THE PLUVIAL GUEST

Towards evening the drizzle became a steady shower and by night the air and earth were drenched as the storm reached its height. The sea was lashed into a fury giving birth to hungry waves, eager to devour the whole of Madhapur with every rise and fall. And the concomitants, thunder and lightning gave the impression that the demons were probably in cahoots with Nature to destroy Madhapur. The streets were horrifyingly deserted and the night was arcanely black. Even the insane canine kalu could be found no where. At this inopportune time when Nature had compelled the few hundred souls of Madhapur to stay inside, a figure----man or woman?, was found sauntering on the streets. The figure at first seemed like an incarnation of the evil but closer inspection revealed the figure to be a woman----drenched to the skin, and shivering with cold.
She seemed to be searching for something. Finally her blurred eyes were able to get sight of a faint light that managed to escape the crack, in the door of a faraway house, making it all the more conspicuous in the black ambience. Her spirits rose instantly, and she ambled towards this unknown territory, gathering all her reserved strength eventhough the darkness was closing in on her brain. She raised her fist to bang the door, but the sound of the bang got lost in the loud and reverberating noise of the thunder and lightning, to wake the sleeping souls on the other side of the door. The waiting was neither pleasant nor unpleasant for her; it was a time spent in a state of anxiety. But the darkness had possesed her brain; it simply could not function. She was thrown into a state of black nothingness, This was Shanti and she had entered the gates of Raghuvir Kuteer.

Raghuvir Shastri had always been an early riser. He was the retired headmaster of Madhapur High School, who taught the much dreaded subject; Mathematics. He had a great affinity for numbers and social service. It was mainly because of his active involvement and dedicated hard work that Madhapur was now a conurbation and was recieving grants from the government for further development. The people owed a lot to Raghuvir Shastri and every young boy of Madhapur wanted to become like him. Inspite of the repeated requests, Shastri never poked his head into politics as he believed that politics corrupts one's soul. But Shastri's, Raghuvir Kuteer was never a happy home.
Earlier chapters in Shastri's history revealed that his wife had succumbed to tuberculosis leaving behind a daughter of 8. He raised her with much love and affection, and was ardently supported by his widowed sister, who was no less than a mother figure. The daughter was married into a wealthy family at the tender age of 16. Just when Shastri was beginning to enjoy life and thanking God for his graciousness, the bitter tidings of his daughter's death; a year after the marriage, broke him completely. With his son-in-law abandoning the baby, Shastri had no option but to bring his grand daughter with him to Madhapur. He named her after his own daughter, Vrinda.

When Shastri woke up the rain had stopped but the wind was still high. The day was breaking. He looked up at the wall clock and saw that it was already five. Usually, Shastri's daily routine included getting up early and venturing towards the sea to pay homage to the rising sun. But, today the overcast sky upsetted his routine and he was sure there would be no sun to pay homage to. These days Shastri was earning his livelihood by giving private tutions to students. He could have easily continued teaching at the High School, but after his daughter's death Shastri was reluctant to shoulder any responsibility. He resigned at the age of 52.It was sunday morning. Shastri was busy getting ready for the class which was to commence at half past eight. He was searching for his cane, which he was sure, little Vrinda had hid some where to save the boys from getting thrashed.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, he heard a cry of horror, and his sister shouting, '' Bhaiya, bhaiyaa........come over here, there's a, there's a.......'' Shastri thought,'' O God, she's started again. I just hope some sunlight enters her mind.'' Apparently, Shastri's sister, better known as Lakshmiamma possessed the talent of raising a storm in a tea cup. Shastri was sure she had found a dead kitten or a mouse in the backyard. But she seemed to be calling from the entrance. Reluctantly Shastri proceeded towards the main door.

At first he could not believe what he saw. He saw a human figure lying motionless in front of he main door. For a brief moment Shastri stood there blandly looking at the figure. Lakshmiamma had already started crying and cursing at the same time--- one of her many idiosyncracies. '' Why did she have to die here in our house? Now, the police will come and arrest all of us. What will happen to little Vrinda? God has no mercy on us.'' Telling her to shut up, Shastri bent down and touched her forehead. It was cold and lifeless. His mental turmoil soon reached a state of calmness when he found the pulse. With the help of his sister, Shastri carried the figure into the shanty in the backyard.
It was three days later that Shanti regained conciousness. Lakshmiamma found her to be too abstemious and annoying, but Shanti's health ameliorated within no time. Whenever the subject of ' who she was. Where did she come from and what was she doing in Madhapur?', was broached, Shanti kept mysteriously quiet. But strangely enough Lakshmiamma dealt with the convalescent much more patiently than expected. One night ( almost a week later since she was found at the door ) Shanti came running into the house and genuflecting infront of Shastri, pleaded, '' Sahib you have saved me. I owe my life to you. I am a poor beggar woman. I have nowhere to go. Please let me stay here. Accept me as your servant. Please dont ask me to leave. You know that the world can be cruel to a lonely woman. Kind father have mercy on me.''
Shastri looked at her for the first time. She was about 30. She was tall and elegant, not obese but fleshed out. There was a self-assuarance in her, inspite of all her pretence of helplessness. Some how Shastri could not convince himself of her being a beggar woman. She appeared to be much refined and cultured. Finally Shastri allowed her to work for Raghuvir Kuteer as a maid with out pay and she was allowed to stay in the shanty and share the food with the Shastri family.

Within no time Shanti became indispensable to the members of Raghuvir Kuteer. Raghuvir Kuteer regained its lost happiness and there was a re-return of the so called ' family life ', with the advent of Shanti. Little Vrinda found in her a mother and a companion. For hours they would be lost in their little world full of fun and banter. Shanti, with her novel ideas and games would throw Vrinda into inexplicable states of excitement. Their time would be spent in catching butterflies and roaming around Madhapur.Life was no more a hopeless affair for Shastri. Shanti was able to create a magic circle of timelessness around him. Shastri never really liked the company of women, but with Shanti minutes would easily slip into hours. Many a times Shanti would strike him speechless with her never ending filibuster. She was able to touch the inner most chords of human warmth in him. In such a manner five months of fun and frolic elapsed. But Nature seemed to work against their happiness.

But, this pure and uncomplex relationship began to cast its demonic shadows on the integrity and honesty of Shastri's character. Their relationship was discussed in public and Shastri was accused of being a man of lusty and unshamed appetites. Shanti was treated like a pariah and people started calling her a concubine. But the inhabitants of Raghuvir Kuteer were lost in their little world full of radiant happiness, and it was Lakshmiamma who started showing signs of resentment towards Shanti. Slowly Shastri started losing students in his coaching classes and when there was a drastic dip in his finances, Shastri realised the gravity of the situation. At first he tried to stifle the thoughts, but Shanti could clearly see them written on his face.

Inspite of her debonaire attitude, Shanti became mentally dazed and sick. She started withdrawing from everyone. Nobody knew what thoughts crossed her mind. Shanti's spirits drooped despite her own efforts to revive them. Whenever she blew out the candle, and burrowed her head into the pillow, flashes of her past life would start playing in front of her eyes. Sometimes memories comeback with a lot of acid and become even more painful when the present is also as acidic as the past. Shanti desperately wanted to cry but the tears would not come. Shanti could no longer bear the agony of her own thoughts. It was a black overcast night and a fine rain began to fall. Shanti walked into the street with its over arching trees. The sea was furious but it recieved Shanti with much warmth and affection. The last thing that Shanti remembered was that queer look on Shastri's face. His eyes were looking through her and beyond her when Shanti bade him goodbye. His face wore an expression that Shanti's uncomplex mind could not comprehend. She closed her eyes and in her mind was engraved every detail of Shastri's face.

Now Shanti resides only in the hollows and dells of memory of the inhabitants of Raghuvir Kuteer.