“Your name is S.”
“Yes.”
“You were away when this …. happened.” He turned ever so slightly in the direction of the neighbours door.
“Yes.”
“You did not see or hear anything unusual in the morning when you left.”
“No.”
She could have used “Sir” as she was wont to when talking to her clients . But she didn’t . Why should she ? He was just a constable , that too in a lousy uniform , that didn’t even cover his bulging belly, she noticed the buttons on the tummy stretched to the point of popping, revealing a dirty banian inside . “Must have a lousy wife ” S thought absently.
"I will come again , tomorrow morning ." he rapped the windowbars with his truncheon , with unnecessary violence .
"What for ?I have told you , I know nothing ." S pleaded .
He eyed her with narrow , yellow eyes . Said nothing . Then , waddled away, his khaki trousers stretching tight over his ample butt. S shook her head and turned to unlock her door.And then she screamed . The fat constable ran back, looked in through the door , snatched the key from her hand . Things moved very fast after that ,S has only a faint recollection of a huge crowd at her door, Lots of policemen in khaki uniform jostling in and out of her tiny barsati. The lady police handcuffing her and dragging her away, even as she passed out and merciful darkness enveloped her .
That evening's papers read-" Body of missing thane businessman found in neighbour's home . Neighbour, a bank clerk arrested ."
Millions of people read the paper and heaved a sigh of relief. Another crime solved .Another criminal behind bars.
S had a big bruise on her forehead and her body ached .Her throat was parched and she was disoriented . One lady constable saw her come to , and paused in mid -sip of tea to throw an expletive in her direction . Others in the group turned back to look at her and sniggered, collectively. S was behind bars, like a common thief,in the lock up. It was hot and smelt of sweat and tobacco and urine.Some kind soul had pushed a glass of lukewarm water through the bars . A fly sat on the rim. S drank the tepid water and realised she had bruised her lips too, she had no recollection how. Suddenly she remembered what had happened in the afternoon , and burst into tears.
S was a typical Indian beauty. She was dark,wispy,and sensuous. "Like Sita", her mother would explain , "Or Draupadi." Her mother always quoted the scriptures . She said S was not dark, only wheatish -complexioned.She openly chided her daughter's futile attempts at applying various fairness creams , and ayurvedic face-packs to "gain a glowing golden skin " as the TV ads claimed. Unbeknownst to her , and her skin ministrations , S had blossomed into a gorgeous beauty, of large limpid eyes, fluttering eyelashes,cascading thick locks, and comely figure . At her college, she was puzzled when people stopped in their path, gawping to look at her . She would blush and hurry away.At home , She would scan herself in the mirror, to look for any aberrations. She found none . She had perfect, flawless , swarthy skin of her ancestors . However, the TV ads continued to tell her otherwise.
This and her polite demeanour attracted great many admirers, like flies to fruit.She was ravishing , and she didn't know it . Yet. That endowed her with a child-like innocence, which made her irresistible to her suitors . Some persistent ones, including couple of gray haired professors, followed her home . One of whom was Madan Sir. A respectful teacher of science, he fell badly under the spell of S's famed beauty, and would be positively tongue tied , specially if she sat in the first row. It became a college joke. Madan sir was fond of teaching , and could not stand this powerful interruption to his scholarly pursuits.
So it was that after tutorials one day, S found Madan Sir plonked on the broken, green reccine sofa of her grandfather, in deep conversation with her father . In other words , he had come to ask for her hand in marriage . S was shocked to say the least. What was more revolting was that her father, in all his parental wisdom, agreed. He didn't bother to ask S if she too reciprocated his affections.His argument hinged on the fact that Prof. Madan Sharma had a pensionable government job,secondly, he was smitten with S , so he would look after her, and thirdly , Madanji was a brahmin, and you never , ever, refuse a brahmin.
In his hurry to see the" apple of his eye" settled , he never bothered to check the antecedents.Neither did the glaring difference in their ages bother him.
A week later, a very upset and sullen S found herself in the flat of Madanji, rat-infested and reeking of stale toddy, notes and papers lay in the most improbable places ,even on the top of the WC . She was to discover greater horrors in the days to come . Like stumbling upon his stash of porn magazines and deducing from his call history that he probably had a wife with grown up children concealed away somewhere ,in the village.In addition,he had stopped her education. She was to remain at home , cook, clean, and not even talk to the neighbours, whom madanji denounced as "nosey parkers".S knew that she was imprisoned. A giant had fallen in her eyes. That a venerable teacher could be such a jerk , cheat and a liar,was totally unacceptable to S. She started plotting her escape. She was a free bird , not to be enslaved by the likes of Madanji who had no affection , but only lust for her.
S started saving grocery money.
In a few weeks , She had enough to buy a train ticket for herself. But where could she go ? S had a friend in Thane.She made some tentative calls and secured her address. Then one day, she booked her ticket and made good her escape. She knew, going back to her parents wont help as they would want her to go back to Madanji's dungeon.
After three years of back breaking work at a beauty parlour, and burning the midnight oil,S secured a clerical job at the local bank.She was finally at peace and was considering moving out of the one -room barsati that she lived in , when someone moved in next door . S was acquainted with the maid and had talked to her ,on few occasions . She said it was a businessman from Hardwar, who drank way too much . S was busy in her own world , when one fine day like the proverbial bad coin , Madanji turned up in her barsati, sprawled on her living room floor , frothing at the mouth and quite lifeless.
“Yes.”
“You were away when this …. happened.” He turned ever so slightly in the direction of the neighbours door.
“Yes.”
“You did not see or hear anything unusual in the morning when you left.”
“No.”
She could have used “Sir” as she was wont to when talking to her clients . But she didn’t . Why should she ? He was just a constable , that too in a lousy uniform , that didn’t even cover his bulging belly, she noticed the buttons on the tummy stretched to the point of popping, revealing a dirty banian inside . “Must have a lousy wife ” S thought absently.
"I will come again , tomorrow morning ." he rapped the windowbars with his truncheon , with unnecessary violence .
"What for ?I have told you , I know nothing ." S pleaded .
He eyed her with narrow , yellow eyes . Said nothing . Then , waddled away, his khaki trousers stretching tight over his ample butt. S shook her head and turned to unlock her door.And then she screamed . The fat constable ran back, looked in through the door , snatched the key from her hand . Things moved very fast after that ,S has only a faint recollection of a huge crowd at her door, Lots of policemen in khaki uniform jostling in and out of her tiny barsati. The lady police handcuffing her and dragging her away, even as she passed out and merciful darkness enveloped her .
That evening's papers read-" Body of missing thane businessman found in neighbour's home . Neighbour, a bank clerk arrested ."
Millions of people read the paper and heaved a sigh of relief. Another crime solved .Another criminal behind bars.
S had a big bruise on her forehead and her body ached .Her throat was parched and she was disoriented . One lady constable saw her come to , and paused in mid -sip of tea to throw an expletive in her direction . Others in the group turned back to look at her and sniggered, collectively. S was behind bars, like a common thief,in the lock up. It was hot and smelt of sweat and tobacco and urine.Some kind soul had pushed a glass of lukewarm water through the bars . A fly sat on the rim. S drank the tepid water and realised she had bruised her lips too, she had no recollection how. Suddenly she remembered what had happened in the afternoon , and burst into tears.
S was a typical Indian beauty. She was dark,wispy,and sensuous. "Like Sita", her mother would explain , "Or Draupadi." Her mother always quoted the scriptures . She said S was not dark, only wheatish -complexioned.She openly chided her daughter's futile attempts at applying various fairness creams , and ayurvedic face-packs to "gain a glowing golden skin " as the TV ads claimed. Unbeknownst to her , and her skin ministrations , S had blossomed into a gorgeous beauty, of large limpid eyes, fluttering eyelashes,cascading thick locks, and comely figure . At her college, she was puzzled when people stopped in their path, gawping to look at her . She would blush and hurry away.At home , She would scan herself in the mirror, to look for any aberrations. She found none . She had perfect, flawless , swarthy skin of her ancestors . However, the TV ads continued to tell her otherwise.
This and her polite demeanour attracted great many admirers, like flies to fruit.She was ravishing , and she didn't know it . Yet. That endowed her with a child-like innocence, which made her irresistible to her suitors . Some persistent ones, including couple of gray haired professors, followed her home . One of whom was Madan Sir. A respectful teacher of science, he fell badly under the spell of S's famed beauty, and would be positively tongue tied , specially if she sat in the first row. It became a college joke. Madan sir was fond of teaching , and could not stand this powerful interruption to his scholarly pursuits.
So it was that after tutorials one day, S found Madan Sir plonked on the broken, green reccine sofa of her grandfather, in deep conversation with her father . In other words , he had come to ask for her hand in marriage . S was shocked to say the least. What was more revolting was that her father, in all his parental wisdom, agreed. He didn't bother to ask S if she too reciprocated his affections.His argument hinged on the fact that Prof. Madan Sharma had a pensionable government job,secondly, he was smitten with S , so he would look after her, and thirdly , Madanji was a brahmin, and you never , ever, refuse a brahmin.
In his hurry to see the" apple of his eye" settled , he never bothered to check the antecedents.Neither did the glaring difference in their ages bother him.
A week later, a very upset and sullen S found herself in the flat of Madanji, rat-infested and reeking of stale toddy, notes and papers lay in the most improbable places ,even on the top of the WC . She was to discover greater horrors in the days to come . Like stumbling upon his stash of porn magazines and deducing from his call history that he probably had a wife with grown up children concealed away somewhere ,in the village.In addition,he had stopped her education. She was to remain at home , cook, clean, and not even talk to the neighbours, whom madanji denounced as "nosey parkers".S knew that she was imprisoned. A giant had fallen in her eyes. That a venerable teacher could be such a jerk , cheat and a liar,was totally unacceptable to S. She started plotting her escape. She was a free bird , not to be enslaved by the likes of Madanji who had no affection , but only lust for her.
S started saving grocery money.
In a few weeks , She had enough to buy a train ticket for herself. But where could she go ? S had a friend in Thane.She made some tentative calls and secured her address. Then one day, she booked her ticket and made good her escape. She knew, going back to her parents wont help as they would want her to go back to Madanji's dungeon.
After three years of back breaking work at a beauty parlour, and burning the midnight oil,S secured a clerical job at the local bank.She was finally at peace and was considering moving out of the one -room barsati that she lived in , when someone moved in next door . S was acquainted with the maid and had talked to her ,on few occasions . She said it was a businessman from Hardwar, who drank way too much . S was busy in her own world , when one fine day like the proverbial bad coin , Madanji turned up in her barsati, sprawled on her living room floor , frothing at the mouth and quite lifeless.
No comments:
Post a Comment