The Destiny - Part I

The bus going to Shahdol was late today. Nasiban was waiting in the waiting room of the bus stand. Her four-year-old son Musuwa was stubborn to have groundnuts. Probably he was hungry. Nasiban scolded him. She knew that she could reach Shahdol only by evening looking at the situation..

Musuwa was ready quickly, after getting up in the morning, because of his interest in go to Shahdol. He had eaten mutton and pulao in a feast at his maternal grandfather’s house the previous night. All of them watched the movie “Nikah” on TV afterward. The Pakistani actress Salma Agha had played a beautiful role in that movie.

Nasiban could not forget that song ...‘‘दिल के अरमां आंसुओं में बह गए’’( Fond hopes flowed away in tears) of “Nikah “ sung by Salma Agha. What a captivating voice Salma Agha has !!

Only for that reason, Nasiban was interested to see the movie “Nikah”. Abba had no interest in the movie. He had gone to the mosque for Isha (The last prayer of the night) and came very late. Amma made it clear that since there was a program for mutton – pulao today, the question of getting food after Maghrib( the prayer told at sunset) did not arise. Conveniently it may be served only after Isha.

Nasiban had nikah twice but she had not seen the movie “Nikah“earlier. Nasiban had suffered the pains of talaq. So she continued seeing the movie, sobbing. The break for advertisement, in between, made no difference to Nasiban. Mother of Nasiban told her not to cry for the accursed fellow who had given her talaq. She felt that his body would be infected by worms.”Jumman will have a miserable death...He had made the life of my flower-like daughter miserable. Allah will not pardon him”, she said..

Nasiban got relief in the movie when the bridegroom Miyan goes to Kazi begging and crying. He wanted to have the second nikah, if possible, with Salma Agha, after a divorce. Kazi makes him understand that without thinking none should utter the word talaq. Quran Sharif has disapproved talaq. Just then Abba came and started watching the movie. So the movie continued till late at night.

Nasiban was to leave by the first bus in the morning. Amma told Nasiban, as it was too late already she might consider going to Shahdol by the second bus. The second bus was to leave at 8 o'clock in the morning. But Nasiban wanted to go by the first bus. She did not want to reach Shahdol very late. A Panchayat election was to take place there and the road between Manendragarh and Shahdol was in a bad shape. To cover a distance of one hundred and thirty kilometers it took eight to nine hours. The road had potholes which affected the vehicle badly. The whole body used to rattle. Many buses had to be scrapped. For the sake of passengers, the buses were kept plying even in spite of mounting losses.

Musuwa cried for groundnuts and was adamant. Nasiban bought 50 grams of groundnut from a cart vendor. Muhuwa started dancing for getting the groundnuts. In his childlike manner, he started singing. Nasiban’s motherly love was clearly seen in her eyes. She went on peeling the skin and giving the groundnuts to Musuwa. Nasiban loved Musuwa more than her life. Within her limited means, she tried her best to meet the demands of Musuwa. She always thanked Allah profusely. Abba of Musuwa also liked him very much. To become parents at middle age had its own charm. The thoughts of Muhuwa’s Abba made Nasiban uneasy.

 

Nasiban’s second husband Gulzar Khan was a Foreman … aged 55 years,… had a lot of paternal and individual property, but deprived of the happiness of children. He had not thought of a second marriage as long as his first wife was alive. She had died of Malaria. Under pressure from family members, Gulzar Khan had his second nikah with Nasiban, after the death of his first wife. Her aunt had arranged this relationship. She could make the groom’s party agree for the marriage. Gulzar Khan was a Mechanical Foreman in a colliery. A respectable job with B type quarter, and a family to live with. He had a Fridge, TV, washing machine, scooter, etc. The only thing he lacked was children. But Gulzar Khan soon got a child through Nasiban. She was not sterile. Somehow she had not conceived before.

 

The announcer of the bus stand announced through the loudspeaker, “The passengers going to Shahdol may please listen. The bus going from Manendragarh to Shahdol via Bijuri, Kotma, Anuppur, Amlai, Budar is arriving shortly. You are requested to obtain your seat number and ticket from the agent sitting at the counter.”

Nasiban’s nap got disturbed. She asked Musuwa to sit quietly near their luggage so that she may buy the tickets. Musuwa did not agree. Instead, he started crying. Nasiban could not see him cry. So she took him on her shoulder and lifted the luggage on the other hand. She came again to the waiting room for the tickets. There was a woman sitting where she was sitting before. She was a young woman with fair color. Instead of sindoor on her forehead, she had a shining white line-the line of ‘Afshan’ She was a Muslim woman. She had three children with her. Two girls and one boy. The youngest girl child was on the mother’s lap. She was restless due to hunger and needed mother’s milk. The woman was wearing salwar and kameez and so she had difficulty in feeding the child. 

 

Seeing Musuwa eating groundnuts, the four-year-old boy of the woman started crying for groundnuts. The woman managed somehow to feed the child. Nasiban could see her fair skin.

 

Nasiban felt sorry to see the child crying for groundnuts. She asked Muhuwa to give some groundnuts to the boy. Musuwa readily agreed. The woman expressed her gratitude. Both women became friends.

 

Muhuwa was like his father. Gulzar was of the same nature. He may remain hungry but still extend all hospitalities to his guests. Gulzar was a large-hearted person. Nasiban had to come to the maternal house for Eid or else she would not have left Miyan alone anytime. After spending considerable time with him she developed a deep love for Miyan. The first Miyan Jumman was only for namesake. He used to scare Nasiban for everything and expected a lot from her. 

Jumman wanted that his impotence should not be known to the people. He expected Nasiban to produce children by any means. He also expected that she should pay more respect to his blind mother and her useless brother-in-law. Jumman's mother used to taunt Nasiban day and night for her infertility.

Jumman's blind mother made a false allegation against Nasiban before him regarding her cooking and disrespectful behavior with her. She wondered as to what type of magic Nasiban had played to make her son so indifferent.

The brother-in-law played a different tune. He was a dumper driver, for a Seth, carrying sand and stone chips to the village- the loading and unloading of which was done by rejas and coolies. His character was not good. He had illicit connections with rejas which brought bad name for him in the town. For this reason, none was ready to give their daughter in marriage to him. A party came forward whose daughter had some defects. The girl was fat and dark in complexion. She was really ugly. But the brother-in-law was jailed for picking up a fight in rejas’ colony after heavy drinking. The girl’s party thought it to be a blessing in disguise and withdrew. The girl's life was saved from ruin. She was ugly but not of bad character.

END OF PART I

नसीबन 

Anwar Suhail

https://storymirror.com/read/story/hindi/br2zcjqz/nsiibn/detail