A Bend in the River of Life (4 page)

Kamala came along with her one year old daughter Kanika to enjoy winter vacation with her mother Rajani. Rana did not have a happy memory of his first encounter with Kamala when at the onset of exodus she and her husband Gautam came to their Dacca residence to bring Devika to the safety of Calcutta. But this time around Kamala won his heart by her affectionate nature. Kanika was like a walkie-talkie doll. She struck an instant accord with Rana and would be exceptionally happy in his company.

In the New Year Rana became five. School opened as usual. The River of Life was flowing unruffled. After a couple of years of turbulence it was flowing like a running brook after monsoon. That was how the River of Life was designed; a period of calm before and after the storm; a period of creativity after death and destruction. Spring came cheerfully with the sweet melody of cuckoo. Flowers of many kinds and colors blossomed to lend visual pleasure to the landscape. Summer vacation came and went rather unceremoniously. However, as the school opened, news came about the demise of Rajani's father Saroj. It was a natural death and was not unexpected. He lived a full life and passed away just short of a century.

That was the first time Rana was confronted with death in the extended family. He went to the memorial service with Rajani and Devika. Though he always felt comfortable with Nandini, this time he was at a loss as to what to say or do now that she was mourning the loss of her husband. But Nandini greeted him as affectionately as ever to put him at ease and made him sit next to her as she always used to. She held his hands and kept talking to him while wiping her tears at intervals. A remarkable woman Nandini, who was calm and composed as ever, quietly grieving the loss of her husband of over seventy years. It was true that Saroj died at a ripe old age, yet it makes a sea of difference when the nearest and dearest one is not there one moment for the other. Seventy years of love, affection,
fellow feelings and mutual respect was well-nigh impossible to obliterate in another seventy years. There was nothing in her life without her husband. The two together reared up the family, coped with the tragedies and helped others keep their sanity. Like millions of unsung heroes from the dawn of civilization simple people like Saroj and Nandini were the bedrocks of the River of Life.

Besides Nandini, the two others who were grief-stricken most were Sarojini and Padmini, her two hapless daughters and younger sisters of Rajani. The two of them were woven together in the thread of life by common tragedy. Both of them lost their husbands within a year of their wedding even before they were in their teens. As was the custom those days, they were not married again. The widows could not re-marry after all! They lived together and grew up under their parents' loving eyes ever since. Saroj and Nandini brought them up, gave them better education as if they had never been married before. They prepared their two unfortunate daughters to look at life squarely and make their livings the right way. So together, the two sisters were mourning the demise of their revered father.

The River of Life flows on incessantly, no matter what. The only constant in the River of Life is the flow for flow connotes change and change is the sign of life. So the only constant in life is change. The moment flow stops, the River of Life will decay and die in the sands of time. Life is a flow of events. No sooner the events cease to occur than slowly but surely death creeps in.

A few months down the road, as the autumn was approaching and the festivals were round the corner, death struck the family again. This time the tragedy was sudden and beyond anyone's imagination. Kamala's daughter Kanika, who was not even two years old, died of meningitis. The illness was short and swift. The family doctor first thought it was simple influenza. When the actual ailment was diagnosed by the specialist it was too late to stem the tide. Little Rana felt very sad for Kanika. The winter before when she came with Kamala, he felt a strong natural affinity with her. He took it upon
himself to make her happy. She was so adorable. Kanika's passing was doubly surprising and hurtful to him because somehow in his little brain a perception found place that young and vivacious were not supposed to die. Death occurred only to old and decrepit.

Nonetheless, the River of Life does not consume only, it also gives back bountifully. Without much delay, Kamala conceived again and within a year of Kanika's passing she gave birth to a bonny girl who had an uncanny resemblance with Kanika. They named her Juthika, meaning Jasmine. It was as if Juthika was born to replace Kanika in order to lessen the grief of Kamala. And that is the beauty of the River of Life. It is at once the source and destiny of both pain and pleasure. In the depth of sorrow lie the seeds of joy and when the container containing the crop of joy overflows, it carries with it the harvest of sorrow. For pain and pleasure are the two banks of the River of Life. One does not flourish without the other. When one takes the center stage, the other waits in the wings.

Thus time goes on and the River of Life flows on inexorably, on its mystic strides, in an intricate pattern, from the known to the unknown, from the visible to the invisible, passionately carrying out the plan of the Creator, yet remaining discreetly detached from the pain and pleasure of the mankind, winding past the abode of the exile to its far away destiny, the ever eluding Eternity.

A
nother year was poised to bid goodbye. In the first week of December Rana's annual exam came to an end and the winter vacation began. Kamala came again to spend the vacation with her mother Rajani. This time she brought Juthika, her new daughter. There was no way the family could be oblivious of Kanika. Rather her memory was vivid precisely because there was an uncanny resemblance between her and Juthika. And the family perceived a special significance to that.

One day Aunt Sheila came to see Kamala. After the passing of Kanika she could not convey her condolences personally to Kamala because she had an emergency of her own. So that day she came to congratulate Kamala for the newborn Juthika and share in her joy. Aunt Sheila was always known to take charge wherever she went. Here also she was in control from the time she came till she left. Half the time she was with Juthika. She played with her, bathed her, beautified her, fed her and finally put her away to sleep. All the while she kept on talking to Rajani, Anjali and Kamala. She then cooked some food for everyone.

During the course of the day Rajani and Sheila had a serious discussion about Devika. It all began when Rajani said that Devika would be sixteen soon and since her education got interrupted anyway she would like to give her in marriage as soon as possible. She asked Sheila to look for a good match and also to pass on the message to her friends and family. Those were the days of conservatives and Rajani was the leader among them. She herself had been married at
the age of twelve. Naturally, Devika at sixteen was too old for her to remain unmarried another day!

Be that as it may, hearing Devika's wedding Rana's mind was filled with consternation. Sheila left in the evening. But her visit left some food for thought for Rana. He learnt to go to the river for reflection and peace of mind at times of distress like that. Next morning, after playing a little with his cousin Juthika, Rana ran to the river. He distinctly remembered the talks between Rajani and Sheila about Devika. Many thoughts crowded in his mind to make him apprehensive about his future. He dwelt on Devika, “Would she really go away? If she did and Rajani passed away, what would happen to him?” Tears welled up his eyes. He cried but made sure no one saw. He looked up at the river for a long time. It was murmuring its way to its destination, unmindful of his affliction; the crests of its waves shimmering in the sunlight.

Rana's fear of losing Devika was gaining momentum as proposal after proposal started pouring in from the prospective bridegroom's families. Rajani spurned most of the proposals. Then came one from Aunt Sheila. The prospect was a graduate with bright future at a Federal Government job. He was intelligent, tall and handsome. Preliminary visits were exchanged. Both sides agreed that they would like to proceed further. The date of engagement was set.

Time and tide are prisoners to none. As the date of engagement was drawing closer, Rana's restlessness was also growing stronger; and so did the frequency of his escape to the river. If anyone could understand his pain, it was the river. If anyone could give solace to his deserted soul, it was the river. Amit arrived before the engagement of his baby sister. In absence of their father he assumed the responsibility of the father. Sumit and Sudip were at his disposal. Kamala and Sheila came with their families. Also came Rajani's two sisters Sarojini and Padmini. Rana loved them all. So he enjoyed the air of festivity associated with the occasion. However, an undercurrent of extra-ordinary loss and a feeling of insecurity were consuming him.
No one knew his pain, not even Devika. He understood that it was not her doing. It was beyond her control. Girls had to be given in marriage at a certain age. That was a time-honored custom blessed by God. Otherwise, the society would frown upon her. Accordingly, the engagement was solemnized and the date of wedding was decided upon. That date was sacrosanct now.

Preparation began in right earnest. There were lots to be done even in exile. Devika was Rajani's youngest child. She wanted to do everything possible to make her happy. To Amit she was not only the youngest sibling, but also a virtual daughter in absence of her father. He wanted to make doubly sure that she did not feel neglected simply because her father was not in the scene. So Amit pulled all his resources together to fulfill her wishes, expressed or not. The next day after the engagement he went back to his business with the plan to come back about a week before the wedding. In the mean time, Rajani and Sumit began organizing all that was necessary to make a memorable wedding for Devika. They placed order for everything right from jewelry, clothing, furniture, linen and draperies to gifts for bridegroom's family. Even the catering services were arranged for and the menu chosen for the wedding reception. Sheila, Anjali and Kamala were available all the time to help and give suggestions. Amit came a week before the wedding. His only concern was the happiness of his little sister, who grew up under his loving shadow. He was examining all the gifts with an auditor's eye. If any gift failed to pass his taste or quality, that had to be replaced immediately. He also added on a few gifts, which he thought would make his sister happier. He even checked the list of the invited guests and added a few more names.

Rana kept on counting days. On the one hand, he was enormously happy for all the gifts that Devika would be receiving; but on the other, the frightful prospect of being deprived of his younger mother-figure and companion for all seasons, was opening a wound in his heart. The bond that developed between Devika and him was
a very special one. It was not the product of the ordinary circumstances. That bond grew because without the realization of Rana, his mother was non-existent in his life and only the incomparable maturity of Devika, who was just nine year's older to him was partially filling in that void. So he was counting days not with the purpose of ushering the wedding date sooner, but with the hope that it would be deferred indefinitely. Nevertheless, he behaved perfectly normally, helping Rajani where his help was needed to make the wedding of Devika the happiest event of her life.

The wedding day came with gentle trepidation. The rituals began before sunrise. The nearest and dearest ones began arriving at the Roy family residence since daybreak. Rana was happy to see his cousins including little Juthika. She was about a year old now and looked prettier than before. Devika was fasting by the dictates of the age-old rituals. Marriage vow was not an ordinary vow. It was supposed to be most solemn. One had to be pure in body and mind to take that vow. Fasting made body and soul pure. Rana was also fasting, but not in sympathy with Devika. He could not sleep the night before and he had stomach flu. He did not report the sickness to Rajani or anyone else. Everybody was busy. He did not want to be seen as a stumbling block at Devika's wedding.

The evening approached in an unusual hurry. One by one the guests began arriving. Sumit and Gautam were given the responsibility to escort the bridegroom and his party. They arrived safely. The reception team became busy, even frantic. The bride groom's party was the centerpiece of that reception. Keeping them happy was paramount in everyone's mind. The wedding rites began soon after. It was a two-hour long ritual. By the time the ceremonies ended Rana fell asleep. Poor Rana! He was going to loose not only his loving aunt, but also a friend and guide since his infant eyes began to recognize her. He wished Devika all the happiness on earth.

Next morning, immediately after the breakfast preparation began to give the warmest send off to Devika, befitting the youngest
daughter and baby sister. Rana could hardly hold himself together. As the rest of the ceremonies were proceeding he would look at Devika from a distance and run away, unable to check the tears overflowing his eyes. He could not stand the solemnity of the occasion anymore. Devika also began sobbing while taking leave of all the kith and kin that she knew as the loving family for all the sixteen years of her young life. The women in the family too were wiping their tears. Devika came to give a parting kiss to her fondest nephew, whom she cared for through the first seven years of his life. No word was spoken; nothing was left to speak except to express the gratitude of his stricken soul. The bridal car was waiting. In a short while, the car drove off slowly, leaving behind an awesome memory for Rana to ruminate through the rest of his life.

No matter how big or famous one might become, someone always plays a pivotal role in one's formative stage of life. That role shapes the future of that individual. In the first seven years of Rana's life Devika played that role eminently, though she herself was not very much older to him. After all, it was she who made that swing in the mango grove for him; it was she who used to sing those lullabies to put him away to sleep; it was she who planted all those dreams in his eyes! He would cherish that memory forever. He would rejoice at her happiness and agonize over her distress. And she would always remain in the inner sanctum of his loving and grateful heart.