Ganesh saw that, outside, a young man of 21-22 and a young woman of 18-19 were quarrelling among themselves. From the way they were quarrelling it was obvious that both were dumb. Seeing their quarrel Ganesh smiled to himself. He looked at Madhurani’s shop. She was still laughing at the quarrel. Seeing her Ganesh walked towards her shop.
“Ganeshrao.. Look how the dumb ones quarrel.. did you ever see two dumb quarrel?” Madhurani saw Ganesh and commented.
“No, this is the first time I’m seeing it,” Ganesh answered her with a smile.
“Do you know why they are quarrelling?” Madhurani asked. Ganesh gave her a questioning look.
“Look, this dumb man was carrying a mug of water and was going towards the open yard meant for gents. And the other dumb was going towards women’s yard.. In the dark both dashed against each other.. and both their mugs fell down,” Madhurani gave a slap on Ganesh’s open palm and once again began to laugh.
Ganesh, too, began to laugh heartily.
Today, Ganesh and Madhurani sat chatting for a long time. Just then a man came hurriedly to Madhurani. He was breathless.
He began to speak. “Easy..first catch your breath and then tell me.. I am here itself. Am I running away somewhere?” Madhurani told that man jocularly.
He paused. Looking at Ganesh he got back his breath and taking out a key from his pocket handed it to Madhurani saying, “Take this. There were 15 sacks… I have kept them in your go down. He was about to place the key in Madhurani’s hand. On some pretext Madhurani turned the other side and began looking for something. Without facing him she said, “Keep it on the box”
The man, apologetically kept the key on the wooden box that was placed in front of Madhurani. Madhurani searched and brought a book and a pen. Then, turning to the man she said, “Only 15 sacks?... this time they are lesser than last time.”
“What is it that you are trying to say?.. Last time there were on 12 sacks.”
“Then, last time even the sowing was less..”
“Yes that is true but.. the calculation must have been almost accurate.
Madhurani gave the book and the pen to Ganesh and said, “Ganeshrao, make the calculation.. and tell him,”
That man said,..”Last time.. ..two and a half acres had produced 12 sacks of wheat. And this time, fifteen sacks from three acres..”
Ganesh began to calculate in the notebook. “No, Madhurani.. this time the returns are good… this time it is five and last time it was just 4.8..”
“I know it. I trust Sambhajirao.. I was just trying to pull his leg.. What do you say, Sambhajirao?” Madhurani looked at Sambhajirao and asked with a smile. Sambhajirao gave a shy smile.
“Alright. I will get going..” he said.
Madhurani once again gave him a smile and said, ”yes, you can get going now.”
He went away.
As soon as he was out of sight, Madhurani said, “Beast, he does good work … he also works hard.. but unnecessarily keeps falling over me.. Didn’t you see him, how he was trying to place the key in my hand?.. On that pretext he would have tried to touch me.. let him do this at home with his mother and sisters?
Her tirade was also applicable to Ganesh as such he felt embarrassed.
Next moment, Madhurani placed her hand on Ganesh’s thigh and said, “Shouldn’t one also have a proper status?”
Ganesh’s face once again brightened. He thought. Good, Madhurani did not say no to his attempts.
I am among the exceptions…
But it is not proper for people to take advantage of a widow’s helplessness.
“Ganeshrao, you seem to be strong in arithmetic.. you have finished the calculations in no time.. I never knew that you were also clever in maths.”
“Madhurani, now you are flattering me..”, Ganesh said feeling embarrassed.
There was no one in the shop or anywhere around. Taking advantage of this loneliness Madhurani said, “Ganeshrao.. why do you address me in the respectful plural…”
Startled, Ganesh looked into her eyes. Her eyes had begun to ooze sensuousness. Ganesh felt himself getting warmed.
“And you can just call me Honey .. or rani..Yes, you can call me Honey i.. Queenie”
Ganesh’s throat suddenly went dry and his hands and legs developed a nervous trembling. Though he shyly averted his eyes from Madhurani’s face, he sensed that Madhurani was still looking into his face with hungry eyes.
To carry on conversation Gaensh asked, “Who maintains the accounts of your shop?”
“I myself keep it. Why? Do you find me incapable?” Madhurani laughed aloud and said.
“No, not like that..” he was confused and he couldn’t finish his sentence.
“My neighbour Vilas helps me out now and then..”
“I just thought that I too, could help you now and then, What do you say Madhurani?” Ganesh said addressing her in the respectful plural form. Madhurani
“Madhurani?’’ Madhurani stopped him.
He quickly corrected himself and addressed her in the familiar singular form- ‘Honey’ But while doing so his face had turned red with embarrassment.
“Actually, I can do without help .. but if you have some other motive to help, then I am a game,” Madhurani said looking deep into his eyes.
Once again, he averted his gaze and now began to look at the wooden box kept before her. Madhurani had started fondling it. Her fondling revealed the uneasiness of her mind.
Ganesh now began to gather his courage. But he still could not meet her gaze.
She was sending signals to him …
It was necessary to respond to her signals..
Otherwise what would she make me out to be … unmanly..
No he must give some sort of a reply..
He began to think. He was trying to measure the consequence of every single move he was thinking of making.
What if she fell into my arms?
It would be so awkward…
It may also lead to trouble…
It is alright as long as it is only for fun…
What ever it be, I can take care of it when the time comes..
First.. let me respond to her signals...
He looked into her face. Her gaze was still lapping him. Again he averted his looks, feeling shy. Now he began to become angry on himself.
Fool, she is giving signal after signal…
and you are sitting like a dud …
losing courage ..
No, something has to be done...
The iron was red hot..
This was the right time to strike it…
At last he decided …
It was not possible to look at her ..
Looking into her eyes was like looking directly at the sun …
At least .. bending head ..
I should take her hand in mine.
He slowly gathered courage and began to move his hand towards her hand placed on the wooden box. His hand had begun to tremble. Even his legs had started shaking. Somehow controlling the trembling he began to move his hand towards hers. Outside cool breeze was blowing. Yet he had broken into sweat. At last he made a firm resolution and thumped his trembling hand on hers. But, before he could reach it, she had taken away her hand. He died in shame. He felt highly insulted. But just then her voice rang out.
“Bapu .. be careful .. or take a little less… otherwise like yesterday you’ll fall into a gutter.”
Ganesh lifted his head and looked up. An old villager with bristles on his cheek and chin was standing in front of Madhurani. He had held his hand before Madhurani. and Madhurani had placed two one rupee coins in his hand. The man held the coins in his fist and walked away without saying anything.
Oh, so Madhurani had moved her hand because that man had come…
Otherwise an awkward situation would have arisen….
By remaining alert Madhurani had avoided a difficult situation.
Ganesh thought. He was truly impressed with her.
Really, even while looking into my eyes she had retained her presence of mind…
And I ?…
With such presence of mind she was truly an ‘ asthavadhani’.
Now the traces of insult were wiped off from his face. He looked at Madhurani. She got up looking naughtily at him.
“Who was he?” just to hide his changed expressions he asked.
“Father-in-law,” she said.
“Come it is very late. I must close the shop.. otherwise people ..” leaving the sentence hanging she began to wind up.
“Well then, I too will make a move,” he got up and said taking her leave.
She once again smiled at him naughtily and got busy in winding up her work. As if nothing had happened. Truly her skill of moving from one situation to another was praiseworthy.
Staring at her quick, flashing movements he returned to his room. He was tracing heavy steps towards his room. Reaching the door he once again looked at Madhurani. She also looked at him. The naughty smile was still lingering on her lips.
Complete novel - Honey - A story of a feminine power
Re: Complete novel - Honey - A story of a feminine power
Being a Thursday, it was the day of the weekly bazaar. Right from the morning the streets had begun to get crowded with people and there was an excitement in the air. Villagers from neighbouring areas were arriving for Ujni’a weekly market. Ganesh also had his bath in the morning and set out for his office. Being a weekly bazaar people from nearby villages would also come to him. The pressure of work would therefore be more than other days. That is why he had started early from his room. After coming out he had thrown a glance at Madhurani’s shop. She too responded, by flashing a dazzling smile at him. His footsteps that had started for his office now automatically turned towards her shop. She had just then opened the shop and had taken her place behind the cash counter. There were no customers in the shop. And her servant too, had not yet arrived. Or, perhaps, she might have sent him elsewhere.
“Come, Ganesh”, she called him stressing his name ‘Ganesh’.
She had addressed him as Ganesh softly and a little hesitatingly
This was the first time that she had addressed him in the familiar first person singular. At other times she used to call him “Ganeshrao”.
Ganesh’ heart began to beat fast.
“What shall I give you? Tell me”
She had said the words “What shall I give you” with a special meaning and in a particular style.
Ganesh became confused. His heart began to beat faster and his face began to turn red. He looked around. He did not know what to do. Though no one was in the shop but several people were seen around going to the bazaar.
“Give me a cigarette” he somehow managed to blurt.
She gave him a questioning look. For, he had addressed her in the respectful second person. Her sharp look was trying to tell him something.
He corrected himself and addressed her in the familiar first person singular.- ‘Honey’
She took out a cigarette and placed it in his hand.
On the pretext of taking the cigarette he also held her hand. Feeling shy, she looked down and politely extracted her hand from his.
Just then a customer came in. Ganesh stood awkwardly waiting for the customer to finish his purchase and leave. The customer purchased something and began to leave. Ganesh felt relieved. But just then another customer followed. Behind him a third one came and then a string of customers began to arrive.
“So, I will make a move..” with great difficulty he left the term ‘Honey’ unuttered. Madhurani merely looked at him and smiled. He turned back and began to trace heavy steps towards his office.
When Ganesh reached his office he found quite a crowd of people gathered around his table. Some had come for certificates, some needed paper work for their loans, and a few others wanted to have papers and forms necessary for availing subsidies announced by the government. Ganesh at once plunged into the work. As he was getting an additional income from those works, perhaps he was not feeling bored or tired. Outside, on the platform, Pandu sat collecting money. Even earlier, during the times of Kharade Saheb he had done this job. Even before people stepped in Pandu collected money from them and gave them a chit. Pandu was not much educated. But even if he had studied only till the second standard, he was doing his job satisfactorily. This made it easy for Ganesh on two counts. One, there was no need for him to actually receive any money and as such there was no fear of anti-corruption wing. As it is, he knew well that the anti corruption division would not come to his village so soon. Yet, it was always prudent to be careful. The other advantage with Pandu was that Ganesh could avoid talking to people to find out what they exactly needed. At the end of the day, Ganesh paid him handsome reward. It was in anticipation of this reward that Pandu worked the whole day for Ganesh.
Now there was only one person remaining near Ganesh’s table. Seeing him alone, Ganesh heaved a sigh of relief and looked into his watch. It was nearing one. Right from the morning he could not snatch time even to sip some water. Now he had started feeling hungry. His throat was also parched. He thought that he would tackle this lone remaining villager and then take a round in the bazaar outside and eat whatever was available.
Just then a lad came from outside. He was holding a brass glass. Without a word he placed the glass before Gaensh and turned to go away.
“What is it?” Ganesh asked the boy.
“I don’t know,” the boy gestured with his shoulders and said. “Pandu-dada has sent it,” he added and went away.
Ganesh took the glass in his hand, peeped into it and then took a sip. He felt relaxed. Pandu, who sat outside on the platform, had gathered money somehow and had arranged to procure a glass of sherbet. The sherbet was made out of aniseeds. Take cool water from a mud-pot, add sugar and then put in finely powdered aniseeds. Sieve it and the cooling aniseed-sherbet became ready. It was for the first time that Ganesh was having such aniseed-sherbet here, in Ujni. He liked it very much. He quickly gulped the remaining sherbet. Of course, it was also because he was that much thirsty.
Now Ganesh called that lone visitor. He was an extremely tall 22 year old village-boy.
“What do you want?”
“Father has sent me,” the boy answered.
“Okay, your father has sent you.. but what work do you have? Ganesh asked.
The boy strained to remember.
“Did you meet Pandu, outside?” Ganesh asked.
“Yes, I have met him,” he said.
“Then, he must have given you some chit.. didn’t he?”
“Yes, he has given,” he took out a crumpled chit from his shirt pocket and gave it to Ganesh.
“You’re really mad,” Ganesh said thoroughly annoyed.
Ganesh glanced at that crumpled paper and looked at the boy in amazement. Ganesh opened that crumpled paper. He tried to read what was written on it. But the paper was so badly crumpled that Ganesh could not make out what was written on it.
“Do you know how to read and write?”
“Yes, of course,” he said proudly.
“Good. Then come here and read this out to me… what is it that is written on this chit,” Ganesh said continuing to make an effort to read it.
First, the boy tried to find out a way to reach Ganesh. In front of Ganesh three tables, joined to each other were placed and Ganesh sat in the left corner, leaning against the wall. There was a way beyond the three tables, in the right hand corner near the wall. Then the boy tried to move the second table near Ganesh and tried to get in. But then he thought over it and raising his long legs high he crossed the second table and reached Ganesh’s side. Ganesh saw him do this with great amazement.
“Hey, have you gone mad?” Ganesh shouted at him to scold him. But next moment he recollected the expression on the boy’s face and his strange way of crossing the table and found them amusing.
“What a mad man you are! The way is form the other side. Instead of coming from over there you are jumping over the table..,” Ganesh commented with laughter ringing in his voice.
What should he call him? Should he laugh or become angry? Ganesh couldn’t make out what to do. By then, the boy had crossed the table and, bending over Ganesh, had begun to read what was written on the chit, “Certificate for Agricultural Land”
“Come, Ganesh”, she called him stressing his name ‘Ganesh’.
She had addressed him as Ganesh softly and a little hesitatingly
This was the first time that she had addressed him in the familiar first person singular. At other times she used to call him “Ganeshrao”.
Ganesh’ heart began to beat fast.
“What shall I give you? Tell me”
She had said the words “What shall I give you” with a special meaning and in a particular style.
Ganesh became confused. His heart began to beat faster and his face began to turn red. He looked around. He did not know what to do. Though no one was in the shop but several people were seen around going to the bazaar.
“Give me a cigarette” he somehow managed to blurt.
She gave him a questioning look. For, he had addressed her in the respectful second person. Her sharp look was trying to tell him something.
He corrected himself and addressed her in the familiar first person singular.- ‘Honey’
She took out a cigarette and placed it in his hand.
On the pretext of taking the cigarette he also held her hand. Feeling shy, she looked down and politely extracted her hand from his.
Just then a customer came in. Ganesh stood awkwardly waiting for the customer to finish his purchase and leave. The customer purchased something and began to leave. Ganesh felt relieved. But just then another customer followed. Behind him a third one came and then a string of customers began to arrive.
“So, I will make a move..” with great difficulty he left the term ‘Honey’ unuttered. Madhurani merely looked at him and smiled. He turned back and began to trace heavy steps towards his office.
When Ganesh reached his office he found quite a crowd of people gathered around his table. Some had come for certificates, some needed paper work for their loans, and a few others wanted to have papers and forms necessary for availing subsidies announced by the government. Ganesh at once plunged into the work. As he was getting an additional income from those works, perhaps he was not feeling bored or tired. Outside, on the platform, Pandu sat collecting money. Even earlier, during the times of Kharade Saheb he had done this job. Even before people stepped in Pandu collected money from them and gave them a chit. Pandu was not much educated. But even if he had studied only till the second standard, he was doing his job satisfactorily. This made it easy for Ganesh on two counts. One, there was no need for him to actually receive any money and as such there was no fear of anti-corruption wing. As it is, he knew well that the anti corruption division would not come to his village so soon. Yet, it was always prudent to be careful. The other advantage with Pandu was that Ganesh could avoid talking to people to find out what they exactly needed. At the end of the day, Ganesh paid him handsome reward. It was in anticipation of this reward that Pandu worked the whole day for Ganesh.
Now there was only one person remaining near Ganesh’s table. Seeing him alone, Ganesh heaved a sigh of relief and looked into his watch. It was nearing one. Right from the morning he could not snatch time even to sip some water. Now he had started feeling hungry. His throat was also parched. He thought that he would tackle this lone remaining villager and then take a round in the bazaar outside and eat whatever was available.
Just then a lad came from outside. He was holding a brass glass. Without a word he placed the glass before Gaensh and turned to go away.
“What is it?” Ganesh asked the boy.
“I don’t know,” the boy gestured with his shoulders and said. “Pandu-dada has sent it,” he added and went away.
Ganesh took the glass in his hand, peeped into it and then took a sip. He felt relaxed. Pandu, who sat outside on the platform, had gathered money somehow and had arranged to procure a glass of sherbet. The sherbet was made out of aniseeds. Take cool water from a mud-pot, add sugar and then put in finely powdered aniseeds. Sieve it and the cooling aniseed-sherbet became ready. It was for the first time that Ganesh was having such aniseed-sherbet here, in Ujni. He liked it very much. He quickly gulped the remaining sherbet. Of course, it was also because he was that much thirsty.
Now Ganesh called that lone visitor. He was an extremely tall 22 year old village-boy.
“What do you want?”
“Father has sent me,” the boy answered.
“Okay, your father has sent you.. but what work do you have? Ganesh asked.
The boy strained to remember.
“Did you meet Pandu, outside?” Ganesh asked.
“Yes, I have met him,” he said.
“Then, he must have given you some chit.. didn’t he?”
“Yes, he has given,” he took out a crumpled chit from his shirt pocket and gave it to Ganesh.
“You’re really mad,” Ganesh said thoroughly annoyed.
Ganesh glanced at that crumpled paper and looked at the boy in amazement. Ganesh opened that crumpled paper. He tried to read what was written on it. But the paper was so badly crumpled that Ganesh could not make out what was written on it.
“Do you know how to read and write?”
“Yes, of course,” he said proudly.
“Good. Then come here and read this out to me… what is it that is written on this chit,” Ganesh said continuing to make an effort to read it.
First, the boy tried to find out a way to reach Ganesh. In front of Ganesh three tables, joined to each other were placed and Ganesh sat in the left corner, leaning against the wall. There was a way beyond the three tables, in the right hand corner near the wall. Then the boy tried to move the second table near Ganesh and tried to get in. But then he thought over it and raising his long legs high he crossed the second table and reached Ganesh’s side. Ganesh saw him do this with great amazement.
“Hey, have you gone mad?” Ganesh shouted at him to scold him. But next moment he recollected the expression on the boy’s face and his strange way of crossing the table and found them amusing.
“What a mad man you are! The way is form the other side. Instead of coming from over there you are jumping over the table..,” Ganesh commented with laughter ringing in his voice.
What should he call him? Should he laugh or become angry? Ganesh couldn’t make out what to do. By then, the boy had crossed the table and, bending over Ganesh, had begun to read what was written on the chit, “Certificate for Agricultural Land”
Re: Complete novel - Honey - A story of a feminine power
Ganesh began to stroll in the bazaar looking at the stalls that had come up on either side. With the hot sun of May blazing over their heads, people had set up stalls of cool-green vegetables, ripe mangoes, onions and garlic. Some had set up provision stores and some were sitting in front of heaps of grain like wheat, jowar and rice. Today, without roaming much Ganesh straight away went to the ‘paal’ of Bandu Hotelwala. They called the shed erected with thick cloth, bamboos, iron rods and ropes ‘paal’ At Bandu’s one could get hot bhujia, alu-wada, wadas made of pulses, bhujia with chillies, sev, chiwda, boondi, jilebi and other snacks. The sharp smell of frying, the enchanting sound of hot oil and in the front trays laden with yellow, a few red enticing eatables. It never happened that one went before the shed without his mouth watering. The people called aluwada as alu-bonda. Ganesh liked the alu-bonda available in Bandu’s hotel.
“Come, Sir. You will no where else get alubondas like the ones I have. I have a different way of preparing alubonda.” Saying this he dipped a ball of potato curry in a semi-liquid pulse-flour and gently dropped in the boiling oil in the frying kadhai. Then another one followed by a third one, like this after filling the entire kadhai with aluwadas he dipped his hand covered with pulse-flour in a vessel filled with water and kept nearby. He then sprinkled water from his wet hand into the hot oil. It made a ‘tad..tad’ splattering sound. Ganesh liked to see all these.
“Come on, Sir, be seated.
Ganesh entered the shed and sat on a stone placed to hold the shed in its place. Waiting for the alubondas to get ready he watched them being fried. In the shed helping Bandu Hotelwala was his wife. When he was engaged in frying she took care of the customers and when she was engaged in frying he would attend to the customers. Someone had told Ganesh that Bandu Hotelwal had married twice. One wife took care of children and the house and the second wife accompanied him as a helper and went from village to village along with the hotel…. At time to some festival called jatra, going to bazaars in other villages and erecting their shed. After going around with one wife for fifteen days, she kept her at home to look after children and take care of the house and the following fortnight he took along his other wife. He had finely adjusted his life with his business. In a way he was calculative. His calculativeness was evident even in his marrying twice. By marrying second time he had earned an extra wife and also a freely serving helper, that too, trustworthy.
By now the alubonda were ready. Bandu began to take out the fried alubonda from the frying kadhai and began to place them in a large plate.
“Other hotelwalas… they would give you such bondas to eat. But these are only half finished,” he said placing the remaining alubondas from the kadhai into the plate.
“Now, the next step is .. I must slap each of these alubondas… with this perforated ladle…. Like this,” he said slapping each alubonda with the perforated ladle in his hand.
As the perforated ladle hit the alubondas, they burst opened.
“And then the are again to put into the oil, like this,” he said again putting in alubondas that had burst open.
“This is the real way of preparing alubondas…. This, we .. from my father.. my father.. my grandfather.. my great grandfather.. generation after generation we learnt this way of preparing them.
Bandu’s chatter had to be tolerated by not only Ganesh, but by also all other customers, who had come to eat alubondas. But all of them for the love of alubondas tolerated that chatter.
He had once again begun to turn the bondas immersed in the hot oil with the perforated ladle. In between, for no apparent purpose, he dipped his hand in the vessel full of water and sprinkled water from his wet hand into the kadhai of hot oil. That gave rise to ‘tad..tad’ sound and perhaps he was used to making such ‘tad..tad..” sound. Ganesh always felt that perhaps, the secret of his working with continuing enthusiasm with which he worked under such a hot sun, standing before a burning fire, lay in this ‘tad..tad’’sound.
“Come, Sir. You will no where else get alubondas like the ones I have. I have a different way of preparing alubonda.” Saying this he dipped a ball of potato curry in a semi-liquid pulse-flour and gently dropped in the boiling oil in the frying kadhai. Then another one followed by a third one, like this after filling the entire kadhai with aluwadas he dipped his hand covered with pulse-flour in a vessel filled with water and kept nearby. He then sprinkled water from his wet hand into the hot oil. It made a ‘tad..tad’ splattering sound. Ganesh liked to see all these.
“Come on, Sir, be seated.
Ganesh entered the shed and sat on a stone placed to hold the shed in its place. Waiting for the alubondas to get ready he watched them being fried. In the shed helping Bandu Hotelwala was his wife. When he was engaged in frying she took care of the customers and when she was engaged in frying he would attend to the customers. Someone had told Ganesh that Bandu Hotelwal had married twice. One wife took care of children and the house and the second wife accompanied him as a helper and went from village to village along with the hotel…. At time to some festival called jatra, going to bazaars in other villages and erecting their shed. After going around with one wife for fifteen days, she kept her at home to look after children and take care of the house and the following fortnight he took along his other wife. He had finely adjusted his life with his business. In a way he was calculative. His calculativeness was evident even in his marrying twice. By marrying second time he had earned an extra wife and also a freely serving helper, that too, trustworthy.
By now the alubonda were ready. Bandu began to take out the fried alubonda from the frying kadhai and began to place them in a large plate.
“Other hotelwalas… they would give you such bondas to eat. But these are only half finished,” he said placing the remaining alubondas from the kadhai into the plate.
“Now, the next step is .. I must slap each of these alubondas… with this perforated ladle…. Like this,” he said slapping each alubonda with the perforated ladle in his hand.
As the perforated ladle hit the alubondas, they burst opened.
“And then the are again to put into the oil, like this,” he said again putting in alubondas that had burst open.
“This is the real way of preparing alubondas…. This, we .. from my father.. my father.. my grandfather.. my great grandfather.. generation after generation we learnt this way of preparing them.
Bandu’s chatter had to be tolerated by not only Ganesh, but by also all other customers, who had come to eat alubondas. But all of them for the love of alubondas tolerated that chatter.
He had once again begun to turn the bondas immersed in the hot oil with the perforated ladle. In between, for no apparent purpose, he dipped his hand in the vessel full of water and sprinkled water from his wet hand into the kadhai of hot oil. That gave rise to ‘tad..tad’ sound and perhaps he was used to making such ‘tad..tad..” sound. Ganesh always felt that perhaps, the secret of his working with continuing enthusiasm with which he worked under such a hot sun, standing before a burning fire, lay in this ‘tad..tad’’sound.