Kumu went in to make the drink properly.
Bipradas asked anxiously, ‘Tell me the news, Kaluda.’
‘No one is willing to lend money on your signature alone. They want Subodh’s as well. Some rich Marwaris may be willing but that would be speculative, and the exorbitant interest demanded would be beyond us to pay.’
‘Kaluda, maybe we should wire Subodh to come. Time is running out.’
‘I too am uneasy. The other day when I went to Madhusudan with the money from the sale of your ring, in part payment of the loan, he refused to accept it. I knew then that things were not going to be smooth. One day, at his own convenience, he will suddenly tighten the noose.’
Bipradas started thinking seriously.
Kalu said, ‘How did our Little Sister come home suddenly? Hope it is not out of pique with Madhusudan. We must remember that we are in no position to annoy him.’
‘She says she has got his permission.’
‘I won’t rest till we know the nature of this so-called permission. I can’t tell you Dada, how careful I have to be in dealing with him. Even when my blood boiled I bore everything coolly, like the Everest where the ice does not melt even at high noon. He is not only our creditor but also a brother-in-law. To manage him is no mean task.’
Bipradas continued to be deep in his thoughts.
Kumu came in with the barley-water, held the cup close to his lips and ordered him to drink up.
Bipradas woke up from his reverie. Kumu realized that he was immersed in some deep problem.
She followed Kalu out to the veranda and said, ‘Kaluda, you must tell me everything.’
‘What do I have to tell you, Didi?’
‘Something is bothering you two. What is it?’
‘If you have property, you can’t escape problems, Little Sister. It is like a fruit on a tree full of thorns, when you are hungry you have to pluck the fruit but you also scratch yourself all over.’
‘Cut it out and tell me whatever is happening.’
‘One does not share business details with women.’
‘I know for certain what you’ve been talking about. Shall I tell you?’
‘All right, tell me.’
‘It was about the loan Dada has taken from my husband.’
Kalu did not reply but looked at her with an amused smile, his big eyes wide in amazement.
‘You must tell me if I am right.’
‘Like brother like sister, quick on the uptake!’
On the first day after the wedding, when Madhusudan had flaunted being Bipradas’s creditor it had become clear to Kumu that their relationship was not honourable. She had wished every day for it to end. She had no doubt that Bipradas was deeply wounded. When Nabin explained her brother’s letter that night she knew immediately that at the root of all this there was this relationship between the creditor and the debtor. It was clear to her now why her brother was not able shake off his illness and what the urgent work was that had brought him to Kolkata.
‘Kaluda, please don’t hide anything from me. Dada has come to raise another loan.’
‘Well, one has to borrow in order to repay. Money does not fall from the skies. In any case it is not a good thing to have in-laws as creditors.’
‘That’s right, but have you been able to arrange it?’
‘I am going round looking for it. Something will turn up. Not to worry.’
‘I can see you have not been successful.’
‘So Little One, if you know so much then why ask me? When you were small you pulled my moustache once and asked me how it grew. I said I sowed seeds of it in time. The matter ended there. But if I had to answer that same question now I’d have to get hold of a medical man. It is nowhere laid down that you have to be told everything in full.’
‘I am telling you Kaluda, I have to know everything about my Dada.’
‘Including how he grew his moustache?’
‘You can’t change the topic in this manner. I could tell from his face that you could not arrange the money.’
‘Even if that be so, what good is that knowledge to you?’
‘I can’t tell, but I must know. You have not got a loan?’
‘No, I have not.’
‘It won’t be easy?’
‘I shall get it no doubt but yes, it won’t be easy. But it might be more useful for me to go in search of money than try to answer all your questions. So long then.’
He then retraced his few steps and said, ‘Little One, tell me frankly, there is no ugly hitch behind you coming here today?’
‘I don’t know for certain if there is or not.’
‘Did you get your husband’s consent?’
‘He gave it without my asking for it.’
‘Out of anger?’
‘I am not sure of that either. He has said that I need not go back till I am sent for.’
‘That is neither here nor there.You go back before that. On your own.’
‘But that will be going against his orders.’
‘We will take care of that.’
Kumu could not help thinking that she was the cause of all this trouble her brother was facing. She felt like hitting herself; hitting herself very hard. She had heard of sadhus who could lie on a bed of nails. She was willing to do that if it helped in any way. If some holy person showed her the right path she would be his slave for life. There must be such a person, but how to trace him? Were she not a woman she was sure to have found a way out. But what was the other brother—Mejdada—doing? How could he live in peace in England leaving all the burden on Dada’s shoulders?
Kumu came back to the room to find Bipradas lying down quietly, looking at the ceiling. How could he ever get well like this? She felt like banging her head at the door of their hostile Fate.
She sat on his bed stroking his hair and asked, ‘When will Mejdada come?’
‘I really don’t know.’
‘Why don’t you write and ask him to come?’
‘Tell me why I should.’
‘How can you carry all the burden of this household on your own?’
‘The world consists of two sets of people, one has all the demands and the other all the responsibilities. I have chosen the latter as my role, I don’t want to give it to anyone else.’
‘If I were a man, I’d have forced it off you.’
‘Then you admit there is some attraction for taking on the onus, and because you can’t do it yourself you want to have the vicarious pleasure of having your Mejdada taking it on. Why should I not be the one?’
‘Dada, are you here to raise a loan?’
‘How did you guess?’
‘From the look on your face. Can I be of no help whatever?’
‘How?’
‘Such as putting my signature on some documents. Is my signature of no value at all?’
‘It is of great value, but only to us, not to the banker.’
‘I beg of you, please tell me something that I can do.’
‘Darling sister, be calm, wait patiently, remember that is also of great importance in the world. To keep your head cool in a crisis is as important as it is to keep your boat steady in the face of a storm. Go bring my esraj and play for me a little.’
‘Dada, I am dying to do something.’
‘Does playing this instrument count for nothing?’
‘I wish to do something challenging.’
‘I think it is harder playing the esraj than signing your name on a legal document. Go and get the instrument.’
48
LIKE EVERYONE ELSE IN THE HOUSE, SHYAMASUNDARI TOO WAS AFRAID OF Madhusudan. But she sensed that there were occasions when he softened towards her. However, she could not figure out where and when to cross the fence and get closer to him. For so long she had groped in the dark and tried but had so far always met with a rebuff. Madhusudan was then building up his business assiduously. Women to him were trivial compared to the pursuit of wealth. His dismissal of their species made w
omen particularly frightened of him. But even such fear has its own attraction. Shyama always hovered around him with a trembling heart and a thin veil of hesitancy. In some unguarded moments he had indulged her; but those were the most dangerous moments. Because, these would be soon followed by contrary behaviour on his part in an effort to prove that the place of women in his life was beneath contempt. That is why Shyama had kept herself in check so far.
After his marriage she could bear it no longer. If Madhusudan had spurned Kumu like he did the other women she could have borne it. Somehow. But when she saw that he could also lower his defences and go blindly frantic about a woman, it then became difficult for her to observe restraint. The last few days she tried to advance every now and then and found that it was permitted. Sometimes there were some obstacles but those also could be overcome. Madhusudan’s weakness was now exposed, so Shyama could no longer contain her patience. He had never been so close to her as he was the night before Kumu left. She was afraid of the usual backlash; but she was wise to the fact that if she were not diffident herself there was nothing to fear.
Madhusudan had left the house in the morning and came home after one in the night. For a long time he had never had this kind of disorder in his daily routine. Today he came home extremely tired and the first thing that came to his mind was that Kumu had left for her home—and willingly. So far he had been sufficient in himself, but somewhere he had let himself go and the desire for a woman’s love in times of distress, which lay dormant in him, was awakened now. That is why he was so upset at Kumu’s absence. Tonight Shyama had deliberately not come to attend his meal as she usually did. Madhusudan came to his empty bedroom, and sat quietly for a while. Then he sent for Shyama. She came wrapped in a red English woollen shawl and stood looking at the floor. Madhusudan called her, ‘Come and sit here by my side.’
She sat near his head and said, stroking his head, ‘You look very tired today.’ He said, ‘Ah , your touch is so cool.’
At night, when he went to bed, Shyama entered the room unasked and said, ‘Poor you! All by yourself!’
Shyamasundari was now bold enough to do away with any more pretence. She was anxious to establish her claim with everyone as witness. There was no time to waste. Kumu might come back any day. Her possession must be complete before that happened. If the possession was public it would be more compelling, therefore there was no room for coyness.
Very soon, even the servants became aware of the situation. The long-suppressed fire of passion in Madhusudan came out in the open with vehemence without caring for anybody. Concupiscence had made its appearance rather crudely in this household.
Nabin and Motir-ma knew that once this floodgate was opened it could not be dammed.
‘Should we not call Didi back? It is not safe to wait too long,’ said Motir-ma.
‘I was thinking on the same lines, but we can’t move without Dada’s orders. Let me try.’
When he came to see Madhusudan and find a pretext to broach the topic, he found him ready to start out and the carriage waiting for him.
He asked, ‘Are you going somewhere?’
Madhusudan answered a bit sheepishly, ‘Yes, to that astrologer Venkat Swami.’
He wanted to hide his weakness from Nabin, but thought it might be useful to take him along. He said to Nabin, ‘Do come with me.’
Nabin was scared. He said carefully, ‘Let me first find out if he is at home. He was supposed to have gone to his village.’
‘Let us go and find out then.’
As soon as they reached the astrologer’s house, Nabin got off, peeped into the house and said, ‘There does not seem to be anybody at home.’
But that very moment Venkat Swami came out of the door chewing a stick of neem commonly used as a toothbrush. Nabin quickly went and touched his feet whispering, ‘Be very careful in what you say.’
They went and sat in that same dingy room. Nabin sat behind Madhusudan and spoke out before Madhusudan could say anything.
‘Shashtriji, the Maharaj is going through very bad times, please tell us how to propitiate his stars.’
Madhusudan was annoyed at Nabin’s blurting out of his affairs. He pinched Nabin’s thigh hard.
Venkat Swami cast Madhusudan’s horoscope and showed him clearly that Saturn was casting evil eyes at his house of wealth.
Knowing the name of the star was of little help because it was difficult to contend with them. Of more use would be the identity of the people who were bringing him misfortune. Their names had to be found to whichever letter of the alphabet they might belong. The problem with Nabin was that he was totally in the dark about Madhusudan’s office affairs so he was unable give signals to the man.
Venkat Swami meanwhile was reciting some verses from the Sanskrit primer Mugdhabodh and stealing furtive looks at his client. The old Bhrigu manuscripts must have been totally silent about modern-day names. Suddenly the Shashtri said loudly, ‘The enmity comes from a woman.’
Nabin heaved a sigh of relief. If he could now somehow establish that the woman in question was none other than Shyamasundari there would be nothing to worry about Madhusudan, who was hankering after a name. The Shashtri then started with the alphabets serially, the first series started with ‘ka’. As he uttered it he pretended to listen intently to the invisible sage Bhrigumuni, keeping an eye on Madhusudan at the same time. The letter ‘ka’ startled Madhusudan a little. Nabin was shaking his head vigorously to indicate that it was wrong. But the poor fellow was totally unaware that such shaking of the head both ways meant exactly the opposite of dissent in the south of Indian—where Shashtri came from. Venkat Swami was now certain. He raised his voice to say ‘ka’ once more. He had also guessed as much from Madhusudan’s facial reaction. So he elaborated it by way of explanation that all his misfortune lay in the letter ‘ka’ which also starts the Sanskrit prefix ‘ku’ which is used to qualify all things evil.
After this explanation Madhusudan did not insist on knowing the full name (he had probably made up his mind that Kumu was the person concerned) but asked, ‘What is the remedy?’
Venkat Swami gravely repeated a Sanskrit adage ‘kantake-naiba kantakam’ (a thorn must be taken out with another sharp one)—that was to say another woman would come to the rescue.
Madhusudan was taken aback. Venkat Swami was a good student of human psychology.
Nabin intervened, ‘Swamiji, please let us know if Maharaj’s horse won in the races.’
Venkat Swami knew as a rule that most horses lost. So he pretended to do some calculations and declared, ‘I see only losses.’
It so happened that Madhusudan’s horse had actually won a big event only recently. Before he could say anything, Nabin with a long face asked again, ‘Swamiji, what is the future for my daughter?’ Needless to say Nabin had no daughter.
Venkat Swami guessed that Nabin must be looking for a match, and judging from Nabin’s looks knew her to be no beauteous damsel. So he said, ‘It won’t be easy to find a match for her. Dowry will cost a lot.’
Without giving Madhusudan any chance to intervene, Nabin fielded ten or twelve random questions and elicited strange answers to them. Then he got up and announced, ‘Dada, we have had enough. Let us go.’
In the carriage he said, ‘Dada, it’s all a hoax. The charlatan!’
‘But the other day he . . .’
‘He must have had prior information.’
‘But how could he know about my visit?’
‘It is all my fault. I am sorry I brought you to him.’
Despite all the evidence of the astrologer’s cheating, the affair of the letter ‘ka’ stuck in Madhusudan’s mind. He concluded that stars may give random answers to odd questions but were perhaps right about the major one. Madhusudan never expected a reverse turn in his fortunes, but it did happen at the same time as his marriage. What more evidence was needed?
Nabin slowly spoke, ‘Dada, it is already about a couple of weeks, shall we get Bourani back home?’
>
‘Why, what’s the hurry? Let me tell you once and for all, do not raise this topic with me ever. I shall ask for her whenever I so wish.’
Nabin took it as the final word on the subject. Still he took courage to ask, ‘May Motir-ma go and see her?’
Madhusudan gave this no importance and briefly said, ‘Let her.’
49
BIPRADAS WAS ALL ATTENTION; HE PUSHED A CHAIR FORWARD AND WELCOMED Nabin to sit.
Nabin said, ‘Maybe you have not placed me.You take me to be a spoilt child of the Raja’s family; but I am the humblest servant of one who happens to be your younger sister. If you show me so much respect you will only deprive me of my blessings. But what have you done to yourself, you are a shadow of your old self!’
‘It is good to be reminded sometimes that our body is but a shadow without substance. It helps one to be prepared for the last lesson,’ said Bipradas.
Kumu entered and asked Nabin to go with her and have something to eat.
Nabin said, ‘I shall come with you on one condition, and until that is fulfilled this Brahmin will fast on your doorstep.’
‘May I know what the condition is?’
‘I had made this request once before when you were in our house, but I could not find much encouragement there. You must let your admirer have a portrait of yours. You had said then that you did not have one with you, but you can’t have that excuse here. I see one right in front, in your brother’s room.’
It is rarely that a good portrait is achieved. This picture of Kumu’s was composed in one of those rare moments. It had the right light on her forehead which reflected the quality of her mind on her face. There was the glow of clear intelligence on her temple and her eyes had the deep tenderness of innocence. Her beautiful right hand was resting on the arm of an empty chair. It seemed she had stopped in her tracks, staring at a glimpse of her own future.
She had not noticed this photograph of hers.The day before her wedding her brother had called a professional from Kolkata and had this picture taken. Her heart melted at the thought that he had put it up in his own bedroom. There would be copies available with the photographer. Kumu looked at her brother for confirmation. Nabin said, ‘You see Bipradas Babu, Bourani is agreeable. Look at her eyes. She has a soft corner for me precisely because I am so worthless.’
The Tagore Omnibus, Volume One Page 71
