It's around 9 o'clock in the morning, and it's already sweltering here. Sweat is trickling through my chest and back, poking me like needles, thinks Ganga. A big elephant in the streets is drinking water from the municipality pipe and pouring it on itself. The elephant handler is smoking his beedi. Nearby, there's a temple, and opposite to it, in wooden buildings, 10 to 15 people are standing, looking at the clock, waiting for it to hit 9 o'clock. At 9 o'clock, the two goats in the clock will dash, it seems. Maharaja built that clock when he was well.
Ganga: "Let's go to the temple first?"
Harichandran: "See, I'm hungry. Since morning, I had only coffee. If I eat one or two plates of idly, only then I can go anywhere."
Ganga: "Wherever we go, you always care about food only," said Ganga.
Harichandran: "What to do? You only feed me properly and spoil me."
Harichandran parked his car near that home's shadow. They entered a mediocre hotel. At the cashier counter, there were incense sticks.
Waiter (with a pencil in his ears): "Kya chaiye?"
Harichandran thought, "Well, I don't know Hindi. What to do?"
Harichandran: "Hindi Nahi."
Waiter: "Koi Baat nahi, you tell."
Harichandran: "Ganga, what do you wanna eat?"
Ganga: "I will eat after I pray to God in the temple."
Harichandran: "Omg, we should come again to the hotel?"
Ganga: "Why? You won't take me?" said with anger.
Harichandran: "Okay! Okay!"
Ganga: "Since I was a kid, my mom taught me that I should eat only after praying to God. You might think it's just some superstitions."
Harichandran: "No! No! Don't start your fights for this small thing."
Harichandran: "First for me, Theen idly, and ek vada."
Ganga laughed at her husband's Hindi. Anger went away.
Harichandran: "You will get angry for everything, huh?"
Ganga: "Then? You will say something for whatever I do."
Harichandran: "One promise today, whatever you say, I will listen today, and I won't say no to it."
They had their food and came out. An old lady, who looked like an old widow, was begging in the streets. She looked like an old Brahmin lady, wearing an old torn jacket, around 40 years old, with white hairs here and there. She came next to them and begged for money.
Amma, Mahalakshmi, can you lend me some money? It's been 2 days since I ate," said the beggar. Harichandran gave her 5 rs, and she looked at it, saying, "Sir, if you give me 20 rs, I will buy a full meal for my daughter and myself."
Harichandran: "If I give you 20 rs, your life problems are not gonna solve. Ask others, and they will give, and you can eat. That's all."
Ganga felt a little bad.
Ganga: "Hari, give her, na. She looks like a Brahmin girl."
Harichandran: "In this also, you will see caste?"
Beggar lady: "Amma, Mahalakshmi, you are like gold. You will get a son like a golden statue with good health. Please give me 20 rs."
Harichandran didn't care about her and went to get the car.
Ganga felt guilty again and asked her.
Ganga: "What's your name, old lady?"
Beggar lady: "Shyamala Amma."
Ganga: "Where are you from?"
Beggar Lady: "A small village near Madurai only, Amma."
Ganga: "What made you beg like this?"
Shyamala: "Why do you ask that? My grandfather was a sub-registrar. In our home, we had around 3 to 4 servants. We had all kinds of wealth and everything."
Ganga: "Okay then, what happened now?"
Shyamala: "My dad lost all the wealth due to his bad deeds, and now we are in the streets. I got married to a chef, and he also left us. Now only me and my daughter are alone. My brother lives in the village still, but he also listened to other people and threw us away."
Ganga: "You could have worked somewhere, right?"
Shyamala: "No one is hiring, ma. Everyone is asking for recommendations. Or else I'll steal from there it seems. Now also in a house, they called for maid works. Before I went there, there was already another lady hired. Do I look like I steal something? My only daughter goes to government school, she will eat the midday meal there, and I'll eat something here and there by begging. What's my age? I'm 40. But without eating, I look like I'm in my 60s, and you also called me an old lady."
Ganga: "Do you do housework?"
Shyamala: "Yes! yes! I cook well, I clean the house well, I can milk the cows, I can make idly dosas, I know how to take care of kids, I can take care of this whole city too if needed and if it takes care of me."
Harichandran came back to Ganga after losing patience standing next to the car.
Harichandran: "What, Ganga? You are standing here itself?"
Harichandran: "What do you want, old lady? I gave money, right? Please go."
Ganga: "Can you come with us?"
Shyamala: "Where?"
Ganga: "Chennai."
Harichandran: "Wait a minute, wait a minute. What is this, Ganga? Now itself you will give the appointment order?"
Ganga: "Be quiet, Hari. Can you come to Madras, old lady? Tell me."
Shyamala: "Omg, for sure I'll come right away. Even if it's beyond the seas, I'll come."
Harichandran: "Wait, Ganga."
Ganga: "Today noon, we are leaving to Madras in the car."
Shyamala: "I will come today itself."
Her face was filled with smiles and happiness.
Shyamala: "But Gomathi."
Ganga: "Who's Gomathi?"
Shyamala: "My daughter. She has gone to school."
Ganga: "When will she come?"
Shyamala: "1 o'clock."
Ganga: "We leave at 2 o'clock. You bring her along with your stuff.
Shyamala: What stuff? All I have is one bag, we sleep on the platform only, we will come at 2, Amma. Thanks a lot, Amma, I will work like anything."
Ganga: "Okay, go and come. We will be waiting."
She ran away saying sure.
Ganga: "What are you looking at? Come, let's go to the temple."
Harichandran: Are you doing the right thing? We don't even know her. How can we hire her? Isn't there anyone better in Chennai?
Ganga: What did you say this morning? You won't say no to me, right?
Harichandran: That's right. But this is...
Ganga: Walk, let's go to the temple.
They both entered the temple after buying some coconuts and flowers for praying.
Ganga: How many times have we been to the temple? What's the use? Have we done anything good? In reality, we should do something good. How much have we spent on this trip itself, how much petrol, how much ice cream, how many cinemas, how many useless things we bought? If we help a poor lady, we will cry about it. Are we even humans? If we say someone else will take care of them, who will even take care of them? Everyone keeps on saying the same.
Harichandran:*Slow claps while walking*
Both entered the temple, prayed, and came out. A person with a long beard came on a cycle and stopped next to them.
Bearded guy: Sir, one minute.
Harichandran:We don't want anything.
Bearded guy: I'm not selling anything now. I have a shop nearby only. I saw you talking to that old beggar lady. Yeah, I heard that you guys are taking her to Chennai for a job. But please don't. She is not like you think. She is a fraud. She sells her daughter at night. Everything she says is a lie. Don't take her anywhere. She cheated me with 150 rs too. Her daughter doesn't go to school and all. Everything she says is a lie. She has lots of loans in her village and ran away. All lies, her whole body says lies.
Harichandran saw his wife. Ganga was doubtful. Shyamala and her daughter came towards them with a small bag of clothes. When she saw the bearded man, she stopped there.
Bearded guy: What, Shyamala? Going to Madras? He asked her.
Shyamala: I owe him some money, so he will tell all lies about me. Will make me look like a fraud and everything.
Bearded Guy: Hey poor bitch, who cares about your money? Don't cheat the outsiders.
Ganga: Is he telling the truth?
Shyamala: No, it's all a lie. He's lying. Please don't believe him. A poor person's truth will never be listened to.
Gomathi, Shyamala’s daughter, was looking down at the ground and scribbling with her toes.
Ganga: Come, let's go.
Harichandran: Wait, let's check who's lying here, don't get angry. We shall get to know the truth.
Ganga: We don't want trouble. Let's go.
Harichandran: Like that, you can't leave it.
Ganga: We will find many people in Madras, come, let's go.
Harichandran: How do we even know if this guy is telling the truth?
Ganga was angry.
Ganga: Will you come or not?
Harichandran started his car slowly. Shyamala came running towards the car with her daughter.
Shayamala: Ayya, Amma, ammadi, please do something for me. I would have taken money from people because of hunger, but I haven't lied about anything. Please believe me. Please forgive me if I had done any mistake, please help me from here, take me to Chennai and put us in some orphanage at least. Please give freedom for us. These people only made me this, these people only made me this, she cried.
Harichandran: I can't help you at this time, Amma. Really sorry.
Harichandran put on his gears and started his car. The car went a little bit, and in the car's mirror, he sees them both crying and seeing the ground in pain. The bearded guy seems to be pushing them and saying, "Come, let's go."
Even for mercy, there are some conditions.
The End.
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