difficult in the midst of his many foes. Months would pass without his getting a square meal. A couple of times he tried to grab what he wanted to eat, but the result was opposed to his expectations. Instead of tasty morsels, he got a stomachful of blows, which gave him a terrible backache for several days and compelled him to return to the path of righteousness. But even though he had had enough of beatings, his longings were not stilled. He wanted to go someplace where there was plenty of prey, where rabbits, deer and lambs roamed the meadows without a master, where there was no sign of a rival, and where there were large shade-giving trees to sleep under, and the pure water of rivers to drink. There he would hunt to his heart’s content, eat, and sleep soundly. There he would have dominion over all he surveyed; all would fear him and consider him their king. Gradually, his sovereignty would be undisputed and no enemy would dare set foot in his kingdom.

  As luck would have it, one day, he was walking off the beaten track, through the alleys, head bowed, indulging in these sweet dreams, when he suddenly ran into a gentleman who took offence at his presence. Tommy tried to run away, but that wicked fellow was not to be pacified. He immediately leapt on Tommy and caught him by the throat. Tommy begged and pleaded; he grovelled and said, ‘For God’s sake, let me go. I swear I’ll never set foot here again. It was my ill fortune to have trespassed on your territory.’ But that cruel creature, blind with power, was unwilling
to show mercy. In the end, Tommy, defeated, began wailing and bellowing, like a donkey. A few local leaders collected at this commotion, but instead of taking pity on the poor fellow, they too attacked him with their teeth. This unjust treatment broke Tommy’s heart. He fled, and the oppressors chased him a long way, until Tommy came to a river and plunged into it to save his life.

  They say every dog has his day. Tommy’s day dawned when he jumped into the river. He jumped in to save his life, but he found a pearl. When he swam to the other side, he found all his long-cherished wishes incarnate there.

  2

  Here was a wide plain, green as far as the eye could reach. Streams burbled gently, brooks sang softly, trees spread their shade, and sand stretched over some areas. It was a beautiful, charming scene.

  There were huge, sharp-taloned creatures here, at the sight of whom Tommy’s heart sank, but they paid no attention to him. They constantly fought with one another; streams of blood flowed. Tommy realized that he could not match these fearsome beings. He began to make use of his wits. When one of two combatants fell down, Tommy would leap forward and run off with a piece of flesh, and sit down in solitude to eat it. The victorious animal, drunk with victory, thought this a trivial matter and said nothing.

  Now Tommy was sitting pretty. Every day was Diwali for him. There was no shortage either of sugar or of wheat. He devoured fresh food and slept happily under the trees. He had never imagined such a paradise could exist. He had reached heaven without dying.

  Pretty soon, this nutritious diet brought about a change in Tommy’s way of life. His body became powerful and functioned better. Now he began to kill small creatures himself. The inhabitants of the forest became alarmed and tried to drive him away. Tommy devised a new strategy. He would tell one animal, ‘That enemy of yours is preparing to kill you,’ and tell another, ‘He abuses you behind your back.’ The wild animals fell for this trick and fought among themselves, which served Tommy’s purpose.

  Finally, things came to such a pass that all the larger beasts were killed. The smaller ones did not dare confront him. Observing his prowess, they began to feel as if he was a strange deity sent from above to rule them. Tommy strengthened this illusion by showing off his mastery in hunting. He would declare with pride, ‘God has sent me to reign over you. This is God’s will. You stay quietly in your homes. I won’t trouble you in any way. As a reward for my services to you I’ll hunt a few of you. After all, I too have a belly; without food, how can I survive and how will I protect you?’ He now roamed through the forest, casting majestic glances all around him.

  Tommy’s only fear now was that some other claimant to power would rise against him in this country. He began to stay alert at all times. But his anxiety kept escalating. He would often wake up at night with a start and pursue some unknown foe. He seemed to embody the proverb, ‘A blind dog rejects sweets’. He would say to the animals of the forest, ‘I hope to God that you never fall into the hands of any other ruler. He will crush you. I am your well-wisher; I am always engaged in looking after your welfare. Don’t expect this from any other ruler.’

  Ultimately, Tommy found it hard to relax even for a moment. All day and all night, he walked up and down by the river. He ran till he was out of breath and nearly lifeless, yet his spirit did not find peace. He was afraid lest an enemy somehow invade.

  But when autumn came, Tommy’s thoughts turned to his old companions and he longed to meet them once more. He could not control his longing. He remembered the days when he, along with a few friends, would follow a beloved through alleys and byways. He restrained himself for a few days, but in the end the desire grew so strong that he decided to put his fortune to the test. Now he was proud of his strength. He could teach a few people a lesson.

  But as soon as he crossed the river, his confidence faded like darkness at dawn. His pace slackened, his head hung, and his tail shrank. Just then he saw a beloved approaching, and grew excited; he began to pursue her. The beloved disliked this. She denounced him in sharp tones. Hearing her voice, several of her lovers turned up, and flew into a rage when they saw Tommy. Tommy was taken aback. He had not yet decided what to do when he was attacked from all sides. Unable to get away, he was seriously injured and bled profusely. When he finally managed to run, a group of devils ran after him.

  From that day, a deep insecurity assailed him. Every moment, he felt as if a group of attackers was on its way to destroy his happiness and peace, and to wreck his paradise. This suspicion, which had tormented him earlier, now became even stronger.

  One day, he was seized by panic and felt that the enemy had actually arrived. He rushed to the riverbank and began running up and down. The day passed, the night went by, but he would not rest. The next day and night passed, yet Tommy, without food and without water, continued to patrol the shore.

  Five days passed in this way. Tommy’s feet began to falter, and darkness swam before his eyes. Tormented by hunger, he kept stumbling and falling, but his anxiety did not diminish.

  Finally, on the seventh day, the unfortunate Tommy, a prey to the anxiety of authority, enfeebled and reduced to skin and bone, went over to the next world. No animal of the forest was near him. No one even mentioned him; no one shed a tear over his corpse. Crows and vultures fed on him for several days; in the end, nothing remained but a skeleton.

  The Co-wife

  AFTER RAJIA HAD TWO OR THREE CHILDREN WHO DIED, AND THE first bloom of her youth faded, Ramu’s love for her decreased and he became obsessed with the idea of remarrying. He began to quarrel with Rajia all the time. He would constantly seek pretexts to get angry with her, and would beat her. And finally he brought home a new wife. Her name was Dasi. She was fair, large-eyed, and very young. How could Rajia, with her sallow skin and weakened limbs, compete with this girl! Even so, she tried to retain her waning authority as long as possible. It was like trying to hold up a falling roof with props. She had built this household with the sweat of her brow. It was not easy to give it up. She was not such a fool as to leave the house for Dasi to rule over.

  2

  One day, Rajia said to Ramu, ‘I don’t have a sari. Get me one.’

  The day before, Ramu had brought a nice chunari for Dasi. To Rajia’s demand, he said, ‘I don’t have money right now.’

  Rajia was not as anxious to get a sari as she was to obstruct Ramu and Dasi’s happiness. She said, ‘If you don’t have money, why did you bring your beloved a chunari yesterday? If you had bought two saris for the price of the chunari, I could have used one.’

  Ramu said, ‘I’ll do as I please. Who are you to question me? She’s young—it’s natural for her to dress well and enjoy herself. You want me to burden her with thrift and economizing right away. I can’t do that. If you want to wear fine clothes, do some work—hasn’t God given you hands and feet? You used to get up before dawn and start working. Now you lie sleeping till late in the morning, because you are jealous of her. Do you think money will rain from the heavens? I’m not going to give up my life for you.’

  Rajia said, ‘Am I her servant to do all the housework while she sits around like a queen? I have toiled so hard all these years, and this is my reward, so I’m damned if I’ll work now.’

  ‘Then you have to live as I keep you.’

  ‘I’ll live here if I want to, otherwise I’ll live separately.’

  ‘Do as you wish—stop suffocating me.’

  ‘Fine. I’ll stop suffocating you right now. I’ll consider myself a widow from today.’

  3

  Though her looks no longer pleased his eyes, Ramu knew in his heart that Rajia had painstakingly built up this household. Perhaps, in a while, he would have gone and persuaded her to stay but Dasi was skilled in the policy of dividing to rule. She began to strike while the iron was hot. She said, ‘Why was her majesty getting so angry today?’

  Ramu said, sadly, ‘Rajia made an issue of your chunari. Now she says she’ll live on her own. I told her to do as she likes.’

/>   Rolling her eyes, Dasi said, ‘These are just feminine wiles to get you to fall at her feet and apologize. Keep quiet and sit tight. She’ll calm down in a couple of days. Don’t say anything otherwise she’ll become even more demanding.’

  Ramu said solemnly, ‘Dasia, you don’t know how proud she is. She always acts on her word.’

  Rajia had not expected Ramu to be so ungrateful. She was no longer as beautiful as she used to be, so Ramu didn’t love her—that was to be expected from a man. But she couldn’t believe that Ramu wanted to live apart from her. She had managed every penny that had gone into building this house. All the stuff in the house had been collected and bought by her. She had started a trade in grain. She had borne innumerable hardships ever since she had entered this house, all so that when she grew older she could live peacefully and have enough to eat, and now he had thrown her out as mercilessly as one does a fly that falls into milk! Ramu had not even bothered to say, ‘How will you live alone? I’ll either die or kill you but I won’t let you leave this house. Marriage is not a joke or a game.’ Since Ramu cared nothing for her why should she care about him? Do all women have a man with them? Everyone has parents, sons and grandsons. If her sons had lived, could Ramu have dared bring a new wife and mistreat Rajia this way? The cruel fellow had not the slightest regard for her.

  All the helplessness of her woman’s heart rose up in revolt against this injustice. The fire that cannot touch a tough piece of wood burns a flower to ashes.

  4

  The next day, Rajia went away to another village. She took nothing with her. All she had in the world was the sari she was wearing. The creator had already taken away her children. Now he had snatched her home too.