The Rule Breakers

by Preeti Shenoy

  Padma Devi remarked that the lime Veda had squeezed in was not enough, and that it was too bland.

  ‘Next time add a little more chillies and squeeze a little more lime. This doesn’t taste like poha at all. Don’t you make it at home?’ she asked.

  ‘Yes, but at home, we have a cook,’ Veda found herself answering. She instantly knew that it was the wrong thing to say. She had now set off her mother-in-law. Veda hadn’t intended to say anything, but the words had slipped out.

  Padma Devi did not miss the opportunity handed to her on a platter. She seized it like a hawk zeroing in on its prey.

  ‘No wonder you can’t cook. Girls should be taught how to cook. Parents spoil their daughters, if you ask me,’ said Padma Devi.

  Veda bristled at the insult. She looked at Bhuwan. But he was engrossed in eating the poha, pretending not to hear. He had heard every word, but he did not consider such trivial things important enough to argue about.

  They finished the meal in silence.

  ‘Okay, please eat now. I don’t want you fainting,’ said Padma Devi to Veda. Veda felt awkward to sit alone at the dining table and eat her meal.

  ‘Bhuwan beta, let’s go. And Veda, please handle the cooking for the afternoon. I think you can take care of that. I will be back for lunch,’ said Padma Devi, as she left with Bhuwan.

  Veda heaved a sigh of relief as she stood on the balcony and watched them leave. Then she made herself comfortable in one of the armchairs and read the newspapers for a little while. It was a rare thing for her, to be alone this way. She got very little unhindered alone time, and she loved making complete use of it. She stretched her arms and looked at the parrots on the mango trees outside Kailash Mandir Colony. How free those birds were.

  Then she remembered that she had to cook. She knew that her mother-in-law would be very angry if food was not ready when she returned. She rushed to the kitchen. She had always been given precise instructions on what to cook and she usually made rotis. She had no idea what quantities of rice to use. She couldn’t decide on the menu either. She stood in the kitchen, staring helplessly at the large plastic container that her mother-in-law used to store rice.

  Kajol noticed the confusion on her face.

  ‘Didi, do you need help with the cooking?’ she asked Veda.

  ‘Yes, Kajol. I would very much like that. Thank you. Do you know how to cook?’ asked Veda.

  ‘Of course, didi, I have been cooking since I was eight.’

  ‘And how old are you now?’

  ‘Sixteen, didi. This year, I will give my Class 10 exam. When I came from the village to the city, I lost a year. Otherwise, by now, I would be in Class 11.’ Kajol was evidently used to people asking her this question, and she explained even before Veda had a chance to say anything.

  ‘Oh, alright. Where I come from, a lot of people are sixteen when they finish their Class 10. In fact my younger sister is eighteen, but she has just finished her Class 12. She is December-born, you see,’ said Veda.

  Kajol felt happy to hear that.

  ‘Where are you from, didi?’ she asked.

  ‘Joshimath.’

  ‘Where is that, didi?’

  ‘In the foothills of the Himalayas,’ said Veda.

  Kajol’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘Wah didi, very cold place no?’ she asked.

  ‘Yes, it snows in winter there,’ smiled Veda.

  ‘Didi, you are so lucky! I have never seen snow. Only in pictures I have seen,’ said Kajol.

  Suddenly, she broke into a song—‘Zara sa jhoom loon mein, na re baba na.’ She twirled around, holding a ladle in her hand.

  Then she and Veda burst out laughing.

  ‘Didi, have you seen the picture? It released last year, in October. Dilwale Dulhaniya le Jayenge. Shah Rukh Khan acted in it, didi. He is a superstar,’ said Kajol.

  ‘I know Shah Rukh Khan,’ said Veda, and she smiled at how Kajol was describing the songs and the movie with enthusiasm, her eyes shining as she spoke.

  ‘In that picture, the heroine’s name is the same as my name—Kajol,’ continued Kajol, as she wiped the vessels she had washed and put them away.

  ‘Oh, I see,’ said Veda.

  ‘Yes, didi. You can see. Tell bhaiya to take you,’ said Kajol.

  ‘No, no, Kajol. “I see” means “I understand”. It does not mean I want to see the movie. And we say “movie”. We don’t say “picture”, alright?’ said Veda, gently correcting Kajol’s English. She did not even think about it. It came naturally to her. Kajol reminded Veda of her younger siblings back home.

  ‘Yes, didi. I will remember. Now let me help you with the cooking,’ said Kajol.

  She asked Veda how many people she wanted to cook for. Then Kajol measured the correct amount of rice.

  ‘Didi, one cup raw rice gives three cups of cooked rice,’ said Kajol.

  Veda nodded.

  ‘Don’t you have to go to school?’ Veda asked.

  ‘Today, I am missing Sankalp. I told Sanju to tell Kanika didi. You know Kanika didi?’ she asked.

  ‘Yes, we just met,’ Veda nodded.

  ‘She stays here only, in the next building,’ said Kajol.

  ‘I know, Kajol. I met her,’ Veda smiled.

  ‘She is very nice. Very beautiful, didi. Just like you. But you are more beautiful,’ said Kajol.

  Veda smiled at Kajol’s disjointed language as well as her descriptions. She loved her enthusiasm.

  ‘I think we are all beautiful in our own ways,’ said Veda. But she wasn’t sure if Kajol understood what she meant.

  Veda and Kajol then got busy cooking. Shakubai had finished sweeping and mopping the house by then. She joined them in the kitchen.

  Between the three women, they managed to make rice, a simple dal, a salad and a vegetable in no time. Veda was very proud as she laid the table and waited for her mother-in-law to arrive.

  ‘Thank you so much, Kajol,’ said Veda.

  ‘Okay, didi. Bye, didi,’ said Kajol, as she left with Shakubai.

  After they left, Veda became even more curious about Sankalp. What a well-mannered girl Kajol was, and so pleasant and cheerful. She wondered what the other children in Sankalp were like. The more she thought about it, the more certain she was that she wanted to volunteer with the organisation.

  But how could she get what she wanted? She knew she couldn’t talk to her mother-in-law directly.

  There was only one way she could do it. She wasn’t sure if it would work, but she was definitely going to try.

  Chapter 16

  July 1996

  Kailash Mandir Colony, Pune

  ‘Bhuwan, Bhuwan,’ Veda whispered into her husband’s ears.

  It was only 5 o’clock, and it was still dark, the sun not having risen yet.

  ‘Ummm,’ he muttered sleepily as he turned towards her.

  ‘Do you want tea?’ asked Veda, taking advantage of his sleepiness.

  ‘Uh, huh,’ he muttered.

  Veda got out of bed. She had now got used to the routine of waking up early, having a bath and then lighting the lamp as insisted upon by her mother-in-law.

  She hurried to the kitchen, made two strong cups of tea, and came back to the bedroom with them.

  ‘Wake up, here’s your tea,’ she said, nudging Bhuwan with her knee as she sat back, leaned against the headboard and sipped her tea.

  ‘What time is it?’ he muttered, his eyes still shut.

  ‘Wake up, Bhuwan. I made tea for you. I asked you if you wanted tea, didn’t I? Look, it will go cold if you don’t have it now.’

  Bhuwan sat up, his eyes groggy with sleep, and took the cup of tea from Veda’s hand. Then he glanced at the clock.

  ‘God—it is not even 5.30, Veda. Why wake me up so early?’ he grumbled.

  ‘Bhuwan, for so many weeks now, I have woken up at 5.30, had a shower and then performed the pooja. I did it uncomplainingly because you asked me to adjust. I have woken you up early just one time, and you grumble?’ Veda sa
id.

  Her words had the desired effect.

  ‘Okay, okay. Sorry. Now I am awake. Tell me, what did you wake me up for?’ asked Bhuwan as he sat up, leaned against the headboard and took a sip of tea.

  ‘No specific reason. We hardly talk as you come back late from office. So I just thought we would have a conversation,’ said Veda. She did not directly want to bring up the topic of her going with Kanika.

  Bhuwan considered what she had said for a few seconds as he sipped his tea. Veda was right. They hardly spoke these days. With the second sip of tea, his brain was jolted awake.

  ‘Aah, alright then,’ he said. He tried to think of something they could converse about. Then he asked, ‘How did your results go? You were supposed to have collected them by now?’

  ‘I . . . I failed,’ Veda replied. Her stomach knotted up as she said the words. After her meeting with Kanika and her interaction with Kajol, she had been temporarily distracted. But now it all came back to her in sharp focus, stinging her.

  ‘What?’ asked Bhuwan. ‘That’s impossible. You topped the college in Joshimath, didn’t you? What happened here, Veda?’ he asked.

  He was genuinely concerned. He knew that he had not been paying attention to how her studies were progressing, and that he had drowned himself in work the last few months. His father’s death had hit him badly, and he found some solace from the pain only when he worked. He had turned into a workaholic, ignoring everything around him.

  But now, when he looked at Veda’s distraught face, something inside him melted. Her sorrow was evident. How could he have been so callous about her feelings? As it is, the poor girl was going through an ordeal with his mother. He could see that clearly now.

  A lump formed in Veda’s throat when she heard the concern in Bhuwan’s voice. He had asked what had happened. There was so much that had happened. Where was she to begin?

  Veda took a deep breath. Then she said, ‘It was all so difficult, Bhuwan. There was no time to study. I thought I could pull it off with the notes I had been making in class. But I couldn’t. It was simply not enough. I have been doing everything your mother wants and I have been looking after her, taking care of all her needs.’

  Veda took care to ensure she did not complain about her mother-in-law. She knew that she had to handle this tactfully. If she complained, he would probably make a placatory comment and then tell her that his mother was in mourning.

  ‘I know. I am so grateful to you for that, Veda. I want you to know that I appreciate it,’ he said.

  Veda nodded, sipping her tea. Her eyes brimmed with tears now. She hated it. She did not want to feel sorry for herself. She did not want to start crying again. She thought she was over it. She thought she had made peace with the failure. But Bhuwan’s kindness had unleashed the flood of tears that she had managed to suppress.

  ‘Veda. I am so sorry. I have been very preoccupied,’ he said in a gentle voice.

  Veda sniffed, wiping away her tears.

  ‘Can’t you give the supplementary exams? You should apply for them. Since you are feeling so bad about failing, you should not give up. You should give it another try,’ he said.

  ‘For what? It’s not like your mother will be pleased about me studying further.’

  ‘Not for her, Veda. For yourself.’

  ‘I seem to have lost all motivation, Bhuwan. I once dreamt of studying for my Master’s and then applying for a job. I always wanted to be a college lecturer. Back home in Joshimath, we had a professor who studied in the same college I attended. He went to Delhi for his post-graduation and later did his doctorate. He came back to teach in that same college. I foolishly hoped I could do that too.’

  ‘Ummmm. . .’ said Bhuwan. ‘But your parents said that you did not want to study further. I think that’s what my mother liked the most about you.’

  ‘They lied. They just wanted to see me married,’ said Veda, her voice drained of all emotion. She had initially struggled to accept the betrayal and had now done so, through her letters to Vidya and Suraj.

  ‘Mmmm,’ muttered Bhuwan, his brows furrowed. ‘The past is past, Veda. Let’s just leave it and look towards the future. What do you want to do, going ahead?’ he asked.

  ‘I am not sure. I want to think about it, Bhuwan. This has come as a shock to me. The enormity of it is just sinking in. I had not even considered giving the supplementary exams till you suggested it,’ Veda said.

  ‘I think you should. You can go to the college library and study if you are not able to study at home.’

  ‘But what about your mother?’ asked Veda.

  ‘There’s a certain way in which you have to present things to her to get her to agree to what you want. If you ask outright, she will refuse. I know how to handle her,’ said Bhuwan.

  ‘In that case, can you please get her to agree to another thing? Kanika works with an NGO, and she is taking a colleague to see the homes of the children she teaches. She asked me to come along. I was wondering how to get Maaji’s permission,’ said Veda.

  ‘Oh, so you met Kanika? When?’ asked Bhuwan.

  ‘The day before yesterday. The day I got my results. I was locked out when I came back from college after looking up my results. So I waited in her house till Maaji returned.’

  ‘Oh, I see. Kanika is doing some remarkable work.’

  ‘You know about it?’

  ‘Of course, I do. My company was one of the sponsors at an event they organised last year. It was an art fair. You should have seen the products those kids came up with. Do you know, our corporate calendar for this year was designed by the students of Sankalp. It has all their artwork on it. We also bought a lot of greeting cards, which the students designed. They are a talented bunch, and Kanika is doing a good job. I am glad you met her,’ said Bhuwan.

  ‘She seems to be a nice person,’ said Veda.

  ‘Oh, she is. We have practically grown up together. She and I used to be good friends. Or enemies. We used to fight, but we were also inseparable. I once poured a bottle of Coca-Cola on her head,’ laughed Bhuwan.

  ‘What?! Why?’ Veda was surprised.

  She had never seen that side of Bhuwan. To her, he was always the serious professional, with no time for frivolity or fun.

  ‘This was when we were eight or nine. I did it because she dared me to.’

  ‘Then what happened?’

  ‘She went crying to my mother! I got a proper scolding. If that wasn’t enough, she went and cried to Shanta aunty too. Shanta aunty just laughed and told her to go and wash her hair.’

  Veda smiled.

  ‘Kanika was suggesting that I volunteer at her NGO,’ said Veda. Now that she knew Bhuwan was supportive of Kanika’s venture, Veda felt she could confide in him.

  ‘Do you want to? It is extremely tough. The poverty-stricken areas that these children come from are among the lowest economic strata of society. Their realities are very different from ours. Volunteering to teach them isn’t easy at all.’

  ‘I don’t know, Bhuwan. But I want to see for myself.’

  Bhuwan scratched his jaw as he considered it.

  Finally, he said, ‘I think that’s a good idea.’

  ‘So, will you convince your mother, then?’ asked Veda.

  Bhuwan became thoughtful once again. He would have to do this tactfully.

  ‘I’ll tell you what—this Thursday, Ma has invited her friends over for a musical evening. She wanted me to set up the music system with speakers in the drawing room. She wants to play Carnatic bhajans and has been pestering me to get the cassettes. I will bring up the topic then. Wait and see, you will be able to go with Kanika. I will ensure it,’ promised Bhuwan.

  Veda was glad that she had woken him up early and had managed to get what she wanted. This was the first real conversation that they had had in ages. He seemed genuinely concerned about her well-being and she felt happy about that.

  On Thursday, Bhuwan returned a little early from work to set up the music system for his mo
ther. He would leave soon after the musical evening started. He said that he and Vikki planned to go and see a plot of land that Vikki’s father wanted to buy.

  Padma Devi was excited about the evening. She and Veda had prepared snacks and juice to serve the ladies. She had carefully supervised Shakubai’s work that morning. She had also told Veda to dust and polish all the furniture, as well as vacuum the carpet. She had taken out a brass statue of Nataraja and told Veda to polish it with Brasso. Veda’s hands hurt from all the scrubbing but she did it uncomplainingly. She knew there was no point in protesting. Veda had also filled a large silver bowl with water and placed rose petals in it. She placed a lamp next to it, which she lit.

  ‘Maaji, is this okay?’ she asked.

  To her surprise, Padma Devi approved. This was the closest she had come to praise.

  When Shanta aunty, Kanti behen and a couple of other ladies that Padma Devi had invited arrived, Veda served them cold lemonade. They looked at the preparations that had been made for the evening and praised the ambience. Padma Devi beamed and basked in their approval.

  After a few minutes, Kanika popped in.

  ‘Come in, come in, Kanika beti. How nice that you decided to join us. You are visiting me like this after so many months,’ said Padma Devi, welcoming her.

  ‘Yes, Aunty. So sorry, I have been caught up in work,’ said Kanika, as she walked in and took her seat.

  Veda was surprised. Kanika looked at her and winked. Then she smiled at Bhuwan.

  Bhuwan smiled back. Everything was going as per their plan.

  The ladies in the room were conversing about their children now. One was taking about her daughter who had got into IIT. Another was talking about her son doing a course in public relations.

  ‘Yes, yes. It is good. Children should be allowed to study what they want,’ said Padma Devi.

  ‘Absolutely. Initially, when Kanika quit her corporate job, I was sceptical. Why do you want to leave such a well-paying job, I asked her. But then she explained to me. She is helping thousands of children who do not have a chance otherwise. And now I am quite proud of the work she is doing,’ said Shanta.