WANDERERS – XII

‘It’s a duty bestowed upon me, my father did that and so did my ancestors. Like you, I don’t belong to this place either and I’ve come from a far off place, would eventually move on elsewhere but not before anyone who’ve come to ask me has been served!

You see there’s no truth or myth with nature. Like you don’t believe in him and I believe in him but he believes you! Just listen and ask nothing yet! What you perceive is truth and your logical mind can’t see his existence or a proof and so you don’t believe!

Would you still not believe if the whole world had believed? You saw the woman beaten up and you believed she was beaten badly. What if the rest of the world, everyone you know or don’t know said otherwise? You would start believing that she was not beaten, right?

You see the boy here in our house and you believe that lady who’s a widow is his mother. But do you know it’s not true? Do you know why the woman who was beaten has to go back to that house? Do you know why a happy man like you separated with an ideal partner and left everything to a deserted place like this? What you’ve believed so far is not all true. I need to tell you more…

The woman you see here got married only 4 years back, she doesn’t even look like a mother of a 9 year old boy. Did you not notice that? You did, but ignored and you believed it to be so. She lost her husband in an accident 3 years ago which she too was part of but she escaped. She had lost interest in life, had become suicidal and there was nothing left to convince her or bring her out of her depression. No one would marry her again in this town and no reason for her to find the lost happiness. That was the time when I had just arrived here and I had a duty on hand.

You saw the ritual, you know the verses, and they were all to tell them what truth is. She lost her husband and that’s true, she doesn’t have a reason to live or be happy is not true. Her elder sister who had 6 children was ready to sacrifice anything to save a life and a truth was planted to save her. “You have a son and you live for him” I said. It had to be told several times until it was believed to be the ultimate truth. She started believing it and that’s the only truth for her now that stays.

The boy was very small but remembers his parents and siblings vaguely and is being told by his friends that she’s not his real mother. I try to tell the boy but she won’t let me talk to him. She doesn’t like me anymore. As my duty approaches completion, I’ll come to the denial of their belief in me which they had all through. You saw her talk rudely to me this morning and that’s the reason. She no more believes in me and doesn’t realize that I had helped her, instead feels I’ll trick her son.

You felt agitated too when we were here in this cave the last time when I said verses. The feeling of being intruded arises only when you’re not in need of any help but not when you need it. It’s my duty nevertheless!

The woman who was beaten last night was married to that powerful family purely because her father was rich and more powerful. When he lost his power in politics, she felt the heat. The sole purpose why she was brought to the family didn't serve anymore and her husband replaced her like a torn shirt with another woman in no time. Now you tell me, should I not ask her to believe that there’s no other woman? Should she not fight for her rights in the same house? If she has to, then she has to believe in her rights first and that’s my duty - to make her believe she was not beaten, to believe she’s been loved and to believe there’s no pain or marks on her beaten body.

All these might sound ridiculous to you coming from the part of world that you do. But he sent you to me for my help and this is the truth for you that you wanted to know.

I’m not a sanyasin but only an ordinary woman doing my duty…’

Continues…