Rakhi and Roshan

Rakhi & Roshan 

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That day while returning from office I was puzzled by the annoyed attitude of Anita.As usual she didn't urge me either to wash my legs & hands or serve me tiffin or light the stove for making tea. However she smilingly had bid me good bye while I was leaving for office and requested me to return soon. But she had become grave when I came back from Offiçe. It was verily her the first deviation over the past five years of married life.I was unable to search out the cause of Anita's annoyance. Many words of requests and many persuations and many flatteries were staged by me for her which usually I don't like.After making so many request she had declared that while she was grovelling throug,h the suitcase she found a photo of a girl and she is unable to tolerate my romanticism. In every utterance of Anita 

It was clear expression of annyance & attribution to me. Really I was burning with her rebuking and disdainful eyes. I was not feeling sad for Anita's annoyance and attribution. I was feeling sad for that even after spending five years of married life very intimately she took me amiss. Had she asked me I would have cleared the fact.However she suspected me with a conception of an ordinary woman and did not give a little bit weightage to the relation of past five years.

It was only remaining seven days for Rakhipurima.Every year Anita makes me worried to bring Rakhi 

for her two brothers namely my brothers in law & she left for her brothers before. This time she is stoic. She also didn't raise the topic of bringing Rakhi.

I have also bought Rakhi for her brothers and sent them the same

on Anita's Name by post. Then on official duty I had been out of the Town for two days.After returning from tour I felt that her annoyed attitude has increased so much more. She threw a Rakhi received by post 

on me before I took off my dress and shouted with irritation, " Since when have you had a Sister? There was suspicion in her eyes. It was clear to me that the office peon had delivered all my letters at home in my absence.

No sooner I saw the Rakhi than my eyes were filled with tears.

How will Anita understand that thing?

Rakhi Purnima was to be celebrated after 2 days.That day I returned from the office earlier.Anita's indifferent eyes were worrying me. I could not tolerate that she was not trusting me. While taking tea I caught her hand and let her to sit beside me keeping my right palm on her head. This time she began to weep like a child and told, "Tell me who has sent you Rakhi? Whose photograph is it? On the oath of mine and Lord Jagannathji tell me the truth? Before she told me anything I kept my palm on her mouth and told," Listen Anita please , I will tell you everything truth. So I returned home earlier today. I started telling the story.

" Two years back before I maried you I had to go Hyderabad on a training programme. Getting up in the morning, taking a cup of tea, passing time lazily in the hostel, taking meals at hostel, reading at traing college and off and on at leisure going outside to roam were my regular routine works. I had no more works except those. My time was passing in this way.

One day I was sitting on park enjoying the beauty of the setting sun. Dusk was coming.

Suddenly my flow of thoughts were broken down by a woman's screaming. I ran up to the spot with a lightening speed and saw three youngmen were trying to molest a girl.Two young men were holding her hand and one young man was trying to make her shut up her mouth.I knew that it was beyond my capacity for rescuing that poor girl from the clutch of those scoundrels.Moreover I knew there was no one except we five. But I was calling my friends by names at the top of my voice. Looking at me those trio were startled. They perhaps guessed that there were more friends of mine than me. So they left that girl on the spot and ran away. That girl was startled at seeing me as íf she was well known to me long before. Her face was looking bright with gratitude. She saluted me with folded hands and requested me to go to her house. I had followed her. Her house was nearby the park at a short distance. After reaching at home she had introduced me with her parents and narrated everything waht happened inside the park. Her name was Roshanara, a Muslim girl. Her parents were also startlled when they saw me. Roshan' s mother told me after keeping her right palm on my head that I was being resembled her son in appearance. Roshan's father had showed the pic of their son. I was surprised to see that pic as if someone had fixed a french cut beard on my face. That son was doing service in a far distant Arabian Country and he was determined to live there. His and my appearance were so similar to each other that any one who would see, must be startled which was natural.Then Roshan took me for granted as her brother.Her father Rasul Muhhamad was a Professor of the local college. Roshan's parents tied me with their parental love. They also required me to ply to their house off and on as long as I would stay there. Almost everyday I was plying to their house and was spending one or two hours among them as my own family members.

In the meantime Rakhi Purnima fell. I had been to Roshan's house with the Rakhi sent to me by my sister. Roshan asked me about that and I was make her understand about the Rakhi Bandhan. I convinced her as to how a brother ties Rakhi on the wrist of his sister that Rakhi Purnima day as a token of eternal love & affectio as per Hindu culture and tradition. I convinced about the fact and she tied a Rakhi on my wrist. Her eyes were dazzling with tears of happiness. She promised me to send a Rakhi each year to me. My day of return was approaching nearer. They bid me goodbye weeping and weeping. The episode after that is very painful.After mm year I received a telegram from Roshan's Father.Roshan's father had written that Roshan had faced a fatal road accident while she was returing from college. It was not possible to bring back Roshan's life inspite of all trials and treatments. At last he was writing to me to send me Rakhi each year as per late Roshan's request.To pay homage to Roshan, they depisited Roshan's Scholarship fees in a bank and out of that deposited amount they purchase a Rakhi each year and they have made the arrangement to send me by post every year.

For the last four years I have been receiving the Rakhi of Roshan. You are every year going to your brothers. So I could not inform you about this. Moreover that is the photo of Roshan.

I stopped my story telling. Anita's all anger,anguish and conceits were washed away by my drops of tears oozing out of my eyes.She cried out just like a child keeping her head on my lap and she was seeking apolgy from me. The Moon of Rakhi Purnima was pouring down it's beams from the cleft of the clouds.

( The story Rakhi & Roshan written in Odia by B. N. Tripathy, Ogb Manager, Retd, CDA, Cuttack and translated into Odia language by ©Abadhoot Panda, Chauliaganj, Cuttack )