The Rule Breakers

by Preeti Shenoy

  Kailash Mandir Colony, Pune

  ‘Look, Bhuwan, you do realise that there is no future in this for us and staying together would only be a meaningless charade to please society, don’t you?’ asked Veda, as she took a sip of the lime juice they had ordered.

  It had been three weeks since Veda had walked out of Sankalp with Kanika and Ron. Every single day since then, when Bhuwan came back from work, Veda and he had sat late into the night talking about this. Today, they had decided to meet at a restaurant near Bhuwan’s office.

  ‘Yes, Veda. We have discussed this so many times over the past three weeks. We have talked about it every single day. I do realise it. I know I have to. But this is not easy for me. I don’t know how to,’ he sighed.

  These days, he came back home early. It was as if he was trying to compensate for the past few months. Now that there was no pretence between them anymore, they had become friends, and Veda discovered that Bhuwan was scared.

  ‘Then better to do it soon, isn’t it? You are not making it easier by putting this off,’ Veda reasoned with him.

  ‘Vikki also tells me the same thing. He says it’s best to get it over with.’

  ‘Bhuwan, it’s like peeling off a band-aid. It will hurt, but that does not mean you keep the band-aid on forever.’

  ‘Ha! Bad analogy, Veda! But yes, I get your point, I will do it soon.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Bhuwan, and took a deep breath.

  Ever since Veda had quit Sankalp, Bhuwan could see a change in her. He sensed a fire raging within her, a kind of steely determination, an inner strength that he had never seen before. He had felt in awe of her, when he heard how she had told off the inquiry committee and how she had walked out.

  Veda, Kanika and Ron had met almost every day, since that day. They met in the evenings at Ron’s apartment. They did not feel like going to restaurants like they used to earlier. Ron was clear about one thing. He would write to the Carman Foundation and tell them exactly what had happened.

  ‘Do you think they will believe your report? Aparna too will be writing to them, won’t she?’ Kanika asked.

  ‘Yes, but I think I am a bit more closely connected to them than Aparna is,’ said Ron.

  They had been talking almost daily about starting their own school. They discussed their ideal school, what they would teach, what was lacking in the education system, how they could bridge those gaps and how they could make learning more fun. It was their favourite topic, apart from cribbing about how unfairly they had been treated.

  ‘The more I think about it, the more I am convinced we should,’ said Kanika.

  ‘I agree. There’s nothing like being in charge of your own place,’ Ron said.

  ‘You know, I have a friend who is a real estate agent. I casually mentioned to him that I might start a school and he showed me the perfect place to start one, can you believe it?’ Kanika said.

  ‘What? What do you mean the perfect place? And have you been secretly going and looking at spaces without telling us?’ Veda asked, smiling.

  ‘Yes! I have,’ Kanika smiled back. ‘It is an old family home. It is a beautiful, old, two-storey structure, not far from here. I have been secretly dreaming of it. But I don’t know how you two will feel about it. I mean—it’s an old building. It has a large compound, though. It belongs to a banker’s family but no one lives there now. The entire family has settled abroad. Since it is an ancestral property, it just stands there unoccupied, and they don’t know what to do with it. My real estate agent friend said that if we are very keen, he can easily get it for us, as he knows the current owners well. He apparently went to the same school as them. I just have to say the word, and it is done.’

  ‘And you tell us now! Why haven’t we looked at it already?’ asked Ron.

  The doorbell rang just then. When Ron answered it, he was surprised to see Kajol. Jadhav was standing next to her.

  ‘Bhaiya, good evening. He wanted to see you,’ said Kajol.

  ‘Oh! Come in, please,’ said Ron, a bit stiffly.

  He did not know what Jadhav wanted. He had not seen him since the day he had led the mob to Sankalp. Did he want money now? Why had Kajol brought him here? When Veda and Kanika saw who it was, these questions immediately ran through their heads as well, and they were instantly on guard. This man had caused enough trouble for them, and now he had turned up at Ron’s house. What in the world was Kajol doing, bringing him here?

  Jadhav carefully removed his shoes and walked in behind Kajol.

  ‘Namaste, sirji. Namaste, madamji,’ he greeted them, bringing his palms together.

  ‘Please sit down,’ said Ron.

  Jadhav sat on the edge of the sofa. He looked uncomfortable, as if he would get up and run in an instant. He sat with his head bowed.

  ‘Namaste Jadhav, what brings you here?’ Kanika asked in Hindi.

  ‘Madamji, I came to apologise. I am extremely sorry. Please forgive me,’ he said. He sat there looking down, refusing to look up.

  ‘Why? What happened?’ asked Ron, genuinely puzzled. He understood that Jadhav was apologetic.

  ‘Please tell sir that I will return the money,’ said Jadhav.

  ‘What money, Jadhav? I don’t understand,’ Kanika said.

  ‘Madamji. Sirji is so kind-hearted. I was wrong in what I had presumed. When I heard Sanju that day in the hospital, I jumped to conclusions. I . . . I also believed everything Rajaram said. I got carried away,’ he said. ‘Kajol here. . . Well, Kajol told me the truth about Sanju. I know now that you paid the money out of your pocket so that I should not suffer a loss. And in return, I led those people there and complained against you all. Please, you can punish me any way you like. I am ready to do anything you say. I am sorry.’ His voice was full of remorse.

  Ron, Veda and Kanika stared at him in surprise. They hadn’t expected this. Sanju’s father had come to apologise to them, despite his tragic loss. This fact slowly sank in, and they sat there, not knowing what to say. It was Kanika who recovered her composure first.

  ‘Jadhav—what has happened, has happened. It is okay. We have now quit,’ Kanika told him.

  ‘Sorry, madamji. Can’t you please tell Aparna madam to take you back? Our children—they want to start the classes with you. They miss Sankalp. They keep asking when Sankalp will start, and when the classes will resume. I have come here to request you. My Sanju will never get to attend these classes, but at least the other children of Sitawadi can. You were all doing a good job, madamji. The children miss the summer camp very much. I can talk to Aparna madam, if you like,’ he said.

  ‘The important thing here is that you know the truth now. That is what matters. I am glad you don’t believe that ridiculous story about us asking Sanju to buy question papers so we could make money off it,’ Veda said.

  ‘Yes, madamji. Please forgive me for even thinking like that,’ Jadhav said. He was genuinely remorseful.

  ‘It wasn’t your fault at all,’ Ron assured him.

  Kajol had a triumphant look on her face.

  ‘Didi, I gathered the courage to tell Sanju’s father the truth,’ she said.

  ‘Yes, you did! We are all very proud of you, Kajol,’ Ron said.

  ‘Yes, Kajol. You know, it is so important to speak up for what you believe in,’ Veda said. It was a lesson she had learnt the hard way.

  Kajol revelled in the praise.

  In the last week of May, the results of the board exams were declared. Ron, Kanika, Veda and Kajol had been waiting with bated breath ever since they got to know the date on which the results would be announced. On the day, Kanika, Veda and Ron went to the school, as they couldn’t bear the thought of waiting at home. They wanted to be there when the results were announced. The school was a single-storey building with just a few classrooms, one next to the other. It was a school with very basic amenities.

  Kajol, Sharan and all the other students of Sankalp who had given the examinations were present there.


  As soon as they saw Kanika, Veda and Ron, they rushed towards them.

  ‘When can we come to Sankalp, bhaiya?’ they asked Ron.

  ‘I don’t know. I don’t have an answer to that,’ replied Ron.

  ‘Please didi . . . please bhaiya, start Sankalp again,’ they pleaded.

  ‘We will see,’ Kanika said.

  ‘Didi—we will go and talk to Aparna didi,’ Sharan said.

  Kanika and Veda simply nodded at their enthusiasm. Veda’s heart was heavy. She missed Sanju. She knew Ron and Kanika were remembering Sanju too. It was what they had talked about on the way to the school.

  Just then, an old man, a peon, walked out of the office room of the school with sheets of papers in his hand. He walked to the noticeboard and pinned up the results.

  ‘Accha result haaaaaai,’ he said loudly and grinned. His front tooth was missing and he waved his hands in the air as he slowly walked away.

  A roar of excitement went through the crowd of children who had been waiting. They rushed to the noticeboard and craned their necks to see the results that had been pinned up.

  Veda was reminded of her own college results. A few months ago, it was she who had been standing like this at her college noticeboard. It seemed like aeons ago. There was such a lot that had changed since then.

  As each child came to see their marks, they shouted in glee, and rushed to Kanika to tell her how much they had scored. Kanika made a note of each child’s aggregate percentage in her diary.

  At last she got the names and the marks of all the children.

  ‘I don’t believe this,’ she said.

  ‘What?’ asked Ron, his forehead crinkling with worry. What not to believe?

  ‘We have achieved cent per cent results! Hooray!’ Kanika said.

  ‘YAY!’ shouted Veda.

  ‘Oh, good lord! You had me worried for a moment,’ said Ron.

  Kanika and Veda hugged each other.

  ‘We did it, Veda, we did it,’ said Kanika.

  ‘Come here, let me give you both a hug,’ said Ron, as he hugged both of them at the same time.

  Later, when they were walking back, Veda said sadly, ‘You know what the irony is here? If Sanju was alive, we would probably not have got cent per cent results. He would have not cleared the exams.’

  Kanika and Ron nodded.

  They knew it was true.

  As the days passed, living with Bhuwan and pretending things were fine was becoming increasingly hard for Veda. Bhuwan still had not told Padma Devi the truth.

  Veda declared that if he didn’t tell her, she would.

  ‘Also, I have to tell my parents, Bhuwan. I think I should make a trip to Joshimath soon. Do you know, I have not gone back there after marriage?’

  ‘I know Veda—and that was my fault. Your parents invited us for the first Diwali after marriage, and for so many other occasions. But I kept making excuses. And now . . . now I can’t even face them,’ said Bhuwan.

  ‘I’ll tell you what, Bhuwan—let me make a trip back home. I will speak to my parents, and you tell your mother, okay?’

  Bhuwan thought about this and finally nodded. That was the best way to do it. If Veda was not around, it would make it less awkward, he thought. Vikki had said that he would be present with Bhuwan when he spoke to his mother, if he wished. He wanted Bhuwan to be with him when he told his parents.

  ‘Yes, Veda. I shall book your flight tickets for you. You know, Vikki said he would be with me when I tell my mother. And he intends telling his parents too,’ Bhuwan told her.

  ‘That’s good, Bhuwan. And I think I shall surprise my parents. Don’t tell them I am coming,’ said Veda.

  Padma Devi was surprised when she heard that Veda was going home alone. Bhuwan told her that Veda’s father had wanted her to come over for a few days as it had been more than a year since she had gone home. He said he couldn’t take time off from work, and hence he was sending Veda on her own.

  ‘For how many days will you be gone, beti?’ Padma Devi asked Veda.

  ‘Let’s see. Bhuwan will let you know,’ Veda replied, as she smiled at Bhuwan.

  Bhuwan gave her a squeamish, uncomfortable look in return.

  Veda was excited to be going back to Joshimath. What a big surprise it would be for everyone back home. On the way to the airport, Veda thought about Suraj. In comparison to the problem of discovering Bhuwan’s sexuality, and the aftermath of the showdown with the inquiry committee, Suraj—and her relationship with him—now seemed trivial to Veda. She thought about how the problems we face are only relative in nature, to one another. When we have a problem, it seems big and important. But when we face a bigger problem, the one we faced earlier seems so silly. That was how she felt. Things had changed such a lot in the last few weeks.

  It was dusk when Veda arrived at her home in Joshimath in a taxi. The brilliant crimson of the sunset filled the sky. The cedar, deodar and the pines swayed in the cool mountain breeze. Veda felt they were dancing to welcome her. She was elated to be back home. She stepped out of the taxi, took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. She spotted a lone eagle soaring high.

  Her arrival caused an excited commotion in her home. It was Ani who first saw her.

  ‘Veda didi?’ he asked, unsure for a moment.

  She smiled.

  The next moment, he yelled, ‘VEDA DIDI IS HERE. VEDA DIDI IS HERE!’ and he rushed to her to give her a hug. Veda stumbled when Ani threw himself at her, hugging her tight. Ani had grown stronger and taller.

  One by one, everyone in her family came out of the house to welcome her—her mother, Vidya, Rudra kaka, Paro didi, Vaish, Vandu and, lastly, her father.

  Vidya ran towards her and hugged her so tightly that Veda could barely breathe.

  ‘Oh, didi—so suddenly, how come?’ she asked, overjoyed to see her sister.

  Then they all hugged her one by one, exclaiming in happiness, asking many questions all at once.

  Her father stood in the background and he patted her on the shoulder as she walked in with her suitcase.

  ‘Bhuwan hasn’t come. Is everything okay?’ he asked, frowning.

  Her father was a sharp man, and he had known almost immediately that there was something amiss.

  ‘Umm, let’s talk inside, Papa,’ she said.

  ‘What happened, beti?’ asked her mother.

  ‘I think we need to talk—just you, Papa, Vidya, and me. I have something to say. I don’t want to talk in front of the others. It’s not a suitable topic for them,’ said Veda.

  They sat in their parents’ bedroom, and Veda talked. She talked about everything that had taken place ever since she had left home. She talked and talked, and her parents and Vidya listened. She told them about how her mother-in-law had treated her, how she thought her world had ended when she had failed in her exams, how she had met Kanika, about Sankalp, about Sanju, Kajol and Ron, Aparna, the inquiry committee. They nodded, listening in rapt attention. She left out the bits about Suraj. She did not want to tell them that.

  ‘Vidya knew some of this. But what I am going to tell you now, even Vidya does not know,’ Veda continued.

  Then she told them about how she had discovered the magazines, the photograph and the card.

  Her father sat in shocked silence. Her mother gasped. ‘Hai Ram!’ she said, as she hit her forehead with her palm.

  Vidya’s jaw dropped in surprise.

  ‘Look, Papa, there are no two ways about this. Bhuwan and I have decided that this marriage cannot go on. He will be telling his mother about it.’

  Rajinder’s face was grim. He could not believe what he was hearing. How was this even possible!

  ‘You should have tried harder to keep him happy,’ Rajinder said finally.

  Veda could not believe what she had just heard.

  ‘How is it my fault, Papa?’ she asked.

  ‘If you had taken enough care of him and kept him satisfied, I don’t think any of this would have happened. You should have h
ad a child and everything would have been okay. We wouldn’t have had to face this situation then,’ Rajinder pursed his lips as he looked away.

  ‘Papa, he was like this long before he met me. And you are wrong—having a child wouldn’t have solved anything. In any case, we could never have had a child,’ Veda said. She did not know how else to explain her non-existent sex life to her father.

  ‘Oh, beti! If you leave him, where will you go? Will you come back here?’ asked her mother.

  ‘I don’t know yet, Ma. I don’t have an action-plan as of now. Bhuwan is not a bad person. And it is not like I cannot stay there. I will figure it out eventually,’ she said.

  Then she turned towards her father. ‘Papa, I know you mean well and you want the best for your daughters. But with your other daughters, please do not make the mistake you made with me. When it came to my marriage, it was you who insisted and I did not have the courage to refuse you or Ma. Please do not force Vidya to get married. Do not force Vaish or Vandu. I had a dream not a long time ago, Papa. I wanted to be a college lecturer. I wanted to study in Delhi. You never let me go. You clipped my wings. If there is one thing that you can do for your daughters, it is to give them a strong education and make them independent. That is the only way you will be doing what is best for them. Teach them to fly, Papa. Please don’t do to them what you did to me. This is a request.’ Her voice was full of anguish and sincerity. It was a heartfelt plea from her.

  Rajinder looked away. He had no idea of the amount of pain she had been through. He had never seen it from her perspective. Deep down, he knew he was being silly when he blamed her for her failed marriage. He had only seen it his way—the way that his father and grandfather had seen it. Now, listening to Veda speak, he thought about the one-sided view he had held until now. Veda speaking up and begging him like this struck a deep chord in him.

  There was a lump in his throat as he heard his eldest daughter’s words. They rang true and clear. His eyes filled. He turned to look out of the window and blinked the tears away.

  He put a hand on Veda’s head and said, ‘God bless you, beti.’ He stood up and walked out, leaving the others staring after him.