| |
Devadasi
Chapter Listing
Chapter XX
Ganapathy had been asking Mr. Chettiar frequently about his master. Now
that he had learnt about Meena, it was most important that he should get
in touch with him immediately So, he went straight to Mr. Chettiar's house.
' Have you any news of my master sir ? ' he inquired.
' Yes, Ganapathy; I was going to send for you. I had a post card from him
yesterday saying that he will be here in a few days. He wants to have you
bring his horse here. He should be here within the next two or three days.'
Ganapathy's melancholy face broke into a broad smile He told Mr. Chettiar
everything he had heard at Meena's house.
' That girl Meena is highly perceptive' Mr. Chettiar commented. ' Fancy her
feeling sorry for the wife. But all the same, it is not right. A man is
entitled to have a mistress if he wants to, but he has no right to discard
his wife when she has done no wrong. It will bring him nothing but trouble,
you wait and see.'
' Everything will work out all right sir, now that master is coming back,'
said Ganapathy brightly. ' I will go to Achipatti and bring his horse.'
He borrowed some money from Mr. Chettiar and gave it to Meena for expenses.
He could see how hard up they were. He also told her about the post card
and went to the village to bring the horse. He knew his master would come
by train So, he waited at the railway station and met every train that came
in. He slept in the station and woke up every time a train arrived. He
waited with eagerness and anticipation and then, as days passed and his
master did not arrive, with anxiety. At the end of a week, he went to
Mr. Chettiar to find out if there was any further news.
' I haven't heard anything,' he said. ' May be he has changed his mind.'
' No sir, if my master says he is coming, he will not change his mind
afterwards. He has had three months to decide. Something must have happened
to him.'
' I don't even know from where he had sent the post card,' said Mr.
Chettiar.
But his clerk who knew some English came to their rescue. ' It was posted
in Sri Rangam,' he announced after inspecting the card. ' I can read the
post mark clearly.'
' Then, he must still be there,' Ganapathy argued. ' If he had left
Sri Rangam, he would have come here. May be he has fallen ill. I must go
and find him.'
So, after informing Meena, Ganapathy started on his journey.
He had never traveled beyond Palayam; he was illiterate. But his native
wisdom and an understanding of his master told him that something must
be wrong. So, taking some more money from Mr. Chettiar, he ventured into
the unknown towards Sri Rangam. He did not understand such things as trains
and tickets and junctions where you had to change trains, but after
laborious inquires and having missed two trains at Madurai junction, he
managed to reach Sri Rangam. Everything in that holy place revolved round
the big temple. So, he went there first to make his inquires.
' Hundreds of people come here every day and we don't know who they are,'
said one of the priests.
' But my master is an important man,' said Ganapathy in all his innocence.
' He may be important in your village my man,' laughed the priest. ' But
here, he is one of a thousand. Why don't you try some of the choultries ? '
So Ganapathy went from one choultry to another, searching for them street
by street so as not to miss any. Slowly, methodically, like a faithful dog
following a scent, he covered them all. In one of the choultries, the keeper
said, ' Yes, I remember Mr. Udayar. He was here with his pretty wife and
stayed for nearly a month. But they left many months ago.'
' Yes, that was my master,' said Ganapathy. ' But didn't he come again
by himself about ten days ago ? '
' No, I have not seen him for a long time,' said the keeper ' But he was
a nice man though, very generous.'
Though this bit of news did not really get him very far, nevertheless
Ganapathy felt encouraged. If he could trace his first visit after so long
a time, surely it should be possible to find out about his second that was
so recent. But at the end of a long and tiring day, he had got nowhere.
Exhausted and miserable, he went and lay down on the open verandah of the
nearest choultry for the night, covering himself with the thick blanket
he always carried with him. As he was thinking about what to do next, he
could not help overhearing a conversation between some religious men who
were lying a few feet away from him.
' One bad man is enough to ruin the reputation for all of us,' one of them
was saying. ' The police don't give us any peace. I think we will have to
be moving.'
' They say he will get at least two years in gaol,' said another. ' And he
was such a clever talker. He knew how to impress people.'
' He chose the wrong man to try his tricks,' said the first one. ' They
say that in spite of seven stab wounds, the victim would not only not let
go of his beard, but dragged him to the road. He must have been very brave.'
' Who are you talking about ? ' Ganapathy asked. He was eager for any bit
of information that might lead him to his master.
' Haven't you heard ? It has been the talk of the whole town for the last
ten days.'
' I came only today.'
They told him the whole story of the attack on Udayar. ' Because of that,
the police are checking on all innocent sadhus and making life miserable
for us.'
' How old was the man who was attacked ? '
' He was a young man they say. It seems he had a lot of money on him.
The superintendent of police complimented him on his bravery.'
' Where is he now ? '
' They took him to the hospital in Trichinopoly. What the European doctors
have done with him, we don't know.'
' I am sure he is my master ! ' cried Ganapathy. ' He must be; no one else
would have exhibited such courage. I must go to him immediately.'
' You can't go to him at this time of night,' they explained to him.
' In these government hospitals, even to see your near and dear ones, there
are fixed hours. The white man has made the rules and we have to obey.'
Early next morning, Ganapathy was on his way to the hospital. When finally
he was allowed to see Udayar that afternoon, he shed tears of joy that his
beloved master was still alive.
' Oh master ! master ! ' he cried as he knelt by the bed side.
' Ganapathy how did you find me? What a wonderful man you are ! ' exclaimed
Udayar.
Ganapathy was not a good talker. Particularly when he was filled with
emotion, words came to him most reluctantly. Slowly, haltingly, in broken
words he explained how Meena had come to leave Udayar. Starting with the
first visit of Subban, he went on step by step until at last he told him
she was pregnant, that she had no money, that he had borrowed from
Mr. Chettiar to give her some and also for the journey. He hoped that his
master didn't mind.
' What a fool I have been ! ' Udayar exclaimed when he had heard it all.
' What unworthy thoughts I had of Meena !'
' She is a wonderful girl sir, though she comes from the deva daasi caste.'
' I suppose I should have told her about my marriage. But it just did not
strike me as being so important since I did not consider myself married.'
' It is all fate, sir there is nothing we can do about it.'
' You are right, it is fate, perhaps it is because I thought of doing away
with her for what I thought was her infidelity that I was attacked by that
ruffian.'
' People are still talking about you and how you got the better of him,
sir' said Ganapathy proudly, ' Otherwise, I would never have been able to
find you.'
' Yes, even the police complimented me,' said Udayar. ' But these fellows
who attack innocent people are really culprits and cowards at heart. If you
resist them they are powerless.'
While Udayar recovered from his wounds, Ganapathy happily looked after his
needs. He bought him food from a brahmin hotel instead of depending on the
insipid hospital food, washed his clothes, posted a letter to Meena about
their return and gossiped with the lower staff of the hospital about his
master.
|
|
|
|
|
