God and the Untouchable
God and the Untouchable
The birds in the garden's gulmohar tree were singing soft birdy tunes which sounded like an urgent call to mate. Below this tree two farmers were deep in conversation. " Look at the ration shop, what a long queue. My joru had to stand for two hours in the queue for rations in front of the store. In the end the duffer of a store manager Ghanshyam said supplies were over and closed the shutter." While these men were gossiping away there arose suddenly a commotion among people standing in the line for rations. Some people were pointing in the direction of a man who had a grocery bag in one hand and was running pellmell down the road. A lady at front of the queue was shouting "Theif! Theif! Stop that man. He took my rations". Some people threw stones at the fleeing man who was by now on the road running towards the bamboo field. A sharp wailing was coming from the crowd gathered outside the ration store, "Please someone go after the theif, the bag has my husband's medicine in it. Without it he will not survive and I don't have the money to replace them." At that moment Ghanshyam sniggered and got up on his feet and clapped his hand. "Serves you right lady! It's God's wrath upon you. You have become an untouchable yourself. You have lost your bearings in society and have become a Sudra." The word of Moina losing her bag to the theif got around in the village. The local pub was filled with people who gossiped about the incident and said it was a sign from the Gods. The villagers blamed Moina for her misfortune because she had shared her meal with an untouchable begging outside her house a week ago. "Mark my words, next her skin will crumble and all her hair and teeth will fall off." Some villagers were of the opinion Moina and her family deserved to be left in isolation. They were to be disallowed in temples and banned from public functions or the temple God would curse them and bring drought and famine to the village. That night Moina's daughter Payel came running from the school," Ma my best friend Shreya refused to sit with me today or share my tiffin. My friends did not include me in any of their teams in the evening coco matches. Everyone seems afraid of me. When I asked Shreya she told me to ask my mother. What's going on?"
" It's nothing, they are playing a game where if they touch us or our shadows they lose and have to pay a fine to the local collector."
Payel looked puzzled by this explanation and asked her mother again," But what is the point of such a silly game. What does it matter if my shadow falls on them? Are we like the dirty village untouchables?"
Moina looked stern and remarked," Never say that again. We were all created equal in the eyes of God. It's man who made differences based on their prejudices. And the point of this silly game is to increase our alertness as we move on the roads and reduce accidents. Every family takes turn one by one and participates in the game."
Her fears allayed Payel looked bored and hugged her mother saying "I am famished, what's for dinner?"
"I have made chapati and bhindi curry. It's about time your father came back. Once he returns we will all sit down for a meal together."
Soon enough Manik, Moina's husband returned from the fields. As he entered he wiped his brow with the piece of cloth hanging from his shoulders and hung his plow on the wall. He went into the backyard and pumped water from the tube well splashing water on his face and his feet. After the ablution he quietly entered the hut and sat in a corner while Moina served them dinner. Manik pulled his plate before him and asked Moina," Did you give food to Narang, the sweeper? The whole village is talking about it. We live in a village not a modern city. Exercise your freedom when we move to the city."
Payel chirped up "So that was why everybody was avoiding me. This is not a game, it's stupid reality."
Moina did not reply to Payel's remark. She looked askance at her husband and said "Are we moving to the city? Have you got any work there?"
Payel looked quizzically at her father who replied " The landlord had called me today. He said I need not till his lands from tomorrow. He payed me the pending money and shooed me away. He even sprinkled Ganga jal where I had been standing. Nobody is going to give us work anymore here. We have to pack our bags and leave by this weekend."
Moina put her head in her hands and started rocking back and forth wailing, "We know no one in the city. Where will we go? And what about Payel's school?"
Manik shrugged and replied, " Stop crying Moina! We will live under the bridges until I find a job and some shelter. Payel can attend a Government school like she did here. It's free and has afternoon meals which she can have."
Moina stopped crying and said " You are the head of the house Manik. I will follow whatever plan you make. But the theif took away my rations and your medicine. In the house there is ration which will last us only till today."
Manik scratched his chin and put his hand on a pouch hanging from his waist and pulled out a few hundred rupee notes and handed them to Moina saying "There is three hundred rupees here. Go to the ration shop tomorrow and buy us some food and medicines."
The next day at around noon Moina heads for Ghanshyam's store again. On the way a few women returning from the village well point at her, cover their faces with their pallu and hurry on. Moina increases her pace and moves with her gaze on the ground following the road avoiding looking at any other passersby. At the store Moina finds a line of about twenty odd men and women most of them standing under an umbrella to avoid the mad glare of the sun.
When the villagers spot Moina they start shouting at her "Go back! You belong to the Harijan Samaj with whom you socialize and share your food." Ghanshyam shouts at her
"Stand in the other line. I will first serve the villagers and then come to you outcasts." Moina stood in the scorching sun all afternoon until in the late evening all other villagers had left and only she remained. Ghanshyam signaled her to come forward which she did gingerly until she stopped short of the shadow of Ghanshyam touching her feet. Ghanshyam spoke briskly " Is your order same as yesterday's?"
Moina nodded meekly. Ghanshyam gathered all the stuff and put it in a black plastic bag and dropped it on the ground near Moina's feet. " It will be four hundred rupees."
"But yesterday it was only two hundred? How is it double today?" Moina exclaimed.
" Different rates apply to the untouchables." remarked Ghanshyam.
"I have only three hundred rupees. My husband will die without his medicine. My daughter and husband have not done anything. Punish me if you must but please give me the medicines."
Ghanshyam looked uncomfortable but he persisted "Then leave the ration and take the medicines. That is all you will get for your three hundred! Phah now we are reduced to haggling with these latrine sweepers!"
Moina took the medicines without a single utterance of any protest and headed back home. On the way as she was crossing the boggy marshes she heard a faint cry coming from ahead. She went to investigate and found the village priest was half immersed in mud in the quagmire. When he spotted Moina he exclaimed " Good woman pull me out, give me your hand and I will come out of this stinking hole!"
Moina laughed " Take my hand? Have you not recognized me, I am Moina the Shudra pleaser. Am I not an untouchable to you. Did you not vilify me and my family I front of the entire village?"Even in the dark the paleness of the priest's face was discernable," Oh please Moina, please take me out and I promise I will perform a purifying ceremony to give your caste status back."
Moina gave the drowning priest her hand and pulled him out.
When the priest had recovered and washed his body from the water pump beside the road he came to Moina and blessed her. Moina shrank back and retorted " I do not want your blessings which reeks of hypocrisy. You refuse to stand in my shadow in the morning light but now that you were submerged in blackness you called out to me. I and my family will leave this village and go to the city where the people will not look down upon us. Goodbye!" Saying this Moina stormed away.
In the evening when Moina and her family had gathered around the fire and looked furlong and miserable as they had no ration left there came a soft knock on the door.
Moina adjusted her ghungta and went and opened the door. There were a group of fifteen harijan and their leader standing outside. The leader came forward and handed a bulging bag to Moina as he spoke," Namastey! I am Druva the leader of the untouchables. It is admirable what you did for the shudra beggar and how you defended us to the priests. The whole village applauds your courage and your determination. We have brought you some rice, daal and some groceries as a token of our thanks." Moina was left speechless and next day Manik got a call from his landlord to join back in his work. Payel became very popular at school because of his mother. The shudra and the higher castes became much closer after that day and the priest declared all communities to be equal as their was God in each and every living form.