by Premchand
‘So now you are displaying your knowledge of the law. If you had begged and pleaded I might have allowed you to stay, but now I shan’t have a moment’s peace until I’ve turned you out.’ (To the servants.) ‘Go now and set fire to the heap of leaves. Let’s see how she ignites the oven.’
‘Today we’re offering puja to the deity. Let me light the oven. Do whatever you want tomorrow.’
‘You think there’s only your oven in the world? Other villages too have ovens.’
4
In an instant sparks began to fly and the flames rose up to touch the sky. They also began to spread on all sides. The villagers gathered and stood around that mountain of fire. Bhungi was sitting dejectedly near the oven and watching the heart-rending scene. No one knew what thoughts ran through her mind. Such anger against me! All because of this hapless belly. A curse on such a life! Who’s there to call my own that I should bear with all this just to remain alive? What support do I have now? The oven lies smashed. The leaves have turned to ash. Shall I now resort to begging to fill my belly? I have lived most of my life without stretching my hand before anyone. Shall I now live to be pushed around as today? These thoughts brought tears to her eyes. She was overcome by her helplessness and longing. She felt dizzy. Suddenly she ran and jumped into the fire. People came running from all directions but nobody showed the courage to go into the mouth of fire. Thakur was sitting on his horse and watching the scene. The moment Bhungi entered the fire he jumped like lightning from his horse and in an instant entered the flames. The crowd was stunned and stood there with bated breath. In no time Thakur came out holding Bhungi in his lap. His clothes had caught fire. Bhungi’s clothes, too, were in flames. She was unconscious. People took off the blankets they were wearing and put them around Thakur. Nobody bothered about Bhungi. They were all busy looking after Thakur. Luckily, the fire didn’t cause any harm to his body, only his skin was scorched in places. But Bhungi’s body was badly burnt.
Half an hour passed. The flames were still burning. Thakur still held Bhungi in his lap as tears trickled down his face. The women of his house had also arrived there. Someone was fanning Bhungi while someone else was applying balm on her injuries. Others were suggesting home remedies.
Suddenly, Thakur said, ‘Send someone to the city to bring a doctor immediately.’
His wife said, ‘She’ll be all right with the help of home remedies. Why should you call in a doctor?’
‘If she dies I’ll drink poison.’
‘She won’t die now.’
Thakur said eagerly, ‘Yes, if I have my way, she won’t die of shock. She’ll die a natural death.’
5
Thakur Veer Singh was not known to be a nice person in his area. This event made him popular with the high and the low. All his subjects praised him for his valour. But his fellow zamindars termed it as a temporary loss of judgement. To them, it was pointless to jump into fire for such an old woman. Her death wouldn’t have made the world bereft. She had no one in the world to cry over her. But if the zamindar had died, he would have left his family without an heir.
A month had passed. Bhungi was lying down in Thakur’s house and Thakur was sitting beside her bed. Bhungi said, ‘Brother, I’ve recovered now. Why don’t you allow me to run my oven? How long will I stay here? It’s been a long time.’
Thakur said, ‘Sister, are you bored? Do you have any discomfort here?’
Bhungi replied, ‘Yes, brother. I’m bored. Won’t one get bored eating goodies and staying idle all day long? What discomfort can be greater than this? Brother, didn’t you feel any fear when you jumped into the fire after me? Why should you have risked your life for an old woman? I always wonder what thoughts ran through your mind at that moment.’
Thakur said, ‘I had no time to think. It was as though I was in a trance. I was not myself. My steps advanced towards the fire automatically. I didn’t care what I was doing and why. It was as though I had lost my senses. Everything happened on its own. God wanted to save me from disgrace. What else?’
Translated from the Urdu by M. Asaduddin
The Condemned
1
Orphaned early and a widow now, Maani had nothing to fall back on except her tears. She was only five when her father died. At sixteen, her mother, who had somehow raised her, managed to get her married off with the help of the neighbours. But within a year, Maani lost both her mother and her husband. In this crisis, she could think of no one who could give her shelter except her uncle Vanshidhar. So far, Vanshidhar had behaved in a manner that left little hope for a peaceful existence with him. But she was ready to endure anything. She would tolerate all his abuses, scolding and beatings. At least no one would suspect or accuse her falsely of any wrongdoing. She would be protected from scoundrels and ruffians. Vanshidhar, somewhat concerned about his family honour, was unable to turn down Maani’s request.
But within a month or two Maani realized she would not be able to survive in this place for long. She did all the housework, danced to everyone’s tune and tried to keep everyone happy, but for some unknown reason, her uncle and aunt remained bitter. They got rid of the maidservant the moment Maani arrived. Even the boy who used to wash and clean was dismissed. But in spite of all this relief, her uncle and aunt didn’t treat her with kindness. Chacha directed threats at her, chachi called her names and her cousin Lalita cursed her at any given opportunity. In the entire household, only her cousin Gokul was sympathetic towards her. Only his words conveyed to her a sense of closeness and affection. Gokul knew his mother’s nature. If he tried to make her understand the situation or supported Maani openly, she would have found it impossible to continue living in the house. That is why his sympathy remained limited to just comforting Maani. He would say, ‘Sister, let me get a job and that will be the end of your troubles. Then I will see who looks at you with scorn. Your bad times will last only as long I am a student.’ Maani would be thrilled at these words of affection, and she would bless Gokul from every pore of her being.
2
It was the day of Lalita’s wedding. Guests had been pouring in since morning. The house resounded with the jingle of ornaments. Seeing the guests Maani too felt elated. She had no ornaments on her body, she had not received any pretty dresses, yet her face was brimming with joy.
It was the middle of the night; the auspicious hour for the nuptials had arrived. Gifts for the bride had come from the groom’s quarters. Women were restless with curiosity to catch a glimpse of the gifts. Lalita was being adorned with ornaments. Maani had an intense desire to go and see the bride. She could not resist the craving to see yesterday’s little girl transformed into a bride. Smilingly, she entered the room. Suddenly she heard chachi shouting, ‘Who called you here? Go, get out of this place.’
Maani had gone through a lot of suffering in life but this scolding pierced her heart like an arrow. She began to curse herself. This is the reward you get for your childish behaviour. What was the need for you to come and join the married women? Feeling small, she came out of the room and moved towards the staircase to go up and look for a place to cry alone in silence. Suddenly, on the staircase, she ran into Indranath, who was Gokul’s classmate and best friend. He had also been invited for the wedding. He had come upstairs to look for Gokul. He had seen Maani a couple of times and knew that she was harshly treated in this household. He had also caught some of what chachi had said to Maani. He realized what was going on in Maani’s mind as she climbed the stairs, so he followed her in order to console her, but the door was bolted from the inside. He peeped in through a crevice and saw Maani standing by a table and crying.
‘Open the door, Maani,’ he said softly.
Hearing his voice, Maani hid herself in a corner and asked, ‘What is it?’
In a voice choked with emotion, Indranath said, ‘Please open the door, I beg you.’
Such an appeal, soaked in affection, was an unprecedented experience for Maani. She had never imagined even in her dreams that i
n this cruel world anybody would implore her in this manner. Maani opened the door with trembling hands. Indranath charged into the room and saw a rope hanging from the ceiling fan. His heart shuddered. He immediately took out a knife from his pocket, cut the rope and said, ‘What were you going to do, Maani? Do you know the punishment for this crime?’
Bowing her head, Maani said, ‘Could there be a punishment worse than this? If a person whose face is despicable to people is punished harshly even when she dies, then there is no justice in the court of God. You do not know what my condition is like.’
Indranath’s eyes became moist with tears. Maani had spoken nothing but the hard truth. He said, ‘These days will not last forever, Maani. If you think there is nobody with you in this world, that is your illusion. There is at least one person who loves your life more than his own.’
Suddenly, Gokul was seen approaching. Maani rushed out of the room. Indranath’s words had triggered something like a storm in her heart. What did he mean? She could not comprehend it at all. Yet, life seemed more meaningful to her today. A light had dawned in the darkness of her life.
3
Gokul was annoyed to see Indranath with Maani. His entire demeanour changed. After Maani left, he asked his friend harshly, ‘When did you come here?’
Indranath responded in a steady manner, ‘It was you I came here looking for. When I did not find you here, I was going to return downstairs. If I had gone, you would have found this door shut and a corpse hanging from the ceiling fan.’
Gokul surmised that Indranath was trying to make excuses to cover up his guilt. He said sharply, ‘I never expected you to betray my confidence this way.’
Indranath’s face turned red. He shot up and said, ‘I did not expect you to slander me so badly either. I did not know that you considered me so depraved and crooked. Maani might be an object of contempt for you but she is and will always be an object of veneration for me. I do not have to give you any clarification for my conduct but Maani is much purer for me than you can ever understand. I do not want to raise these issues with you at this moment. I was looking for an appropriate time to say all this to you but I have to say it now because the occasion demands it. I knew that Maani was not respected in your house but that you consider her so depraved and disposable has only come to my notice now, after listening to your mother’s comments. Your mother scolded her as one would spurn a dog just because she had gone to have a look at the bride’s ornaments! You will say, “What could I do?” It is improper to drink water in a house where an orphan is tortured to such an extent. If you had made this clear to your mother in the beginning itself, things would not have come to such a pass. You cannot absolve yourself of this allegation. I cannot talk to your parents now because a wedding is being celebrated in your house but I have no hesitation in telling you that I would like to make Maani my life partner, and I would consider myself blessed if I did that. I had thought that I would first find a place to live and then make the proposal but I am afraid that a further delay in this matter might mean losing Maani. Therefore, to free you and your family from worries, I am making this proposal now.’
Gokul had never felt this kind of reverence for Indranath earlier. He was ashamed of himself for having suspected his friend. He also realized that in being indifferent to Maani for fear of his mother, he had ended up being a coward. It was an act of cowardice and nothing else. Sheepishly he said that if his mother had scolded Maani for no reason, it was a sign of her stupidity and that he would clarify this whenever he got a chance.
Indranath said, ‘There is no time for inquiries and clarifications any more. I would like to talk to Maani and tell you what we decide. I do not want her to live here even for a moment longer. I have realized today that she is a self-respecting woman, and to tell you the truth, I am enamoured by her nature. Such a woman should not tolerate oppression.’
Gokul added hesitantly, ‘But . . . do you know she is a widow?’
When we see someone being unusually generous to us, we unravel all our flaws to him. We want to show him that we are not entirely unworthy of his favour.
Indranath said with a smile, ‘Yes, I know. I have heard about it and that is why I did not dare say anything to your father. Although not knowing would not have made any difference to my decision. Forget being a widow, even if Maani were an untouchable or worse than the worst, for me she is a jewel of a woman. We look for an experienced person when we want help with little things but when it comes to a companion in life’s journey, we consider prior experience to be a defect. I am not the one to suppress the law. There is no school greater than the school of adversity. One can happily surrender one’s life strings to a person who has graduated from this school. To me, being a widow is not a handicap—it is an asset.’
Gokul said, ‘But what about the people in your home?’
Indranath said firmly, ‘I do not consider my family so stupid that they would object to this proposal. If they do, I would like to keep my destiny under my control. My elders have many rights over me. In many situations, I consider their desire to be the ultimate law but I do not wish to be controlled by anyone when it comes to the pursuit of my soul’s progress. I wish to enjoy the pride of being the architect of my own life.’
‘And if Maani does not accept, then?’ asked Gokul doubtfully.
Indranath found this doubt totally baseless. He said, ‘You are talking like a child, Gokul. It is a given that Maani will not accept easily. She will get kicked around, snubbed and abused but will continue to stay in this very house. It is not easy to erase sanskara but we will have to persuade her. We will have to exorcize her accumulated impressions. I am not in favour of widows getting married again. I think the ideal of exclusive dedication to one’s husband is the most priceless jewel on earth and we should attack it with care but this problem does not arise vis-à-vis Maani. Love and devotion are for a person and not to a name. She cannot be in love with a man she has not even seen. It is only a matter of ritual and convention. We should not worry about this display and outward show. I think somebody is calling you. I will also go now . . . I’ll see you in a couple of days. But you don’t hesitate and think too much about it, and let days go by.’
Gokul put his arms around Indranath and said, ‘I will come to you myself day after tomorrow.’
4
The wedding party had departed. The guests had also left. It was nine o’clock It is well known how soundly one sleeps after a wedding! Everybody in the house had been asleep since the evening. Some slept on the charpoy, some on the wooden settee, some on the floor; one slept wherever one found space. Only Maani was taking care of the house, and Gokul was sitting in his room upstairs and reading the newspaper.
Suddenly, Gokul called out, ‘Maani, get me a glass of cold water, please, I am very thirsty.’
Maani went upstairs with a glass of water and was about to leave after keeping it on the table when Gokul said, ‘Just a minute, Maani, I have something to say to you.’
Maani replied, ‘I have no time to talk, brother. The entire household is fast asleep. An intruder could sweep the whole house clean.’
Gokul said, ‘Let them now. If I were you, I would join the thieves and help them steal. I am going to see Indranath just now. I have promised to see him today. Answer me quickly and please do not hesitate. He will get restless if I delay. Indranath loves you—do you know that?’
Maani turned her face away and said, ‘Is that why you have called me here? I do not know anything.’
Gokul said, ‘This only he knows or you know. He wants to marry you according to Vedic rites. Do you agree to the match?’
Maani looked down shyly. She could not answer.
Gokul reiterated, ‘Dada and Amma have not been told, you know the reason why. They’d rather kill you through constant threats or burn you bit by bit than give you permission to marry. It would humiliate them. Now the decision rests with you. I think you should accept the proposal. Indranath certainly loves you and he
is a man of flawless character and immense daring. He is totally fearless. I will be truly delighted to see you happy in life.’
Maani was overwhelmed but still could not utter a word.
Gokul was irritated now. ‘Look, Maani, this is not the time to be quiet, what are you thinking?’
Maani said in a quivering voice, ‘Yes.’
Gokul felt light-hearted and smiled. Maani ran away, embarrassed.
5
In the evening Gokul told his mother, ‘Amma, there is a celebration in Indranath’s house today. His mother is worried about coping with the housework alone. I said that I would send Maani to help out. With your permission, I will drop Maani there. She will return in a day or two.’
Maani appeared at that moment. Gokul cast a sideways glance at her. Maani almost froze in embarrassment. She could not find an escape route.
His mother said, ‘Why do you ask for my permission? Take her if she is willing to go.’
Gokul said, ‘Go, get ready. You have to go to Indranath’s house.’
Maani objected, ‘I am not feeling well. I will not go.’
Gokul’s mother said, ‘Why don’t you go? You will not have to dig a well there.’
Maani sat in the tonga in her white sari. Her heart was pounding and her eyes overflowed with tears. Her heart was sinking for some reason, as if she was going to drown herself in the river.
When the tonga had travelled a little distance, she told Gokul, ‘Brother, I am feeling nervous, let’s go back, I beseech you.’
Gokul said, ‘You are crazy. Everybody is waiting for you there and you are asking me to turn back.’
‘My heart says that something terrible is going to happen.’
‘And my heart says that you are going to become a queen.’
