by Sudha Arora
( One )
" Everytime I must ring the bell thrice before you open the door ? What keeps you so busy all the time ? A man comes home tired from the office and has to wait at the door for five minutes…."
..........
"You call this a home? Clothes piled up here, toys strewn around there. Can't you keep things neat and tidy in the house?"
..........
"Ugh! It's impossible to sit on this bed - the sheet stinks. At least you could put these mattresses out in the sun. No wonder the place smells. You are drying nappies all over the house and you have got so used to the stink that you can hardly feel it."
..........
"Tell me, what is it that you do all day? The children seem to tie you up twenty four hours a day. My mother brought up seven kids but our house used to be absolutely spic and span. And you, with just two kids, have turned the home into a bloody railway platform."
..........
"Oh no, not again! You know very well that I have a sore throat but you still have to bring me a cold juice .Pleeeease , Can't you use your brain once in a while? What I need is a cup of hot tea…and listen, don't hand me a cold drink the moment I step into the house. I can't afford to fall sick. Do you have any idea of my workload in the office? But you need an I.Q. for that . Silly woman ! "
..........
"Don't you ever get bored sitting at home all day long? You should go out and get some fresh air. Get yourself some decent clothes and if you can't manage long hair then cut it short. Why don't you go out and meet some sensible women in the neighbourhood? It will open up your mind and do you some good."
..........
" Have you given Dad his food? How many times do I have to tell you that he needs to eat early to avoid indigestion and should have nutritious and healthy food….what? You've already given it to him? Then why don't you open your mouth and say so? How the hell am I supposed to know?"
..........
" Before I forget, tell me where you have kept the book , I gave you last week? I have turned the table upside down ; and it's not there on that shelf either. You can't keep anything in its place, can you? It was my mistake to tell you to read that book. Now it is lost for good…….That's the trouble with you women - the moment you get married and produce kids, you say good-bye to books. After that, all you do is dry nappies and work out your grocery list. And to hell with reading!"
..........
"You call this a meal? Day in and day out you churn out the same old stuff - dal, roti and potatoes — methi me aaloo , matar me aaloo , gobhi me aaloo as if there are no vegetables other than potatoes grown in India .
…..
''Agreed , you can't do anything else, at least cook a decent meal. Why don't you go and stay with your mother for sometime and pick up some good recipes from her ? She is such a wonderful cook. How come you haven't learnt anything from her? You could make some Chinese and Continental dishes. But no… everyday why should you use your brain to cook something new …!"
..........
"You better find that book. I have to return it, and don't tell me you forgot. Now a days you don't remember a single thing."
..........
"Now that both children are asleep, why don't you come here. You never seem to have any time for me. And listen, give Dad his bedtime medicine first, will you…? Please …."
..........
"Come sit here beside me. Tell me something, do you know why I opted for you out of some many proposals? I'll tell you why. It was because you were so talented , interested in music and ghazals and your house was aesthetically decorated, lovely landscapes on the wall…But now, look at yourself ! Sometimes I wonder if you are the same girl I married. I bring you so many good books, but you have no time even to look at them. You know, it is because of wives like you that we men get involved with other more intelligent women . And then you sit at home and cry your heart out but never even think of changing yourself a bit ."
..........
"Your clothes smell of baby food and all kinds of masalas… why don’t you take a bath before going to bed, you’ll also feel clean and fresh and… "
..........
"There you are, fallen asleep. I might as well have talked to the walls. It’s only 10:30 and already you are asleep. You get so tired doing household work that you are no good for anything else."
..........
( Two )
"You'll never change. Fifteen years of marriage now and you have not learnt that when a man comes home tired, you should open the door at the first ring. Why do you have to sit right in that corner bedroom so that it takes ages for you to reach the front door? Why don't you sit here on the sofa around the time I'm due from office?"
..........
"You call this a home? No ashtray on the table, no towel in the bathroom, the whole house full of books wherever you turn - on the table, on the shelf, on the bed, on the carpet, in the kitchen, bathroom. What are we going to do with so many books , books and books ?"
..........
"Now, why do I see so many newspapers around? Do you have to read all the evening papers published in the city? After all, the same news is there in all the papers. If I stop you from reading all this crap, you'll probably start reading what's wrapped around the medicine bottles. It has become an obsession with you now. You hardly bother to see what's happening at home or with the children."
..........
"You know very well, I don't have tea at this time. It's time for dinner. It's so bloody hot and you have to come with a hot cup of tea. Use your brain, please. Can't you make some lime juice and keep it in the fridge?'
..........
"What is this? You call this food? I'm sick and tired of these baked and boiled vegetables. I feel like a patient in a five-star hospital! You don't have to be so nutrition conscious. I'm longing for simple dal-roti. At least I'll feel I'm eating food at home. You women have started aping Western ideas and forgotten even how to use our Indian spices."
..........
"Oh no! You haven't got my shoes repaired? And when are you going to pay these bills ? You don't have time for all this; you must go gallivanting around. As though teaching in school was not enough, you've taken up this stupid social work. Why the hell do you go to that wretched women centre ? All hypocrete women ! What do you get out of it? Nothing! Not even a penny! In fact, you are paying even the transport fare from your own pocket , hah ! Social work ! My foot !
..........
" Why have you cut your hair so short ? Didn’t even ask me before chopping it off ? You think you look beautiful with this short hair? You look awful . Do you know that it adds to your age, at least ten years if not more... but whether it suits you or not you have to be trendy ... Brainless woman!"
..........
"So, this is your darling son's report card? He has failed in maths! What can the poor child do but fail, when the mother doesn’t have any time for her son. Now don't expect me to teach them maths after I come home exhausted from the office……
………
Listen, you are the MA, the gold medalist , prizes and cups for elocution , for drawing and what not ! Can't you at least look after your children's studies? If you don't know the new maths, then arrange for a tutor. Now that you've started working , spend some of your earnings on your children, instead of wasting it in social work . All day long, the children sit watching MTV."
..........
"Will you put that book down ! It's a quarter to twelve now. If you are not sleepy, then go to another room and read until morning, but please switch off the light. And listen, if you provoke me like this, I am going to throw all these books right out of the window, then you’ll see how…."
..........
" Now wait a minute. Have you been listening to me or was I talking to the walls?
………
“ What's so remarkable and interesting in that book, without which your life will be meaningless? No matter how much you read, it's not going to add to your intelligence. You'll never change. You'll remain the same…."
..........
'' I say , Are you listening .......? "
from the book ''Odyssey-2 Aashaa --Short stories by Indian Women Writers ''
edited by Divya Mathur , Nehru Centre , London .
The story has been translated into Czech by Dr. Dagmar Markova , in Italian by Alassandre , in German by Dr. Heinz Wessler and has been made into a street play by Experimental Theatre of London .
The story was enacted by Veteran Hindi actor Saeed Jaffrey at Nehru Centre , London and by Lagaan fame actor and Theatre artist Rajendra Gupta in Hindi at Choupal , Mumbai – an organisation for film and theatre personalities .
No comments:
Post a Comment