The Gladiator And Other Stories Page 6
They sat on the desolate pandal and looked at the images of goddess Durga and members of her family along with their carriers and the demon, Mahisasur. This was the last night of the festival and the images would be immersed with much fanfare next evening. ‘The goddess looks sad,’ Amit said after looking up closely at the eyes of the image of Durga. ‘It’s simply our imagination, the reflection of our own moroseness after four days of hectic festivities,’ Mridul commented nonchalantly like a wise philosopher. It was their turn to guard the pandal on the last day and they had already laid their mattress under the awning of the pandal.
Amit fingered his pant pocket and took out a pack of cheap cigarettes. He lighted one for himself from the candle at the base of the podium of the images and offered one to Mridul. Both sent rings of smoke which rose high, lingered for a while in the darkness and then slowly dissipated in the air. ‘Our merriments of these four days are like the smoke rings and they have dissipated now,’ Amit commented displaying a sad smile. The lonesome tiny electric bulb was lighting parts of the pandal casting chiaroscuro of light and shadows and in the mellow moonlight that escaped through the translucent clouds, the trees of the field ahead and the houses beyond looked dark and uncanny.
As usual this year too only five clubs had organized Durga puza at this locality This small rural town could not afford more puzas as each puza involved a lot of money. Still the place got enlivened for the last few days; but festivities used to end long before midnight. Further more now that the puza had come to its fag end everyone except these two had already gone home and resigned into deep slumber that comes after long hectic activities. This puza pandal, the most gorgeous in the village, was at the far end of the village and situated on the grassy land that sloped gently down to the small stream that meandered around the border of the village. Houses of Amit and Mridul were situated at the end of the village only a few yards from the puza pandal.
The two friends remained silent for some time cogitating over the gaiety of the last four days. They had visited, after standing in long queues the other pandals and a large one imitating a south India temple at the nearest suburban town only five kilometers from their village. They had saved some money for the festival and spent it lavishly on dainties of their likings and fire crackers. At this pandal both had participated in the arati dance with earthen containers filled with embers in dried coconut skins enlivened with incense of dried pine gums. They along with other friends had played the dhol percussions, danced and sang madly and in ecstasy forgot about all their day to day problems. Now they felt empty and the problems they had swept aside started assailing them with all pent up vehemence.
There was no precious thing worthy of stealing from the pandal and no food articles to invite the stray dogs, cats or rats. ‘Let’s walk for some time if you’re not feeling sleepy,’ Mridul implored. ‘Not at all,’ Amit said smiling. ‘Let’s set off.’
They traipsed across the field and entered the village in deep slumber. A few stray dogs, known to them, gathered around and started wagging tails amiably in the hope of getting some food from them.
‘How happy these dogs are; they are free from all problems,’ Amit said.
Mridul said gravely, ‘They have problems no doubt, but don’t have intelligence enough to brood over them.’
The moon, gliding down to the west, had now come out in the open sky and the village looked like a dreamland. They felt as though they were wafting across an fairy land.
‘The village now has turned into an unreal dreamland unknown to us,’ Amit said in an ecstatic voice.
‘Our lives and problems too are unreal; the last four festive days too now appear unreal,’ Mridul turned philosophical once again.
‘Yes it seems that they were but our imagination.’
‘The moon would soon be swallowed by the sooty clouds. The festivities and our merriments all are like the moon and the murky clouds have already devoured them.’
A seamless hollow feeling took possession of their hearts and they went on walking in silence. The clouds again enveloped the moon and a dark shadow was caste over them. They strolled round a circular path and entered the field at its eastern end.
‘Should we return to the pandal now?’ Amit asked.
‘Better walk down to the river.’
‘Good idea’
They walked slowly across the grassland and followed the gentle slope to the bank of the river. The cluster of trees at the other bank of the river looked like a black curve against the mellow light of the overcast sky.
‘Do you know they have arranged Sima’s marriage?' Amit said sadly.
‘Yes, I’ve heard it. Is it with her consent or forced on her?’
‘She was at first against it and insisted me to do something. She, in fact, hinted at elopement. But I was not ready for it right away and asked for some time which she denied gruffly calling me coward.’
‘She’s right. Why did not you seek my help?’
‘What help? I’m unemployed you know.’
‘That’s a harsh reality. At times we are playthings at the hands of fate.’
‘I’d be happy if she finds happiness in her conjugal life.’
Mridul remained silent and they climbed down the stiff slope to the bank of the river. Now the moon was playing hide and seek with the patches of stray clouds and the shallow water and pebbles close to the water were sparkling at random. They dropped on the sand bed and the ambience wore the look of a fairy land.
Amit broke the long silence, ‘Do you have any girls?’
‘Never. As a matter of fact, I’ve no bent for them or may be I'm too shy to approach them.’
‘Did anyone ever tried to be friendly with you on her own?’
‘Only a few but I never liked them. That goblin like fat girl, Priya, you must know her, is still after me and I feel squishy whenever she approaches me.’
Both of them started laughing aloud and their laughter echoed in the stiff bank at the other side. Amit wanted to say something but laugh choked his voice. After a while he asked, ‘Ever fascinated by someone?’
‘Yes I liked one at college; a beautiful girl, daughter of a high level government official, could never pluck up my nerves to talk with her.’
‘You’re handsome and a brilliant student unlike me. Many good girls should have been drawn to you.’
Mridul smiled sarcastically. ‘Looks and results have got nothing to do with attracting girls. Haven’t you seen beautiful girls drawn to ugly worthless fellows?’
‘You know I and Sima were friends from our very childhood and loved each other deeply.’
‘You still love her I suppose.’
‘Certainly. I’d be happy if she’s happy but my pain is that she failed to understand my predicament and now she hates me for sure.’
‘How do you know she hates you? She had simply poured out her grievances at your parting. She had placed much hope on you and you had failed her. She had uttered all those abuses out of frustration I’m sure. At heart she still loves you I think.’
‘Do you really think that she still loves me?’
‘May be but what would you gain by guessing over her thought. She’s now unreal like the festivities, the moon that is now under the clouds, the water of the river that has flown down and everything that has been dumped into the irrecoverable past.’
They again fell into silence and pondered over the effervescence of everything that they treat as real. Amit broke the silence after a long time, ‘You may marry now, say an arranged marriage.’
‘How could I gain by marrying, only to get enmeshed in more intricate problems?’
‘You’ve a good job after all and to me life is unbearable because of unemployment and a dark future. But it’s different for you.’
Mridul did not say anything and looked away toward the dark bushes at the other bank of the river. The sky again turned murky and they felt drowsy. They remained silent and both pondered over their dreams whi
ch had been denied them. Amit was thinking that everything appeared to have happened during the last few months were but dreams and waking he would find himself amidst the hopeful situation while he was confident of getting a job and marrying Sima. Her parents did not dislike him and could give her to him only if he had a job.
They had waited and then could not miss the opportunity to get her married to a good groom who had got attracted to Sima at first sight and proposed through his father. Amit was almost assured of a job. A man who had returned to the village after a long time told everybody that he was working as the agent of a private company which was recruiting new boys. But the candidates were to pay the processing cost of five hundred rupees each. He thereafter collected the money from many unemployed boys and left for his office assuring that appointment letters would reach them by a week. But when nothing came even after one month the boys went to the nearest town and looked for the office and his residence and none of them existed. It was too late to learn that he was but a cheat. All these now appeared unreal to Amit and the weird moonlit night again filled his mind with hope.
Mridul too had the same feelings as this uncanny ambience had made everybody dreamy, reality and dream being intermingled. Mridul dreamt of getting a scholarship for higher studies in the USA and got delighted to imagine himself amidst the new environs of the dream country and the bright future after completion of his studies there. Both were floating in a glossy land of unreality or may be this is the reality and what we consider as reality is but an illusion. Aren’t imagination and dreams parts of our living and who could tell which one is the truth – dream world or the world we visualize with our crude sensation. We could never establish the supremacy of one over the other.
‘Let’s go back to the pandal,’ Mridul drew a deep yawn. ‘I’ve not yet told you one thing.’
‘Which thing?’ Amit looked up with querying eyes.
‘I’ve lost my job.’
Amit gave a start. ‘Joking?’
‘Why should I joke with you?’
‘How did it come about? Your service record has always been good and you’re in the good book of the boss you told me only a few days ago.’
‘It’s not that.’
‘What then?’
‘The company is going to close down this unit as the directors think the profit is inadequate. There’s no vacancy at present in other units. They would, however pay this month’s salary.’
The clouds now had moved further to the east leaving alone the moon which from far down in the western sky was casting out in waves its last rays encompassing everything with mysticism that engulfed the past of the two friends and they strolled along happily in silence.