Appaji

1945:
Somnath Gowda, 26, the first man from Mysore to have studied at Yale Law School was set to return. He was coming back after having spent 5 long years there. And it was expected that he will take over the reigns of his father's law firm Revappa Gowda & Associates.

Revappa, Somnath’s father, had lead his life with utmost honor and dignity. All of Mysore talked about the family with respect. Somnath was his only son. Revappa doted on him. Revappa tried to give Soma, as he fondly called his son, the best of everything. Somnath also recognized this and matched up to it. He always did well in his academics and gave Revappa a lot of opportunities to be proud of him. Sending him away to the US for a period of 5 long years had been a tough decision to make. Shantamma, Revappa’s wife was totally against the idea. But young Somnath was determined to complete his education from the best law school on the planet. Shantamma finally relented and Somnath readied himself to set sail. Today after 5 long years he was going to come back. Shantamma had prepared all the dishes of his choice. As they say, the best way a mother can show her feelings for her kid is through food.

Somnath arrived and was received by his parents and few close relatives. Somnath returned with the tag of being the most eligible bachelor in town. Soon after his return, fathers of prospective brides started making rounds of Somnath’s house.
“Soma, what are your plans for the future?” asked Revappa, one day after dinner.
“Appaji, I have thought about practicing from Mysore for some time before taking up assignments in the other cities” replied Somnath.
“Hmmm, sounds reasonable. That will give you the necessary exposure and will build a base for further expansion plans you have for the firm. Have you thought about marriage?”
“Not yet appaji. I want to become someone worthwhile before thinking about it.”
“Soma, take your time. But don’t take too long. I hope to play with your kids before closing my eyes forever”
“Please don’t talk like that appaji. Give me some time before I think about it”
“Alright son”

A few months later I was born.

1965:
“Rukmini, Shastri sir wants to meet you after dinner tonight” said Ashwini.
“I wonder what it is about” I replied.
Whenever Shastri sir wanted to discuss something important, he would ask us to meet him after dinner. Srinivas Shastri or Shastri sir as we called him was the person who was running the ashram(orphanage)I grew up in. He had been a school teacher. His wife Yashodamma and Shastri sir lead a happy life after their wedding. Shastri sir and Yashodamma were enjoying their marital bliss to the maximum. God had heard their prayers and had decided to reward them with a kid. Everyone in the family was very happy about it. Yashodamma was hardly able to conceal her joy. As she entered the last month of her pregnancy, Shastri sir made elaborate arrangements for an emergency that might arise due to her condition. But when fate decides to play its hand, no elaborate arrangements can stop what is going to happen. The kid Yashodamma was about to bear died while she was being taken to the hospital for delivery.

She cried her eyes out when she heard the news. Shastri sir was inconsolable himself. But he pulled together every ounce of strength in his body and walked up to Yashodamma to console her.
“Yashoda, don’t worry. Maybe this is what god had decided. Please control yourself. If he will, we will be parents one day or the other soon.”
But little did Shastri sir know that this was not to be true. Yashodamma was told she could no longer become a mother and despite this if they tried to, only one of either the mother or the child would survive. Shastri sir was shattered. It is not easy to fathom the fact that you will never become a parent in your life. He thought about his wife and thought how much pain she will have to go through more in her life. Two weeks after the ghastly incident, Yashodamma came back home. That night Shastri sir and Yashodamma cried themselves to sleep on understanding the reality.

Shastri sir moved on while Yashodamma slowly but surely started deteriorating mentally. Seeing this Shastri sir understood that losing the kid was taking a toll on his wife. He gave up his teacher’s job and started taking tutions at home. He tried to spend as much time as possible with his wife to bring her out of the mental condition she was suffering through. But it was all in vain. Shastri sir then thought of an idea to try and revive his fast deteriorating wife. He decided to start an orphanage. Both of them thought that they had no kid in their lives, and there were a lot of kids who did not have parents. This solved the problems for all of them mutually. And that is how we entered the Shastri household. In the large hall they had in their ancestral house, all of us kids were lodged.
Yashodamma showed some signs of revival in the presence of kids. She cheered up a little and started spending time with the kids. Each of us was given a name. What ever meagre means the Shastri household had was spent on us. Husband and wife did everything possible to make us kids a part of the family. They met with a lot of social disapproval too.
Paapanna, Shastri sir’s elder brother said, “For the thousandth time am telling you. You don’t even know what caste the kids belong to and how can you keep them in your house? Remember you are a Brahmin.”
“Anna, what has caste got to do with it. These kids have no one. We don’t have a kid and will not have one either. It serves both our purposes.”
“Seenu, if you continue to keep these kids in your house, I will have to severe my relations with you. You stand to be thrown out from the cast too”
“If that is the cost of giving these kids a home, it is small one Anna. I shall live with the fact that I am outcast, but cannot give up on these kids. They are my kids now”
The feud continued for a long time. Yashodamma took ill again. She thought it is because of her that she and her husband were outcast. Had she borne him the kid she was carrying, all of this would not have happened. Neither would she have become depressed by the loss of her kid nor would they have started the ashram. Such thoughts clouded her mind all the time. This time the depression did not spare her. It took her mind and body with it. On the day before Akshay Tritiya of 1958 she left her body for heavenly abode.

Shastri sir was shattered. The only reason for his existence was taken away. He had lost his best friend. The person with whom he had shared the best moments of his life was no more. He was driven to a point where he thought of ending his life. But the fate of ashram's kids after him, flashed in his mind.
“What wrong have these kids done? I cannot leave them to be called as orphans once again.” He thought to himself.

Parvatamma entered the household to help Shastri sir in running the ashram. She was a mellow woman who had lost her husband a few years ago in the Indo-Pakistan war. He had been a sepoy in the army and was believed to be dead (Killed In Action). She too had no kid and hence was asked to move in with the kids by Shastri sir. Parvatamma would take care of the household chores, while Shastri sir looked into everything else.

“Sir, you wanted to see me?” I said as I entered his office.
“Yes, Rukmini my kid. Please come. Did you have your dinner?”
“Yes sir.”
“Okay. Rukmini, have you heard of Gowdru? I mean Somappa Gowda.”
“Gowdru? The famous.. ? ”
“Advocate” sir completed my line"
“Yes, I have heard of him”
“Good. He is coming here tomorrow to meet you”
“Gowdru wants to meet me? What could it possibly be?”
“He just wants to talk to you. At this moment this is all that I can tell you. Just meet him tomorrow and he will clarify all your doubts”
I tossed and turned for the whole night but could not make sense of this sudden visit by a total stranger. What could he possibly want from me? I didn’t realize when I fell asleep lost in these thoughts.

“Come in Rukmini. Meet Somappa” sir introduced us.
Although I had heard of him, this was my first chance to meet Somappa Gowda or Gowdru as he was respectfully called. He was about 5’ 8” with an ever so slight bulge at the belly. Apart from that he looked as fit as a fiddle. He was dressed in a traditionally modern way. He wore a grey Safari suit and sported a Mysore petha on his head. Gold rimmed glasses sat firmly in front of his eyes.
He looked at me for some time before turning towards sir.
“Shastri sir, if you do not mind could I take Rukmini out to the Dasaprakash hotel for lunch?”
“Please do Gowdare. I am sure you have a lot of catching up to do” said Shastri sir.
‘Catching up?’ I thought to myself as I sat in the Bentley that Mr. Gowda had brought along.

Once seated in the private section of the Dasaprakash, Gowdru spoke to me for the first time.
“Rukmini, I know you are wondering why all of a sudden I came along to meet you. There possibly are thousands of questions running through your mind right now. Ask me whatever you want. I will answer every question you may want ask”
“What should I ask? Why am I here?”
“Hmmm. What I am about to tell you is the biggest truth of both of our lives. I thought about it for long and finally arrived at this decision. Please fathom this truth, I am your father”
My mind went blank; I did not understand what was happening. Why was this man playing with my emotions? He may be a respected figure in Mysore, but who gave him a right to walk out and walk in to my life whenever he wanted to.
Recovering from the shock, I asked him
“Why?”
“Don’t ask me that question my child. That is only one question I cannot answer. The truth is, my family’s social status had bound me from doing this. I always wanted to bring you to our home, but could never muster enough courage to walk up to my father and tell him the truth. When he passed away 3 months ago, I could not bear the mental turmoil anymore and I decided to tell the truth to my mother. She listened to me patiently and suggested that I should bring you to your rightful home. Please accept this proposition and come with me to our house. Your house”
“Hmmm. My house! All these years you did not think of me and now all of a sudden I have a house. Gowdare, can I ask you why did you abandon me in the first place?”
“Rukmini, my child, forgive me for my sin. I am a sinner. I have wronged you by abandoning you, but trust me it was not easy for me either. If a fish cries, people feel that it just the water in which it is swimming. A fish can never show its tears to anyone because no one can see it. I too have endured a lot of pain staying away from you for so long. Please forgive me for my sin. Please come with me”
“And what have you told your family about me?”
“I have told them everything that is the truth. They are all eager to welcome you into the household. My wife has been gracious enough to accept it and forgive me. The only thing remaining is for you to forgive me my child”

I felt giddy at the thought that this man, one of the most respected in the entire city was begging me to forgive him for a sin he had committed years ago. I didn’t realize what was happening around me until I got out of the car and walked towards my home, my ashram.

“Sir, how should I trust him?” I asked Shastri sir. He had again asked to see me after dinner that night.
“What is there not to trust in him? The man is sorry for his mistake. He acknowledges he has wronged you and wants to make amends for it. ”
“Yes sir. But why all of this all of a sudden? And that too after so many years? Did he not think of doing it earlier? ”
“Rukamma, a man is bound by many social constraints. Somappa is also a human being after all. You should be happy for the fact that he is at least trying to make right what he has wronged. So many people in this world don’t have the conscience to do so. I need not tell you more about this. If you will listen to me, accept Somappa’s proposition. It is for you good. Actually it is for everyone’s good”

My mind was clouded with so many thoughts that I could not sleep for a second consecutive night. What will people think me? How will I be perceived? Will the Gowda family well and truly accept me? Am I dreaming or is this happening for real?
I don’t remember when or how, but I decided to accept the proposition. I did this only out of my respect for Shastri sir. Shastri sir had been a father figure to all us kids in the ashram. I could not disobey him.

The next morning, on the 5th of April, Gowdru stood near his Bentley car holding the door open for me. He ordered the driver to put my luggage in the trunk. I mechanically moved towards the car. The memories of the last 18 years came rushing by and unknowingly I started crying. I turned towards Ashwini and ran back. She came forth and hugged me. I could not bear to leave my ashram, my home. Shastri sir consoled me. He motioned me towards the car. I sat inside. We drove off leaving behind a cloud of dust.

Vishalamma stood near the huge mansion which belonged to the Gowda family. Ramesh, Rajesh and Shantamma also were standing with her.
I got down from the car. I stood still not realizing what to say or do. Vishalamma came ahead with a tray in hand. She welcomed me to the family. She took out a piece of stale chapatti and drew three virtual circles around me. This was to save me from all the negativity in my life. While she was busy doing this, I noticed tears in her eyes. I don’t know what came over me, I went up to her, took her in my arms and said
“Don’t cry amma. I have come home. Your daughter has come home”
I don’t know how or why I called her amma, but the truth is that I did.

Shantamma, my granny, gestured amma to show me the house. Gowdru was very eager to show me my room. He held my hand and brought me to my room. It was a large room at the southern end of the mansion. Bright and airy, it had a nice view of the garden from its window. Everything about the room was new; the color scheme, the coat of paint, the tastefully done interiors, the cot, the study table, the dressing table and all the makeup items a girl could ever dream of. I knew all of this had been done only for me. My mind immediately went back to the ashram. All of us lived in a large hall in Shastri sir’s house which doubled up as the ashram too. And here I was with a large room just for me. The next thing I realized was that I was on my bed.

“It is just a case of extreme stress. The fever will subside in 4-5 days. No need to worry” said the 3rd doctor who had come to see me that day.
“I believe she is thinking a lot about something, she just needs to take her mind off it and relax for sometime. She will be better soon” he said before leaving Gowdru with a prescription of a few medicines.

I lost track of time. Most of the time I was sleeping and every time I woke up, I found Gowdru sitting besides my bed.
“Amma .. Amma” I woke up.
“Rukmini, what happened child?” asked Gowdru
“Where is amma?”
“She went back to her room just now. Do you want something? Should I go fetch her?”
“No. It is fine”
“It is almost time for your medicine. Here, take this syrup”
I don’t know how time flew by and I had been on the bed for close to a week. One day after I started feeling better, Gowdru brought home a beautiful statue of Lord Krishna. He got it placed in my room right in front of my bed. So that every time I woke up I could see the statue.The fever subsided eventually and I was sitting up in my bed after a week or so.
Gowdru called and I picked up the phone in my room.
“Hmmmm. Rukmini, did you take you medicines?”
“Yes Gowdare. I did”
“And did you have some fruits or milk after that or no?”
“I did, Gowdare” I said with a chuckle
“Good. Don’t think about anything. No need to worry at all”
“I am not thinking about anything”
“You say that, but you keep talking in your sleep, my child. Don’t worry at all. Lord Krishna will take care of everything. Okay. I have to rush to a meeting now. I will come back home soon. See you in the evening. Take rest till then”
This became a routine dialog between me and Gowdru. The entire family was concerned when I fell ill. Ramesh and Rajesh came in regularly before and after their college and spent time with me chatting about their day. Amma was always besides me.
Shantamma my granny, who was too old to climb any stairs at that age would also visit me at least twice in a day and spend some time with me. Gowdru would spend most of his time in my room, once he returned from his office. He shifted his office files to my room. My study table was filled with files, neatly stacked one over the other. Whenever, I woke up in the middle of the night, I found him looking at me from his chair. Finally, after 15 long days I was back to normal. To celebrate my recovery from fever well, Gowdru took us all out for dinner at the Woodlands hotel, my first family outing.

A week after the outing, I expressed my desire to join the B.A. Course to Gowdru. He was delighted about it. Both of us went the same day to J.S.S College and completed the admission procedures. I had to wait till June for the college to begin. Gowdru suggested that I learn to drive a car meanwhile. He insisted a lot and I finally had to relent. I drove straight to the ashram on my first ever solo drive.
All the kids in the ashram ran towards me when they saw me getting out of the car. I went up to Shastri sir’s office, touched his feet and took his blessings.
“Hmmm, Rukamma how come you came along? Did you forget your way back home?” chuckled sir.
“No sir. It is the first time I drove alone. So thought should go visit a temple. So I came to my temple, the ashram” I said.
“Good. So, we have made great progress”
“Progress? How?” I quizzed
“When you were here, your felt the Ashram was your home. Now it seems like a temple to you. It is a progress isn’t it?”
“Hahha. Yes sir”
“So, you are happy meeting up and staying with your family Rukamma. Am I right?”
“Yes sir. I won’t deny it. I am very happy living in that house, with the family. Amma takes good care of me. Ramesh and Rajesh are very adorable. Granny spends so much time with me. All of them keep me happy”
“And Somappa? ”
“Yes sir him too. But ….”
“But what? Rukamma, why don’t you forgive the man? He has apologized for his mistake so many times. You should give him his due too. It takes a lot of character to own up to such a big mistake, let alone try and make amends for it. Don’t forget, just like Vishalamma is your amma and Ramesh and Rajesh are your brothers, Somappa is your Appaji”
“I understand everything sir. But, I simply cannot bring myself to call him Appaji. Each time, I try and do that, I think of my mother who gave me birth. Where would she be? How would she be? Would she also have been allowed to move and make a new beginning in her life after bearing me? Or would she have become the joke of the city with such a social stigma attached to her of being an unwed mother. All these thoughts come rushing to my mind and I … ”
The conversation ended when Ashwini, Jaya, Kaveri and all my other friends rushed into Shastri sir’s office room. Tears of joy welled up in my eyes, I was so happy to meet my best friends after such a long time.

June came along and I started my undergraduate course in arts. I had settled into the family too. Gowdru used to spend a lot of time in my room. After dinner, he would sit with me on my study table. Under the same table lamp, I studied for my B.A course while he worked on his unfinished files from office.
If I ever got tired studying late into the night, we would take a walk in the garden. He would ask me about the college and the faculty and so on. If weekdays went by like this weekends were reserved for some fun, especially Sundays. Gowdru would have tickets booked for the latest dramas or movies playing in Mysore. Most Sunday evenings were spent either at the Rajgayana or the Padma theatre.
Inside the theatre, everyone would be engrossed in watching the movie or the play, Gowdru would keep stealing glances at me. He wanted to make sure that I was enjoying the play or the movie. All that he wanted was that I should be happy, chirpy and satisfied.
Days grew into months and months into years. The only sad event during this otherwise happy phase of our life was the death of granny. On the day after Shankranthi of 1968, she passed away. I was set to graduate with a degree in arts in April 1968. I expressed my desire to do my masters. Gowdru consented immediately.

One day on a cold November evening, Gowdru came into my room after his work.
“Rukmini, what I heard from Ramesh and Rajesh is it true?” he asked.
I kept quiet. I had no answer.
“I have full faith in your choice. I will go and meet him tomorrow.” he smiled and walked out my room.
Ramesh and Rajesh had obviously spilled the beans about me liking my history professor Nagbhushan Chandre Gowda. While I admonished them, I was secretly happy that I did not have to convey it to Gowdru. Knowingly or unknowingly, they had made my tension vanish.
The wedding was on 30th of March,1969. It was a grand affair. The who-is-who of Mysore and Bangalore attended it.
Nanjaraja Bahadur Choultry was booked for 4 days. All the functions were held there. Every arrangement was elaborately made and Gowdru had personally approved everything. Each detail was supervised by him.

Gowdru was inconsolable when he had to give me away at Dhaare. His eyes were still red and moist when he came along with Amma, Ramesh and Rajesh to see us off at the Mysore railway station. Me and Nagbhushan, were set to travel to Bangalore and from there to Kulu Manali for our honeymoon.

I too could not stop myself from shedding tears as I said Bye to everyone.
“Please take care of my Rukmini” I heard Gowdru requesting Nagbhushan.
“Gowdare, you have done a lot for me. I had never imagined a life like this ever. Thank you for giving me this life. I really do not know how I can ever repay you” I said.
“Rukmini, you are my child. A child does not need to repay its father for anything. The only thing I yearn for is to hear you call me as Appa once in my lifetime. I will be the happiest father in this world”
We stood silent. My mind raced back to the same old feelings again, the train’s whistle went off. It started chugging and we walked away to board it. I saw Gowdru standing on the platform till the train was out of sight. I wiped off a silent tear as I took my seat.

We cam back to Mysore. I went home and saw Amma had falled ill. What looked like a normal fever did not go away for almost a month. It reached her brain and after a month long of illness, she passed away. Gowdru became silent. Probably he realized another one of his mistakes. In trying to keep his daughter happy, he forgot his duties as a husband towards his wife. Although amma never complained of it, she looked a little reluctant if not sad. It must have been an easier decision to make to forgive Gowdru for his mistake, but it certainly was not easy for her to bear the consequences of it.
Amma had lost her smile long ago. The decision she had made was huge. The consequence was too much for her to bear. She tried to manage it with all her will, but she could not. It proved to be beyond her capacity. It proved to be fatal.
It was as if she was singing in an octave her voice was not suited to. Gowdru fell ill too and it refused to go away. He had already grown silent,he now became mute. Often he would be found mumbling in his sleep, 'The only thing I could hear was I have only wish in my life …… '

And then on October 28th 1969 Somnath Gowda alias Somappa Gowda/ Gowdru ended his earthly sojourn. The world around me had crumbled to pieces in a matter of months. People from far and wide came to pay their last respects to the departed soul. I was sitting near Gowdru, when I saw someone familiar standing a few feet away from me. It was Shastri sir.
I ran towards him.
“Sir …” was all I could say
“Rukamma, console yourself. Hold yourself together”
“Sir, my world just crumbled to pieces” I said.
“I know Rukamma. Maybe it could have been avoided. You could have done it”
“Sir, what are you saying? How could I have prevented all of this?”
“Yes Rukamma. You could have avoided it if only you had known the truth”
“Truth? Sir, why are you talking to me in riddles? Please tell me what is the truth? Please I beg you to tell me”
“Rukamma, what I am going to tell you is bigger than anything you have ever heard”
“Sir, I am scared. What is it?”
“The truth, Rukamma is that Somappa was not your real father”
“Sir, what are talking about? How could you even say this?”
“I am telling you only the truth my child. He was not your father and that my child is the bare truth. In fact, Vishalamma was your real mother. She was the one who gave birth to you and had to leave you with us for obvious reasons. Somappa was an honorable and a noble man who decided to marry your mother despite everything. After his father passed away, Somappa decided that you should come home. You should get what is rightfully yours too, your mothers love and care. He took the entire stigma associated with it up on himself to give you a house and a family. Vishalamma experienced the love Gowdru had as a father towards you but she could not replicate it. She saw you in front of her each day but she could not have cared for you in a different way because that would have made Shantamma to suspect something fishy. Somappa understood Vishalamma’s predicament and showered all of his love on you. He doted on you. He loved you and cared for you than anyone else in this world and all he wanted for this was for you to call him Appa once. But … but ….”
“Appaji … Appaji”

A day in the life of Chandru

A team of young surveyors was carrying out feasibility surveys across the district of Yavatmal, in central Maharashtra. Surveys were extensive and exhaustive. The main objective was to determine the sites where borewell's could be drilled so as to provide the villages with clean drinking water.
It involved walking close to 25-30 kilometers in a day. The dust and heat were unrelenting too. With temperatures regularly touching a high of around 45 degrees, it was a sweat bath for most of the day. The group of surveyors split up across the length and breadth of the district and worked tirelessly for days together. Each night they would assemble back at the camp and discuss about the day’s experiences over dinner.
Mapping a district is no small job. It also involves working with authorities like the Village Panchayat.
A newly promoted lad, Chandru with two of his colleagues was working in a village near Pusad taluka in Yavatmal. The day had been grueling enough with the sun showing the residents of the sleepy town how brightly he could shine. On finishing the day’s work the team went on to the village Panchayat office to give them the details of the scheme they were working on.
Chandru had joined the department 8 months ago. His sharp mind and an excellent work ethic had seen him being promoted to a sub-senior role quickly. It had been the fastest ever promotion in the department. Coming from a rural background, Chandru understood the ideology of the scheme facilitated by the government and hence had taken it upon himself to make it a success in jurisdiction.
The Sarpanch (head of the village) an old man of about 70, welcomed the group and patiently listened to what Chandru had to say. He was a lean man with a handle bar moustache. Wrapped in a loin cloth below his waist in traditional Maharashtrian style, he wore a shirt made of cotton. To save himself from the severe heat, he wore a pagadi. Sarpanch listened to Chandru and his team patiently, making a few inquiries about how soon will the project be completed and so on. Having understood the scheme completely, he thanked Chandru and his team on the good work they were doing. He called his grandson Nandu who had made his way into the Panchayat office trying to make sense of the sudden buzz around the place. Sarpanch asked Nandu to run along to the Tea stall across the road and order for 4 cups of special Tea and biscuits.
Nandu, dashed away to the Tea stall. He returned quickly with a long face and asked his grandfather to come aside.
“The tea stall owner wont serve us tea anymore. He says the Panchayat office owes him a lot of money and he won’t give anything on credit” said Nandu in a low tone.
“Arre, why does he not understand? We are not doing a party here. Did you tell him that the tea is for the touring party?” questioned Sarpanch.
“Yes ajoba. He won’t budge. He wants his dues to be cleared first. Even after we do that, he won’t give anything on credit”
“Oh god! This is bad. Those people are doing so much to help solve our drinking water problems and we are not in a position to offer them a cup of tea” he said in depressed voice.
“Let me go and speak to Mahadev (tea stall owner) maybe he will understand”
And Sarpanch walked towards the tea stall.
Chandru and his team were sitting in the small office space. Chandru got up from his seat to help himself to another glass of cool water from the earthen pot. He just happened to gaze outside the window and saw the Sarpanch speaking to the tea stall owner. The owner, Mahadev, was shaking his head and hands in dismissive manner. Intrigued by what was happening at the tea stall, Chandru stood still watching as the drama enfolded. After a long round of persuasion, the Sarpanch failing to convince Mahadev took off his pagadi and placed it near Mahadev’s feet asking him to relent. Chandru could not believe his eyes. Sarpanch, such an elderly man the head of the village was pleading with a Tea stall owner to relent and lend him 4 cups of tea on credit. Tears welled up in Chandru's eyes. He called out to Nandu and said,
”Nandu, we have to leave urgently. A lot of area is yet to be covered and we need to finish it before dusk today. Please thank Sarpanch sahib for his hospitality on our behalf and tell him that we will have tea the next time we come over. Also assure him that all of you will have clean drinking water very soon. We must leave now to finish our work for the day”
He gestured to his colleagues to make a quick move and they left the office silently from the other exit.
Sarpanch walked back dejectedly towards his office clearly embarrassed and crest fallen. Nandu was standing near the steps. In a bid to try and hide his emotions from his grandson he looked away.
“Ajoba, surveyor sahib said that they needed to leave urgently and will have tea the next time they are here. He also said that the village will soon have clean drinking water facilities” said Nandu.
Not knowing how to react, Sarpanch walked into the office. He picked up the glass and gazed out of the window. He closed the window and allowed himself a sarcastic smiled.
That night as he lay down on his bed, Chandru could not help but remember the sight he had seen from the window.
Lost in the same thoughts, he did not realize when he slipped into slumber. Chandru slept well that night thinking what he did was the best thing under the circumstances to do.