An Essential Escape!
Bindu and her sister, Indu were in the 10th grade
and 7th grade respectively. Both were highly well-behaved and
studious, especially the elder one. She is such an altruistic girl, who fully
utilised her free time to coach the study- wise- challenged students of her
class. Since the 10th grade is an imperative part of schooling, the
slow learners approach her too. At the
same time, never she allowed them to copy her homework or other exercises of
the lessons. She would clear their doubts and ensure that their work was done
by themselves.
Their maternal grandfather, who stayed with them till a year
back before his demise used to read scriptures regularly and made the children
be with him for the prayer at dusk. He played a vital role in rearing these
children, attaching all values. The grandfather knew fully well that these
children wouldn’t or couldn’t ascertain any virtuous qualities from their
father, who was a drunkard with no limit for his liquor-intake. Everyday till
sundown, he was a genuine gentleman to his acquaintances, an affectionate
spouse to his better half and a loving father to his dear daughters.
Bindu was a good home-maker too. She knew fully-well the inadequacies of
essential things in her house. How effective could a street vegetable vendor,
who was these children’s mother, run the house? Her spouse was addicted to
alcohol and therefore, their house was a mono-wheeled vehicle. Though their
father basically held some inherent ethics, the liquor had side-lined all such
things. Whatever little chows, they obtained,
Bindu and her mother made use of that at the fullest. In reality, Bindu was the
one, who made her house a home, raising a bridge between her drunkard father and
bickering mother. Her parents engaged in debates about her father’s overdose of
drinking habit and that was steadied by Bindu by hook or by crook. Many a time
Bindu was instrumental to the parents’ receding their appendages from the
backbiting exercise.
Quite often they experienced the dearth of food items, as
their father didn’t acquire labour recurrently, and if at all he earned
something, many a time, he spent it in the liquor shop. Mother’s earnings were
meagre to make both the ends meet. In such a stage, if the quantity of rice did
not suffice their need, Bindu did not strain out the water from the cooked rice
and she turned it into porridge. A fully satisfied soul, she owned and never
complained about anything. It is unbelievable on her part to be perfect from
circumstances so adverse. But you can identify a few pearls like her among
millions.
The apparel that shielded the children’s physique, outside
the school was of their neighbours, who were the scholars of expensive schools.
The torn rags after the maximum use of the garbs, Bindu restitched as bags,
handkerchiefs, kitchen towels e.t.c. and such
a thrifty girl is a gem for a poor family. After finishing her homework, she
was particular in lending her hand to her sister, Indu in her lessons.
The most difficult part of managing her father was that his homecoming
at night was literally in a crawling way, aided by his cousin, who was the one
that accompanied the former to spend his tiny income in the toddy-shop.
The sisters had a companion, Arunima from the neighbourhood,
while walking to the school, which stood at a distance of more than a
kilometre. They sped through the walking path, lying at the middle of a hillside
pasture in the morning and literally taking small paces returned in the
evening. They utilized their time in the
company of herbs and plants, that served country fruits, which were indeed
piquant. Bindu shared her sorrows and
the little-little pleasure with Arunima, who was in her class.
In the class, Bindu turned to be the apple of the eye to the
teachers, who many times designated her as the head girl breaking the rotation
scheme. Sometimes, the teachers used to arrange her for transcribing the class-
notes on the blackboard for the pupils to note down them from the board. She had
nix reluctance in mingling with the affluent children. In actual fact, the
latter kept a covert enthusiasm in making friends with her, in spite of the
deficit of her revenue.
No black mark, one
could identify in Bindu’s character and behaviour. Some of her peers had sweet envy towards
her. Sweet in the sense, on one side they adored her and on the other side kept wee envy about her, thinking that they couldn’t equal themselves to her.
But of late at times,
an aberration is discernible in her behaviour. Sometimes she fell into deep
thought, heeding attention less to the classroom activities. The grades in
various subjects that always pointed to A+ were gradually
going down to A. The teachers
had noticed the changes that appeared in Bindu.
“What happened to this girl?” her class teacher.
“Better you ask her, some problem is there, I think,”
another teacher.
And her class teacher went on asking her.
“Nothing, ma’am, I am okay.”
Bindu escaped as the bell chimed at that time.
Bindu’s mother fell down while walking with a load of
vegetables and was bed-ridden with a bandage on the left- leg. The doctor’s advice is for one and a half
months’ rest, as she had broken her left ankle. And Bindu continued her mother’s job after school hours.
On one Sunday at around 10:00 pm, Bindu, dragging her sister
Indu ran to Arunima’s house. Arunima and her mother, when enquired about her
arrival at that time, Bindu’s response was only panting and crying, “Allow us
to stay here today, tomorrow morning we shall go back.”
Arunima’s mother was a bit worried about allowing some others’
children to stay in their residence. Her husband, a military man was in Panjab.
Since only the mother and daughter were there, collecting courage, she spread
mats on the floor for all the three girls.
Indu understood nothing. Eventually, she fell asleep and then
Bindu opened the door of her apprehension, “Achan*comes fully drunk with Saju
uncle. Can’t stand straight, swings on his legs. I don’t like Saju uncle. Of
late he stares at me. He knows Amma* can’t do anything now. I think he only makes
Achan drink this much.”
That day, Sabu entered Bindu’s room and advanced towards
her, exceeding the limit of a paternal uncle (father’s cousin); pushing him
aside, catching hold of her sister, she ran to the next-door neighbour. She
knew her parents could not help them to be protected, as her mother was
bed-ridden. Despite the demur from Bindu, considering the emergency of the
situation, Arunima disclosed the matter to her mother. Arunima’s mother took a
decision to inform Bindu’s mother to urge Bindu’s father to the de-addiction
centre. The children’s escape was highly essential. And Arunima’s father, who
would proceed to his annual leave in the following week, would be definitely
helping them in the matter concerned.
Achan*- father. Amma*-mother
