Muliya’s life was now surrounded with darkness. The ground on which she built her wall of ambitions disappeared. The centre of power she was so proud of had been removed. Village people started saying, God have given her instant punishment. Poor lady used to cry along with her children. She couldn’t dare to show her face to anyone in the village. Every living seemed to say to her-“ Because of greed your feet never used to touched the ground, but at the end you also got punished!! ” Now how would she live in this house?? On whom she would depend?? Who would work in the fields?? Poor Raghu always had fever. Was weak, but until he was alive, atleast he did all the work. Sometimes because of weakness used to hold his head & stop but after some rest used to start working again. All the fields were getting ruined, who would look after them?? Bundle of wheat were in the fields, stalks were drying. She wouldn’t be able to do everything alone. Threshing was not one man work. From where other 3 workers would come!! In village there were not enough workers. Everyone was trying have them work for them. What to do, what not to do.
Just like that 13 days passed. She got freed from funeral work. Next day in morning she carried both boys and went towards fields to collect wheat. In field she laid one under the soft bed of grass and left other there and went away to collect the wheat. She started herding buffaloes and crying. Is this what God gave her birth for?? Her whole life changed before her eyes?? Same work was done the previous year too. That time, she brought cold drinks & roasted peas for Raghu. Now noone was ahead of her and noone was behind her, she was alone, but even now she was not someone’s slave. Even now she didn’t regret getting separated.
Suddenly she heard younger one crying so looked in that direction, there elder boy was trying to calm him by saying-” bhaiya be quiet be quiet.” He tried patting him on his face and tried to stop his crying. But when he didn’t stop crying he himself laid near him and slowly started caring him; but when even this didn’t work he himself started crying.
At the same time Panna came running and hold him up and started loving him and said-” Why didn’t you left boys with me bahu?? Yaare, yaare, poor one was rolling on the ground. Do whatever you want after I die, at the moment I am alive, children weren’t part of the separation. ”
Muliya said-“ You weren’t free Amma, what could have I done??”
Panna-” What was the need for you to come here this early?? You could have just it there. 3 boys are there, when will they be use?? Kedaar was suggesting of threshing yesterday but I said, first give water to the field, and do threshing today; threshing can be done even after 10 days, but without water fields will dry out. Since yesterday water is in the fields, till day after tomorrow fields will be ready. We can do threshing then. You won’t believe, since bhaiya died, Kedaar has started worrying a lot. Ask 10-10 times a day whether bhabhi is still crying or not?? Are boys still hungry?? If a boy cries, then comes running, ” see amma what happened why is he crying??”. Yesterday said crying-” Amma, if I knew bhaiya will pass away so suddenly, then I could have served him atleast a little.” Before I used to wake him up with so much difficulty but now he gets up by himself in early morning and goes on to work. Khunnu yesterday said a little, ” first we will water our field then will water bhaiya’s field.” At this Kedaar scolded him so much that after that one word didn’t escaped Khunnu’s mouth. Said-” What is our or what is theirs?? If bhaiya hadn’t taken us under him, then today we would have either been dead or would have been begging somewhere. Today you are standing tall. This all is his generosity that today you are a well mannered person.” Day before yesterday, when I went to call him for food he was sitting in the hallway & crying. When I asked for the reason, said-” Amma bhiya died in this pain of separation, otherwise he was still young! We didn’t get it at that time, otherwise we would have never separated!!” ”
After saying this Panna looked towards Muliya with directing eyes-“ He will not let you live separately, he says, bhaiya died for us so we will die his children too.”
Muliya eyes were flowing too. Today Panna words had true pain, true sympathy, and true concern. Muliya heart was never attracted towards Panna that much. From those she expected ridicule and criticism, they came out to be so kind and caring.
For the first time she was disgusted by her selfcentredness . First time her soul condemned the idea of separation.
Kedaar changed just like Raghu
and Muliya changed just like Panna did then
So next will be the last part of this chapter
Keep watching
ALAGYAOJHAto be continued……
Regards
Harshit