fहndi - Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya

fहndi - Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya fहndi - Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya

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much money that they could go to thecity and get treatment from the doctorsthere. But whenever they heard of any saintor sage from the nearby villages they wouldgo and offer their obeisance to them.After fifteen years of marriage whenthey had relinquished all hopes of a child,a miracle happened. Bhagirathi waspregnant. This heartening news at this stageof life instilled a new life in them. Ramrathalmost became crazy with joy. He took careof Bhagirathi with utmost effort, wouldnot allow her to do any household chores."You remain fit and healthy, don't liftany heavy thing. If you feel like eatingsomething do tell me, I will make." Thisuntimely happiness made even dim witRamrath more intelligent.Bhagirathi used to laugh and felttitillated by such behaviour of Ramrath,still she did not like him doing householdwork. On this account they would oftenhave tiffs.As the time passed Bhagirathi gavebirth to a baby boy. The whole house wasfilled with unspeakable joy. There was noold experienced person in the house to tellthem how to bring up the child, butBhagirathi was such a sweet temperedwoman that all the old women of thevillage would come and help her. Both ofthem named the child 'Suraj' but with timeit got distorted to 'Sarju'.With time Sarju grew up, became adarling boy of three years. He would followhis mother wherever she went. Then camethe day when their whole world wasshattered and they were filled withunspeakable sorrow.After finishing the day's workBhagirathi had gone to the village pondto get water and wash utensils, Sarjufollowed her. Otherwise also it was nota new thing. Sarju mostly remained gluedto his mother all the time. But that daysomething unusual and unexpectedhappened. Like other days Sarju did notreach home following his mother. Theystarted searching for him in every home,each pond and each ditch but Sarju wasnot to be found. Bhagirathi and Ramrathwere very agitated, they looked for Sarjuin all pits and gadhoras lest he might havefallen in one of them. As they could notfind him in the village they started lookingfor him in nearby villages and complainedto the village headman. The headman wasa good man and he could not bear to seetheir agony.The case was taken up at thegovernment level, and more extensivesearches were made. They came to knowthat their child was seen with a boy ofnearby village. That boy didn't have a goodrecord; he was arrested earlier for pettytheft. After serving the jail term he hadrun away to the city. He remained therefor quite some time but last month hewas seen in the village again. Somehowby putting pressure on his parents hisaddress was found; but by then it was toolate. He was found in Mumbai, but fora few thousands he had already sold thechild.When further investigations were madewith the help of these leads, once againfgndi •April-June 2013 :: 129

Ramrath and Bhagirathi's fate gave way.There was a very big gang which abductedchildren and would let foreign couplesadopt them against very heavy monetarycompensation. Sarju was already sold tosome foreign couple.The only thing they came to know wasthat some couple from the Netherlands hadpurchased and adopted their Sarju, as ifSarju was a commodity which could bepurchased and taken away with them.That's all. They couldn't do anythingbeyond that. Whatever was done was alsobeyond their reach. Actually it was donebecause the villagers had helped them;otherwise they would have been completelyin the dark about their sonIn spite of so much effort since theycouldn't find Sarju a pall of gloom spreadover their lives. Earlier they were unhappythat they were childless but now afterhaving a child they once again becamechildless. Sarju had shown them a beautifuldream and then vanished from their lives.Now on, neither could they pass their livespeacefully nor could they end it. Thismisery had made them old before theirtime. Many years passed and Bhagirathiand Ramrath had more or less settledthemselves in their childless existence.Though it was not possible for them toforget Sarju, gradually the layers of timestarted settling on his memories. Todaypeeling all those layers of time Sarju'smemories stood before them."Have you gone crazy with old age,from where Sarju will come now?"Bhagirathi asked Ramrath shaking himvigourously."No Bhagirathi, I have not gone crazy,he was Sarju only. Just imagine how Sarjuwould have looked at the age of twenty.That boy looked exactly the same, thenhe told me the same name of his country."Thus Ramrath told her the complete story.Bhagirathi started thinking 'was he reallytheir Sarju, if yes, how would he recognizethem, what did they have to prove thathe was their son?'"Will they come again?""Yes, they did say that they would comeagain to drink tea made by me." Ramrathreplied in a lost tone."From tomorrow onwards I will alsosit at the shop, the day Sarju comes I willfold my hands and tell him that he is myson.""Woman, have you gone mad? Hedoesn't even know our language, don't beso foolish." For some time they argued butRamrath got defeated by the overwhelminglove of Bhagirathi. Ultimately he permittedher to sit at the shop on the conditionthat she would not say anything after seeingSarju.From the next day onward Bhagirathiwould go to the shop with Ramrath afterfinishing her household work in themorning. Ramrath was surprised to lookat the agility with which she finished herdaily chores. Very early in the morningBhagirathi would make tea and breakfastfor them and would pack four chapatisin a cloth. The desire to meet her soninfused a new life into her fragile frame.Sometimes Ramrath would be worried130 :: April-June 2013fgndi •

Ramrath and Bhagirathi's fate gave way.There was a very big gang which abductedchildren and would let foreign couplesadopt them against very heavy monetarycompensation. Sarju was already sold tosome foreign couple.The only thing they came to know wasthat some couple from the Netherlands hadpurchased and adopted their Sarju, as ifSarju was a commodity which could bepurchased and taken away with them.That's all. They couldn't do anythingbeyond that. Whatever was done was alsobeyond their reach. Actually it was donebecause the villagers had helped them;otherwise they would have been completelyin the dark about their sonIn spite of so much effort since theycouldn't find Sarju a pall of gloom spreadover their lives. Earlier they were unhappythat they were childless but now afterhaving a child they once again becamechildless. Sarju had shown them a beautifuldream and then vanished from their lives.Now on, neither could they pass their livespeacefully nor could they end it. Thismisery had made them old before theirtime. Many years passed and Bhagirathiand Ramrath had more or less settledthemselves in their childless existence.Though it was not possible for them toforget Sarju, gradually the layers of timestarted settling on his memories. Todaypeeling all those layers of time Sarju'smemories stood before them."Have you gone crazy with old age,from where Sarju will come now?"Bhagirathi asked Ramrath shaking himvigourously."No Bhagirathi, I have not gone crazy,he was Sarju only. Just imagine how Sarjuwould have looked at the age of twenty.That boy looked exactly the same, thenhe told me the same name of his country."Thus Ramrath told her the complete story.Bhagirathi started thinking 'was he reallytheir Sarju, if yes, how would he recognizethem, what did they have to prove thathe was their son?'"Will they come again?""Yes, they did say that they would comeagain to drink tea made by me." Ramrathreplied in a lost tone."From tomorrow onwards I will alsosit at the shop, the day Sarju comes I willfold my hands and tell him that he is myson.""Woman, have you gone mad? Hedoesn't even know our language, don't beso foolish." For some time they argued butRamrath got defeated by the overwhelminglove of Bhagirathi. Ultimately he permittedher to sit at the shop on the conditionthat she would not say anything after seeingSarju.From the next day onward Bhagirathiwould go to the shop with Ramrath afterfinishing her household work in themorning. Ramrath was surprised to lookat the agility with which she finished herdaily chores. Very early in the morningBhagirathi would make tea and breakfastfor them and would pack four chapatisin a cloth. The desire to meet her soninfused a new life into her fragile frame.Sometimes Ramrath would be worried130 :: April-June 2013fgndi •

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