CK Kalpana

Drama Tragedy

4.6  

CK Kalpana

Drama Tragedy

The Pot Lies Broken!

The Pot Lies Broken!

4 mins
710


Her sturdy earthen pot was ready. She went the river and filled it to the Brim. She started her journey back home planning how to complete the remaining chores.

Jaya was married to a Government servant, carried out her daily duties like any other housewife. Asha is her last baby, a darling of her parents, her elder brothers and her elder sister. Though a sickly child during her childhood, she blossomed into a pretty young girl.

“Oh God! Where did this stone come from”, she exclaimed as she tripped and fell. The pot fell and broke into two pieces spilling all the water around. She brought another pot, filled it up and again and started walking.

Without notice her husband died and Jaya was left with mouths to feed. Her first daughter, got her father’s, job and supported the family. Life went on... Jaya did odd jobs to augment her daughters’ earnings. Many struggling years later the four children got married. They went their ways, but none of them did well financially.

Asha, by quirk of fate was married into a very orthodox family. She lived only in the kitchen all through the day and got to relax only few hours at night.

She tripped over a pebble but balanced herself and walked on towards her destination.

Asha was blessed with two beautiful daughters Sita and Gita. They were not treated on par with their aunt’s children in the big joint family, but their father doted on them. Then, an incident turned the life of Asha & co. on its head.

Lost in her thoughts she fell off a small cliff and bruised her legs badly. Needless to say this pot broke too. She counted up to 5 pieces...

When the younger one was two, Asha’s husband died in a tragic accident.

Asha went numb, literally! Being brought up in domesticity, she could not adjust to reality for many many months.

She hoisted herself up the cliff with great difficulty, rubbed her hands and legs and retraced her steps back to the potter for another pot.

Ashas’ In-laws took no responsibility of her and her kids. Jaya took upon herself, at age 60, the job to look after them and give them moral support. Meanwhile the Husband’s employer offered a job to Asha in line with her minimal educational qualification. She became a peon.

The depressive air around Asha moved up slowly, but left traces in form of fear for the unknown. The second girl had a serious health issue and hospital stays and visits took place quite often.

Life was full of day-to-day struggles life rolled on in spite of it all……

The Pot balanced gingerly on her head, she moved on. She admired the beautiful flowers and greenery along the way. Without warning a goat hit her with its horns, crashing both her and her new pot.

The girls, Sita and Gita grew up without any male support and completed their education. A marriage proposal from a good family looked like a Silver Lining after so many struggles. A grand marriage ensured. Sita and her husband were supposed to shift to US in few months.

All that glitters is Gold?!? Dowry the ugly word haunted the family now. Sita came back home unable to bear the physical and mental torture she endured for 2 years. She ruminated on the situation for two days and decided that her End would End the troubles for the family!

The Grandmother, now aged 80, wondered what to do next.

She carried the pot as far as she could. Now the destination was visible, but her legs gave away. She handed the pot to the next on the line and rested. Forever!

Life went on, Asha retired. She had some retirement funds now. One of her relatives came forward to marry her daughter Sita. Jaya’s joy new no bounds. She felt free of all responsibilities and died quietly in her sleep.

Balancing without support was difficult for the new lady and she fell at the next hurdle breaking the pot into million pieces.

Fate of some goes only in one direction. The marriage broke-off and they even lost most of the retirement funds due to bad financial planning. Both Asha and Gita were back to their familiar territory.

The Potter is getting a new order today and the Journey will began again. From the starting point! Will the pot ever reach its destination? God only knows! Or is He only making Pots?


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