The Invincible Moonsheen – Part-42 (Telugu Original “Venutiragani Vennela” by Dr K.Geeta)

The Invincible Moonsheen

Part – 42

(Telugu Original “Venutiragani Vennela” by Dr K.Geeta)

English Translation: V.Vijaya Kumar

(The previous story briefed)

Sameera comes to meet her mother’s friend, Udayini, who runs a women’s aid organization “Sahaya” in America. Sameera gets a good impression of Udayini. Four months pregnant, Sameera tells her that she wants to get a divorce and the circumstances are conducive to it. Udayini asks her to listen to the story of “Tanmayi” and pursue her to make her own decision after listening to the story. Tanmayi and Shekhar, who met at a wedding ceremony, go to marry with the permission of their elders. After the marriage they started their new life in Visakhapatnam. A boy was born to the couple in a year of their marriage. Tanmay engages in her studies deeply and enjoys the friendship with her colleagues forgetting all about her household disturbances. Her parents came to stay with her for a month while Shekhar is away on his long-term camp.

***

          It had been two months since Tanmayi started her new job in a remote village. She and her little son were slowly settling into their new life. On Sunday morning, she woke him up, helped him get ready, and fed him milk and tiffin. The children in the neighborhood had already become fond of him. The moment he finished eating, he dashed outside to play with them.Tanmayi pulled out her long-pending to-do list. First on it was converting an old saree into curtains. She spread a mat at the doorstep and with a needle, thread, and scissors she began her work.

“Mom, my friend wants me to go with him to his house, shall I go?” the kid asked in the local dialect.

Tanmayi smiled to herself. Children picked up new dialects so easily, while adults struggled to adapt. But she was lucky  the villagers here treated her with affection. Taiba came running toward the kid and kissed his cheeks, and chuckled, “So sweet of your of words”

Tanmayi hesitated to let him go. Before she could decide, Taiba reassured her, “I’ll bring him back safely, Madam. Don’t worry.” Then the two children raced off. The gate slammed behind them.

Just as she looked up, startled, she saw Prabhu standing there.

          How did he even find this place? she wondered.

As though reading her thoughts, he smirked, “You think I won’t know? This isn’t a big city! Just asked someone in a pawn shop near your college.

He dropped the bag on his back, sat casually on the little stool in the veranda.

“You came here without writing a  letter,” she asked, annoyed.

He replied with playful cheekiness, “Weren’t you the one asking for a computer assistant at your college? Isn’t there a job vacancy?”

His joke didn’t land. Seeing her serious face, he softened his tone:

“Alright, alright… I just said that for fun. Actually, I came to teach you computer basics.” She had learned the ABCs of computers back in Vivekananda school, how dare he assume she needed help?

Trying to maintain pride, she said, “I know computers. DOS commands, Lotus Notes, anything else?”

He laughed lightly. “Very impressive. But now there’s a hot new topic: the dot-com boom. Ever heard of it?” And you have the internet?

Tanmayi blinked. Dot… com? She could only manage a confused,  “Internet… what?”

He rescued the moment politely. “How about some drinking water first?”

Realizing she had made him stand at the entry all this while, she stepped aside. “Please… come in.”

As he entered, he read aloud a framed quote of Swami Vivekananda:

“Knowledge is strength — weakness is death.”

He looked around the sparse room, just a mat, a few books, and humble necessities. Spreading the mat he sat on it, “How peaceful… like an ashram,” he remarked sincerely.

Then the books caught his attention.

“Oh! Amrutham kurisina Ratri, Maha Prastanam” He pronounced the  titles fine.

Tanmayi was surprised. An engineering graduate with such command of Telugu literature?

He continued reading aloud, dramatically:

“Nailu nadi naagarikathalo saamaanyuni jeevanamettidi?

Tajmahal nirmanananiki ralletthina koolilevvaru?

His voice filled the room. Tanmayi listened, spellbound.

Before she could ask him to stop, she found herself whispering, “One more… Please read from this book. Then she gave him the book, Amrutham Kurisina Ratri”

The room instantly felt like a poetic stage.

***

          Since it was Sunday, college was closed. But the Principal, Yadagiri, lived on campus, so the gates were open. Tanmayi introduced Prabhu.

The Principal welcomed him eagerly. “It would be great if young people like you could help our college.”

Glancing at the machines in the new computer lab, Prabhu commented, “Oh… these are all Windows.”

“Of course,” said the Principal. Tanmayi thought that Prabhu meant the windows of the room and she added “they were shut for AC”

“No, no! I’m talking about the operating system, Windows,” Prabhu clarified with a teasing smile.

Every time her ignorance was exposed, Tanmayi grew hotter inside. I must learn this… and soon, she vowed silently.

Prabhu sat on a wire chair, fingers flying effortlessly over the keyboard. “These aren’t even configured,” he muttered.

The Principal pointed proudly to the cupboards. “All accessories are stored there.”

Tanmayi opened the Godrej steel cabinet filled with newly purchased floppies, wires, and spares. Such a contrast to a luxurious lab in an otherwise worn-out college with chipped paint and nearly-broken benches!

“This is a keyboard,” Prabhu explained patiently. “Much like a typewriter.”

Tanmayi listened, fascinated. No teacher ever explained so clearly.

Within an hour, every computer had been checked. Then he said, “get those floppy disks in the cabinet.”

Seeing Tanmayi’s blank look, he fetched a floppy, held it up, and explained:

“This is storage space — where your whole college files live.”

Again, confused looks exchanged between Principal and teacher.

Prabhu smiled gently. “I’ll come again next Sunday. I’ll bring the tools needed to finish setting everything up.”

Then turning to her:

“Don’t hesitate to ask again if something feels confusing.
This is a new world, tomorrow’s world.
I’m still a student in it too.”

The principal said,“Come whenever you can. Hold some classes for our students.”

Prabhu replied, “Why me alone? I’ll teach your Telugu madam everything.  so she can teach them later to everyone.”

As they walked out, he turned, eyeing Tanmayi’s long braid playfully.

“I came all this way long for you. Won’t you offer food for me before sending me back?”

Tanmayi couldn’t hide a smile. “You want to leave right now?” she teased. “I’m not a great cook.”

“That’s alright. I can fry potatoes!” he grinned.

She walked beside him, thinking:

          He is racing so easily into my life, should I allow him?

He was a city-bred man; she was cautious, always aware of how society judged a woman. Especially a single one. She had lived under strict rules since childhood always being careful around men.

“What happened?” he nudged her. “Deep thinking just for some food?”

They reached the market. Shopkeepers greeted her warmly:

“Who is thismadam? Hope he is your… sir?”

Prabhu noticed her discomfort and whispered, “Am I troubling you?”

Back home, Taiba quietly made way for them. Tanmayi suddenly remembered she forgot curry leaves.

“I’ll go get them, I’ll go,” he offered.

“No, I’m used to it,” she insisted. “You freshen up. Sit on the cot there.”

While walking, old memories resurfaced from that interview trip to Hyderabad… the moment at Birla Mandir… when he finally confessed his long-kept feelings: “I’ve wanted to talk to you since childhood…
but our village never gave boys such courage.
Just show me the Mandir once in the evening light?
If I’ve crossed a line, forgive me.”

She had seen honesty in his eyes then.

He even cracked a silly old college joke: “Sunday is greater than Monday!” code among boys hinting at inner wear mishaps.

She had blushed then suddenly, He had grinned:

“That smile… it suits you so well.”

They had stood together at Birla Mandir, city lights glowing beneath them, and for a moment she had wondered.

Her anonymous friend burst upon the scene. He hadn’t asked a single personal question, not one. She felt positive about him suddenly towards his decent attitude.

***

          Returning with curry leaves, Tanmayi breathed easier.

          Maybe I’m worrying too much.
          He’s my childhood friend.
          What harm is there if he comes once or twice to help with the computers?

With this thought, her heart softened… and her steps felt lighter.

*****

(Continued next month)