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City Of Dreams

Discussion in 'Stories (Fiction)' started by GeetaKashyap, Apr 3, 2018.

  1. GeetaKashyap

    GeetaKashyap IL Hall of Fame

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    [​IMG]



    It rained incessantly. Rajappa’s cough wouldn’t just subside. Chinnamma tried to feed him some warm broth but in vain, he coughed all the more. It looked as if his bloodshot eyes would fall off. Rajappa was writhing in pain. His chest bones ached terribly as a result of his continuous cough. She had given him all his medicines and there was hardly anything more Chinnamma could do. There was just enough kerosene to last for that night. She just sat like a stone beside Rajappa. Her eyes were dry and it looked as though her emotions for him too had dried ages back. She lived and worked now only for her ten-year-old son, Siva. She ran her fingers affectionately through Siva’s hair as he slept oblivious to the turmoil around.



    ***



    Chinnamma was a dark and skinny woman with dishevelled hair. Her large eyes looked disproportionate on her face. But in youth Chinnamma, popularly known as ‘Chinni’ was a beauty whom the entire village, young as well as old, eyed. She had an enviable figure. Her large dark eyes showcased her innocent soul. When the ‘Gowda’ (Village head) started eyeing her, her poor parents got her married off in a hurry to Rajappa from the neighbouring village. Rajappa was a poor orphan and he was in no way a match for Chinni. Rajappa worked at the bus stop as a loader and also did odd jobs in others’ fields to earn a few rupees which were barely sufficient for them. For the first couple of months after the marriage, Rajappa doted on her. They built a small hut in the margins of their village. While Rajappa worked hard, Chinni learnt to manage her hut. She cooked timely meals for him and converted the hut into their home. She started selling flowers near the village temple to increase their family income. She also conceived around the same time. As chinni got busy with her routine and took on more responsibilities, Rajappa started spending more time with his friends and in due course, he developed all the ‘manly’ vices. Domestic quarrels and violence became a part of their lives. Under those circumstances, Chinni delivered her son, Siva. Chinni and her parents hoped Rajappa would improve his behaviour after seeing Siva. But that did not happen. Rajappa started spending, even more time outside their home.



    When Siva was barely two, Rajappa decided to go to the ‘City of Dreams’- Mumbai, in search of his fortune. He had heard so many exciting stories about Mumbai from his friends. He had big hopes and dreams. He assured Chinni that he would get good opportunities in Mumbai and that he would send her money every month from there. He built many colourful dreams for her about their bright future together in Mumbai, as to how they could build a big house of their own and also buy some agricultural land in the village. In the anticipation of a golden future, Chinni sold her gold nose-ring without any hesitation and gave him all the money. He had then grabbed her in his arms and said, “Chinni, Mumbai is a very big city with big roads, houses, trains, films and so much work is available there. I will work hard and make a lot of money. At the earliest, I will make arrangements to take Siva and you to the big city. Let us educate and make Siva, an officer. We will have our own big house and a vehicle. Imagine how will all these villagers feel when they see us as rich as the Gowda. We will live the life of kings and queens!” Chinni had widened her eyes in excitement and anticipation of good times. In the next few months that followed, Rajappa sent her a few hundred rupees. Chinni used that money carefully. She now started selling flowers at the village bus stop to increase her income. Life looked a lot better financially. Chinni started daydreaming about good life in the city. This filled her with even more energy to find ways and means to save and also earn more money. She started growing vegetables around her hut and selling them. As the days passed, Chinni missed Rajappa a lot. She was getting impatient to go to Mumbai at the earliest and experience the good life there. Since both of them were uneducated, she could not find out about Rajappa and his progress in the city. As the days and months passed, dreams and overwork drained her. She would often get restless and wished to have her simple life back. She used to be very tired on some days and wished Rajappa was around to join hands with her in bringing up her naughty son, Siva. As a year passed, Rajappa stopped sending money regularly. Soon there came a time when he stopped sending money altogether and there was just no communication between them. Through the village postman's help, Chinni tried to send a few letters but they never brought back replies. Slowly Chinni got used to her lonely life and she diverted all her hopes and dreams towards Siva’s future. She wanted him to go to the school and become a respectable man.



    ***



    Chinnamma was now a familiar face at the village bus stop. Creation of a highway passing through her village had increased the traffic and also her business. She had now learnt the art of talking smoothly to sell flowers and the art of talking tough whenever any man dared to approach her. Abuses never seemed to stop once they started. Due to this people actually feared and kept a distance from her.



    Then one day almost eight years later, as Chinnamma was just about to wind up her business, the last bus which passed through her village arrived with a very sick passenger. No one knew who he was. Soon people gathered around him. That man coughed terribly and had crouched in exhaustion. Out of curiosity Chinnamma also joined the crowd. She noticed that the stranger was just a sick bundle of bones. After a lot of commotion, guesses and questions, people realised that he was Rajappa, Chinnamma’s husband! With her large eyes, she tried to look at him again and again. She could not identify him; rather she did not want to identify him. Villagers persuaded and pressurised her to take Rajappa home. Seeing Chinnamma and others coming home with a sick man, Siva wondered why his amma brought a sick man home. When Chinnamma told him that the sick man was his father, Siva had looked at her disbelievingly. He was used to a fatherless life and he definitely did not want a sick man as his father.



    The new burden made Chinnamma run from pillar to post trying to find a cure for Rajappa. This affected her savings and business. She was angry and disgusted when the government doctor told her that Rajappa was in the last stage of his life and he suffered from a dreaded disease. She wished Rajappa had never come back in that condition into their life.



    ***



    A sudden loud noise from Rajappa broke her reverie and brought her back to reality. Rajappa had stopped coughing! She took the kerosene lamp close to him and observed. He was not breathing anymore. Strangely Chinnamma felt good and relieved that at last Rajappa passed away.



    ***



    Six years later…

    Their village was no longer secluded; it had developed into an important transit town. Several buses and trucks going to Mumbai stopped at their village for refreshments and replenishments. Many new associated businesses had cropped up along the highway. The village now had a brothel and a liquor shop to cater to the transit customers and also to induct new customers. Siva and his gang was a permanent fixture there. Sundarakka, the brothel owner, was very indulgent towards these youngsters. Every day Chinnamma had to listen to the complaints from the villagers about Siva’s drunken brawls or his involvement in teasing and harassing young girls of the village. When Chinnamma tried to reason with Siva he had not hesitated to lift his hand on Chinnamma. He was neither interested in the business she had built over the years nor in doing anything constructive in the village. In fact, he had a business proposal for her from Sundarakka that if Chinnamma would eat and dress well, and work at the brothel, she could easily earn at least ten times the money she earned by selling flowers! Hearing this from her son, Chinnamma had hurled abuses at Siva and had tried to slap him. But Siva had overpowered her and tried to strangulate her! This terrible setback made her very ill. Then one day when Chinnamma was still unwell, Siva disappeared with her savings. Chinnamma was now inconsolable. Soon she lost all the interest in life and no longer cared to sell the flowers. Daily she would wait for buses arriving at the village bus stop and would ask bus passengers whether they had seen her Siva anywhere? She began to lose a sense of time and place. As the days passed looking at her deteriorated condition people declared that Chinnamma had gone mad! Then on, for many years all she did was to wait for her son at the bus stop and then one day she too disappeared. Soon the villagers also forgot about her.



    ***



    Now Chinnamma is a nameless, faceless madwoman on the streets near the Mumbai Central Bus Stand. Her wrinkled face brightens whenever she sees teenage boys! Siva anna is a big ‘bhai’ in the nearby infamous red light area. While she is busy looking out for her fifteen-year-old Siva, Siva anna is too busy to recognise her. Like so many others, now they too are an integral part of the City of Dreams!

    ****************************************************************************
     
    sindmani, VinuthaS, Adharv and 6 others like this.
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  2. iyerviji

    iyerviji Finest Post Winner

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    Very sad story. Feel sad for Chinnamma. I thought at least son will be a good boy and take care of his mother

    Usually I have no patience to read stories but since it is by you I wrote
     
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  3. GeetaKashyap

    GeetaKashyap IL Hall of Fame

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    I am honoured by your love, Vijima.
    I wrote the above story thinking of all the nameless and faceless men and women who are an integral part of larger cities. Most of them came with big dreams and the big cities continue to attract all dream chasers to date, yet very few dreams are fulfilled.
     
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  4. nandinimithun

    nandinimithun IL Hall of Fame

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    Beautiful write up geets....
    All the dreams are colorful and awesome when they are fulfilled, alas not everyone is lucky....
    Some keep chasing their dreams till their final breath, while some forget about it and get involved in the mundane activities of life....
    This snippet of yours, reminded me of the kannada movie ‘nagarahaavu’ which was directed by puttana kangal.
     
  5. shravs3

    shravs3 IL Hall of Fame

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    Interesting !! Nice picture too
     
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  6. GeetaKashyap

    GeetaKashyap IL Hall of Fame

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    Were you born when Nagarahavu was released? Loved your beautiful analysis:)
     
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  7. GeetaKashyap

    GeetaKashyap IL Hall of Fame

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    Thanks, @shravs3. I painted it just to make the narration interesting.:)
     
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  8. nandinimithun

    nandinimithun IL Hall of Fame

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    Am assuming i must have born after that movie was released.... I was born in the 80s era. one of my fav kannada movies till date....
     
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  9. Sandycandy

    Sandycandy IL Hall of Fame

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    Geeta, this was sad but probably a true story for a lot of women ! Two useless men and one hardworking optimistic woman. Like viji aunty I was hoping that siva would be a source of happiness for Chinnamma. You are probably one of the few talented writers I know that can also make beautiful illustrations for their own story .
     
  10. Sunburst

    Sunburst Platinum IL'ite

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    Loved the narration and the names of the characters but very sad ending .
     
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