Dear viewers, friends & well wishers,
After many and many days of break, we are
back again with a short story titled “STRUGGLE:
AN INIMITABLE EXPERIENCE OF LIFE”. This
story was originally written in Hindi language by Shri. Kapilmani Adhikari, who
is a very fine writer & a poet. Already honored with many awards, it is our
privilege to publish his story in our weblog. So friends, enjoy the story.....
“STRUGGLE: AN
INIMITABLE EXPERIENCE OF LIFE”
A marital life, struggling and facing difficulties with ups and
downs in life, trying to take a little step forward, a child is born in a
family. Family and village delighted with the birth of child. Dharmanand
Budathoki and Dhanmati became proud parents of a baby boy.
On the 11th day, baby was named as Gyanendra. Though
it took time to bind marital life, after the birth of a child, it didn’t take
much time for the baby to grow. From a boy, he grew to a youth.
Day after day, parents, thinking that there is no any
insufficiency in the needs of their child started giving attention in each and
every needs & wants of their son. “Won’t our son go to the path of misdeed”
thinking this the parents is worried. When a child becomes young, his mind will
no more remain like those of a child. His heat will be a habitat for terrible evils
and starts doing topsy-turvy deeds, starts adopting ill ways, start drinking
liquor and smoking behind his parents back. He starts returning home when the
parents are asleep. Sometimes at midnight he tread like a cat, enters his room and
sleeps. One morning when father asked him gently, “Gyanendra why did you came
late last night“? This world is cruel; you should not be out of home till late night!
Gyanendra replies – Dad, why do you talk of world, my friend had
invited me to a party, I enjoyed with him and now my head is aching.
The moment he talks with his father in this manner, it is clear
that he is no more afraid of his father.
Father Dharmanand in dilemma starts thinking- “what I had feared
has happened. In spite of taking many precautionary measures, my boy has gone
in the wrong way. Father grumbles within himself. Still he did not use any
harsh words to Gyanendra, gets inside his room.
In spite of all this Gyanendra has passed his Class X
examination with good marks. Father Dharmanand is surprised and at the same
time delighted to see his son doing well in his studies. Taking advantage of
the situation Gyanendra keeps a proposal in front of his father that he wanted
to go on a tour to Gwalior with his friends, “Father, I am going on a tour and
for which I need 15-20 thousand rupees, or else it won’t be nice with you.
Day after day with the increase in his son’s demands and the
attitude he is adapting made Dharmanand very unhappy and worried. He goes and
checks his bank passbook. With his small job he had hardly saved penny by
penny, inch by inch, 15-16 thousand rupee and starts thinking that if he gives
away all his saving to his son, what will he do if there uncertainly some
crisis arises in the family… even if he don’t give Gyanendra the money, won’t
he starts acting like Duryodhana..?? He is baffled….and finally decides to
fulfill son’s demand as money can be earned later for he is the only son and
doing this may bring some understanding in his mind, thinks Dharmanand.
Gyanendra leaves for Gwalior
Months and years had passed; there is no sign of Gyanendra
returning back. His parents worried and upset. His mother felt sick due to
son’s departure. She was rushed to hospital. Every little penny saved was spent
on medicine and vitamins. Dharmanand had to look after all the family affairs.
From kitchen work to feeding cattle and working in the field, everything had to
be looked after by him now. A small job he had should also not be ignored.
Remembering their only son, they were living a life of
misery. The hope that their son will
return someday had vanished. One evening when Dharmanand was returning home
after feeding his cattles, stood before him was his son Gyanendra. He was very
happy to see his son after many years of depart and braced his son Gyanendra.
He saw a girl behind Gyanendra and asked “son, who is this girl”? She is my
wife father, replied Gyanendra. On hearing this, Dharmanand was speechless and
at a standstill. The girl bowed before father and said ‘Namaskar’. There was no
response from father. Dharmanand was mad at them, a storm started inside him
and stopped….
Sick mother on hearing the noise outside tried to get up from
her bed, but couldn’t do so. She started calling her son name, “son Gyanendra”!
Gyanendra along with his wife entered house and tells “mother, look here, I
have brought you a daughter-in-law”. At the sight of son and his wife, mother
Dhanmati felt relieved of her illness. She thinks that now daughter-in-law is
here, she will help in all the household task and I can relax for a while.
Father was very upset on Gyanendra marrying before completing
his studies. A boy who had just reached 17-18 years of age could marry, he had
never imagined. A boy, who had gone to Gwalior
Gyanendra after marriage was shy to study school-college again,
he restricted himself inside house. Except for regretting there was nothing
left for him. The door to his brain was still bolted. As days and weeks passed,
time and tide waits for none. Six months has passed since he got home, he
neither works, nor he is worried. His Mother’s health deteriorate further, her
speech is not understandable. One night he enters home in drunken condition and
starts shouting, “father, today I am in this condition because of you. What
have you done for me? All these years you have worked and lived near city,
where is our building? Why didn’t you build any? You people did not even give
me good education.
Father Dharmanand flounces in anger and says, “Look son, how do
I give you better life than this? Without understanding the circumstances you
got married, why do you want building? I gave away the money I have saved all
my life, just for the sake of your happiness. You got married without our
consent and also refused to study further. Is it our fault or yours? I am not
happy Gyanendra. Who is to be blamed here?”
Gyanendra in a fit of anger starts shouting, “Father, I blame
you, it has been years and years since you are working, you should have at
least bought a piece of land in city for your only son. Why didn’t you? People
who have come few years back have build big houses, bought cars and have been
living a life of luxury. Your principle is not going to work in today’s date
father, you are….
Dharmanand embarrassed and unable to exchange words with his son
quietly gets inside his room, tears rolls down his wrinkled cheeks. Gyanendra
still shouting, “I am not living in this house anymore, not for a minute.
Neither this is a big house nor any land to build one. It’s better to live
separately, than living with this old couple” goes to another room where his
wife was.
Dharmananad drenched in tears thinks, is it all because of me
being one who follows principle of his own, thinking for other’s benefit, and
could not even build a good house for my family? But still I won’t work out of
my principle. It is true that below light, there is always darkness.
Working as a guard (chowkidar), with full sincerity and
dedication did not realized how swiftly his life has passed. With a belief that
a small family can be a happy one, never thought of having more than one child,
never though their only child could turn out to be a drunk, it is also heard he
had gotten himself into drugs these days. Gyanendra hasn’t realized his
mistakes. He will realize later what a life struggle really is.
Gyanendra enters his room and starts calling his wife, Mary…! O
Mary…he steps out of house and starts calling his wife’s name, she doesn’t
reply back. She is seen nowhere as night darkens, he calls Mary, Mary, the
whole night, there is no sign of Mary. She doesn’t come back tomorrow, day
passes, day after tomorrow, it passes and passes, Mary doesn’t come. Gyanendra
reports to Police Station of his wife missing. While he was returning, he saw
villagers gathered in front of his house. Shocked and astounded, Gyanendra
rushes inside house. He saw that his mother had taken last breath of her life,
her breath dissolved in the air. Father Dharmanand sitting near his deceased
wife’s pillow with tears flowing from his eyes. Gyanendra walks near his
father, keeps his head in father’s shoulder starts crying from within his heart
with an inimitable experience of his life.
