Episode 2

Having taken there part of the breakfast they rushed back again to there room. One took plates; one took glasses and water jug. They went to the room. The pleasure in all this was even though they had a little to eat, they always had there food together. All the siblings were very close to each other. Having shared the same treatment everyone knew about there sorrows each one faced. It took hardly 5 minutes for them to eat there part. But the story doesn’t end here, they had to go back again wash there plates, dry them with cloth and again put them on the right place so there isn’t any clue left behind of there breakfast. Father took a long bath as it consisted of chanting many mantras after and during his bath.


They all quickly ran to there rooms, and then thinking about the whole day ahead, Laxmi sat in her favorite corner of room near the window with a beautiful scenic view. She was the one who had to do a lot in her Life but that was only in her mind. Nothing was possible for her to do and this she knew it very well. It was about 7:00 am and she saw all the village students taking there bag packs and going to school. Bag packs included a slate pencil and a rough cloth. Those days most of the times the Teacher used to tell them real stories of the freedom fighters.
The students used to get so involved they always shouted “Jay Hind” at the end of the story. There Eyes filled with water when there Super Hero one of the freedom Fighter died. The climate became enthusiastic whenever they heard any good news. Laxmi sitting near the window always heard the noise from the nearby school and used to get up with a cheer and then again sit as she never saw how a school looked like. What did the kids did there. Madhav there father never thought of teaching his girls. But this year Bapu was of 5 years and the good news was he will now start attending the school.


The only hope for the girls was now they are going to catch Bapu for whatever he did in the school. So he was a student in the school and a teacher at home. Quite a tough job for that kid! But then he was a bright child. Within a month he was starting his academics. Laxmi was never jealous why she was not sent to school when her younger brother Bapu was! She knew the situation and tried to find solutions on it. Whenever Bapu came back home from the school when everyone were listening to what the new story he learnt in the school, she took his slate and the faint letters which remained even after rubbing the slate she darkened it again. But then those were sometimes numbers sometimes Marathi letters. She never knew what they were called. She darkened the letters or numbers go to Bapu after he finished his story telling session and then used to ask him about the pronunciations of those letters. Bapu even though tired never ignored her and helped her in studying.


As Bapu learnt in school, others listened to stories and Laxmi was till then learning as fast as she could. Because she knew she had a very little time left to learn. Within a month she learnt the basic letters and numbers. She was very much happy with her progress. She wanted to learn very fast. She wanted to write words and then sentences and then paragraphs. All this hard work was to write whatever she thought, whatever she composed. Some qualities of Jija her mother were seen very prominent in her. She also had a good voice and with this she was a good poetess too.


She always tried to combine words and make a few little rhyming lines. Recite them. But then after all the time at window there were many small poems in her mind and a little space in her mind to keep them. Papers and pencils were not so much popular in those days. But then she kept whatever blank papers she found and pencil she would find in Bapu’s back pack.


She was improving her writing skills day by day. Whenever Bapu went to school in the morning, she took her other siblings and taught her whatever she had mastered and learnt. So now these days they got some way to pass there time in the house. They enjoyed there new sessions. Day by day they all were getting literate and the most happy person was there mother Jija. She helped them doing there studies as she also went to school for a couple of years before getting married.
Once, they took there lunch and were sitting in the hall rather Waranda what it is called playing a game of marbles. There they heard a sound from long distance… A mob with flags in there hand with a Charkha on it. As the crowd passed from lane one or another person joined the mob and it grew as if birds join there community while returning home. The mob passed from there house. Everyone looked at Bapu expecting him to join it. Many kids of his age were in that mob looking at him. Bapu saw them but he took a step back and without uttering a word gave them a negative answer. All the kids looked from the Waranda, but one of them was eager to join the mob. She was shouting from the Waranda, but was not able to take part in it. At last, she broke out and ran from the Waranda in to the mob. Jija shouted Kiran wait, that’s not a place for you. She never stopped, she ran away in to mob. Jija took all of them to there room. She sat there thinking of Kiran, when will she come, will she come or not? What is she going to answer to Madhav… All these questions and bad thoughts covered her mind.


It was about 2:00 PM when she ran into the crowd. From the age of 3 years, Kiran was very naughty and always tried to do which was expected from a boy. She was very firm with her decisions and never was involved emotionally in the family. Whenever there father went out for telling Puja in Mandir or for preaching at any place, she always found a way out, run to nearby police station. These days, some of our freedom fighters used to meet at a place which they called as a police station. There they secretly trained the freedom fighters with rigorous training. Running miles every morning, hard work, Baithaks with one man on the back of other, and even with there huge muscles they were as swift as a Cheetah. When they ran miles they never ran on plane land, going up on the hills and then coming back down. These made them very much tough. Seeing them from outside, Kiran was a lot impressed by all this. She always wanted to be a part of them.
Whenever she heard that there father was going to send Bapu to the secret military school at the age of 10 years, she always thought that if Bapu is not interested she is going on his place. But then she also knew that her parents at any cost are not going to allow this. So she was preparing herself for any conditions which she will have to face within a year or so. Jija knew all this and so she was more worried. Has that time come? Has she lost one of her Girl so early? Will she survive this Drive? She only had to Pray and face the situation she had to after Madhav comes.
She tuned in the radio and heard… “A mob Lathi Charged by English men near a small village near Alibaug… Many died in stamping many injured and taken to nearby government hospital” tears rolled down from Jija’s eyes… Is Kiran injured or ……?



*** Lets see what’s there written in Kiran’s Life and what is Laxmi’s part in all this. In the upcoming episode next week ***