Shanti lifted the folds of her
sari, tucked them in her waist and hurriedly ascended the flight of stairs to
the first floor. She rang the doorbell, pushed the partially opened door and
headed straight towards the kitchen. “Ma’am,” she called out.
Malini was on the roof terrace
of their two-storey building, cutting some stems of flowers that she had
planted in several large flowerpots. She heard the doorbell ring and Shanti’s
loud voice calling out to her. She came down through the narrow stairs slowly
and entered her house through the door which Shanti had left fully open.
“You’re late today,” she said.
“Actually Ma’am…” Shanti tried
to give an explanation but Malini interrupted, instructing her to carry on with
the regular household chores because she knew that some sort of excuse would
blurt out as usual.
“Ma’am,” Shanti called out again
after sometime. “I need your help once more,” she said in a pleading tone, as
she washed the utensils kept in the sink.
Malini understood that she
needed money in advance. “What’s the matter, Shanti?” she asked.
“A proposal has come for Rupa
and I will arrange her marriage at an earliest possible date,” she replied in a
serious tone. Rupa was her only daughter who recently took admission in a
college.
“That’s nice, but why do you
want to hurry?” Malini asked, placing a crystal flower vase decked with
colourful gladioli in the centre of the dining table.
“In fact, I don’t want to take
any risk, Ma’am,” she replied.
“What kind of risk? You should
let Rupa complete her graduation,” Malini advised.
After finishing her work in the
kitchen, Shanti went towards the grilled balcony to get the broom that was
lying in a corner. She picked it up and entered the living room. “Ma’am, can
you kindly lend me twenty thousand rupees for Rupa’s marriage?” she made a
request.
“Alright, I’ll help you. So, the
pressure must be from the bridegroom’s side I guess,” Malini said, as she
flipped off the fan switch and began to open the windows of the room one after
another.
Shanti shook her head. “No
Ma’am, nothing like that.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t want the same
mistake to happen again,” she mumbled.
“What do you mean?” Malini
asked, hearing her faint words though.
Shanti’s eyes became moist.
“Ma’am…” her lips quivered.
Malini understood that she
wanted to tell something. “Yes?”
“Ma’am, Rita’s fault made me
lost faith,” she said in a low voice.
“Who’s Rita?” Malini asked,
looking straight into her eyes.
“She is my elder daughter,
Ma’am.” Shanti could hardly speak.
“What! But you told me that Rupa
is your only daughter,” Malini said, perplexed.
“Not only to you Ma’am, but to
everyone after I disowned her,” Shanti said, trying to hold back her tears.
“Oh! But why did you have to do
that?” Malini asked anxiously.
“It is a bitter episode of my
life, Ma’am,” Shanti said, covering her face with her hands.
Malini did not know whether she
should ask any other questions further but simultaneously she wanted to know
what happened between Shanti and Rita and what could be the reason behind the
disownment.
“Ma’am, you have never refused
me whenever I was in need of money. I should not have kept lying to you at
least, by saying that Rupa is my only daughter. I am sorry,” Shanti said after
a while, with feelings of guilt. She continued, “Today, I will tell you the
truth and about the trauma that I had to go through.”
She sat down and began to
narrate the distressing chapter of her life.
***
Decades ago, Shanti’s husband
died in an accident. Her two daughters, who were five years apart in age, were
very young then and hence she had to work hard to make a living. She took up
part-time jobs in many houses so that she could send Rita and Rupa to a school.
As they grew up, she made them efficient in cooking, embroidery and doing all
the household work as well.
In due course of time, a
suitable proposal came for her elder daughter and with her consent, Shanti made
plans for the wedding. She borrowed money from all the houses where she worked
and promised to return the cash gradually, by accepting only half of her
earnings from the following month.
All the necessary arrangements
were almost ready, but on the day prior to marriage, Rita eloped. Not even once
did she give a hint to her mother or her sister that she was in love with a boy
from their neighbourhood.
Shanti was in utter dismay. She
did not know what to do. Rupa was dumbstruck. She began to weep. “Don’t shed
tears for that selfish one!” Shanti shouted in rage. “Neither did she care to
think about me and nor about your future. She had evidently seen how much
effort I had put into the preparations and managed everything all alone with my
hard-earned money, yet she kept quiet all along. If she wanted to get married
to that particular boy, then she should have told me the day itself when I had
asked for her consent. Why would I disagree to her choice? Now, what shall I
say to the bridegroom and his parents? And how shall I face the guests whom I
had invited?”
Shanti screamed angrily in such
a manner that one by one, soon the neighbours gathered to enquire what was
going on in her house. They tried to console her but Shanti just could not
control her frustration. She continued yelling, “Everybody come and see the
consequence of my affection towards my offspring. I raised her with great care
and never did let her feel the absence of a father, but still I fell short of my
expectations.”
Rupa went and hugged her mother.
After a long time, tears rolled down from Shanti’s eyes. She wiped them quickly
and said in a stern voice, “Henceforth, only Rupa is my daughter and I disown
that wretched girl who betrayed me. Listen all of you, from now on, no one
should ask me about her.”
Hearing Shanti’s words, there
was commotion among the people present there. They expressed their sympathy for
her and concurrently rebuked Rita for leaving her mother in a state of shock
and heart-broken.
The crowd dispersed eventually
and the news of Rita’s elopement spread wide. With immense discomfort, Shanti
set out to the bridegroom’s house to inform them about the shameful incident
and to seek their forgiveness. They were equally shocked to hear the
disgraceful fact and thus humiliated Shanti to a great extent, as they also
dreaded facing embarrassment from people.
Shanti returned home with much
disappointment. She sat still in the verandah. The harsh words said to her by
the bridegroom’s parents kept coming in her thoughts. Bit by bit, her wrath
towards Rita began to increase.
Rupa felt unhappy seeing her
grief-stricken mother. She came and sat beside her. “Mummy,” she said and held
Shanti’s hands. “Please calm down. I can comprehend how you’re feeling but
nothing can be done which has already happened. You have to acknowledge the
circumstances anyway. It won’t be easy for you I know, but try and forgive
her…”
“No, I will never forgive her.
Don’t keep pursuing me,” Shanti interrupted adamantly. She continued, “You are
still young and so you are not able to understand the agony of a mother. I
know, it would be tough for anyone else too, to accept such a situation.” Then,
shaking her forefinger, she asserted, “Mark my words. The one who hurts a
parent will also get hurt one day, sooner or later.”
“Mummy, I hope your words would
not turn out to be a curse. I know that she will not get your blessings because
what she has done is a big blunder indeed. But she is your daughter after all
and I wish you shall not keep holding a grudge against her forever.” Rupa tried
to pacify her mother.
***
Malini felt sad hearing the
account. “Don’t worry, Shanti. Everything will go well this time,” she said,
giving her a cup of tea and a sandwich.
Shanti heaved a long sigh.
“After a very long period of time, I have spoken about this topic,” she said
slowly. “Believe me Ma’am, my heart feels much lighter now.”
Malini smiled at her. “God bless
you and your daughters! Have faith in Him always,” she said.
[Published
in May 2018 issue of ‘Indian Ruminations’, a journal of Indian English
Writers]
