Love And Marriage

The rickety bus sped over the dusty road. There had been no rain for the past five months so the mud had become loose. As a result there was dust all around. Ajit was travelling in the bus. He had got a new assignment and for that reason he was traveling to Rampur village. Ajit was a census official in the Ministry of Home affairs. He would stay here in Rampur for a period little over a couple of months and do census work and report daily updates to his reporting office. Ajit was a young man of around thirty years. After lot of hard work, he had got this coveted government job, which every youth in the country is craving for. There is respect and financial stability related with this job. But there is hard work, living in various odd location and conditions with different types of comfort according to the available infrastructure. Ajit, however, was enjoying his work due to it's challenges.

After getting down from the bus, Ajit found a middle aged man standing with a placard bearing his name. Ajit quickly responded and followed the man to his living quarters. This arrangement was made by his office. The man who had escorted Ajit was a peon in his department and his name was Lal. This Lal would take care of all his physical needs, food etc. as long as Ajit stayed in Rampur.

Ajit tried to make himself comfortable according to the available facilities. Lal said, '' Saheb, make yourself comfortable and feel free to call for anything from me, as I shall take care of your needs ''. Then Lal disappeared.

A little later he came back accompanied by a young adolescent girl . '' Saheb, this is my daughter Moti, and I have told her to take good care of your needs. She goes to school and after her school she would be available to you for cooking your food and serving you and running errands for you. I will take of your needs in the evening after office hours.'' Lal continued to give this information as if he was giving a speech.

Moti was dark with bright eyes and an intelligent face. She gave a wide mouth smile to Ajit displaying a white set of teeth. When introduced, Moti folded her hands in obessience. Ajit was quite moved by the presence of this girl. Somehow Moti had a presence that couldn't be ignored. 

Ajit got down to his work at the earliest and could get over the initial inertia sooner that a new surroundings brings with it. 

This assignment was Ajit 's first outside his home. He felt he would miss his home food and warm ambience. But on the contrary, Lal and Moti took such good care that Ajit soon forgot that he was not at home. 

Moti was a good cook and made rural food items quite deftly that was tasty. Ajit enjoyed this rural food which was different from his city fare. 

Moti was the only child of Lal. She had lost her mother when she was barely ten years old. Initially her grandma helped her in the household work. But she picked up the work very fast and now she could feed herself and her father Lal with the fare she cooked. 

Moti was very devoted to the work and served Ajit well. Within a few days, Ajit felt completely at home and never felt of the distance from his home and family. In fact he had stopped going home to his family. 

Due to no replacement, Ajit had to continue at Rampur. After many extension of his tenure it was now almost a couple of years since he first came to Rampur. Within this period he had visited his hometown just couple of times. 

Moti and Ajit were now great friends. Ajit helped Moti with all her studies. He made Maths very interesting for Moti. Very soon Moti completed her matriculation. Her father Lal was very happy with his daughter's progressed. 

Moti always ensured that her master Ajit got his food timely and well served by her piping hot. Ajit fell into this habit of getting spoilt. Their friendship was now the talk of Rampur. Some liked it and some were jealous. Those who liked it because Moti had become very studious and progressing rapidly academically with the influence of Ajit. Others who were jealous were her would be paramours ruing the missed opportunity as Moti was always preoccupied with Ajit. 

There was an undeclared bonding between the two which could be love or could be just plain affection. 

Ajit loved Moti because of her caring and motherly nature. She looked after Ajit like a mother looks after her child. From the time her father had given her the responsibility of taking care of Ajit, Moti had taken it up as her life's only mission. Ajit knowing this liked Moti. Also due to her intelligence. Moti was a good student and Ajit loved teaching her. 

But no one of them expressed the presence of love for each other. Ajit sometimes felt a deep sense of attachment and possessiveness for Moti but couldn't sum up the courage to speak out. Probably this was love because Ajit had never experienced it before. He knew that Moti could not refuse him. So he waited for Moti to 'wake-up' to his love and then he would express it to her and wait for her acknowledgement. 

Then all of a sudden there was an immediate call up from head office and Ajit had to leave within a short time. 

Parting from Moti was very sad. Moti just showed up once and all of a sudden touched Ajit's feet and rushed away inside wiping her eyes. Ajit was unable to speak choked with intense emotion. Lal helped Ajit with his luggage and soon he was on his way. Hardly did Ajit know that he would be able to see Moti again. Ajit was welcomed by his head office with a promotion. Soon he plunged into his new work and slowly Moti became just a speck in the distant horizon of his memory. 

Some years later, Ajit now a senior official in his department, a director by position had an opportunity to visit Rampur with a team of officials. 

Lal was now retired. Bansi who was now working in place of Lal offered to take Ajit to meet Lal at his house. 

At Lal's house it was a happy reunion of Ajit with his previous subordinate. Ajit embraced Lal and sat down in the humble settings of the house. Ajit wanted to enquire about Moti but found his voice choked with emotion. 

Then all of a sudden came out Moti. She was now dressed in a saree and part of her saree covered her head. She was accompanied by a little girl. Ajit looked in bewilderment. Looking at the surprise on Ajit 's face, Lal explained that soon after he had left, Lal was compelled to marry off Moti looking into the insecurity of keeping an unmarried young girl at home. 

But tragedy struck Moti as her husband died in an accident soon after birth of their daughter. 

Ajit who now summed up courage asked permission from Lal, for marrying Moti. He vowed to look after her and her daughter. Ajit had so much of work and Moti on his mind that he had not married. Moti's facial impression Ajit could not gauge but he could make out that she was more than happy. Love had found its true colours in the end with the proposal of marriage.