Forgetfulness - A Short Story
Forgetfulness
"Forgetfulness" ate him bit by bit. That was the condition of Manilal, a villager of Saharanpur. He was a happy child, but circumstances turned him into a forgetful man. Before marriage, he was the eye of the family. He was the topic of concern of everybody. His earning was good. Manilal was a conductor in a bus. Besides salary, he had incentives. All the family expenses were borne by him. Even occasionally he used to send money to his sisters. So, everyone in his family, his parents, his two brothers, were very happy. Though his brothers were also earning but they did not spend any money for their family. Manilal had to pay for everything. For that, in the end of the month he did not save any money. Still, he was happy as his family was happy.
Things begin to change when the marriage of Manilal was set. All perceived that after marriage Manilal would not spend for everything. So, they tried to take from Manilal as much money as they could. But, Manilal did not have any money saved to give them. He also felt much disturbed seeing their greed. A few days later the marriage took place. Then began another episode - time of torture. His brothers made him repay one lakh (Rs.50,000/- to each) which they declared they spent for his marriage. His parents wanted him to bear family expenditure like before, but Manilal denied. That became the bone of contention. His mother stopped talking to Manilal and his wife. She also stopped doing household works. Though Manilal's Mrs did not work at her own house, she had to do all household works.
From morning to evening Manilal's wife had to work. Seeing that Manilal felt pain but he could not do anything as he did not save any money. Besides, he had married taking money on interest from a money-leader. His family members often taunted them, hurled bad words. His mother even made his wife work on the day before her delivery. Manilal's suffering went beyond endurance.
Manilal could not accept that the fact that the family, for which he made so many sacrifices, were treating his Mrs and him so badly. His head often went dizzy. One day, he went to the market but he could not remember why he went. He tried hard but could not remember. That never happened before. He had a very sharp memory. He did not forget anything. That incident shook him totally. He returned home without buying anything. His wife asked, "Why have you brought empty bags?" Manilal just replied, "Forgetfulness." He could not tell him the cause of his forgetfulness as he wanted to give her a happy life. So, he was enduring all his pains alone, silently.
------------------------------------***------------------------------------
Comments
Post a Comment