Seven Vows Chapter 71page 145 - Page 48

Chapter 27- The Negatives

Sreedhar was in his room. He opened an old suitcase and from that in between albums he took some negatives. He smiled as he looked at them.

Sreedhar had just completed his 12^th awaiting results. Murali had completed his graduation and since he had no interest in pursuing PG he had joined business. Brothers were sitting on the shade under a banyan tree outskirts of the city

" Bhaiyya I cannot take this. Every year I have seen this discrimination. The so called low caste families stands outside for the Prasad. And after Prasad is giving all upper caste people, it is thrown at them as if they are animals. Then for the pittance these hungry souls fight . Yesterday was too much. After the annual festival we all had feast, every adult in the so called upper caste had feast, but those children who survive on the food from the temple, did you see their eyes , did you see the hunger, I couldn't eat Bhaiyya. I wanted to get up. It is just because Papa will be questioned by these community leaders I kept quiet. Food was over and when I came out I saw those hungry kids walking away Bhaiyya. I couldn't sleep "

" Sreedhar I understand what you are saying. But what can we do. This is social custom right. "

" Bhaiyya I don't know about customs, I don't care, but I want to ensure atleast all the kids are given food irrespective of caste before any adults take food. For that I have decided I am going to spy on temple main priest "

" Spy Sree if Papa knows that too temple priest. What will you get if you spy him "

" I don't know Bhaiyya, but I believe if I spy him I will get something on him or the other community leaders which can used to bargain food for the kids. These people will not understand straight simple language. But they care a lot about social image. Hypocrites. This is where we should target. Get me the moped Bhaiyya. If you take Papa wont say anything"

So it started. Murali got Sreedhar the moped. Whenever the priest went out of the temple Sreedhar followed him on foot with a camera around his neck for most days parking the moped near temple. To everyone concerned he only looked like an excited teenager who had got a new camera taking pics. 5 days went by with nothing in sight. Priest went from temple to home, home to temple and occasionally to community hall.

It was a Sunday and Murali too had holiday. He told " Sreedhar stop it. You are not going to gain anything"

" Bhaiyya one last chance, take moped and come with me. We will go together today "

So they went. Interestingly that day after morning pooja the priest took a detour. The boys eagerly followed him in the moped at a distance. Priest had also taken a moped that day from a garage. Murali told Sreedhar " Sree the priest doesn't have a moped as far as we know "

" Exactly Bhaiyya he doest have. But how come he has now. Let us see "

So they went towards the outskirts of the city and stopped in front of a house. Priest went inside the house.

Sree and Murali got out. "Bhaiyya I am going to enter the house . You hide the moped, stand here and see if someone is coming. If someone is coming give a whistle I will come as fast as I can "

" Sree this is dangerous . If you are caught, Papa will not spare you"

" Bhaiyya we are going for a good cause. Don't worry. Everything will be alright"

Murali was not assured, but he knew his younger brother"

Sreedhar studied the wall and observing the place which was kind of isolated, he jumped the wall from backside and landed in the backyard.

As he inched closer to the house he heard some voices. A woman was talking

I was waiting for you. See I have made special oils exclusively for you. Now come let me give you a oily, fragrant bath first"

" Madhulika I come here exclusively for your oil bath and then spending the night with you is like heaven. Away from my home where my wife have so much bickering "

" Ji Madhulika allows only exclusive customers who can pay her well. I hope you have bought payment for me"

" Why not Madhulika. I keep all the extra money I get in temple for your sake "

Sreedhar gasped. So this so called priest has liason with a prostitute. He had seen Madhulika in market once in a while. Ladies mocked at her, though his mother never had. But Madhulika only gave a wry smile. Now Sreedhar understood why. She was mocking at those ladies. Maybe not just the priest, but she might have many clients among the so called community leaders.

Problem was to get pictures. How will he get. And then he heard a door opening. He followed the direction of the sound and reached a place where hot water was getting boiled and an closed aangan by its side. The priest was sitting just with his loin clothes on a stool. Madhulika took oil and she started to massage the priest. Without flash Sreedhar took multiple photos of Madhulika massaging him, bathing him. Nobody noticed him. Priest looked like he was lost in ecstasy and Madhulika was lost in servicing him.

Sreedhar came back to Murali. " Bhaiyya we need to go to Gurgaon and print this. Allow me to accompany you"

Murali managed to get permission for Sreedhar to visit Gurgaon. Sreedhar printed them and then send them to temple address in priest's name along with a letter. He knew all the mail in temple priest only opened. Sending home was risk if it goes to his wife, purpose will be lost.

People only knew one thing when 2 weeks later priest called a community meeting in which he told he got a dream of Krishna Kanhaiya who told him he is doing great sin depriving food to children. So from now on separate line will be kept outside temple for the kids of lower caste and adults can take Prasad or feast only after all kids are fed. Till date all kids get fed in the temple as no one has questioned it because it is the word from priest that came through Krishna Kanhaiya.

He looked at the negatives. It was time for the priest to see Krishna Kanhaiya once again.

Shruthi, I didn't want to mention this thought yesterday as I felt only I might get such ideas or say TRP thought. But I was right in thinking. But the truth is I have even heard such things not just in stories but in real life as well. The upper caste men used to visit the slum areas for physical pleasure as it was believed that the lower caste ladies were strong due to their work in fields and good in appeasing the appetite of these deprived men who never used to that pleasure a stheir women were not so strong enough because of their living style (fasting or spiceless food) and also they used to look for days & stars to join their hubbies (auspicious moments)

@jaya agree to you. It is a TRP thought. But the problem with TRP hungry shows is that they wont show the protagonist intelligent enough to use such information. Only the villians are shown intelligent always. Coming to real life I always know one thing, people stressing too much on traditions, culture, sanskaar blah blah always have some skeltons in their closets. They are too stringent ignoring humanity because since they are doing so many things in hiding they except others to do the same. I am not sure whether you know a custom in Tamilnadu called chinnaveedu, where a married man can keep more than one woman. Even society approves it indirectly as long as the woman who is not traditionally married doesn't claim any benefits on property etc...

@ Shruthi, yes it is always the villains and Vamps are the clever people with grey cells and they will find all the clues and evidences to their benefit and the protagonist will always win with a fluke of luck and nothing else. Yes I have heard about this Chinnaveedu concept and feel really bad for the kids, though not for the lady as she would have consciously taken up that decision to indulge with the married man. But ultimately for the lady from that background, marriage will always be a mirage and to lad a life, she needs some earning and that can come only through this alliance. I hope such practice is reduce now. But if you can notice, this clinging to the married man is not just with lower background ladies but now it has become a passion or fashion in the modern society where the ladies (celebrities are the front runners) will fall for married man and disrupt his married life and the peace in his family. Some (the wives) will be submissive may be fearing the society who will attach a stigma to her as the who has left husband or for the security of her kids, will continue to stay in the institution of marriage while some will walk out of it and immediately will be branded as a lady with some extra marital affair.

Yes Jaya in old days economic needs made the ladies become someone's chinnaveedu or krishnadasi or even a prostitute. If we go to the background of many of these ladies we will see it is mostly to feed their families they ended up like this.

Am in awe of Sree... I so want this priest's truth to be out.. sorry but I can't help but want to see how his wife will react to this side of her husband. So much for her throwing muck at Maheshwari... this is the first time I read of chinaveedu system.. that's really sad...

@Ria if that truth is out, change wont happen. It is said that information has to put to right use. 😆😆. If you ask me priest's truth is not for Sree to tell, his wife herself should come to know of it one day.

Originally posted by: JRia

Am in awe of Sree... I so want this priest's truth to be out.. sorry but I can't hep but want to see how his wife will react to this side of her husband. So much for her throwing muck at Maheshwari... this is the first time I read of chinaveedu system.. that's really sad...

In this case, yes even we feel that his (priest's) truth to come out on open and his wife to know about her husband's cheating but at the same time, her family will break and the kids in family will have to face the brunt from society. The stigma will affect the kids more than the adults. Moreover, if it is a secret and if one promises to keep it as secret, then miscreant will oblige to be of help to certain good things even though it is for his benefit.

Yes Ria. Jaya put all the points correctly. If Sree publicizes the information yes priest will lose face but would the kids have got food. No. Keeping that information secret all hungry kids get food from the temple. Crime thrives when rights are denied escpecially to children. Many religious fanatics, drug peddlers use hunger a medium to do illicit activity. By eliminating hunger you protect not only the child from falling for crime to great extend, but protect society as a whole from such criminals Now with same method atleast what Suman can do inside the house wont be questioned. Certain amount of social acceptability to what she is doing will come.

Most of your reviews will come by tomorrow 😆😆