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Chapter 2 :

Jai Jagannath

Malati just woke up on her bed, still the lethargy resisting her from uncovering the quilt. " Oh ! I am late. It seems it is past eight. How shivering the cold is !" - her teeth trembled with the chill wind coming from the window which she opened in the morning to see off her husband and his son. Her vision stretched afar in a glimmering hope, that she forgot to close the window.
The door rattled with a repeated knock.

"Coming! Coming !"- Malati took up her sari neatly and plaited her dishevelled hair to open the door.

" Hey, Malati"- the old landlady, Mrs Pranlipika Sen, started with her grumpy voice.

"How long this will go on? You see I'm an octogenarian, having no acquaintances nearby. My daughter is married to a distant family. I can not tell her about my plight. She is in her own melancholy with her husband's prolonged illness. You should know that my lonely expenditure, a hefty amount reserved for medication, runs on what you give me as rent for the two rooms. I'm at your mother's age. Can you tolerate to see a poor lady of my age shrinking day by day without having the basic needs ?"- her voice trembled, suggesting her helplessness.

" If you do not pay my rent by tonight, I've to settle into a new family. You will have to leave my house immediately."- she went away. The door banged on Malati.

Malati even could not hold up her head in front of her out of shame because they could not give the landlady her rent for nearly three months. What could they do?

Malati's husband, Srikanta Halder did not get a salary for the past three months from the
Kamarhati jute mill owing to irregular activities in the mill. She wore only this ragged sari, she could not think of any luxury. Srikanta would say, " How long will you wear this pale yellow sari? Buy one new. I have still five hundred rupees left. Kushal da understood that I need time to repay him. Why are you sacrificing with your little luxury then? Buy a new sari."
Their only child, Sumanta was trying to get the admission in a renowned engineering college. Owing to their lackadaisical financial condition, Arup Chatterjee, Srikanta's childhood friend had tried to help them immensely. He had been in a government job till two years ago when he left this job as his wife had a massive stroke, leaving her on bed rest.

Leaving his permanent job, he started home tuition on physics He soon became popular among school and college students for his knowledge on the subject and polite behaviour. Sumanta also studied in his tuition batch. But his Arup Kaku waived his tuition fees. He was not only his sir but a close friend with whom he could gossip anything. Sumanta reminisced the memories when he cuddled with his Arup Kaku in the Poush Mela or the getting upon his shoulder while strolling by the Durgapuja pandals. Once he came to meet Srikanta in the house. It was in the first month of his salary not paid by the mill. He was sitting on the bed and Arup sat beside him.

" I don't know how your problem gets solved. The mill workers are in dire condition, the mill owner seems to be reluctant about their problem. How are you paying off the rent?"- Arup asked.

" I told her that whenever I get my salary, I will pay for her. Now I have a debt to Kushal da, I borrowed from him around twenty thousand rupees two months ago to buy joint entrance preparation books for Sumanta and a new ceiling fan. I assured him that I will repay his debt in four to five months. But now I am struck by the unfortunate circumstances. I don't know if I can give rent to the poor landlady any time soon. She is also frail and aged."- Srikanta's face turned pale.

"Don't worry! I'm your childhood friend. I will give twenty thousand rupees to Kushal. You can repay me when you have enough money. "

" Thank you, my friend! I only think about how I can repay your grace. You are teaching my son without taking any fees."

Malati bought the tea that was Arup's favourite. She had bought a special teapot and cup for him. They did not use it.

"Here is the tea! How delightful tea you make !"- Arup praised her to ease her familial tension.

" How is Surabhi di? Is she taking her medicines properly ?" - she asked.

" I am giving her food and medicine from time to time. She does not feel agitated by the coming of my students in the house but she does not like me now. She thinks I am malignant for her."- he put his head down.


When Srikanta's life was going well at the factory he was very cheerful. He went to Puri with his wife and son several times. Prayed to Lord Jagannath. But every happiness was snatched away when the prolonged irregularities started at the jute mill. Malati would weep to her son when he would rest his head on her lap. " Mother, I think I do not need math and chemistry tuitions. Arup Kaku is still there for physics. I have already done much progress in math and chemistry. If I leave these tuitions, much savings will be done. Father need not have to borrow money. I can manage from my friends for those tuition notes."

"No my son! Your father will be upset. He dreams big of you that you will get an engineering seat at a premier college and grab a job after you pass the course.We hope you will be a big engineer one day and eradicate our poverty." - Malati'stearful the tone would keep up hope. 

She closed the window. It was around nine o ' clock when Tapan da, the vegetable vendor with his cycle van came as he regularly did. Malati heard his call," Malati di, I've brought ground radish, fresh pumpkins and Malabar spinach. They are fresh. Take these, I'm giving you all these for only forty rupees." - the poor vendor implored another poor lady to help him, though he could only make fifteen rupees as profit.

" Can you give them in exchange for those fresh chillies or the brinjals still hanging in the garden?"- she indicated to the garden on the front side of the house, beside the compound wall out of which the vendor stood with his van in the lane. Malati took him there. His eyes got bigger, "Oh! How fresh they are! I can sell them and make some money. Thank you Malati di. You don't need to pay forty rupees. Just
give twenty rupees. "- he gave a mouthful of the smile in collecting some fresh brinjals and a lot of green chillies that in other time Malati tended as her hobby.

" I do not sell my household things. But now I'm selling this to you. They will perish if they are left for a long day in the tree. Better you take this."- Malatireasoned why she was giving away her garden vegetables. Now she put the thirty rupees in her little storage bag. She would bring fifty rupees when the vegetable vendor came. Almost all time, three days in a week as she would buy from him, some five or ten rupees would be leftover that she put in the bag on the hope that it will mitigate their expenses.

Arup's wife was hospitalised the previous day as she suffered a massive stroke. Arup always took care of her though she became spiteful towards him after her ailments made her impuissant. It was her mental frailty, as the doctor told Arup. His tuition batch flourished earning him almost fifty thousand per month. He tried his best to give occasional pocket money to Sumanta and helping Srikanta and Malati to buy their essentials. But Arup also had a large expense on account of his own diabetic medication and his wife's treatment.

Srikanta told Malati the previous day after he returned from his work with a glimmering face, "Malati! Malati! By the grace of Lord Jagannath, it seems that our financial problems will be passe from tomorrow. The condition of our mill improved. Jute product sale is on the rise hopefully. As demand is rising, the mill owner promised that the workers would get their salaries tomorrow. Thanks to the concerned citizens who are now buying jute bags, sacks and other various articles to save our environment from plastic products and saving our jobs also."- he gratefully prayed towards the photo of Lord Jagannath on a wall shelve.

So, Srikanta left early in the morning hoping to get the salary. Sumanta went to his math teacher. Yes! He did not leave the batch. His Arup kaka arranged the tuition fees for the math and chemistry teachers so that his studies could not be affected at any cost.

"Joint Entrance for engineering is becoming tougher day by day along with GATE for M.Tech. You should have a thorough knowledge of physics, chemistry and mathematics to get into a premier engineering college. You should not bother on financial problems. You have still one year left for the exam. I already send some little children to your mother. Tomorrow they will come to your house. Your mother will teach them languages and science. Malati was a bright student when she did her M.Sc with distinction. But who knew Srikanta would entangle into the financial problem."- Arup kaka told him the previous day when Sumanta went to meet his kakima in the hospital. Sumanta returned from the maths tuition in a dejected mood.

" Kakima is dead. She breathed her last around noon. Arup kaka is devasted. The life insurance agent came as his wife had a large amount of money insured. Though Arup kaka will get this money, he is weeping profusely for the loss of his wife."- Sumanta was also weeping to tell this. Malati stood stoic. She was aggrieved at the death but still, she saw the positive side of it. She had to arrange some money for the old, poor lady, Mrs.Pranlipika Sen.

In the evening the students came. The four students gave eight hundred rupees each. Srikanta was very joyful to get his full salary for that month. He was also assured that the pending salaries of the previous months would be paid soon. She started her first tuition batch. Sumanta  engrossed with his physics task that his Arup kaka gave even as he was morose for the death of his wife because he loved Sumanta very much. He did not want physics tasks to get delayed.
Sridhar was planning for a visit to Puri if he got the pending salaries soon. After the batch ended, Malati went upstairs to meet the landlady to give the rents. But alas! She was motionless in her bed. Her blurred eyes staring at the ceiling. She was no more. In the night doctor confirmed she died of cardiac arrest.

Now one month passed. Srikanta took leave for three days from his mill. The mill was going well, the owner paid all the dues. Arup was alone in his home, his only friends were the students and Sumanta who was like his son. He some times came to gossip with Srikanta while Malati would bring his favourite tea.

Malati, Sumanta, Srikanta and Arup- all four went to Puri, bathed in the frolicking waves of the Bay of Bengal, bought a sari and shirts from the handloom store. From Swargadwar, they could see the changing of the holy flag hoisted atop the shrine; the young boy who went up to the top to complete this holy task as his daily duty was seen as a point from the distant road of Swargadwar.

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