Chapter 54: Jagat Softens Toward The Colonisers
A deep sense of personal and public failure plagued Jagat as Sameer left for England and India slipped and slid away from the honesty and ethics Gandhi had made in integral part of ahimsa for the freedom struggle. The only bright spot: His belief Jaggi would not show him or the country his back.
"Ratno, let's eat. Shiv, the food is ready," yelled Jagat from his rocker. Ratno walked over to the chullah, stoked the still live fire and started rolling the rotis. Placing a roti in Jagat's thali she said,
"I'll wait for Sangram. Here's the first roti."
"Papa, you say it's our time to study and not worry but I feel guilty because Jaggi Bha has to bear the whole load," said Shiv.
"Clue me in Shiv. What are you feeling guilty about?" asked the just walking in Sangram.
"Jaggi Bha, he works hard to support all of us. Papa's and Ratno Ma's pensions, Sameer's small money orders aren't enough. I guess you don't know 'cause you're too busy with the communist revolution."
"I don't see you drowning in guilt or under any load other than books," replied Sangram.
"And you don't have sense enough to even carry the burden of books on your mind," replied Shiv.
"Communist revolution you say? Haven't we had enough of Mao sending people to be educated in hard labour camps? Let hundred schools of thought contend as long as his is the only one real contention. And Stalin too starved and killed millions of people in the name of this bloody thing called revolution? India has had its own orgy of violence and inhumanity, the partition. I don't want to see another bloodbath," said Jagat.
There was silence.
Under the lone electric bulb hanging from the kitchen ceiling the noise of Ratno collected the dishes from the table came as a welcome reprieve before Jaggi walked in and said,
"Ma, I am really hungry and how are you, papa? I see we're all together today."
"Did you know Sangram wants to usher communist rule in India?" asked Jagat staring directly at Jagat.
Jaggi looked at Shiv and then at his mother while Jagat's gaze remained fixed at him.
"We hoped he would stop or at least slow his rush to revolution and God knows we argued with him to change but we didn't want to force him to choose between college and Communists"
"Ratno you knew?"
"I knew it; not unusual for a young man to challenge the world. You're a rebel once and I loved you for it. You rescued me from Gundu but it was the courage at the Takia that wed me to you. Despite Qaadian and caste I bedded you. the rebel in me still has sympathy with a rebel with a good cause and Preeti would have wanted me to protect her son."
Jaggi had thought his mother didn't want to confront Jagat but Ratno had just showed him that even a brilliant argument must await its moment. All the boys stared at Ratno and a debt of gratitude bubbling up inside Sangram neared his lips and they opened, Ratno said,
"I'm not finished yet. You want to change the country? We hadn't yet recovered from the bloodshed of partition when politicians fueled solely by linguistic, religious and political prejudices helped carve Haryana and Himachal out of Punjab and now the Maoists are baying for blood. I don't want to trade slaver of American Dollar for the dictatorship of the Communist butchers brought up on a diet of Stalin's and Mao's gibberish."
Next day, quitting his shift at the mill, Jaggi rode to Bhondu Travels. Bhola had his plane ticked ready to fly from Delhi but Jaggi needed the money for which it was no use asking his almost broke parents; their cupboard was bare. His leaving for England was going to be hard enough for Jagat to bear so he wanted to spare him the humiliation of asking others for money for the plane ticket. He had been biking around for sometime without an answer and he was hungry. The peanut and reorian stand near the disfigured post of the arched gate was still open, its owner probably hoping for one last sale before covering it and sliding underneath to sleep because below it was the only home of the refugee of partition, his family slaughtered in the raullay in Pakistan. Jaggi noticed his disheveled hair and sleep in the eyes that barely moved. The man turned his eyes to the piles of peanuts and reorian waiting for Jaggi to point to one or both. Jaggi ordered reorian for quick energy from the shucker and peanuts for the protein and walked away munching.
On a hungry stomach the reorian tasted great and somehow the experience took him back to the exquisite taste of burfi Pratap had sent celebrating his MA results and he began thinking of Pratap as a possible source of money. Energised by the reorian and hope he rode to Pratap's. Pratap had just switched off his radio after listening to the latest news bulletin of the All India Radio from New Delhi when Jagat knocked on his door. Pratap was willing to give him the money provided he would tell his father whereof he received it.
In the morning Jagat was sitting in the veranda resting in the rocker when, without even making eye contact with him, Jaggi left for work.
"I don't know, he was very quiet today," Ratno said to Jagat.
"He's fine, Ratno. Of all out sons he's the most caring and responsible. I'll die in peace knowing he's there to look after the family."
The Monsoons had unleashed water from the heavens above, cooling the Sun Scorched Chajjuwara below when Jaggi returned from the work.
"Papa you should get up once and a while, walk around the yard or outside on the street. It'll do you some good," said Jaggi as Jagat sat exactly where Jaggi had left him in the morning.
"Son, the tyres on your bike are bald you can slip in the rain," said Jagat who had caught a glimplse of them as Jaggi walked to veranda, "You should have them replaced."
"Yes papa but he paved Chajjuwara roads are rarely slippery--." said Jaggi as he walked toward the kitchen where Ratno had quickly started making tea.
"But the dirt road to Qaadian would be."
"Mom, bring tea outside for me and papa," said Jaggi pouring a glass of cold water from the ghada.
"Want some water papa?"
"Sure son."
After taking a couple of sips he handed the glass back to Jaggi and asked, "How was the shift? Hope not too tiring?"
"It's alright, papa."
Ratno brought the tea and Jagat took the first sip.
"Papa, don't be angry. I want to leave for England, earn some money for the family and return in two years, I promise."
"Son, I don't want you to go but your mother is right, I never sought anyone's permission to do anything."
A few days later the khooh and the bungalow bid Jaggi a teary emotion laden good bye at the Chajjuwara Railway Station just as they had done Sameer. Jagat was sad but reconciled with Jaggi's decision; mistaken or not, human beings must be free to carve their own paths.
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