The Complete Short Stories
Page 70
Kailas disengaged himself and asked, ‘Have you come to rub salt on my wounds?’ Naeem embraced him even harder, and replied, ‘Of course! That’s the fun of friendship.’
‘Don’t jest with me,’ Kailas warned. ‘I’ll kill you.’
Naeem’s eyes filled with tears. ‘Ah cruel one! I was desperate to hear these words from your lips. Berate me all you can, abuse me as much as you like, it’s music to my ears.’
Kailas retorted angrily, ‘When the auctioneer comes to sell off my house today, what will you do? You’ve saved your skin and left me in this mess.’
Naeem answered happily, ‘We’ll clap our hands and make him prance like a monkey.’
Kailas said, ‘I’m not going to spare you today. Couldn’t you have pity on my children?’
Naeem grinned. ‘Well, look who you took on this time. Once, the game belonged to you. Now it’s my turn. You didn’t even consider the suitability of the occasion. You just launched the attack.’
Kailas was solemn. ‘It was against my principles to ignore the truth.’
Naeem retorted, ‘And it was in keeping with my principles to strangle the truth.’
‘When I leave my whole family to your care, you’ll weep for your fate,’ Kailas snapped. ‘I may be half your size, but I’m equal to three of you when it comes to producing children. I have seven of them, neither less nor more.’
Naeem teased, ‘Okay, okay, now will you get me something to eat? I haven’t eaten anything since the morning.’
Kailas said, ‘We’re all on forced fasting today. When the whole family is dreading the arrival of the auctioneer, who’s going to ask for food? If you have something in your bag, let’s eat it together. God knows, after this day life is going to be worse.’
‘Will you do such a thing again?’ Naeem asked.
Kailas was defiant. ‘As long as the government uses brute force to rule over us, we shall keep opposing it. My only regret is that I may not get such an opportunity again. But you will not be able to get twenty rupees even, let alone twenty thousand.’
Naeem confidently replied, ‘I’ll extract five times the amount from you, don’t you worry.’
‘Go wash your face,’ Kailas laughed.
‘I need money,’ Naeem said. ‘Let’s make a compromise.’
Kailas was aghast. ‘You’ve just swallowed twenty thousand rupees from the prince and you still want more! Your government officers will be able to give it to you. Go to them. I wouldn’t have anything more valuable than these papers.’
Naeem said, ‘They would be enough to repay my loan. Okay, let’s agree that I may take whatever I wish from this house. Don’t cry about it afterwards.’
Kailas was unfazed. ‘Take what you wish, sell my house, my office, even me. I swear I will not utter a word.’
Naeem was resolute. ‘No. I want one and only one thing.’
Kailas was intrigued. He thought, What object of such value do I possess? I hope he won’t ask me to convert to Islam. My religion is the only thing that can be valued as nothing or as everything. Let me see what the gentleman has to say. He asked, ‘What do you want?’
Naeem said, ‘Permission to talk with Mrs Kailas alone.’
Kailas slapped Naeem. ‘There you go again! You’ve seen her a hundred times. Is she an apsara?’
Naeem said, ‘Whatever she may be, you want a compromise, you have to do it my way. But remember, I want to meet her in private.’
Kailas agreed. ‘All right. But after this, if you ask for money for the decree, I’ll skin you alive.’
Naeem nodded in agreement.
‘But she’s a delicate, timid woman, don’t indulge in crass humour with her,’ said Kailas.
‘Don’t tell me what to do,’ said Naeem. ‘Just take me to her room.’
Kailas said, ‘Keep your head bowed.’
‘You can blindfold me if you wish,’ said Naeem.
Kailas’s wife, Uma, did not wear a veil. She sat lost in thought, and was astonished to see Naeem together with Kailas. She greeted Naeem, ‘Welcome, Mirzaji. We haven’t seen you in so many days.’
Kailas left them together and stepped out of the room. However, he hid behind the curtain to overhear their conversation. His intentions were not bad, he was just curious. Naeem was replying to Uma’s query. ‘We government people hardly find the time. I had to collect the money for the decree, so I came over.’
Uma’s face went white. She answered solemnly, ‘We too have been worried all these days. There’s no hope of getting it from anywhere, and he’s too self-respecting to appeal to the public for it.’
Naeem smiled, ‘What are you saying? I’ve taken every penny of that money.’ Uma was speechless. ‘Really? Where did he get the money from?’
Naeem replied, ‘That’s his habit. He must have told you that he hasn’t got a penny. But I got it out of him in a minute. Please rise, and prepare the meal.’
Uma was disbelieving. ‘How could he have given you the money?’
Naeem said, ‘You’re simple, and he’s crafty. I know him only too well. He must have fooled you by constantly whining about his poverty.’
Kailas entered the room, smiling. ‘Come out, Naeem! You couldn’t resist playing a prank this time too?’
Naeem continued with a straight face, ‘Shall I write out a receipt for the money?’
Uma intervened, ‘You’ve paid the money? Where did you get it from?’
Kailas replied, ’I’ll tell you later. Come out, Naeem.’
Uma was adamant, ‘Why don’t you tell me? Nothing’s hidden from Mirzaji.’
Kailas looked at Naeem. ‘You want to embarrass me in front of my wife?’
Naeem smiled, ‘You didn’t think twice before embarrassing me in front of the whole world.’
Kailas smiled back. ‘Well, haven’t I paid twenty thousand for that already?’
Naeem said, ‘I’ll pay you back in the same coin then. Uma, I’ve got my money. Let Kailas’s secret be safe with me.’
Translated from the Hindi by Urvashi Sabu
The Condemned
1
Orphaned early and a widow now, Maani had nothing to fall back on except her tears. She was only five when her father died. At sixteen, her mother, who had somehow raised her, managed to get her married off with the help of the neighbours. But within a year, Maani lost both her mother and her husband. In this crisis, she could think of no one who could give her shelter except her uncle Vanshidhar. So far, Vanshidhar had behaved in a manner that left little hope for a peaceful existence with him. But she was ready to endure anything. She would tolerate all his abuses, scolding and beatings. At least no one would suspect or accuse her falsely of any wrongdoing. She would be protected from scoundrels and ruffians. Vanshidhar, somewhat concerned about his family honour, was unable to turn down Maani’s request.
But within a month or two Maani realized she would not be able to survive in this place for long. She did all the housework, danced to everyone’s tune and tried to keep everyone happy, but for some unknown reason, her uncle and aunt remained bitter. They got rid of the maidservant the moment Maani arrived. Even the boy who used to wash and clean was dismissed. But in spite of all this relief, her uncle and aunt didn’t treat her with kindness. Chacha directed threats at her, chachi called her names and her cousin Lalita cursed her at any given opportunity. In the entire household, only her cousin Gokul was sympathetic towards her. Only his words conveyed to her a sense of closeness and affection. Gokul knew his mother’s nature. If he tried to make her understand the situation or supported Maani openly, she would have found it impossible to continue living in the house. That is why his sympathy remained limited to just comforting Maani. He would say, ‘Sister, let me get a job and that will be the end of your troubles. Then I will see who looks at you with scorn. Your bad times will last only as long I am a student.’ Maani would be thrilled at these words of affection, and she would bless Gokul from every pore of her being.
2
It was the middle of the night; the auspicious hour for the nuptials had arrived. Gifts for the bride had come from the groom’s quarters. Women were restless with curiosity to catch a glimpse of the gifts. Lalita was being adorned with ornaments. Maani had an intense desire to go and see the bride. She could not resist the craving to see yesterday’s little girl transformed into a bride. Smilingly, she entered the room. Suddenly she heard chachi shouting, ‘Who called you here? Go, get out of this place.’
Maani had gone through a lot of suffering in life but this scolding pierced her heart like an arrow. She began to curse herself. This is the reward you get for your childish behaviour. What was the need for you to come and join the married women? Feeling small, she came out of the room and moved towards the staircase to go up and look for a place to cry alone in silence. Suddenly, on the staircase, she ran into Indranath, who was Gokul’s classmate and best friend. He had also been invited for the wedding. He had come upstairs to look for Gokul. He had seen Maani a couple of times and knew that she was harshly treated in this household. He had also caught some of what chachi had said to Maani. He realized what was going on in Maani’s mind as she climbed the stairs, so he followed her in order to console her, but the door was bolted from the inside. He peeped in through a crevice and saw Maani standing by a table and crying.
‘Open the door, Maani,’ he said softly.
Hearing his voice, Maani hid herself in a corner and asked, ‘What is it?’
In a voice choked with emotion, Indranath said, ‘Please open the door, I beg you.’
Such an appeal, soaked in affection, was an unprecedented experience for Maani. She had never imagined even in her dreams that in this cruel world anybody would implore her in this manner. Maani opened the door with trembling hands. Indranath charged into the room and saw a rope hanging from the ceiling fan. His heart shuddered. He immediately took out a knife from his pocket, cut the rope and said, ‘What were you going to do, Maani? Do you know the punishment for this crime?’
Bowing her head, Maani said, ‘Could there be a punishment worse than this? If a person whose face is despicable to people is punished harshly even when she dies, then there is no justice in the court of God. You do not know what my condition is like.’
Indranath’s eyes became moist with tears. Maani had spoken nothing but the hard truth. He said, ‘These days will not last forever, Maani. If you think there is nobody with you in this world, that is your illusion. There is at least one person who loves your life more than his own.’
Suddenly, Gokul was seen approaching. Maani rushed out of the room. Indranath’s words had triggered something like a storm in her heart. What did he mean? She could not comprehend it at all. Yet, life seemed more meaningful to her today. A light had dawned in the darkness of her life.
3
Gokul was annoyed to see Indranath with Maani. His entire demeanour changed. After Maani left, he asked his friend harshly, ‘When did you come here?’
Indranath responded in a steady manner, ‘It was you I came here looking for. When I did not find you here, I was going to return downstairs. If I had gone, you would have found this door shut and a corpse hanging from the ceiling fan.’
Gokul surmised that Indranath was trying to make excuses to cover up his guilt. He said sharply, ‘I never expected you to betray my confidence this way.’
Indranath’s face turned red. He shot up and said, ‘I did not expect you to slander me so badly either. I did not know that you considered me so depraved and crooked. Maani might be an object of contempt for you but she is and will always be an object of veneration for me. I do not have to give you any clarification for my conduct but Maani is much purer for me than you can ever understand. I do not want to raise these issues with you at this moment. I was looking for an appropriate time to say all this to you but I have to say it now because the occasion demands it. I knew that Maani was not respected in your house but that you consider her so depraved and disposable has only come to my notice now, after listening to your mother’s comments. Your mother scolded her as one would spurn a dog just because she had gone to have a look at the bride’s ornaments! You will say, “What could I do?” It is improper to drink water in a house where an orphan is tortured to such an extent. If you had made this clear to your mother in the beginning itself, things would not have come to such a pass. You cannot absolve yourself of this allegation. I cannot talk to your parents now because a wedding is being celebrated in your house but I have no hesitation in telling you that I would like to make Maani my life partner, and I would consider myself blessed if I did that. I had thought that I would first find a place to live and then make the proposal but I am afraid that a further delay in this matter might mean losing Maani. Therefore, to free you and your family from worries, I am making this proposal now.’
Gokul had never felt this kind of reverence for Indranath earlier. He was ashamed of himself for having suspected his friend. He also realized that in being indifferent to Maani for fear of his mother, he had ended up being a coward. It was an act of cowardice and nothing else. Sheepishly he said that if his mother had scolded Maani for no reason, it was a sign of her stupidity and that he would clarify this whenever he got a chance.
Indranath said, ‘There is no time for inquiries and clarifications any more. I would like to talk to Maani and tell you what we decide. I do not want her to live here even for a moment longer. I have realized today that she is a self-respecting woman, and to tell you the truth, I am enamoured by her nature. Such a woman should not tolerate oppression.’
Gokul added hesitantly, ‘But . . . do you know she is a widow?’
When we see someone being unusually generous to us, we unravel all our flaws to him. We want to show him that we are not entirely unworthy of his favour.
Indranath said with a smile, ‘Yes, I know. I have heard about it and that is why I did not dare say anything to your father. Although not knowing would not have made any difference to my decision. Forget being a widow, even if Maani were an untouchable or worse than the worst, for me she is a jewel of a woman. We look for an experienced person when we want help with little things but when it comes to a companion in life’s journey, we consider prior experience to be a defect. I am not the one to suppress the law. There is no school greater than the school of adversity. One can happily surrender one’s life strings to a person who has graduated from this school. To me, being a widow is not a handicap—it is an asset.’
Gokul said, ‘But what about the people in your home?’
Indranath said firmly, ‘I do not consider my family so stupid that they would object to this proposal. If they do, I would like to keep my destiny under my control. My elders have many rights over me. In many situations, I consider their desire to be the ultimate law but I do not wish to be controlled by anyone when it comes to the pursuit of my soul’s progress. I wish to enjoy the pride of being the architect of my own life.’
‘And if Maani does not accept, then?’ asked Gokul doubtfully.
Indranath found this doubt totally baseless. He said, ‘You are talking like a child, Gokul. It is a given that Maani will not accept easily. She will get kicked around, snubbed and abused but will continue to stay in this very house. It is not easy to erase sanskara but we will have to persuade her. We will have to exorcize her accumulated impressions. I am not in favour of widows getting married again. I think the ideal of exclusive dedication to one’s husband is the most priceless jewel on earth and we should attack it with care but this problem does not arise vis-à-vis Maani. Love and devotion are for a person and not to a name. She cannot be in love with a man she has not even seen. It is only a matter of ritual and convention. We should not worry about this display
and outward show. I think somebody is calling you. I will also go now . . . I’ll see you in a couple of days. But you don’t hesitate and think too much about it, and let days go by.’
Gokul put his arms around Indranath and said, ‘I will come to you myself day after tomorrow.’
4
The wedding party had departed. The guests had also left. It was nine o’clock It is well known how soundly one sleeps after a wedding! Everybody in the house had been asleep since the evening. Some slept on the charpoy, some on the wooden settee, some on the floor; one slept wherever one found space. Only Maani was taking care of the house, and Gokul was sitting in his room upstairs and reading the newspaper.
Suddenly, Gokul called out, ‘Maani, get me a glass of cold water, please, I am very thirsty.’
Maani went upstairs with a glass of water and was about to leave after keeping it on the table when Gokul said, ‘Just a minute, Maani, I have something to say to you.’
Maani replied, ‘I have no time to talk, brother. The entire household is fast asleep. An intruder could sweep the whole house clean.’
Gokul said, ‘Let them now. If I were you, I would join the thieves and help them steal. I am going to see Indranath just now. I have promised to see him today. Answer me quickly and please do not hesitate. He will get restless if I delay. Indranath loves you—do you know that?’
Maani turned her face away and said, ‘Is that why you have called me here? I do not know anything.’
Gokul said, ‘This only he knows or you know. He wants to marry you according to Vedic rites. Do you agree to the match?’
Maani looked down shyly. She could not answer.
Gokul reiterated, ‘Dada and Amma have not been told, you know the reason why. They’d rather kill you through constant threats or burn you bit by bit than give you permission to marry. It would humiliate them. Now the decision rests with you. I think you should accept the proposal. Indranath certainly loves you and he is a man of flawless character and immense daring. He is totally fearless. I will be truly delighted to see you happy in life.’