Mom called by 6PM and I answered the call on the first ring.
“Ha! First time you have taken the call this soon. Are you jobless now?”
“Jobless? I was using the calculator in the mobile”
“Hmmm. You youngsters nowadays have become more dependent on gadgets. Heard you met your dad yesterday.”
“Yes. We talked.” I said with usually short answers format I talk with mom in phone. But something struck me; I never asked him what happened in her house. I had forgotten the whole purpose of my visit to Hosur. “Mom! Where is Dad?”
“In office as usual. He will be coming home by 9 or 10PM.”
“Ok. Actually I spoke a lot with him but I missed to ask what happened in her house. I will ask him today.”
“Hey don’t call him now……….” She was telling something but I kept the phone down and started mixing reagents to prepare food for Salmonella. But I couldn’t continue with the experiment as the thought about Dad was all over my mind. I called him and he didn’t pick it.
Since my mobile showed that it can die anytime out of low battery, I called him again from landline. The call was picked after a few rings.
“Hello”
“Mom! Why are you attending the call? Where is Dad?”
“He is busy. Tell me.”
“Mom! What’s happening?” I could identify the panic in her voice. “Please Mom. You are too bad in lying.”
“Hmmm. Your Dad came back tensed this afternoon, he had met her Dad in Krishnagiri. He is worried about you I guess.”
“Come on Mom, tell me everything.”
“Ha! First time you have taken the call this soon. Are you jobless now?”
“Jobless? I was using the calculator in the mobile”
“Hmmm. You youngsters nowadays have become more dependent on gadgets. Heard you met your dad yesterday.”
“Yes. We talked.” I said with usually short answers format I talk with mom in phone. But something struck me; I never asked him what happened in her house. I had forgotten the whole purpose of my visit to Hosur. “Mom! Where is Dad?”
“In office as usual. He will be coming home by 9 or 10PM.”
“Ok. Actually I spoke a lot with him but I missed to ask what happened in her house. I will ask him today.”
“Hey don’t call him now……….” She was telling something but I kept the phone down and started mixing reagents to prepare food for Salmonella. But I couldn’t continue with the experiment as the thought about Dad was all over my mind. I called him and he didn’t pick it.
Since my mobile showed that it can die anytime out of low battery, I called him again from landline. The call was picked after a few rings.
“Hello”
“Mom! Why are you attending the call? Where is Dad?”
“He is busy. Tell me.”
“Mom! What’s happening?” I could identify the panic in her voice. “Please Mom. You are too bad in lying.”
“Hmmm. Your Dad came back tensed this afternoon, he had met her Dad in Krishnagiri. He is worried about you I guess.”
“Come on Mom, tell me everything.”
She didn’t speak for a few seconds, and then “Your Dad had asked about your love or marriage and he had said ‘It can never happen. Caste pride is something I can never lose at any cost. Just because I am talking very friendly with you, it doesn’t mean we are equals. Already I am being broadminded in accepting you as my friend.’
Then Dad came home, took out the liquor bottle and asked me if he can have a few drinks. Looking at his tension I said yes and sat next to him asking him what happened. After a few drinks he said, “I have seen people far worse than him and made them realize their pride can achieve nothing more than what their love can achieve. I have made them change, initiated government action against the practice of untouchability, two tumbler system and bonded labor. But I can’t do anything with him. He had already said that our son has taken up a career that has no returns and ruined his life with his wrong decisions back when we had gone to their house. He is someone who values a person only by their caste and their position in society based on money. All our life we have given everything our children have wished for but in this we won’t be able to do anything. I don’t want him to lose in love and live his life with that scar.” There was silence for a few seconds.
Mom, a woman who has always been the driving force of any achievement we made in our life, someone who has helped numerous villagers irrespective of their caste, creed or religion by sanctioning loans for their small businesses and well being, someone who has visitors every evening from every village around our place telling her how the guarantee she signed for their loans helped them live a life of dignity, someone who has lead a life full of achievements, assuring her husband to fight his battles without second thoughts, motivating her first son to become a social activist forgoing a bright career in economics, allowing her second son to pursue a career of his choice amidst million others asking her about his low salary, is wiping away the tears and hiding her sorrow at her son’s first failure in life.
“Mom! You are coming to the marriage right. This weekend, I will come.”
“I thought you won’t come”
“No. I want to see you. Forget about this problem. You and Dad are more important to me than anyone.”
“Yes. And you guys are everything for us.”
“I know. I love you.”
“Ok. Bye. Take care.”
“I thought you won’t come”
“No. I want to see you. Forget about this problem. You and Dad are more important to me than anyone.”
“Yes. And you guys are everything for us.”
“I know. I love you.”
“Ok. Bye. Take care.”
Days rolled out with busy lab hours and phone calls to Mom and Dad. The marriage was on Sunday and no one expected me to come on Saturday morning. The whole family was seeing me after a year. I joined the cousins in doing marriage works like decoration, receiving guests from station, getting things for the ceremony. The bride was watching me do all works and came out of her room and grabbed me by my collar.
“So finally you came to know that I am your relative. We were in the same college for two years and you have spoken to me only once.”
“Oh! It’s your marriage. I guess I have come to wrong house. All work I did from morning is waste.” I said controlling my smile and she showed false anger. Just them my Mother’s sister came near us who is the closest of the many aunts I have.
“Ha! Son, are you trying to impress the bride. If you had done that before, you could have married her.” She said with a smile and my cousin smiled putting her head down.
I put my arm around my cousin pulled her close and said “She is a bit short but ok. When shall we have our marriage?”
“Go get the Thaali, let’s see if he really is ready to marry me. I know about your love story dear and don’t dare to play filmy tricks here.” I came out of her grip and went to hug my aunt and said, “Save me chithi” who planted a kiss in my cheeks and asked,“What love son?”
I smiled, signaled her that I will tell later and left.
“So finally you came to know that I am your relative. We were in the same college for two years and you have spoken to me only once.”
“Oh! It’s your marriage. I guess I have come to wrong house. All work I did from morning is waste.” I said controlling my smile and she showed false anger. Just them my Mother’s sister came near us who is the closest of the many aunts I have.
“Ha! Son, are you trying to impress the bride. If you had done that before, you could have married her.” She said with a smile and my cousin smiled putting her head down.
I put my arm around my cousin pulled her close and said “She is a bit short but ok. When shall we have our marriage?”
“Go get the Thaali, let’s see if he really is ready to marry me. I know about your love story dear and don’t dare to play filmy tricks here.” I came out of her grip and went to hug my aunt and said, “Save me chithi” who planted a kiss in my cheeks and asked,“What love son?”
I smiled, signaled her that I will tell later and left.
Mom and dad came by evening and were busy with the ceremonies. The marriage went on well and we were discussing various things with relatives and friends who stayed till lunch. After lunch, we came to my paternal grandparents’ house and only my close relatives had gathered there.
“He is telling about some love story. What is this sister?” my aunt asked Mom and everyone looked at me.
“He is telling about some love story. What is this sister?” my aunt asked Mom and everyone looked at me.
Grandma made me sit in a chair and everyone sat around me. She asked with a smile, “How many times have you made me narrate my love story, now tell yours and we all want to hear it”
I smiled and looked at all my close relatives from my 90 year old grandma to the 5 year old Nephew were eager to know that and I narrated everything. My aunt passed comments then and there and the whole house was filled with laughter. My uncle got furious when he heard about the reference of our caste as not equals to her caste. I finished the story till her letter and everyone was silent. My aunt turned to my Dad and said “Shall we go to their house and ask?”
“No! It’s her battle and she will win it. I have trust in her.” My mother spoke exactly what I thought.
I smiled and looked at all my close relatives from my 90 year old grandma to the 5 year old Nephew were eager to know that and I narrated everything. My aunt passed comments then and there and the whole house was filled with laughter. My uncle got furious when he heard about the reference of our caste as not equals to her caste. I finished the story till her letter and everyone was silent. My aunt turned to my Dad and said “Shall we go to their house and ask?”
“No! It’s her battle and she will win it. I have trust in her.” My mother spoke exactly what I thought.
The little nephew came to me and asked, “What should I call her? Auntie or sister or Grandma?” I smiled, lifted him and said, “Anything, even by her name” and he said, “No uncle, you don't know anything. Mummy will scold me, I will call her auntie for now and confirm with her when she comes home.” I kissed him and he returned them in double. We can never outplay children in anything.
I came back to campus that night and was content that the whole family accepted my stand and few weeks rolled out with conferences, research papers and I didn’t hear much from anyone. But can life be event-less, my cousin called me one night.
“Hey! Where is your lover from?”
“Erode. Why?”
“Oh! No! I am very sorry man. I came to Erode to visit my friend. He loved a girl from your lover’s caste and married her recently. Both the families accepted them after some initial trouble but other people in the locality were creating problems. My friend and I had to engage in a fight with some people here when they spoke ill about my friend’s wife despite being the same caste people. Someone came and stopped the fights, and spoke, “When are you guys going to grow up? We have given everything to you, our land, house and job but you are unworthy and want our girls. Now stop this and be gone.”
“Hey! Where is your lover from?”
“Erode. Why?”
“Oh! No! I am very sorry man. I came to Erode to visit my friend. He loved a girl from your lover’s caste and married her recently. Both the families accepted them after some initial trouble but other people in the locality were creating problems. My friend and I had to engage in a fight with some people here when they spoke ill about my friend’s wife despite being the same caste people. Someone came and stopped the fights, and spoke, “When are you guys going to grow up? We have given everything to you, our land, house and job but you are unworthy and want our girls. Now stop this and be gone.”
I felt that was a very wrong thought and argued with him and said “You think you have done a great deed when the government gave the lands your owned in excess of the limit to the peasants, despite the fact that these were the same lands your ancestors acquired by force from the same peasants. How can you value the old mythical manu’s shastra as a divine writing which hold you lower than many and higher than few castes? People like you are the real scar in this district’s face for it has produced the most elegant leader against Caste in this state’s history. Just don’t think yourself as God and all others as some irrelevant creatures. Everyone here came to this world by the same way and are sure of death one day, no one is divine and no one is devil; we are all just hapless creatures who don’t understand our value.”
My friend had dragged me home or else I would have spoken more.”
My friend had dragged me home or else I would have spoken more.”
“You did the right thing.”
“I know but I heard from my friend about that person’s family and I guess, he is your lover’s father.”
“No problem man. You have done what is right. Why should we care if that was her dad or someone else?”
“I didn’t mean to bring any obstacle to your love. Sorry bro.”
He kept the phone and I opened the window to see the moon coming out of clouds. May be this incident will help him understand about my family more or maybe it will make him dislike us more. But what will happen to my love?
“I know but I heard from my friend about that person’s family and I guess, he is your lover’s father.”
“No problem man. You have done what is right. Why should we care if that was her dad or someone else?”
“I didn’t mean to bring any obstacle to your love. Sorry bro.”
He kept the phone and I opened the window to see the moon coming out of clouds. May be this incident will help him understand about my family more or maybe it will make him dislike us more. But what will happen to my love?
Super vinod.... Wonderful....
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