In the western region of Nepal, fog has evaded the plain lands; in a sub-urban
area called Jitpur. No nearby houses were visible properly due to fog and roads
were too slippery. Very few people came out of the house due to utmost
coldness. Most of the villagers covered their flesh with thick woolen clothes
and others kept their house warm by burning the fire in wooden logs and
charcoals. In the same village, a bachelor of 25 years named Uthkrista
has returned home from Kathmandu, after 3 years, completing his Masters' degree
in MA English.
Uthkrista, who has recently put his step
on his homeland, was welcomed by the villagers with great delight and elation.
He's a pride for the whole village; a degree holder has been back but for the
family he's also a man of burden…..to search a perfect girl for him.
Slowly and
gradually time passes…
Uthkrista came out of the house to search
for a job. He wanted to stand in his own legs. He didn't have to rush hard in
search of job; nearby colleges provided him a job of lecturer as desired by
him. He then started to educate the college students, educate the villagers.
His pedagogy was liked by all and then in short time he became a man to look
at; a celebrity of the village. His laboriousness, zeal, simplicity, dedication
and passion to do something for the whole village have started to show its
color.
Family members finally found a girl for
Uthkrista for marriage after a hard search. She was a girl from Chitwan with
fishy eyes and long black hair whom everyone calls Minakshi. She's recently
completed BBS second year examination and working as a Montessori teacher in
her own native place, Tandi.
Season changes…
In the month of Baishakh, Uthkrista and
Minakshi got married. Everyone enjoyed the marriage ceremony with great joy;
dancing and having feast. Home became bright with the arrival of Minakshi. Family
members, even the small children liked her. She was like a goddess at home.
Married life was running in right track with no hurdles. Uthkrista and Minakshi
were having a good time.
Time is dynamic so as the human beings
are. Uthkrista liked Minakshi from his depth of heart; especially he was
magnetized by her smile which makes dimple on her cheeks. Everyday Uthkrista
came out of the house with her smile and not a single day after marriage he has
returned with gloomy appearance.
As usual, one day, Uthkrista was returning
home from his college. He saw his wife talking with the neighbor, Rustam. He
noticed her with great attention because something has happened to him. He felt
something scratching his soft heart inside. His wife saw him and behaves casually
as she used to do. She then ends the talk with Rustam and returned with her
husband. While returning to home, she gave him a smile which was noticed by
Uthkrista too.
The fire in the heart brings more
casualties than the fire in the hut. Uthkrista heart also started burning. He
started to observe Minakshi very sensitively after the incident with Rustam.
While she was in the kitchen and talking with the mother, she used to give same
type of smile. So was the case with small children of neighbors too.
Uthkrista felt jealous of her. He now got
envied of her smile. He started to notice actions of Minakshi very minutely.
All of her actions were obvious but her smile wasn't obvious. He started to
hate her smile which was most liked by him before. Her smile to others was same
as she used to smile to Uthkrista, her husband. He became reckless. When he
returned back home from his job and spotted with her ambiguous smile, he became
restless. A distinct kind of heart ache began to torture him. His beautiful wife
slowly and gradually became a villainy character to him. He can't live, being
dead, every moment on and on. His pain has increased immensely day by day,
moment by moment. So, he started to search a remedy for the problem he has
encountered with.
He was very kind to her, very loving,
faithful and she too was. But everything has reversed because of her mysterious
linear smile. Her dimple now appeared him as a black hole that pulls all his
happiness forever. He became disturbed psychologically and physically torn out.
Mental tension started a great hurricane in his life. His physical actions too,
seemed sometimes unusual. His dedication towards his work gradually started to
diminish and mental trauma got enlarged. Nobody, except himself could
understand about him - what was going on…He started to see bad dreams and his
mind became the storehouse of black thoughts.
"Something wrong?" Minakshi
interrogated him one day noticing him in tension.
"Nothing at all. Just thinking of our
future…." Uthkrista told her a lie.
She then gave him an eerie smile. He again
burned out his heart with her smile. His heart started to resist the normal
palpitation for her smile.
Season changes
again…
All the plain lands were having a bath.
Farmers were busy ploughing their fields and making them ready for paddy
plantation. Continuously falling rain from last three days had made the earth
muddy. The same was happening in Uthkrista's mind too. This season was the
season of cultivation and the educational institutions had given a month leave
for the very purpose. All the people were happy except Uthkrista. His heart was
lightening and thundering with the smile of his wife.
All the family members were in sound
sleep. Extreme tiredness had made fallen asleep to all. The clock stroke
twelve. Everywhere the darkness had spilled out. Outside, the heavy rain was
falling continuously. The sound of rainfall had made the situation very dreary.
Uthkrista woke up suddenly in suffocation. He was full of sweat. His wife,
Minakshi was sleeping beside him. Her lips were closed and so were her eyes. A
feeling of love paralyzed him to do anything.
The next morning he woke up and saw the
same face, the face of his wife. She smiled and, again, his heart started to
ache. He was faded mentally and psychologically. He went on work, the whole
day, on the fields and returned back home in the twilight. He was in search of
permanent remedy to overcome his deep pain.
Night falls…
Night became darker and darker. All the
members had their meal and went to bed. So did Uthkrista. He felt asleep very
soon because of hard work. Minakshi also came to bed after completing the
kitchen work. She too felt asleep very fast. Again in the midnight, he woke up
suddenly. He was haunted by a bad dream. He touched his neck and forehead. It
was full of sweat. He looked towards his wife. She was in deep sleep with her
lips closed. A feel of 'mine' dominated him. A sense of 'love' aroused inside
his heart. He drank a glass of cold water, kissed her forehead calmly and slept.
The rain stopped and sun rose the next
day. The sky, still, was full of dark clouds. Lightening and thundering, time
and again, reminded all about the rainy season. Uthkrista woke up early and
went out to see the sun. But the sun wasn't clearly visible of dark clouds.
Early in the morning, Minakshi served him
a cup of tea and loaves of bread. Uthkrista took a look of her, she smiled
gently. His heart was full of dark clouds. He became like a wounded tiger. He
felt sorry for not doing anything till now to overcome the heart aching
problem. He then prepared himself mentally and physically to root out the
mental distress. He planned the whole day. Even if he was in field, he was
present at the room mentally. He planned this and that but none of the plans he
thought was good enough (he thinks so…).
Night falls
again…
Everybody went to bed after their meal.
That day Minakshi accomplished her household work fast and went to bed. When
she reached to bed, she noticed that Uthkrista too, didn't fall asleep yet. She
brought him a glass of hot milk from the kitchen and then they both engaged in
a talk. While talking, Minakshi gave him a nebulous smile. Her elusive and
vague smile started to hurt his wounded heart. He was annoyed and disturbed by
her monotonous smile. His devil of revolt gradually grew stronger and louder.
He became uncontrollable…
Looking at the glass, Minakshi requested
him to have a glass of milk. Very warily, he requested her to bring a glass of
water to quench his thirst. She went towards the kitchen to bring him a glass
of water.
After a few minutes, Minakshi returned
from the kitchen. She handed a glass of water to him. He drank half glass of
water and requested her lovingly to have a sip of water from the glass. She
pinched him gently saying "too romantic" and took a sip of water.
Turn by turn they drank a glass of water. While drinking, they both engaged in
love conversation.
After having a sweet conversation, they
lost in themselves. They forgot what they are looking for or what their task
was. Suddenly, Minakshi eyes' witnessed a glass of hot milk and requested him
to take a sip of milk. Pouring oneself into the deep ocean of love, Uthkrista
engaged himself in present romantic conversation and forgot all others. He took
a sip of milk and then requested her to do the same. They did the same action
till the glass got empty. After the milk got over, they kissed each other and
slept together happily. The hard work during day in the fields made them asleep
very soon.
Next day, the sky wasn't tranquil neither
the eyes of family members nor the heart of villagers. The rain dropped
continuously carrying hailstones as the bloody dripping tears of the dearest
ones. Everyone was mourning and lamenting, even was the nature. The problem of
Uthkrista has been overwhelmed by the droplets of Metacid he poured into the milk and Minakshi kept her eyes
closed for eternal time in the arms of the person whom she loved the most but
their death remained as a mystery to all the villagers forever.
***
- Deewakar Subedi
zealsubedi@yahoo.com
सायद यो
सम्बोधनको आभाष मलाई पहिल्यै हुँदो हो त मृत्युपर्यन्त शब्दजाल बुन्नुपर्ने
आवश्यकता नहुँदो हो। मृत्यु पनि कहिले असहय पिडा बनेर आउँदो रहेछ, कहिले भने हरेक पिडाको औषधी बनेर आउँदो रहेछ। हेर्नुस् न! तपाईंले मलाई
एक्लै छोडेर गएपश्च्यात म बिरक्त्तिएको थिँए। थुप्रै साथीहरुको माया र स्नेहले
पुन: डढेलो लागेको जिन्दगीमा बिस्तारै आँकुरा पलाउन थाल्यो - आशाको। 
