Bablee ( Part-16th, sub part-B ) The concluding episode —

(Recap- In the last concluding Sub part A, I mentioned that suddenly some incidences began to take place haphazardly. In the same series, new shocking incidences I need to relate about.)

When both the sisters disappeared from the market and a new woman as a tenant began to run the shop, then in true sense, the tiding of disappearance of Bablee and Jito and so many rumors related to them too began to float in the market. For many days to come, main tiding was, ” Bablee ran away with her paramour by ditching all the shopkeepers in the market.” The missing of Jito was also sensational but it had lesser intensity. Now, all the rest of paramours were left with one option only. They could talk about this major, shocking incidence by forming small group as a participant. The fact was, every one was trying to save his face and was trying to pose himself as an indifferent to this incidence. Whilst, the reality check was, every one on the monetary front, some how been robbed off by Bablee.

On that day, my conjecture came to the authentication that every shopkeeper in his heart was assured about the positive, affectionate commitment of Bablee for him only and to none other.  Rather, every one was confirmed of Bablee as being ” his setting only.” The reader now can estimate about the shrewdness of character of Bablee and my introductory proclamation why I chose the title of the story on the name of Bablee.  Just, as I said, Bablee had collected a handsome amount from every shopkeeper (paramour) on the pretext of renovation of shop. The fact was, she collected and used that  money to settle her new wedded domesticity somewhere in the South Indian Province.

Some where, deep down in my heart, I too paid thank to Ranjit for his valuable advice, not to lend money to these sisters and I had been saved monetarily. The news of Jito eloping with the christian man “Sam” too were astonishing to shopkeepers. They were taking her as a married lady but now it came up, she left her first husband and chose to disappear with the second man. This uproar was but to continue in the market for weeks to come. It happens with the psyche of small city as a phenomenal process.

During this period, the Muslim barber came across me and insidiously  he disclosed one fact to me, ” Just look into the matter bro! The elder sister too disappeared with the man “Sam. Do you know, this Sam used to project himself as  a Christian but now it came up, he was a Muslim chap only.” Barber seemed in regretting mood when he continued as , “Without reason, I vested my time for Bablee. Alas! Had I tried my hand on Jito, I too could be a successful paramour for her.” The truth of Sam not being a Christian but  a Muslim, I too came too know from the Barber only.

Ranjit, as usual was well informed about every large and tiniest development of the market through his friend and informer Brij Lal. After this “compact incidence” of both sisters, he too appeared at my office on one evening . He came loaded with a bottle of liquor to celebrate the foolhardiness of all shopkeepers of the market. He appeared in the office blustering and placed the liquor bottle on the table and said, ” Today’s celebration is on the occasion of elopement of Bablee and Jito and it’s from my side. I know, she collected about rupees eighty thousands in the name of renovation of shop and disappeared,” At that period of time, I meant, in the year of about 2001, the amount of rupees eighty thousand was a big and substantial sum of amount.

Upon his this blustering announcement, I supported him by saying, ” you are right to the content young man! I am thankful to you. On your precious advice, I avoided landing money to her.” My this sort of rejoinder made us both give a full laugh contentedly. Both of us now were ex-paramour  of Bablee and felt somewhere frustrated and defeated as well. We tried to efface our frustration with the help of liquor which Ranjit had brought in shape of bottle.

In this summing up of story, Ganak can not be ignored.  The truth is, in real sense, if some one as a genuine lover was to be counted in the market, he was the only one who deserved the entitlement. When he came to know about the disappearance of Bablee and the entire story of borrowing handsome amount on the fake ground of renovation, this at once pulverized the ” high image” of Bablee in his heart. To him, on the front of earning of money, he was much more stronger than that “molded plastic furniture vendor.” Till now, he could not muster the courage to visit my office because of embarrassment evoked by the love letter.

But now, neither Bablee nor her sister Jito was there on the shop. New lady tenant occupied the shop now. The very first day, when he visited the market, for a long, from inside my office, he kept on gazing the shop of Bablee, as if, he was under the spell of dementia. After this incidence, he gave himself up to one goal only. He incessantly concentrated himself on the ‘Mission get married.” Now the only eligibility for marriage was, ‘ there should be a woman only’. No parameter of beauty, education or being well versed in house hold affairs were to be counted now.

On one day, he came to me and told excitingly, ” I am in touch of a woman indirectly through some one.  She manages to bring needy, poor women from Bengal and get them enter into nuptial tie with man like me. I have fixed the deal through my contact. But this woman is demanding rupee ten thousand for the fixing of nuptial tie. I want you to be remain present in person as a witness on the time of payment.” This put me into a dilemma. The reality was it was some thing which was not legal but till now relations with him been cultivated so deeply, I could not refute to become a witness.

This forced me to have a conversation with the ‘contact.’ He too was a daily masonic laborer from Bengal. Both man and his woman used to work as daily worker with some ‘contractor. ‘ They were staying at some slum area on rent. Firstly, I gleaned informations about this couple. It came up, they were harmless creature.  Then I along with Ganak arrived on their Kholi (cubicle type room.) There only I saw the prospective bride of Ganak. She was a weak, emaciated, under nourished woman having dark complexion. A girl child about one and half year nestled in her lap. This girl child, she too had to accompany as a mother with her to her new family.

By looking at her person, I could mourn only but Ganak was insistent to get wed-locked  in any condition and any how. It seemed to me, he was doing this on being rejected by Bablee somewhere, as if, by torturing himself as such he was revenging upon Bablee. Some how, the ‘mediator contact’ were paid rupee ten thousand and then came the woman on the scene, who had brought the prospective bride here. They by themselves arranged everything to get the marriage solemnized in the temple. Duly, in a short ceremony marriage got solemnized, no any other function on the part of Ganak were arranged to celebrate it with friends or relatives. Hope fully, the bride of Ganak took control of the house hold affairs of the house adroitly. But with the passing of time, so many secrets about the past life of the bride too were unraveled.

Ganak encountered so many disclosing facts. For example, it was not her second marriage, prior to this, she had been wife of other three men back in Bengal. Not only this, from every husband she had children either and all those children she left back in  native village with their father. This revelation worked as sowing of seeds of suspicious character and swinging mood of this woman, in the mind of Ganak, ” lest she abscond again with some one by leaving behind her children again.” This distrust rooted deep down in the mind of Ganak. Now he hardly thought of going onto his job of painter and remained sitting in the house, with intent to keep a vigilant eye upon this woman. To support the sustenance, he opened  a small green grocery shop in front of his house.

But his house was a joint property and luckily situated with in the limits of the area which was coming into rapid urbanization. All they family members decided  to sell off the property to some local property dealer. Ganak obtained a handsome amount as his share and managed to buy  a new house in the outer skirt of the city. It was like a bonanza for his woman, for her it was akin to a palace. In due course of time, his woman begot him a son and a daughter . Since he had moved to the outer skirt of the city, gradually his visits to my office side diminished and for last many years I haven’t seen him.

Post script – After long ten years, the tenant lady of Bablee’s shop vacated the shop  and possession handed over back to Bablee’s younger brother. In between, the second husband of Jito, the same Man “Sam” died of some complications related to diabetic ailment in Delhi. This forced her to come back to her parental house and was staying with younger brother’s family, who was now in his domesticity. Miraculously, she didn’t bear child even from her this second husband too. She again started her same tailoring business in the same shop, in front of my office.

Till now, Muslim barber and many of old shop keepers of the market either had shifted to other places or wound up the business. Paltry four or five old shop keepers are still in the market and running their business. It’s the law of the Nature, shop as a property remains on its old place, but owner keeps on changing.  Again back to Ranjit. In these last years, his old friend Brij Lal, who happened to run welding shop, he too shifted his welding fabrication enterprise to the muhalla of Ranjit ( now a developing colony), It came up Ranjit got deeply involved with Brij Lal’s wife and both Ranjit and Brijesh were now under the aegis of one woman for the sake of conjugal happiness.

Dear reader, the entire canopy of the love story, that revolved around Bablee been uprooted. But as the vestiges of this old love story, there remains two actors in the form of Jito and Myself in the market. We both have grown old by the dint of the age, but inside my heart, I still feel some buoyancy. Just suggest me, Jito is single again now, whether I should try my hand upon her or not !  ( End of the story Bablee. The End.) Penned By — Vinay Pharasi —–