Fiction

Neemadi

By Anuradha S. Bannore

Shyla lived in a city called Neemadi. The place was so named because it had abundant Neem trees all over the city. It was believed that that was the reason why it had a purer environment than other cities. Now with development and progress many factories and industries had come up hence it was getting polluted too.

Shyla lived with her husband Somesh in a posh locality. She had grown up children who lived in other cities because of their job. Shyla who worked in a government office would also be retiring in a few months while her husband had retired a few years before as the Dean of a college. She was very happy thinking what fun it would be once she too retired because then they could travel a lot and fulfill all their dreams. She was reminiscing one day when she burst out laughing and said to Somesh, ‘How very weird we humans are when in job we wish to retire maybe because it becomes a routine and a bit boring and then we dream of doing this and that after retirement –Don’t you think we will be busier in our retirement days? Is it a foolish thought?’

Somesh would just smile, frown or grunt. That was his patent answer to all her queries. Usually he would frown and answer with a disgusted look. They very rarely had amicable conversations.

Shyla felt he didn’t care for her which was true because being free the whole day and not wanting to do anything had made him irritable. She would very often say, ‘Somesh, keep yourself engaged in your hobbies for sometime or read something other than the newspaper. I don’t know why you men feel that you have to either read the newspaper or hear the news the whole day and nothing else. Your newspaper reading and hearing news begins around 8.30am and continues almost till you go to bed. Do you all have to write a thesis on it? There are umpteen interesting things to read and do. Why don’t you take a break and do something different for a change? It’ll keep your mind cool and fresh’

This would flare his anger and he would rant out at her in a typical disgusted way which he always did, ‘What do you expect me to do? I’ll do what I want to. You are nothing but a burden on my head. You have been dumped on me’

Shyla couldn’t stay quiet so she said, ‘I have been earning too besides doing all the household work. You come from office and sit down and relax saying you are very tired while even though I’m exhausted I have to cook and get things ready for the next day. So may I know in what way am I a burden on you, Somesh? If you wanted to live alone or marry someone else why the hell did you marry me? I didn’t use abusive language I just said that because I’ve heard and read that hearing and reading too much of news isn’t good for anyone, that’s all. I’m sorry I won’t say anything next time. You can stuff your head with all the nonsense you want but just remember being my husband gives you neither the right nor a license to talk to me in that way or say whatever comes to your mind. I’m neither your servant nor an animal though they too deserve respect. I’m a human being too. I tolerate all your nonsense for peace of my mind but now you are becoming impossible. So just shut up!’

Shyla felt that Somesh needed to understand that she wasn’t his property.

For quite a few months after that show down all was well but Shyla had decided to maintain her distance from Somesh for he was becoming incorrigibly bad tempered. He would say anything that came to his mouth which quite often would be very hurtful and humiliating and then either deny blatantly or say he never meant it that way. Sometimes after saying real nasty things to her he would try to emotionally blackmail her, ‘You know Shyla dear how much I love you and I can’t survive without you. I won’t ever say anything that hurts you’

All this was a regular drama. Initially Shyla would give in but peace would last for barely a week when his nastiness would once again be back. With passage of time it seemed that such incidences became an integral part of their life

Once Shyla said, ‘Why don’t you keep your stuff like razor, shaving cream etc from where you take them out? You just dump them all over the house and I have to hunt for them whenever you need them. Henceforth I’m not going to help you in finding them. It’s such a waste of my time because I have tons of things to do.’

She was shocked out of her wits on hearing his answer. She couldn’t believe that an educated man like Somesh could say such a nasty filthy thing to her. He said, ‘I don’t put my stuff here and there. I always put them in their place. When I’m away from home on a holiday I don’t know who all come here and make a mess of my things and you are blaming me!’

Shyla lost it and said, ‘What are you insinuating? Aren’t you, an educated man ashamed of yourself for slinging such filth at your wife? Is this what your education and culture have taught you?

The only thing as usual Somesh said, ‘I’m sorry I didn’t mean it in that sense.’

Shyla said, ‘Why do you always say malicious things if you don’t mean them? To the best of my knowledge people say such things only because they are lurking in their mind and heart. You are a grown up man and not a babe not to know the meaning of such things. Better be careful the next time you say something like that again. It’s best you live your life and I mine to have mental peace. Another thing if you expect respect and love from others you have to learn to give them to others too. You are no God, Almighty so don’t try to be one. You too are an ordinary human being like me. Don’t push me to the edge. Learn to behave yourself else one day you will find yourself all alone. I have tolerated your nonsense for years but just remember neither your children nor your own siblings will tolerate it.’

Somesh once again started his regular drama, ‘You know I don’t mean anything bad. I have just a few more days to live’ Shyla immediately stopped him; ‘Will you just stop all your melodrama? I’m thoroughly fed up of it. If you think you are going to die then why don’t you put a curb on that harsh tongue of yours? Instead of preaching me try to reform yourself. It’s a disgusting thing that even at this age you shamelessly hurl stones at your wife and then ask for forgiveness and expect me to forgive you. That I won’t ever do this time. I was a fool to bear all your insults and be quiet even when you humiliated me in front of others but not any more. Enough is enough! You insult me and then pretend to be the victim and people think you are a nice quiet man who wouldn’t hurt even a fly but people don’t know your other side which you keep well hidden under the garb of being a soft spoken well mannered gentleman but let me tell you, you are miles away from all goodness.

People don’t know about the ‘inner cabin’ side of yours. The day your own children come to know about it I’m sorry to say but they are neither going to take care of you nor even tolerate your nonsense. So just remember we need each others support for a smooth life but with this sort of your behavior I don’t see a very bright comfortable life for us in later days. Now it’s up to you whether you prefer to live alone or mend your ways. I can’t tolerate your nonsense any longer and that’s final. You men always make jokes on how you are troubled by your wife and what a tragic married life you all lead. Let me tell you in fact you men make our life miserable with your Lordship habits of trying to control your wife’s life and order her around and on failing to do so you pretend to be the victims. What a shame! A wife is not your property for you to order her around and do what you feel like with her. No one is anyone’s property, just remember that.’

Shyla, who would never say such things had now changed due to constant taunts and humiliations. She realized for her peace of mind she must speak out otherwise she would become mad because the harsh insults would keep nagging her. Circumstances had forced her to believe that if you keep quiet and bear everything people will reduce you to a door mat. Bearing injustice quietly is as big a crime as committing it. She believed it was high time she stood up for herself.

Shyla said ‘This is the reason why separations and divorces are on the increase these days. Love and respect have to be earned. They are not bestowed as a gift wrapped manna. We can’t force anyone to either love or respect us if we have nothing but filthy abusive, humiliating things on our tongue for others. Always saying something awful first and then apologizing makes no sense. It seems we just say ‘sorry’ for the sake of our own conscience that we have said sorry, what else can we do or say? Sorry becomes ‘Meaningful’ only when we don’t repeat it. Moreover such people shouldn’t be forgiven because then they feel they have a right to say anything since they will be pardoned. Nastiness towards each other will lead only to a hellish life.’

NB: The above story is a pure work of fiction. It doesn’t refer to anyone either dead or alive. Though just a story it clearly points us out that education doesn’t seem to help us much in being a good human being and when ever we ( any one of the spouses) behave like Somesh it reflects on our culture.

About the Author: Anuradha S. Bannore is a prolific writer and an alumni of Jabalpur University with M.A in English. She retired as a teacher and currently lives in Vadodara India. 

Comments are closed.