Ratneshwari

Chapter 42

Shivan's relatives arrived the next morning. His neighbours had also arrived.

Shivan did not feel like talking to anyone. He was shedding tears while sitting beside his wife's dead body. The tears seemed worthless. Even if he fills an ocean with his tears, his wife would not return. Some of his relatives surrounded him. Shivan's cousin Samyukta arrived with her husband and daughter. Samyukta's daughter Amrutha had grown up. She was 24 years old. She had seen Ratneshwari when she was 5 years old. The memories were still fresh in her mind. She remembered how she had shouted at her mother as she did not let Amrutha sleep with Ratneshwari.

One of the ladies said to him,"Shivan, don't worry. She had to go. It was God's will. We can't do anything." She went to Shivan's aunt. Shivan's aunt was sitting with some other ladies. She was talking to her when Samyukta entered the room. Samyukta sat along with them. Another lady who was the wife of Shivan's mother's cousin, said,"Shivan is not old. Forty or forty five is not an age which matters for a man. Get him married. He can't stay like this. Look how devastated he is! I know a girl. She is very beautiful. She is also very good."

Shivan's aunt was furious. She said,"Venba, don't you have any shame? How can you speak of a man's second marriage on the day his wife has died ? Do you think that he is a sleazy man like your brothers? Would you talk about your daughter-in-law's second marriage on the day your son dies?" Venba did not say anything further.

The teachers of Government Primary School arrived at the house to pay their respects to Ratneshwari. After some time, a man arrived. He walked with slow steps towards Ratneshwari. He stared at her face for a while. He paid his respects. He wanted to meet Shivan. Shivan was sitting quietly in the hall. He sat near him.

"Mr Shivan."

"Yes"

"I am Dhruvan."

"Dhruvan?"

"I was a friend of your wife. It has been nine years since we saw each other. My son studies in Government Primary School. He told me about her. So, I came to see Ratneshwari."

"Oh"

"She loved you a lot. She told me about you. She used to cry for you. I am glad that life gave both of you a chance again."

"The happiness was limited. I lost her again."

"But I think that, she had been staying happily with you when she died. She was sinless. Perhaps that's why, God decided to give her a fistful of happiness before her death."

Dhruvan left after saying that. When he reached the gate, his wife called him. He received the call.

"Where are you Dhruvan?"

"I came to see Ratneshwari. I told you about her last night."

"Did you see her?"

"Yes, I saw her. I am going to the college now. Why did you call me?"

"Oh yes! Bring some vegetables while coming back home."

"Okay"

Dhruvan got into his car and drove away.

(The next day)

Shivan was sitting on a chair. There was no one in the house except Prakash, his aunt and the maid. His relatives left after he had performed Ratneshwari's last rites. Prakash was sitting beside Shivan.

"How strange it is!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I performed the last rites of all the members of that family."

"Life is strange."

"I never got a chance to show her how much I love her."

"She knew that you love her."

"But that's not enough. She came to my life like a spring rose. When I tried to reach for the flower, it had already withered."

"She tried hard to make the relationship work. You should have given a chance to that relationship."

"On the night of our wedding reception, I saw a woman with leprosy, holding a dead baby in her arms in my dream. I could not understand what that dream meant. Over the years, I had forgotten about that dream. But now I understand the meaning of that dream."

"What is the meaning?"

"When we were taking Ratna to the cremation ground, I saw a woman sitting under a tree at a crossroad. She had leprosy. While returning from the cremation ground, I saw two men and three women. They had come to bury a stillborn child. It was in my fate to see them. The dream signified them. This is what that dream had told me nineteen years ago. I did not even have the slightest idea that this was going to happen. I never knew that I would love Ratna and then lose her in this way. But see, my fate had already been decided."

"Meeting her was your fate and losing her was your fate too."

"But what about the pain it has caused me? My tears don't stop. My heart is bleeding, Prakash. What shall I do?"

They sat there quietly for sometime. Shivan was holding Ratneshwari's photo close to his heart. Prakash looked at his wrist watch. He said to Shivan,"I need to leave now. Take care of yourself." He hugged Shivan and left.

Shivan was left alone in the room. He kept Ratneshwari's photo on his study table. He took a diary from his shelf. It was an unwritten diary.

On the first page he wrote:

Madurai, 2003

Ratneshwari was a 23 year old girl. She lived with her parents and an elder brother named Krishna.

She had completed her M.A in Tamil literature a few months ago. She was a brilliant student. Her father was a lawyer and her mother was a housewife. Her brother was a lecturer.

It was a sunny day. Ratneshwari was quite happy. She was sitting on a chair reading the Kannada novel 'Vamshavrukhsa'. She thought, "Do people really live like this? I have never met anyone with so many problems in their lives. I don't want any trouble. Just a happy and simple life."

Just then, she heard a voice. It was her brother.

"My dear sister,  I have something to tell you."

"What's that?"

"We are planning to marry you off. Appa told me that the groom's family will come to see you today."

"Whaaaaaat? Well, I don't have any problem with marriage. But, it is happening suddenly. By the way, have you seen the boy?"
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