Mishal Raheja
as Dutta
Follow the Heart
Part 7
With stars in her green doe eyes and a heart overwhelmed with sweet sensations of love. Naku lightly gathered her ghagra with her fingers tips. With a gentle tinkle ridden gait, she sailed into the slippery chipped marble courtyard of her home. Babi's ears in the kitchen, picked up her darling girl's arrival. She mopped her brow with her pallu in relief.. thanks Deva! Naku had returned, as Nana Sahib too was scheduled for arrival any moment. Babi rushed out and very nearly collided with Naku in the kitchen door way , who rushed in to share all her experiences of the passing day with her Babi maa. For Naku was so swept by the wonderful flow of new found love, that she had shelved the previous stormy confrontation betwixt Babi and herself quite easily. Now she only wished to tell her as it was !
One look at Naku, told Babi the girl was on top of the world. Filled with exuberance, Naku rattled off the complete tale of how in disguise she had gone to Dutta's home and met his babaa who quite approved of her and gave his blessings to both her and Dutta Sahib.. excited she narrated about Daksha's good news ,and how much to her delight, Saab's baaba had equated the good news with Naku's entry into their household! Babi took Naku's face in her palms and kissed her forehead and exclaimed
"mera baachi hai hi itni kismet wali.. ke jis ghar tere kadam parte hain, kushi us ghar mein basera ker lete hai",and both women hugged each other fervently.
"kya baat hai? bahut pyar ah raha hai tum dono ko ek dossera par" commented Nana Sahib , as he entered the house suddenly.. followed by his stern faced armed body guards right behind him .Both women parted hurriedly, and folded their palms in Namaste to the master of the house. Nana, stiffly went towards the beithak.. the lounging area of the haveli. Before he went in, he called to Naku.. who felt emotionally begrudged and thus literally withdrew backwards, till Babi nudged her warningly and forced her to give Nana Sahib an appropriate response.
"jee Nana Sahib.. kuch chaiye ap ko? ap beitho mein lassi ye chai le kar ati hai". Nana gave Naku what seemed to Naku now, a hypocritical smile as he made his request and stated his business..
"chai will be fine meri baachi.. besides kuch baat bhi kerne hai tera se.." he said curtly and walked regally to his beithak.. Naku looked terrified as she squeezed Babi's arm who stood by her..
~~~~~~
After he had dropped the two girls at the village boundary, Baji promptly sped back and screeched his jeep to a halt near the sweet mart. Dutta had bought one too many boxes of sweets and turned his neck and yelled at Baji who sat cockily behind the wheel
"are you bloody well going to give me a hand or what? ullu ke theran beitha dekh raha hai mera mau ! Dutta yelled with his nostrils flared. Baji on the double jumped out, grabbed the boxes and placed them at the rear end of the jeep. Dutta swung his leg and heaved himself into the passenger seat of the jeep. Baji shouted to the shop keeper
"kaka! ye tu tumhe Dutta Bhau ne nehin batya hoga ,ke hum dono chachaa bune wale hain! mukhia jee ke ghar nanna mehman ane wala hai! .. Shinde Bhau, baapo bune wala hai! Baji yelled and Dutta just shook his head and pulled his mouth to one side.. Baji and his big mouth! he thought and then called out,
"chaal ab ah bhi ja kafi drama ker liye hai tune, as usual" Dutta moaned. Since it was only a short drive to Patil Nivas, Baji drove around the narrow gullies till he headed for the main muddy road of the village that led to central gaon. At a strategic place he parked in a small ground and then looked over his arms that held the steering.. and asked his best friend
"tell me then, do you feel like a new man ,now that you have babba's approval regarding Naku? Dutta sided his face with a bemused look and replied..
"nehin! naya aadmi main tab bune ga jab Naku meri ho jaye ge hamesha ke liye.. filhaal I am still going through over hauling.. samjha.? woh kya haina Baji.. pyar hone ke baad tera Bhau ,thura greedy ho gaya hai.. now I have an appetite" he jested. Baji nodded robustly and returned the joke
"laga raho Bhau ! aram aram se khao, thura thura.. ye na ho waqat se phele tumhara gajar ka hawla khatam ho jaye! lagan tumhara Bappa hi jane kab hoga?" reminded Baji. Dutta bent his fingers and studied his nails pensively and replied..
"Baji I worry about Naku, ye na ho jaye ke uska woh jalad tau Nana salla ! uska lagan kar de us bhudde se! Baji put his hand on Dutta's shoulder and consoled him
" areee Bhau! aise kaise karde ga woh kamina Nana, Naku ka lagan ? koi halwa hai! tu fikar maat kar main Roops ke zariye us ghar pe nazar rekhe ga! you don't worry ! tu dau dau kushian celebrate kar! baaba ko pasand ah gaye Naku! and the good news about a new arrival on the way! tipped Baji as he pulled the hand brake in front of Dutta's red front door..
~~~~~~~
Naku shuffled in reluctantly. She gripped the tea tray tightly from both sides to curb her angst against this so called tau of hers.. totally fraudulent he had been all these years. Nana Sahib studied her intensely as she came in.. her usual buoyancy at the notion of having a talk with him was amiss. He took a deep breath and braced his neck against his zari embroidered Nehru collar black kurta .With a rowdy drag he cleared his throat and bade her to serve him tea. Naku did as was commanded, and passed him the cup that rattled on the saucer. He continued to watch her and coldly decided that he would have to lead the lamb gently for slaughter.. play it gently..
"tune bataya nehin meri baachi, how you found the mela ?or did you not enjoy it? Naku stood before him her arms held across in front obediently ..it was so hard for her to engage with Nana Sahib now. Tears stung her eyes and she gulped and swallowed them down her gullet, gathered herself and replied
"main gaye thi , babi maa aur apne sakhi ke saath.. jana tu tha Nana Sahib.. after all it was for my sake, my pleasure, you allowed it to happen.. apne baachi Naku ke liye, haina?.." she gibed under her breath. But Nana as expected by Naku was thick skinned and totally ignorant of the off key jar in her tone..
" good! kushi hoi sun ke that you enjoyed it! you see meri baachi, I too give you a decent amount of emancipation to enjoy yourself, as life is too short! and teri zindagi ke tu mujhe har waqat chinta lage rehe te hai..soochta hoon jald he teri haat peele kar doon.. tu apne ghar chaali jaye gi tu main chein se maar sakta hoon" he continued to hood wink. Naku moved her arms to her sides and dug her nails in palms , how maliciously he lies she mused, but remained silent as she wanted him to broach the subject.. or was he not man enough to come out with his heinous plans?..Nana Sahib finished his tea and stroked his thick black moustaches and then crossed one leg on the other and raised his finger at Naku and began
" baat ye hai Naku, tere liye ek ladka pasand kiya hai maine, kush rekhe ga thujhe, aur main chahte hoon ke tere sagai jald se jald ho jaye... so wanted to know your opinion on the subject, waise muhje pura bahoorsa hai ke meri baachi, apne babba saman tau ka maan rekhe ge" he manipulated. Naku slowly sank down on her legs and rested her palms on her folded knees. With mournful green eyes she looked across the floor to the mighty Nana Sahib who sat majestically in his chair, and took a deep breath and replied with a strategic answer, which was meant to provide cover for her Babi maa. As the last thing Naku wanted to see was her Babi maa be displaced disgracefully..
" haan muhje pata hai, what you have arranged for me. Babi maa told me all the facts. As far as I am concerned, forgive me for opening my mouth on this subject, but I will since you brought it up.. haan is liye, kyun ke hamera gaon mein lardki apne lagan baat nehin kerte.. aur wo bhi us devta sama insan ke samna ,jis ne use shahzaadi buna ke rekha hai".Nana furrowed his brows and sat up as he stared intently into her eyes. He was somewhat taken aback by her verbal expression.. mind you, he smiled sarcastically she seemed to be getting her spunk back. Naku though apparently tranquil, compressed her palms hidden her chunni and bravely met his stern expression and then slowly continued.." but I beg to differ from you.. ap ne bola lardka dhoonda hai , but it's not a young man is it?.. more like an old man with a disability?She shook her head and clarified, "that he is maimed is not the issue, bas afsoos is baat ka hai, ke ap ne mujhe batiya nehin, phoocha nehin, kya main razi hoon is rishte se? aur sagai ka bhi sooch liya, it seems a sham?" argued Naku.But Nana was quick to satisfy her, in a feigned kind of understanding tone,
"Naku! meri baachi! phooch hi tu raha hai tera tau.. tera se? Naku, dug her heels in and continued,
"ise phoochna nehin khete.. ye sab ek sharyiant rachiya hai ap na! phele se ap jante thi us aadmi ke bare mein.. dost ju hai wo aap ka! theek bolena maine.? she asked innocently.. as she smudged a tear off her cheek with her palm ,gulped and then carried on,
"ab ye bhi bata dien ye sab aap ne kyun kya? badle mein ap ko kya mile ga?it's hard for me to imagine that it's just my welfare you are concerned about! That was it! Nana Sahib nearly jumped to his feet and bellowed down at the knelt Naku... at the ground..
"Badtameez lardki! khamoosh! Naku bit her lower lip,as he cowed her down with looks that pierced her startled face. Nana threw his head back and laughed heartily as he mocked her unashamedly
"haan! haan! it's true there is something in it for me! and why not? tere baap ne, muhje baap/dada se milna wali jaidad ka mera hissah khud harap kar liye! aur phir saab kuch jua pe laga ke har gaye! mau dekhne nehin raha! tu kudh khusi kar ke maar gaye! Naku covered her face with both her palms and wept bitterly. All these dark unpleasant secrets, she was totally unaware off.. her heart smashed into a million pieces! she wished the earth spilt and hid her .. away from this harsh world, that punished her now, for what she was responsible not. But the malicious, vindictive Nana Sahib chuckled, and continued cruelly.
"stop your snivelling Nakusha! there's more to come! janane nehin chahe ge teri mai ka kiya hoya ? tu sun woh bhi dakhe ghate rehe tere baap ke marne ke baad! gaon waloon ne muhje batiya, mukhiya ju thera main. jante the , woh vahini thi meri, tu main gaya uske chapper par.. maar gaye beechari.. pun.. choor gaye ek khubsurrat se beti!.. mere Bhau ke baachi.. so! how could I have left you in squalor? when later on in life I could mint money that your father owed me.. through you!! baap ka karz beti uttar ge! kya samjhe tu Nakusha beti? he chortled.. like a madman!
Naku rose from the floor and confronted the man who had the same blood running through his veins as her..the thought repulsed her and she gritted her teeth and cried out venomously.
" batao Nana Sahib aagar ap ke apne beti hoti , tu kya aap use bhi dau pe lagate? Nana laughed heartily and replied satanically,
"ajeeb baat hai ,tu meri beti hai bhi! aur nehin bhi, sab Deva ji ke kirpa ! Naku was fearful of his madness and she clung to her faith and screamed with conviction!
"Nana Sahib! ye jan lo ke tum Bappa se barre nehin! woh sab dekh raha hai! usne he muhje ye himmat de hai ke main aap ko bata doon, ke main ap ke taishuda shaadi nehin ker sakte!! she yelled
Nana Sahib leapt at her, grabbed her arm, dragged her along the veranda and flung her across her room and warned Babi who looked horrified..after having heard Naku's family history, behind the shadows
"ye is kamre mein band rehe gi ! jab tak is ke hoosh theekna na ah jayen ge! main dekhta hoon kaise baachai ga iska Bappa ise! and he slammed the door shut, bellowed for a padlock ,
"koi talla le kar aaye ga! aur tum sab sun lo! ke koi ye talla nehin khole ga meri ijazzat ke beghar! and he locked Nakusha and stormed off! for a stiff drink! Babi attempted to dissuade him by gentle persuasion,
"Nana Sahib, kuch tu reham karo, mukhiya hai ap is gaon ke , aur aisa saluk ,apne hi baachi ke sath". Nana Sahib warned her,
"tu beech mein maat par ! khana dene ja sakti hai tu, pun koi hoshyari dekhai ,tu main khud goli mar doon ka thujhe! aur haan maine Kaido ko zabaan de hai.. Nakusha ka lagan us se he hoga! mukhiya ke zabaan hai, ju wapis nehin ho sakte, samjhe tu Babi! he threatened her and went back to the beithak..
~~~~~~~
Shri Ram Patil stirred from his nap and beckoned Abha his eldest Bhau, as he wanted to know more about Daksha's welfare. Abha looked at Bela, bopped her head at her and indicated they'd better see how Daksha was. Daksha seemed to have gathered her wits about herself. Many thoughts went through her mind, she was so dumbstruck by her pregnancy, that she didn't quite know how to react? Eventually finding Abha and Bela in her room, did make her give them a weak smile. Abha, moaned however
"waise tune ye baat hum se chupai Daksha.. pun aise baat chupia nehi chupti!".. Daksha defended
"aap dono mano gi nehin, maagar muhje khud nehin pata tha is baat ka", Bela decided to get off her case
" chalo ju ho gaya so hog aye.. tum ne kuch khana hai.? she asked. Daksha had a good mind to challenge the pair of them about whether they were unhappy about this development with her?.. but she chose to spare herself and her unborn baby further grief. She was relieved when Dutta strolled into her room with a box of meethai. He opened it and then served it to his vahinis...with a shy smile
"ye lo aap log mau meetha karo, Shinde Bhau tu bahut kush hoga, jab sune ga, aur tum Daksha aram karo.. kuch bhi zaroorat ho , hum mein se kisi ko batao ju bhi chahiye ho.." he ordered caringly and then exited from the room silently. Abha and Daksha exchanged glances and picked the moment to further stir up trouble against Dutta in Daksha's mind.
"dekh Daksha ,is Dutta ke meethi meethi baton pe maat jana.. pata haina thujhe asil mein ye lardka kisi ka nehin, sawai apne baap ka !, wo tu abhi kuch din se aacha buna hoya hai, us mein bhi Dutta ki koi chaal hai! ,maligned Abha. Daksha was amazed at their deep rooted evil mind sets. She felt she had to stand up for Dutta especially so during his absence where he wasn't present to defend himself
"Dutta itna bura nehin hai Tai, as much as you make him out to be.. if he is making a concerted effort at improving his attitude ,then the least we three can do is to be supportive.. besides, bhagwan bhi humein mauka deta hai, tu hum kyun nehin de sakta ek aur mauqa Dutta ko? she pleaded. Bela and Abha looked at each other defiantly and nodded to carry out the last attempt at manipulating Daksha against Dutta. Abha replied artfully
"dekha Daksha, it's not that we are against Dutta, as a matter of fact it's more that we look out for you.. ab dekh ,tu maa bune wale hai.. tera baache ka bhi hissa hoga babba ke jaidad par.. Dutta is ghar mein raha, tu tere baache ko hissa kum mila ga! so look to your unborn baby , fight for his or her rights! and join forces with us! so Dutta can be disowned from babaa's assets! Abha attempted to sway Daksha , but Daksha resisted them yet again and argued
"what I give to Dutta whilst he remains in this household, which rightfully belongs as much to him as us, you two will never understand.. but this much I know, that with me it's more about giving than receiving. I am not worried about my child's destiny, whatever is due to him or her, the deities will surely grant it".. and with that she yawned and that was enough suggestion to the two trouble makers bahus that they were fighting a losing battle against Daksha and her family loyalty...
~~~~~~~
Shri Ram Patil was now at the stage of his life where he was forced to revisit the reason for the age old prevalent enmity between the two villages.. yes it was for very very personal reasons he thought about the issue.. Dutta! mera beta.. his son for whose sake he was even willing to forgo the piece of land which was a no go disputed yet green belt between the two villages.. yeilding land was power and might.. a life source. But..he had no qualms ..for Dutta's sake he was ready to bury the hatchet with Nana ..mere beta ko wahan ke larki se pyar hog aye hai.. he mused with tears in his eyes.. for Dutta he was having a change of heart.. and today he had reason to promote this before his panchiayat.. how blessed he was.
To commemorate the good news about the first forthcoming grandchild.. shri Ram Patil had requested for a jirga in his courtyard...which was evident now. It was a formal meeting with a charpoy designated for him as the headman, at the top.. surrounded by an array of charpoys covered with white sheets and cylindrical cushions.. all arranged in a semi circle.The family's sons stood by the main door involved in the process where they welcomed and ushered the panchaniyat members on their seats. The women hovered in the kitchen engrossed in refreshment preparation. Once the quorum of panchu members from the village representatives was complete.. shri Ram Patil received best wishes for his family. He looked at all present with tremendous love. these were people who had honoured him all these years.. lived their lives happily on one side of the fence.. feebly yet firmly he addressed all present.
" muhje kushi hai ke mere bolana par ap sab mere ghar pe aaye hain.. now as you all know and can see that I am not in best of health.. old age has both descended on me and is gradually weighing me down. As such, I would like to learn about your thoughts about who should be ear marked to be the next mukhiya?. There was a murmur that ran through them , and one spoke for them alL. The suggestion was that someone from mukhiya's own family should be named.. shri Ram Patil , then proposed his eldest son Kamde as the one to succeed him.. the motion was accepted. Shri Ram Patil then spoke of the issue of peace between the two villages. This proposal the panchayat found hard to accept. Many spoke against Nana Sahib's crooked feudal lord ways, like slapping claims on land holdings of the vulnerable farmers. Others talked about how he allowed , smuggling and breweries to flourish in his village. people in Patil Vadi feared that if peace meant the removal of the territorial fence.. Nana was likely to spread these vices in their village too! with the might of his heavy hand.. But shri Ram Patil the true son of the soil was more interested in the disputed piece of land closely situated to the stream.. Nana always had his eye on it , and shri Ram Patil..too wanted it specifically for those villagers, who were underprivileged and were not fortunate enough to have access to inherited landholdings.. but the territory stood as an eye sore between the two villages.. shri Ram Patil spoke to his panchiyaat..
" koshish ye hone chahiye, at least from our side to prompt peaceful measures..as over years many precious lives of our loved ones have been lost.. we cannot lose more lives.. so it's peace talks we should be looking at with Nana.. outlining possibly an equal division of the disputed between both villages." Shri Ram Patil was pleased to learn that his panchaniyat too were in agreement with his proposal.. ~~~~~~~
Shri Ram Patil was content within himself today. He had done his head man's duty too.. Also he felt immensely blessed today, that after a long time all his family gathered for a family meal. His third son Shinde beamed with pride after he learned he was going to be a father shortly. Daksha and him exchanged complacent looks while others present pampered them by coaxing Daksha particularly, to eat more. Dutta out of reverence for the elders remained silent and ate his food quietly. His father, despite the joys already received was still concerned about his youngest son.. he choked suddenly over his food and Dutta was the one as expected, who dropped his morsel and slapped his choking father's back to offer him relief. Shri Ram Patil, was old enough to have experienced many moons.. hence he sensed well the selfish greed for wealth his older sons and their wives felt. Thus he thought, this was an opportune moment to serve reminders to his sons and their wives.. he had a sip of water that Dutta offered him and then began
" aaj jab hum sab ekhate hain, tu soocha tum sab ko yaad dela doon.. ke muhje nehin pata mein aur kitne daer jeyoon ga? pun meri akhri khawish ye hai ke tum sab mil jul kar raho.. gaon waloon ke khidmaat karo.. aur yaad rehe ke apne choote bahi Dutta ko waise he pyar do ge, jaise maine tum sab ko diya" he out lined ,that he wanted them to give him a pledge, that they would look after Dutta being the youngest.. keep him occupied, ensure to give him lands to tend to.. so he too can earn an honest living.. "isi kio bhi takleef hoi tu, samhje lena meri rooh bhi bechain rehe ge." Dutta's brothers and their wives, knew it best not to challenge when their father spoke. So they heard clearly, the kind of behaviour expected from them regarding Dutta, and hence all nodded as an oath.. in fact the eldest son thought it best to vocalise their obedience before their babaa.
"ap chinta maat karien babaa , hum is pariwar ko hamesha jor ke rekhien ge, aur jahan tak Dutta ka sawal hai, tu woh tu hamre liye ek baache ke theran hai.. hum vaada kertien hain , isi koi dukh ,takleef nehin phoonchien ge " Dutta heard and looked at Daksha as though she should be a witness to what was being said..shri Ram Patil felt lethargic after his evening meal and groped Dutta's shoulder to be taken to his room to sleep. Dutta doubled his chin and gently scooped up his father's frail body back to babba's room. As Dutta eased his father on his bed, the old man widened his frail arms and grabbed his youngest son's arms.. Dutta leaned over and reposed his face on his babba's chest. shri Ram Patil struggled as he pressed his lips on Dutta's head.. he closed his arms around Dutta's back and took a deep breath and then with the morbid rasping groan of death, he let life pass through his lips.. Dutta stiffened at the sound and sensed his babba's arms around his back go limp..
Dutta knew babba had gone, he curved his arms and released himself from his babba's arms.. lay them gently by his sides and then sat and stared down at his father's face. He looked peaceful ..with a small smile ,like he had achieved the world. Dutta didn't know how long he sat and stared.. but wept silently.. till he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his neck; it was Daksha.. her eyes and nose reddened. Dutta stood up and left his father's room in silence, headed for his room , grabbed his beige shawl, swung it around his shoulders and left the house.. Daksha watched him leave , he didn't even bother to take Kajri with him..
~~~~~~~
Naku sat cross legged on the mat in her room despondently. Slowly she raised her desolate eyes to the fine wooden wall mounted mandir that contained the idol of her god Bappa .. to her there was no point in placing supplications before her gannu bahiya..for he recognized the sorrow and hurts she carried in her broken heart.. after all it was Bappa whose universe was around and beneath the feet of his parents, Shiv ji and Parvati ji.. suddenly she burst into tears uncontrollably..
" tune tu jana apne Aye babaa ko..pun main Nakusha ne tu aaj apne mai baap ka saach jana..saha nehin jata ye dard.. shakti do Bappa.. meri himmat toot rehe hai.. tell me Bappa what is the purpose of my life? living seems like it's become directionless.. or is it your will that I bow my head and accept my fate so that I can repay the monies my babaa owed to Nana Sahib as he claims ? direct me Bappa , the boat of my life is being rocked on stormy seas.. navigate my boat , save me from being capsized Bapaaa! sobbed Nakusha.. Suddenly outside in the dark, distantly, she heard a dog wailed.. then it whined.. then a long drawn howl. She hauled herself up, distracted from her obeisance ,and strolled to her window. A four legged canine became visible. It's head raised towards her Saab's gaon.. it wailed again , as if it mourned.. Naku's hand crept up to her heart and she could only envisage her Saab's face before her eyes. Panic gripped her and her mouth dried up as the slow whining of the dog continued intermittently. The old saying came to her mind that a dog's wailing signified some one's death! . Utterly distressed she ran to her little mandir and stood before Bappa's idol.. and prayed for Dutta's safety. Somehow she realized that all her troubles seemed far away..it was her Saab she was anxious about.. he became primary and she secondary..
~~~~~~~
Dutta found himself climbing the mountain top and he trudged on till he was on top of the world under the banyan tree. once he thumped himself on the ground he pulled his knees up , rested his arms on his knees; held his head in both his palms and pressed his temples with his fingertips.. his heart was broken and it felt that his brain too would burst in no time.. he ran his fingers through his sweaty hair and clenched his jaw tightly. The grim stubble face finds a broken nasal voice.. "there are no more tears left in me to roll down", he tells the buzzing, ticking, humming silence of his ears.. with screwed eyes he looked across the greyish blue valley below.. " not a soul around, the world sleeps bar me". he threw back his head and spoke to the darkened , star speckled heavens..
"today I must be the loneliest man in the whole wide world.. not lonely, but an orphan, sans both pater and mater! how does a child survive without it's parents? easy! the child needs to become a man! but I don't want to become a man.. if it means I have to give up the two people responsible for bringing me into this world.. babba..babbaa! you could have waited to see me married.. but you didn't! so much of a hurry you were in to join maa, that you never even bothered to look back at your boy Dutta! he cried as he hung his head low; sniffed and defiantly pressed the ends of his palms on his eyes and rubbed off his tears.. he sighed as his lips fell apart, and he flopped his back against the tree trunk.Weighed down with grief he rested his head back too.. and sobbed.. pulled his breath in and out.bas! babba mein thuk chukka hoon"
~~~~~~~
Once early hours of the morning approached, and Nana was well and truly knocked out by booze. Anger in Babi kicked in and she went ahead and used her powers upon those subordinate to her.This was a fact that the security guards were answerable only to the boss.. Nana Sahib! but Babi being the housekeeper cum head cook had within her control to delay dissemination of their food by giving a simple explanation.. "kahana beecha he nehin sab khatam ho gaya.."and she knew for sure that the hungry slobs they were , would die of starvation.. so she approached the nodding sleepy ones posted near the gates, and slipped pas . But she was stopped by one off of them ! But undeterred she told them that she required to get fresh vegetables from the fields for the new days meals. The BG s considered it a normal day to day request and let her go with a smile and a joke
"tu kaunse se sabzi khane ko mile ge aaj Babi maa? She had a good mind to reply,
"tum sab ko zeher ke zabzi buna ke khalane ko dil kerta ha", but Babi just waved backwards and was on her way hurriedly to the vegetable rows, which ran closely parallel to the dividing fence that stood between the two warring villages. With interest she unexpectedly noted during the early hours of the morning, small groups of villagers, both men and women heading somewhere? she tried to recall if this was due to perhaps some before dawn veneration for some god or goddess.. but none came to her mind but what come before her eyes was a distressed Baji his arm laden with strings of flower garlands. Alongside he escorted the local pandit presumably from the village. Curiously Babi neared the fence and yelled as if she needed help. She managed to attract the attention of a passenger by, who despite animosity between the two villages still ventured towards her. Babi went straight to the point and enquired why the small crowds of people ? and where was every one heading?The man told Babi sadly, that their mukhayie shri Ram Patil died not so long ago and the villagers were making way for his house Patil Nivas.
Babi heard and instantaneously only thought of Naku. Babi had to tell her, she had the right to know. She concluded how unfortunate it was for Naku to have met Dutta Sahib's father only hours ago and now the news of his demise.This then was for Babi an occasion, however unfortunate as it may be ,to confirm her love to her darling baachi Naku.. Babi, seized the privilege of providing meals service to Naku. For which she influenced the internal guard to allow her to gain access to Naku's room..
~~~~~~~~
Naku gathered noises outside her door. Very soon she heard the metal clang and slide of the padlock, and the door was slowly opened by Babi maa who carried her food thalli. Naku turned around from the window, and ran to her ,very nearly knocked the thalli out of her hands. Babi set the tray on the table. Naku clung to her and cried at her Babi maa's neck ,in what seemed to Babi some form of fear..
"aisa lagta hai kuch bahut bura hona wala hai Babi maa! mere saath ju Nana Sahib ne kiya us se bhi bura! dil bahut ghabra rahe" Naku exposed her fear. Babi held her at armslength and told her the bad news.
" Naku abhi kuch daer phele Dutta ke babba ka dhant ho gaye hai.. thuhje batana zaroori samjha, meri baachi.." Naku crumbled to the floor before Bappa and raised her tearful eyes once more
" Bappa , ab tu muhje bata ke aise mein ,ye Naku kya kar sakti hai?..if you have let this happen to one that I love..at a time when my spirit itself is trauma stricken.. then there must be a reason? reveal to me your purpose Bappa.. she asked her diety in devout devotion. Babi saw that her darling Naku.. even after receiving the terrible news , appeared strangely.. fairly robust.. it was as if she emanated with some unseen divine strength. Babi ,as decided before about what she would do.. conveyed clearly and calmly..
"dekh Naku.. thujhe ja ke dekhna hoga Dutta Sahib ke ghar, ke tu kya ker sakte hai us pariwar ke liye? Bagh ja meri baachi! khirke je jhalang laga kar.. chaddar urth la meri , take kisi ko shaq ne hoi.. baki yahan jo bhi hoga, main sambhal le ge jab tak ke tu laut ke nehi ati.." All Naku needed was the plan, Babi's permission, and her chaddar! for the escape route from her room.Babi helped , and fully swathed Naku in her enormous shawl, and Naku sat on the low window ledge ,dangled her ghagra covered legs and gently lowered her self till her feet touched the garden soil. Furtively she tip toed, dodged and dipped behind the bushes till she got to the partitioning fence.. she looked around and then clambered over and dropped on to Dutta's territory. With her shawl secured around her head and shoulders, she milled in with the groups of people that advanced toward's Patil Nivas. She paused for a while and looked at the imposing mud house from far.Tears welled in her eyes when she recalled, just a few hours ago she was in that house.. she stood rooted to the ground and stared pensively at the house ,when a gentle tap on her shoulder startled her..
"Naku tu? am I glad to see you! said Baji in subdued tone.Naku took him aside and wanted to know about Dutta
"Baji how is Saab taking it? Baji flared his nostrils and reported, regretfully and vaguely
" Naku I wouldn't know the answer to that.. Bhau tu Patil Nivas mein nehin hai.. pata nehin kahan hai.. he is needed here for his father's last rites" Naku decided this was no time to react, she had to speak to Daksha.. maybe she would know about her Saab's whereabouts? But Naku faced nothing but despair, as Daksha helped by saying that he left immediately , and that he even left Kajri behind. Naku was aware that time ticked away, she had to return home too before day break.. but her hearts priority was to find her Saab. It didn't take her too long work out where he was likely to be?
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She walked in darkness, rejected all manner of lighting that would show her the path. The last thing she wished to do was to draw attention to her lone figure that veered off from the throngs of people, towards the beaten mud track that stemmed off towards the tilla ..Dutta's customary haunt cum work station. With feet that slipped from side to side on the hilly pebbled soil she carried onwards.. interrupted with nocturnal night sounds, owls hooted eerily; crickets chirped monotonously ; interrupted by splashes and croaks of frogs. Naku heard the nightly creatures and shuddered occasionally, but his name Saab ! escaped from lips and almost pushed her fearful ignorance of the unknown well away from her.. she stopped ,time to time as she heard the shuffle, crunch and crackle of leaves.. a rattle snake slithered away before her green eyes in a hurry! and wormed into it's bill ! Naku startled and stepped back.. joined her palms and prayed om namsh Shiva! ..cold sweat beaded over her nose.. tired she bent her back and rested her palm on her knees, panted slightly and raised her eyes upwards to the summit.
Yes up there , silhouetted against the back drop of the almost opaque white orbed moon, was vividly visible the stalwart tree and the body profile of her seated Saab. With green doe eyes that glistened with tears she tediously scaled the height to reduce the distance towards them. An almost caring maternal sentiment kicked into her and she failed to restrain herself from calling out to him..
" Saaab !Saab!.. her voice shattered the silence that surrounded him..slowly he turned his head. His stiff firmed lips fell apart. he pouted and voicelessly pronounced her name to himself.."Naku" .. within seconds she clambered the rest of the distance between them ..and like him stood at the top of the world in the sad dark night. With a tremor in her voice she stood with her arms apart and again called out to the seated Dutta.. "Saab!.. seeing he refused to respond ,she took a few small steps toward's him and sank down beside him. He responded and half turned his seated body away from her with a nasal guttural..
"kyun Aye hai yahan? ekle choor de muhje.. ja yahan se.." Naku grabbed the back of his shoulder and tried to force him her way. His attitude of rejecting her support, stirred up impatience in her too..
"main jane ke liye nehin aaye hoon Saab! baat karo mujhse! muhje apne dahal samjho.. azma ke dekho Saab! ap ke sare ghum apna le gi ye Nakusha.." he riveted around and faced her and asked her
"mere babba wapis la sakte hai tu Nakusha ?.. Naku shed some tears and shook her head in his stern face..
"nehin na Naku..? I know you cannot.. sirf ek kamzoor insaan hai tu meri theran! Bhagwan nehin! you and I weaklings cannot battle with the gods! they will as they please with our lives! after all we are their handy work.. make us and break us is both in their hands! so don't you say your are my shield! He growled..
" haan Saab , it's true they create us and destroy us too.. yet we cannot deny that they grant us this worldly life to live as we please too.. but then the rule is, that everything that is born.. brought into being, undergoes change and perishes.. but then new life also returns only to repeat the process Saab .. ye he zindagi ka usul hai Saab.. hum sab ko guzarna parta hai is mein se" Dutta listened to her intently and then shed a tear that rolled down his stubble cheek..
" Naku ju tu bole sounds well in both theory and practice, but at this moment in time I wish the rule didn't apply to my babaa , Naku.. why did he have to go? he asked childishly.. Naku replied too with simplicity..
" because Saab , only the gods are immortal.. they created us to be mere mortals.. where are lives would be governed within a time frame of wear and tear.. till our bodies seize to function.. hum dono ke Aye babba..waqat ke hatoon majboor thi " she faltered in her speech and burst out crying.. Dutta instantaneously put his pain on the back boiler and stretched his arms sideways to her and she fell into them, hugged him and cried violently.. Dutta grabbed her shoulder then gradually hauled himself up and raised her up to her feet too. As if both felt the need to be close to each other.. Dutta held her loosely in her arms and she cried.. and he moved his palms to relive the pain she felt.. of which he knew nothing about .. he still smarted with the bereavement of his father.. and held on to Naku for comfort. His wide dented stubble chin rested on top of her head and he recollects what she had said earlier..
"hum dono ke Aye babaa.!" Naku hum dono ke kaise? I have lost both my parents.. and you? what did you mean? Naku cried bitterly and cried against his hairy chest as she told him the woeful tale of her parents.. Dutta suddenly lessened his grip around her and held her at arms- length and gazed upon her tear stained face.. he gently smoothed the tears off her peachy complexioned cheeks with the fingertips of his right hand and told her tenderly..
"Naku teri kahani sun ker , aisa laga jaise mera dukh bahut kum hai tere dard ke samna.. yes Naku.. I spent a good many years with babaa.. in comparison to how little ,in fact no time at all did you spend with both your parents.. humm, Naku tera dard bahut hai.. dil tu karte hai ye dard tere dil se nikale phaninkoon.. pun us se phele tu tere us jalad tau Nana Sahib ko expose karoon uske he logon mein.. mukhiya hai..jail honi chaiya use! he roared. Naku, brought him back on course,
"nehin Saab.. it's not the need of the hour. What the priority now is that you carry out the last rites of your babaa.. your family needs you , Baji told me there was concern ,as you couldn't be located.. and yes Saab you are very blessed to have spent times with your babaa..whenever his absence grieves you.. conjure up the memory of the good times you spent with him.. life will became a little bearable.. besides I saw in babba's eyes yesterday ,how much he adored you.. mujhe ju pasand kiya babba ne, tu isliye ke main aap ke pasand hoon.. yaad haina, he blessed us both.. look at it this way Saab.. he is healed forever, no more suffering he will have, only eternal peace.. and wo ap ke Aye ke pas gaye hain.. be joyful at their union in paradise... that's how I think about my Aye babba too.. and then I have my peace too.." said Naku with her moistened green eyes.. Dutta gently drew her into his arms and held on to her.. his stubble face fixed against her soft warm smooth cheek.. and his chin dug into the area behind her neck. For ages they stood in this embrace.. comforting and consoling each other ..till Naku broke the silence gently, her chin fixed upon his wide shoulder..
"Saab .. ab aap jao apne ghar babba ke untim sanskar ke liye.. aur main jaldi se apne ghar lauti hai.." to be continued.. Hamlet53 ~ 27.3.15
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Afzal good to hear from you..thanks for reading the ud and pressing like..hope you have settled in after the moving.. my love to Ali and babhi.. Bart.. your chooha can't cope with your silence anymore.. so please come back we all miss you.. I miss your bashans!.. Fassben, hope you are ok mate? I thought about you when doing this update.. Twinks??? you still in Galle?
Edited by Hamlet53 - 10 years ago
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
