Bablee ( Part – 13th ) —

(Recap – In the last episode, I narrated about Ganak’s daring drive of dropping a love letter from underneath the shutter of the shop of Bablee in the dark of the night and its repercussion.)

In the same series of three major incidences in the market and specifically pertaining to Bablee and her sister, Now I come to the second event in the reversal mode. First in this reversal mode was of Ganak. About that, a detailed version I have given in the last part of the story. Now I take the second venture of the man, who once visited the Bablee’s shop, along with Bablee, her elder sister Jito and younger brother . The younger brother had ushered him to my office and introduced him to me as family friend. His name was ‘ Sam’ and fellow belonged  to the christian community ( as it was told by younger  brother.)

It was my routine business to visit the shop of Bablee, at least once in a day. For that, I just had to cross the road and I was there. Both the sisters were now so frank with me, and discussed all banal problems without reserves. Still, the so called husband of Jito, regularly come to receive her at evening time. But In between, I noticed the frequent visits of ‘Sam’ increased in number to their shop. Often in morning time, he carried both sisters to the shop on his bike or sometimes Jito alone, who as usual intermittently used to arrive late. Previously, she used to come through some public transportation facility, but now it looked, as if, ‘Sam’ was giving his dedicated services to drop her in the morning.

This was the juncture of the time, when in daily chatting with me, Jito ever tried to raise the issue  of misbehavior of her husband towards her. Never she was in this habit before. Now she often complained of her husband’s cheating regard manipulation of marriage ceremony and his concealing of facts about his already being married. Even, now she elicited, he was hot-headed , who on slightest pretext used to give her thrashing. In total, she was in a continuous habit to caste aspersion on her husband. Her this attitude was somewhat awkwardly to me. But I was not certain, why she was doing so and what was cooking in her mind.

One day she bagged me to deliver some advice about how to get rid of her husband. The truth was, the attitude of her dark- complexioned, strong built husband ever gave an impression of a hooligan. If I would have helped her on this front, he might have got some inkling of that. Even, he could take me as a man, who was dissuading his wife to swerve from the conjugal duties. Secondly, I fostered an interest in Bablee only, not in Jito, so why to take a risk without purpose, was my motto to avert the Jito’s problem.

As I told on various occasions, both sisters were so shrewd and scheming ( Though, this I am telling now, when I am compiling all facts as a story. Truth is, when all these events were taking place, I was not in possession of my faculties in proper way.) The fact was, ‘Sam’ was trying his best to allure Jito as a lover. For this, he was projecting himself as a dedicated man who was ever ready to render the services in all odd hours. It seemed, Jito too were getting trapped into his net.

This is a “Universal Law” regard the so-called ‘love affairs,’ a woman always gets inclined to a man, she finds financially stronger, and if he is good looking, then it’s an additional bonanza to her. The same phenomenon was taking place with Jito for ‘Sam.’ In the same sort of friendly chat, I gleaned it from the mouth of Jito that ‘ Sam’ too had  had a wife and a daughter as a married man, but now he had settled the matter, out and out and was a divorcee. These were the facts, ‘Sam’ very tactically had put into mind of Jito and she looked assured on that front.

And this ‘Sam’ too had maintained ‘double faces.’ He got unmasked at a later period of time. First thing it got revealed, he didn’t belong to any Christian Community;  in fact he was a Muslim man, who had adopted the tact and knacks of christian people to cheat women from other sects. But, when it got discovered on the part of Jito, it was too late. This all I will sum up in the concluding episode of the story. The reader may think, why the the episode of Jito is so short in description? The logic behind is;  to say, Bablee is in pivotal role of this long story but at the end, Jito surfaces up as the vestige sign or character in the story.

In this reversal mode of describing the major events, I now focus upon the third major event. This event belongs to the same ‘South Indian chap.’ Though, at the time of narration of “shop’s allotment’, I mentioned about the old father  of Bablee as being the holder of valid certificate of “mason” as an applicant belonging to “backward class.” The fact was, the family had the “mason Job” as the inheritant vocation from last so many generations. This helped them get categorized  as  in that “backward class.” Till the time, the grand father of  Bablee was alive, this was their inherited vocation.

In our Indian social system, caste diversification is solely based upon the ‘vocation’ of a person, he deals in.The only condition is, once it got registered on government record, you become beneficiary to that. As a paradigm,  a man  applying his hand in shoe making is categorized as a ‘cobbler.’ Another example is, some one engaged in wood working’, he is to be categorized as a ‘Carpenter’ etc.  In the same fashion, people occupy the place in the ladder of the caste- system.

So the story also goes back in some what twisted manner. Father of Bablee had an entitlement of holding the certification of ‘Mason’ as a ‘other backward class’ by virtue of being in that inheritance. This old man was  a little more educated, hence long back, in his youth he succeeded obtaining some permanent job in a central government’s survey department. In that service, as a part of routine transfer of job, long back when his all children were teen age and school going, he was subjected to the transfer of posting to some Southern Province of India, where he remained posted continuously for six years.

In that transfer posting, his wife and children accompanied him there and were to stay with him there. This made children to seek admission there in school to continue the education. Six years long time is not a small time and it can bring so many changes in the learning of at least growing children. The same happened with children and children were Bablee, Jito and younger brother. All they became well versed in Southern vernacular and food habit. The truth is , all they three siblings had their education up to twelfth standard from the Southern province education board.

Now, the South Indian Chap, who was vending plastic molded furniture on this distant and far remote part of the North India, by chance ventured to step into the shop of Bablee. No doubt, he too had  a poor financial background, that had forced him to seek this vending business at this afar, distant corner from his native land. It was in consonance to the background of Bablee’s family. As I have spoken about the sonorous , melodious, ringing voice of Bablee, that helped mesmerized male people towards her and her ability to ‘pry about’ her ‘prey’ was peculiar to no match. She at once grasped, this chap could easily fall prey into her net.

The chap was Kannada speaking boy and Bablee by having passed her six years of life as a student in the same province was well versed in the same language and culture habit. God  only knows, what prittle- prattle she had with him. The out come of her sweet conversation with the boy resulted in the  way, now the South Indian Vendor made his routine to pass through the market daily, with his hand pushed barrow.  Once in the morning and once at the evening time.

Here, one important fact is worth mentioning about the old man ( father of Bablee.) In his chat, he ever projected himself as a man with utmost sincerity and man  of principles. But the main flaw in him was, he was a stubborn by disposition and a bitter tongue in cheeks as well. In an official job, with this stubborn and venomous tongue, one can have survival among colleagues only but not with superior officials. And his this disposition ever put him in a strife with superior officers.

At that period of time, he was also in his youth, hence it could be imagined about the intensity of bitterness of his tongue. At the first, the strife with senior officers first led him to temporary suspension, then to departmental inquiry and ultimately he was terminated from the job and sent back home. All this occurred during his posting in the Southern province.

I was told that this South Indian chap had a name “Shanu.” This kind of youth when ventured to tread a land in search of bread and butter, that is located hundreds and hundred km away from his native land, they become extra  over cautious man. Never he steps into any untoward involvement of any kind.  But, when the matter is concerned about being infatuated for some one, then all the over precautions erode away. Under such perilous situation, this kind of “all alone type” boy becomes an easy prey.

As far as, my opinion of Bablee about her relation with this boy was, to me it seemed,  she too was fooling him. I was certain, she was serious about me only ( look into my paralyzing state of mind.) Perhaps,  a man fallen in blind love behaves like a jaundiced man, to whom every thing looks pale.. He is given to live with so many misconceptions. Even, to ensure myself and remove my doubts, once, I talked to that South Indian boy in seclusion and pretentiously offered my help by asking him, ” dear, if you are interested in Bablee, I can be of help to you by proceeding the matter before her father.” Upon which, he gave a subdued reply, that was enough to remove all my doubts. He said, ” Sir, I am a migrant here to earn some money, back in my native place, I have got two unmarried sisters. Secondly,  I belong to an orthodox Brahamin Community of South India and our  social system demands us to get wed lock in our own community only. ( End of the Part 13th . Cont’d ). Penned by — Vinay Pharasi —–