Stories on Women

by Premchand

  Devi’s heart almost stopped beating. Her body wouldn’t bleed if dissected. She understood that the stars were not in her favour at the moment; devastation seemed likely. At what inauspicious hour did these toys come in! Why did I take them? I should have returned them right then! She tried parrying and said, ‘To hell with those toys! How could I stop the child, she didn’t listen to me! I kept saying, don’t take them, but she refused to listen. What else could have I done! But had I known that these toys would cost me my life, I would have snatched and thrown them away.’

  Shyam asked gravely, ‘What else has come with them? Let me know for your own good.’

  ‘Whatever has come should be in the house. Why don’t you check for yourself? It isn’t that big a house that it should take you four days to search,’ Devi stood murmuring curtly.

  Shyam’s voice became aggressive. ‘I don’t have that much free time. It’s better that you bring whatever has come. It’s highly unlikely that no gift has been sent for you along with these toys. Even if you swore on the Ganga, I wouldn’t believe it.’

  ‘Then why don’t you search the house?’

  Shyamkishore clenched his fist and said, ‘I’ve told you that I don’t have the time. Just bring out all the things, otherwise I will strangle you this very moment.’

  ‘Kill me if you want to; how can I show you things which have not come in the first place?’

  Hysterically, Shyamkishore pushed her with such force that she fell flat on the ground. He placed his hands around her throat and yelled, ‘Should I strangle you to death? Will you not show me the stuff ?’

  ‘Fulfil all your wishes.’

  ‘I’ll drink your blood. Who do you think I am?’

  ‘If that’s what will make your heart contented, then drink it.’

  Shyam bawled at her, ‘Will you talk to that sweeper again? The next time I see Munnu or that rascal on my threshold, I will slit your throat.’

  Saying this, Shyamkishore let go of Devi and walked out of the house. But Devi remained in that state for a long time. There was no trace of love for her husband at that moment. Her soul was uneasily seeking revenge. Perhaps she would have felt happy if someone, at that time, had beaten up Shyamkishore in the bazaar with shoes. After getting thwacked for so many days, this bitter wind had brought down the wall of love, and there was nothing left to console the heart. Today, there was only a thin thread of hesitation and worldly shame that could just break any moment.

  When Shyamkishore left, Sharda also went outside the house with her toys. Babuji didn’t say anything after seeing the toys, so what was there to worry about! Now, why wouldn’t she show her toys to her friends? There was a sweet shop right across the road. The confectioner’s daughter was standing next to the door. Sharda started to show her the toys. There was a road in the middle that was busy with traffic. Sharda was oblivious to the world, unaware of its dangers. She ran in a childlike exuberance with her toys.

  Little did she know that death was also approaching her to play the game of life and eternal rest. A car was coming from one side and a carriage from the other. Sharda ran, thinking that she would cross the road. The car honked; Sharda fled at her top speed to cross the road, but who could prevent fate! The car crushed her and sped away. She became a mangled piece of flesh, lying on the road, while the toys were left untouched. None of them had been broken! The toys were left behind, the one who played with them had gone. Who was mortal amongst the two, who was to decide!

  People rushed in from all the corners. ‘Oh, this is Babuji’s daughter who stays on the first floor.’ Who was to lift the corpse? A man leapt upstairs and called out, ‘Babuji! Was your daughter playing down on the road? Please come and see.’

  Devi looked down from her terrace. Sharda’s body was lying on the road. She shrieked and rushed out to pick her up. Her legs were shaking. This bolt left her almost paralysed. She couldn’t even shed a tear.

  People in the colony began to ask, ‘Where has Babuji gone? How to call him?’

  What could Devi say? She was nearly unconscious. Taking the dead body in her lap, drenched with her daughter’s blood, she looked up fixedly towards the sky, as if asking the Almighty, ‘Am I to bear all the disasters?’

  It was getting dark, but there was no news of Babuji. She didn’t even know where he had gone. It was nine o’clock, but Babuji didn’t return. He was never out for so long. Did he have to vanish today of all days? It was ten o’clock by then, and Devi began to cry. She was sadder at her helplessness than at her daughter’s death. How was she supposed to cremate her? Who would go with her? Would anyone be ready to go with her at this late hour? If nobody came forward, then would she have to go on her own? Would the body remain here the whole night?

  The darker it got, the more Devi began to fear. She regretted not having taken the body in the evening itself.

  It was eleven o’clock. Suddenly someone opened the door. Devi stood up. She thought Babuji had come back. Her heart began to pound. Crying, she went out. However, it wasn’t Babuji, but some policemen who had come to investigate the incident. The accident had occurred at five o’clock. The investigation was held at eleven. After all, the officer-in-charge was also a human being; he too went out for stroll in the evenings.

  The inquiry went on for about an hour. Devi understood that diffidence wouldn’t do. Whatever the inspector asked her, she replied nonchalantly. She didn’t show any sign of shyness or fear. The officer-in-charge was also surprised.

  When he was about to leave after recording her statement, Devi inquired, ‘Will you be able to find out about that car?’

  The constable replied nervously, ‘It is highly unlikely that we will get any information about that car.’

  ‘So there will be no punishment for the culprit?’ Devi asked in a state of bewilderment.

  The constable said, ‘It’s a constraint. Nobody knows the number.’

  Devi probed further, ‘Can’t the government do something about it? Will the children of poor people continue to perish like this?’

  The constable again conveyed his helplessness, ‘What can be done? Cars won’t just stop plying.’

  ‘At least the policemen should ensure that vehicles don’t speed at this rate in the city. But why will you people look into this?’ Devi said sharply. ‘You officers too sit in these cars. If you begin to stop these cars, then how will you continue to serve?’

  The constable left, ashamed. When they reached the road, one of them said, ‘This lady has quite an attitude!’

  The other constable went on casually, ‘Oh man, this woman has left me speechless. What a fine beauty she is! But I swear, I did not look at her. I couldn’t pluck up the courage to stare!’

  It was past midnight when Babu Shyamkishore came back, drunk. He had got the news on the way. He stepped inside the house crying. Devi was sitting, incensed. She had made up her mind, ‘Whatever may happen, I will rebuke him for sure.’ But the moment she saw him crying, all her anger disappeared. She herself started crying. Both of them wept for a long time. This incident had drawn them closer than ever before. They felt that the old romance had been rekindled between them.

  Early next morning, when people returned after the cremation, Shyamkishore looked at Devi lovingly and said in a melancholic tone, ‘How will you spend your time alone now?’

  Devi pleaded, ‘Can’t you take leave for five or ten days?’

  Shyam assured her, ‘This is what I was also thinking. I’ll apply for leave.’

  Shyam Babu went off to take leave from his office. Even during this hardship, Devi’s heart was brimming with happiness. After losing her daughter, she had regained the love and trust of her husband, and this was enough to wipe away her tears. However, destiny had its own plans. Ah! Unlucky woman! Do not be happy. The final catastrophe is yet to strike, and you can’t even imagine what that can be.

  The next day, Babu Shyamkishore was at home when Munnu came and offered a salute. Shyamkishore asked him in a rather stern
voice, ‘What is it? Why do you come here often?’

  Munnu said humbly, ‘Sir, whoever hears about yesterday will be filled with sadness. I have been your slave, after all. So what if I don’t work for you? I have been your loyal servant. Can that ever be forgotten? I have come to see if you are doing okay. I can’t tell you how miserable I’ve been feeling ever since I heard about yesterday. Such a sweet girl she was, I forgot all my worries whenever I saw her. The moment she saw me, she would come out running and shout, “Munnu, Munnu”; when we as outsiders can feel this way, I can’t even imagine what must be going through your mind.’

  Shyam Babu softened a little and said, ‘What can a man do against the will of God? My home is filled with darkness. I don’t feel like staying here any more.’

  Munnu asked, ‘Madam must be feeling even more miserable.’

  Shyam said drily, ‘She is. I used to play with Sharda sometimes but she used to be with her all day long. I can even manage to stop thinking in the midst of work. But how can she? It’s a lifelong misery for her.’

  Hearing her husband talk to Munnu, Devi peered at the courtyard from the terrace. Seeing Munnu, her eyes welled with tears. She cried out, ‘Munnu, I have been devastated!’

  Munnu expressed his sympathy, ‘Control yourself, Madam. What’s the use of crying? It’s because of all these misfortunes that one is compelled to deem Allah as cruel. People who are dishonest continue to thrive, even Allah fears them. However, people who are honest and innocent have to bear all the hardships.’

  Munnu kept on consoling Devi. Shyam Babu was also rooting for all that Munnu was saying. When he left, Babu Sahib said, ‘He doesn’t seem to be a bad person.’

  Devi echoed agreeably, ‘He’s an affectionate man. Had he not felt sad, why would he have cared to come?’

  Fifteen days passed. Babu Sahib started attending office. Munnu didn’t come again. Till now, Devi would kill time by talking to her husband, but now that he had resumed his duties, she would often miss Sharda. She usually spent her days crying. A few low-caste women staying in the same colony used to visit her sometimes but Devi couldn’t find any solace in them. They wanted to get something out of her after showing their false sympathies.

  One day, around four o’clock, Munnu came again and called out from the courtyard, ‘Madam, it’s me, Munnu. Can you please come down?’

  Devi asked him from upstairs, ‘What is it? Tell me.’

  ‘Please come.’

  Devi came down and Munnu said, ‘Raza Miyan is standing outside. He is here to offer his condolences to you.’

  ‘Go and tell him it was all God’s wish.’

  Raza was standing at the door. He heard this exchange clearly. He spoke from where he stood, ‘The Almighty knows, ever since I’ve heard this news, my heart has been smashed to smithereens. I had gone to Delhi for some work. I came back today. Had this happened in my presence, what could have I done? But I wouldn’t have spared that vehicle-owner, even if he were a king. I would have scoured the whole city. Babu Sahib just gave up and slept over it; that’s not done. Can anyone just run over someone and take his life! That cruel person has killed a delicate, sweet girl. Oh! Now who will call me Raja Bhaiya! I swear to God, I have brought a bagful of toys for her. But how was I to know that this misfortune had happened here. Munnu, here, take this amulet and give it to madam. She can tie it in her bun. If God wills, she will be saved from all the dangers henceforth. She must be having nightmares, she mustn’t be getting proper sleep, her heart must always be full and heavy. This amulet will ease her maladies. I have got it from a well-known dervish.’

  For a long time Munnu and Raza did not budge from the door till they saw Babu Sahib coming their way. Shyamkishore saw them leaving. He went upstairs and asked sternly, ‘Why did Raza come here?’

  Devi replied meekly, ‘He had come to offer his condolences; he has come back from Delhi today. He came here after hearing the news.’

  ‘Men offer condolences to men, not women!’ Shyam threw a curt remark.

  Devi said, ‘You weren’t here, so he expressed his concerns to me and left.’

  Shyam was again overcome with restlessness, ‘So this means that if someone comes to meet me, he can meet you instead if I am not available. There is no problem in that, right?’

  ‘I am not going to meet all of them,’ Devi murmured sadly.

  Shyam snapped at her, ‘So is Raza my brother-in-law or my father-in-law?’

  ‘Why do you become agitated by the smallest of matters?’

  ‘Is this is a small matter? A woman from a respectable family talking to a rogue, is it a small matter? Then what is a big matter? Is it a small matter if I strangle you to death and be spared from the sin? I can very well see that you’re back to where it all began. You don’t seem to realize even after getting such a huge punishment. Do you want to take my life now?’

  Devi was lulled into silence. On the one hand, the grief of losing her daughter, and on the other, the bombardment of abuse and accusations! She felt dizzy. She sat down and began to cry. ‘Death is far better than leading such a life!’ She could only utter this.

  Enraged, Babu Sahib said, ‘Don’t you worry, this is what will happen. If you want to die, then even I don’t expect you to be immortal. It’s better for you to die as soon as possible. At least my kin shall be saved from this disgrace.’

  Devi said sobbing, ‘Why do you misjudge a poor woman? Do you really feel nothing for me?’

  ‘Shut up, I tell you!’

  ‘Why should I shut up? Can you keep me tongue-tied?’

  ‘Again you’re going on and on! I will get up and smash your head.’

  ‘Will you? Really?’

  ‘All right then, let us see who your well-wishers are. Call them.’

  Saying this, Babu Shyamkishore got up and slapped Devi several times and kicked her, but she didn’t cry, nor did she shout or utter a single word. She simply kept staring at him with vacant eyes, as if to decide whether he was a man or something else.

  When Shyamkishore had pulled away, Devi said, ‘If you are not contented, then you can hit me again. Perhaps you will not get another chance.’

  Shyamkishore answered, ‘I will chop off your head! What do you think of yourself?’

  Saying this, he went downstairs and banged open the door, clanged it shut and walked off. A river of tears started flowing from Devi’s eyes.

  It was ten o’clock, but Shyamkishore had not returned. Devi’s eyes were swollen from all the crying. All her sweet memories had disappeared in the fury. It seemed to Devi that Shyamkishore had never loved her. Yes, he had sung praises of her beauty in the past few days, but that was all made up. It was to enjoy the bloom of her youth that he did all that sweet talk, that he hugged her and laid her on his chest. It was all a façade, only playacting. She couldn’t recall if she was ever truly loved by him. Now she did not have her beauty, or her youth or freshness. So why would he not treat her badly? Now he is bored of me, otherwise why would he pounce on me for every little thing? He wants to get rid of me by blaming me for something or the other. If that is the case, then why should I stay in his house? Just to cook for him or become the victim of his wretchedness? When there is no love, there is no point in my staying here! If nothing else, at least I won’t be treated like this in my own house. If he wants this, then so be it. I will think that I have become a widow.

  As night approached, Devi began to feel more terrified. She was worried that he would return and beat her again. He had left seething with anger. Oh, my destiny! Does he think me to be so low that I will have affairs with sweepers and shoemakers? This man is not even ashamed to say such things! I don’t know how he thinks of all this. It’s just that he himself is a lowly creature, a typical, selfish person. One should behave in a lowly fashion with such lowly people. It was my fault to have put up with his rash behaviour. Where there is no respect, no limits, no love and no trust, it is worthless to stay in such a place. I’ve not been sold off to him that he ca
n do anything with me, cut me or thrash me, and I will keep suffering in silence. If there were wives like Sita, then there were husbands like Ram too!

  Devi started feeling fearful that Shyamkishore would actually kill her when he came back, or stab her with a knife. She had read of such cases in the newspaper. There had been such incidents within the city too. She shuddered with fear. She felt that her life was in danger.

  Devi packed her clothes in a small bundle and started thinking. How do I get out of here? And then where do I go? If I knew where Munnu lived, that would have been of great help. He would have taken me to my house. She just wanted to reach her home. Then she would not think of coming back even if her husband cried or banged his head on the wall. He too would regret it! Why should she leave the money? So that he could make merry? I have saved this money with much difficulty. As if he has great savings. Had I spent all this, there would have been nothing left. I used to save up so much.

  Devi went downstairs and locked the door. Then she took out all her jewellery and money, and placed them safely in her bundle. All the money was in notes, so it wasn’t too heavy.

  Suddenly, someone banged on the door. Devi was startled. She peeked from above, it was Shyam Babu. She couldn’t muster the courage to open the door. Just then, Babu Sahib started banging on the door violently as if to break it open. The way he was banging was enough indication of his state of mind. Devi could not dare to face this danger.

  In the end, Shyamkishore shouted, ‘Damn it, open the door. You bloody . . . ! Open the door, right now!’

  Devi lost whatever little courage she had. Shyamkishore was high on liquor. Had he come back sober, he would have softened a little. I won’t open the door, let him break it open. Now you won’t find me in this house, so how will you hit me? I’ve seen your true colours.

  After shouting and banging on the door for another fifteen minutes, Shyamkishore began to talk nonsense. A few neighbours also shouted back at him, ‘Despite being an educated man, you come home after midnight! After all, it is a matter of sleep; if she doesn’t wake up, then what can be done? Go and sleep at a friend’s place tonight, come back in the morning.’