The Invincible Moonsheen
Part – 47
(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.
***
That morning, Principal Yadagiri Garu announced that a new lecturer was joining the long-vacant English post. When Tanmayi walked into the staff room after her first period, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Standing before her was Siddhartha! He was the same English lecturer who had given her interview tips before she got this job.
Sitting at the table across from him as he smiled at her, she asked happily, “What are you doing here? Wait, let me guess. You are the new English lecturer, aren’t you?”
Nodding in affirmation, he said, “Yes… I already knew you’d get the job. Well, nice to meet you again.”
”How did you come here from Visakhapatnam?” she asked again.
”Zonal transfer. My wife got a job in the Secretariat,” he replied.
”Welcome,” Tanmayi said, looking at the book in his hand.
”Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things. Do you read it?” he asked.
Tanmayi still remembered the first day she saw him. Back then, too, he was immersed in a book just like this. He still had the same simplicity: a book in hand, a bag slung over his shoulder, and the warmth look in his eyes.
After introductions with everyone in the staff room, Tanmayi led the way, saying, “Come, Siddhartha! I’ll show you the college.”
”Siddu. Just call me Siddu,” he said, following her.
As soon as they stepped into the computer lab, the students swarmed around her, bustling, “Madam has come!”
”He is the new English sir; from now on, he will also teach you computer lessons,” she told them.
”How did you, a Telugu student, get introduced to computers?” Siddhartha asked as they stepped out.
The name “Prabhu” almost reached the tip of her tongue, but she restrained herself and said, “I learned a bit recently through friends.”
Noticing a slight hesitation in her voice, he said distractedly while looking outside, “I’m not a great expert either. I did a small diploma in computers for the college I worked at previously.”
As Siddhartha spoke so absently, Tanmayi saw glimpses of Murali from Vivekananda School in his facial expressions. Even if it was a coincidence, Tanmayi felt a surge of joy within her. She thought to herself, “Anonymous friend! Did you send Murali to me in this form?”
Siddhartha walked into the veranda, seemingly not noticing the smile on her face. Looking at the sunflower garden visible from the college premises, he recited:
“Ah! sunflower, weary of time,
Who countest the steps of the sun,
Seeking after that sweet golden clime
Where the traveller’s journey is done”
”William Blake, right!” Tanmayi said, looking at some dried flowers to the side, adding, “What came for them? Not death. Just the end of living.”
Nodding in agreement, he said with a laugh, “So, you’ve read The God of Small Things too.”
While talking to him, Tanmayi felt as if a friend she had lost in some past life had been returned to her; she felt a sense of relief as if all the hardships of her life had vanished.
”Thank you, anonymous friend!” she said aloud while walking back.
Siddhartha’s voice could be heard from behind as he talked to the college watchman. Though not a booming voice, it was one you wanted to listen to. Earlier, while he was reciting the William Blake poem, she had found herself staring at his face. She wondered what he must have thought!
That whole day, Tanmayi felt extremely happy, as if spring had arrived in her life after many years. Life is so strange—she thought it was a great thing that people she thought she’d never meet again crossed paths with her so unexpectedly. Most of the staff were from nearby villages. Since Siddhartha and Tanmayi were from the same region and had a prior acquaintance, they became friends very quickly.
***
The following week, invigilation for the Open University exams began at the Degree College. Tanmayi had already done invigilation for two or three exams at their college. She noticed that her fellow invigilators often turned a blind eye to cheaters. But to Tanmayi, ignoring it felt like encouraging them. She had even had arguments with fellow lecturers once or twice regarding this.
Today, within half an hour of the exam starting, Tanmayi caught three students with cheating slips and immediately took their papers and sent them out. Two of them surrendered their papers silently and left with heads bowed. One, however, glared at her resentfully as he angered. Siddhartha, who was invigilating in the next room, came to the doorway, peeked in, and gave her an appreciative smile.
”If we send one or two away like that, the rest will learn a lesson,” Tanmayi said softly.
”It’s hard for these boys to pass anyway, let it be, Madam,” another lecturer said from the next room.
Tanmayi didn’t reply to him. Instead, she moved forward and announced loudly so everyone could hear, “Write whatever you know on your own. If I see any slips, I will not allow you to write the exam.”
Despite the visible frustration among the students, they bowed their heads and started writing under Tanmayi’s piercing gaze.
As soon as the exam was over, Tanmayi walked toward the bike stand. Siddhartha was already about to start his bike. Passing him, she looked at her bike parked three slots away and stood stunned.
The bike seats had been slashed with a blade. The headlights were smashed, and the bulbs were hanging out.
About to put on his helmet, Siddhartha came over to the frozen Tanmayi and asked, “Tanmayi, what happened?”
Tanmayi’s throat went dry. She had bought that bike with money saved up penny by penny. She looked after it with so much love and care. Even though it was a second-hand bike, she treated it like it was brand new. Aside from that, she didn’t even know how much the repairs would cost. She didn’t have enough money on hand. Looking at the mangled bike, the strength left her legs. Unable to stand, she leaned against the trunk of a nearby tree. Out of grief and resentment, tears welled up in her eyes despite her biting her lip to hold them back.
Siddhartha paced around the bike, inspecting it closely.
”It rained while we were inside, didn’t it? That’s why there are footprints here. Based on these, it seems two people came on a bike and smashed it. They probably used a cricket bat. They used a sharp blade to cut the seats. The fact that the sponge is coming out shows how spitefully they slashed it. Don’t be afraid, Tanmayi. We will find out who did it. For now, let’s go inside and inform the college,” he said, moving quickly.
Tanmayi stood there like a statue. One thought kept repeating: “Who could have done this? Who are my enemies in this town? Was it the boys whose slips I took this morning? Based on what Siddhartha said, only those boys would have the audacity to come on a bike and smash it.”
The thought spurred her into action. She wiped her eyes and moved forward quickly.
”Siddu! Let’s go to the police station,” she said firmly.
One of the two lecturers who had arrived by then said, “Why bother, Madam? Let it go. They will face the consequences of their own sins.” Another sighed, “I told you, Madam, to ignore the boys. You didn’t listen; look what happened now.”
Their attitude irritated Tanmayi even more.
”So what are you saying? That I am the cause of this because I was strict?” Tanmayi asked.
Noticing the pain and anguish in her voice, they said, “Oh, stay calm, Madam. What are we here for if something happens to you? What you said is right. Let’s go and file a complaint at the police station. If we let this go, tomorrow they will break everyone’s bikes.” They led the way.
Tanmayi called Tayiba from the Degree College and asked her to look after her son. Who knows how late she would be getting home today? She felt a deep sense of gratitude toward Tayiba for supporting her in an unfamiliar town.
Siddhartha took her to the station on his bike.
”Siddu! I never thought I’d have to sit behind you in such circumstances,” she said sadly.
”Don’t ever think like that. Life throws unexpected troubles at us. We shouldn’t crumble because of them,” Siddhartha said consolingly.
***
Perhaps because four lecturers had gone together, or because they were well-known in town, the SI treated them with respect, ordering tea and biscuits. He listened patiently to everything Tanmayi said.
”It’s no problem, Madam. What happened to you is very bad. Tell me the names of those you suspect; I’ll haul them in one by one and clear this up in half an hour. You did a good thing coming here. If we let this slide, these boys will become rowdy-sheeters later. They must be taught a lesson now,” he said.
The accompanying lecturers provided the names of the four boys Tanmayi had sent out that morning. Just as the SI said, within half an hour, the four were brought in and made to stand in the station.
One of them, upon entering the station, got scared and began pleading at their feet, “Sir, don’t do anything to me. I’ll tell you everything. Please don’t tell my father.” Two others stood with their eyes downcast. One, however, looked on defiantly. Tanmayi recognized him immediately. It was the same look from that morning.
At a nod from the SI, the constable threw the four into a cell and gave each of them a few heavy blows with a thick wooden lathi. All four, including the defiant one, began screaming and crying.
Tanmayi shut her eyes tight, unable to watch the scene. An hour later, an elder and four others arrived on behalf of the boys. He looked like a village headman. He approached them very respectfully and bowed.
”Madam, these boys are from our village. They made a mistake, knowingly or unknowingly. I will have your bike fixed and made like new right away. I guarantee this won’t happen again. Leave it at this, Madam; please don’t file a case.”
Everyone looked at Tanmayi. She was already feeling bad for the boys because of the beating they received. Even though they had made a mistake by smashing her bike in a fit of rage, she couldn’t bear to see them being thrashed like that.
She returned the elder’s greeting and said, “Look, I have no grudge against your children. But copying in exams is not an honest or ethical thing to do. Make them understand that.”
Turning to the Inspector, she said, “Let them go, Sir.”
”Good, Madam. I’ll have the bike repaired and sent to your house by evening,” the Inspector said, breathing a sigh of relief.
It was nearing dusk by the time they came out. The other lecturers warned, “Madam, be a bit careful. The boys might try something again.”
As Siddhartha took his leave, he said, “I really appreciate your courage and good heart.”
Tanmayi went home and collapsed, but the last words of the lecturers kept ringing in her ears: “Be careful. Something might…”
Her son was already asleep. Then, the tears came silently out of the fear and pain of a lonely life. No matter how many bolts she put on the door, she spent the night in a fitful, fearful sleep. Could she live alone like this for the rest of her life? She felt a strong urge to have someone by her side. This was the second time she had felt this way. The first time was when her son was sick and she felt helpless.
Strangely, she remembered Prabhu again. Ever since she had distanced herself from him, she had started feeling a sense of love for him.
When Shekhar said he liked her, she hadn’t thought about anything. She was just happy that such a handsome man wanted her, and she began “liking” him. No—she thought she liked him. She had imagined him to be noble. Like all the women she had seen growing up, she stayed patient no matter what her husband did. Out of the weakness of wanting a father for her son, she endured everything. But he had ruined her life. He had left her heartlessly with a child in her arms.
Now, Prabhu had come saying he liked her. And she had heartlessly sent him away.
Why did her affection for him grow after distancing him? Why did she like him at all? He wasn’t particularly handsome, his job was equal to hers, and his family background wasn’t any grander than hers.
Then why?
”His good heart.” Yes, the way he looked at her with such adoration, the honest love visible in his eyes. Moreover, he had no bad habits. He was a man who wanted her without her having to do anything to earn it. He wanted to marry her and live with her. If she thought about it logically, he didn’t need to marry her. What did she have that would attract him? Her beauty was just average. She was a woman who had seen a bitter marriage and was living like a recluse for the sake of her child. Other than a government job, what else did she have that was attractive?
Tanmayi didn’t know when she finally fell asleep.
When she woke up the next morning, the events of the previous day came back to her in a jumble. The lecturers’ words, “Be careful,” echoed in her ears.
On her way to college, she stopped at the market, bought a small knife, and put it in her purse, thinking it was better to be safe.
***
That day at college, when she returned from her class, a letter was there on her table. She recognized the handwriting on the address immediately. it was Prabhu’s. She tore open the envelope eagerly. Rose petals cascaded out.
On the fold of the paper was a poem by Krishna Sastry:
“In my garden, I grew
A single coral rose plant…
My romantic life
Poured down like a constant rain…”
As she unfolded it, the scent of roses wafted out.
“Tanu!
I hope you are well.
As per your condition, I won’t come to see you for a year.
But there was no condition against writing letters, was there? No condition against sending flowers, right?
Today, while going to the office, I saw some roses at a roadside stall that were as cheerful as your smile.
I can’t send them all, so I am sending this small rose, which is like my heart. You’ll accept it, won’t you?
Whenever I see small children on the road, I am reminded of the lonely life you are spending there with your little boy.
Thoughts of you haunt me every moment, making it hard to stay still.
Won’t you write just one letter?
Forget a year, I will wait right here for a lifetime for you!
Always,
Prabhu”
Tanmayi, who had been distracted all day rereading the letter, finally went up to Siddhartha, who was sitting with his head buried in a book as if he noticed nothing, and said, “Siddu! I need to talk to you.”
*****
(Continued next month)
A post graduate in English literature and language and in Economics. A few of my translations were published. I translated the poems of Dr. Andesri , Denchanala, Ayila Saida Chary and Urmila from Telugu to English. I write articles and reviews to magazines and news papers. To the field of poetry I am rather a new face.