Surangi, The Child Bride

Part 47

"You are a scheming, conniving little viper! I know this was all your plan, it has to be! What have you done with my Madhav?" Surangi' s ears were nearly deafened with the spontaneous ruckus. She could see Rohini shaking, overcome by emotion. Surangi could not react even if she wanted to. Madhav's sudden decision to stay back in Bombay in order to continue his education unhindered had come as a shock. Neither Surangi nor Vidya and Manohar had been prepared for his sudden announcement.

"But Madhava, how can you make such a critical decision without consulting our parents? And what about Surangi?" Vidya had voiced her concern aloud.

"Tai, I had a word with the Principal of the Missionary school. When he saw the letter of introduction and my grades from previous years he had his teachers set me a test. So satisfied was he with my performance that he even offered me a scholarship. Don't worry about Aai-Baba, I'll will write them a letter explaining the situation. And I am sure they will understand."

" And Surangi is too young to be affected by my decision. There is nothing wrong with wanting to further the cause of one's education, you know I must return to the city for higher studies as there are no opportunities back home. Besides, I don't want any distractions shifting my focus." Madhav could not reveal the truth about the unsolicited attention he was getting from Rohini. She was quickly turning out to be source of daily irritation. Deep inside Madhav was afraid of possibly succumbing to the temptation. This fear had been a major determinant that helped cement his decision to stay back in Bombay. 

Madhav felt a tad guilty for having withheld information from Surangi but he could not make her see the delicate situation concerning Rohini. He hoped that the passing months and years would make Surangi accept their arrangement. And Vidya had a hard time sitting Surangi down and trying to explain her predicament. Surangi had gone into a shell worrying about whether it was her fault.

"Is it because of something I did wrong?" The poor girl was distraught enough to want to apportion the blame. She could barely eat her meals. 

"Absolutely not, in fact none of us have anything to do with this. My brother wants to live and study here so that he can concentrate on his studies. Your early marriage to him was due to family circumstances. May be it is best that the two of you stay apart and focus on your respective goals and then set up a home together when both are mature enough to accept that responsibility. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise. Anyway these days they say that boys and girls should not be straddled with marital roles too soon. To tell you the truth, my husband and I did not begin to live together until I turned eighteen. While he pursued his law degree in Bombay I lived in Pune with his parents." Vidya elaborated,  wiping Surangi's tears.

"But what if he forgets about me after living so far from home for many years?" An anxious Surangi expressed her apprehension.

"Don't be silly. Things like that only happen in legends. My brother is far more pragmatic!" Vidya assumed that Surangi was thinking along the lines of the despondent Shakuntala whom fate had separated from her beloved Dushyant.

"You know about Vishnu Mama and Anandi Tai' s history, don't you?" Surangi sounded miserable.

"Surangi Vahini, Madhav will be staying with me. I shall watch him like a hawk. There is no chance of him straying. And unlike Anandi who let her unhappiness overcome her you should use the opportunity to prove to Madhav that you too can grow up to be a fine woman of substance!" Vidya wanted of build hope in Surangi's heart. After a few minutes the child bride relented. There were no tearful moments at the wharf when Surangi boarded the Konkan-bound steamer with a distant relative and his wife. Madhav kept himself occupied hauling up her luggage although he avoided looking into her eyes. On the other hand Chandri hugged her affectionately.

"I shall miss you. And don't worry, I shall keep an eye on Madhav Bhau for you!" Chandri assured her. 

"I shall miss you too, Chandri. Take care of your health, and don't neglect your books!" Surangi meticulously avoided mentioning Madhav.

She stayed back on the deck for a long time, staring at the jetty until the familiar faces had disappeared in the distance. Suddenly she felt lonely, even more than when her parents passed away. It was a haunting thought, unlike what she had assumed earlier she was not Madhav's priority, rather his education and career was. She managed to keep her tears hidden all day but as everyone slept on the ship's deck under the starlit summer sky that was gradually filling with monsoon clouds, one could hear her muffled sobs as she try to deal with the absence of Madhav.

"Good thing you returned by boat this week. The service is stopping next week because of the monsoon. And wait till you see my newborn baby brother!" Waman gushed as he came forward to welcome Surangi. To her disappointment everyone in the Oak household took the news of Madhav's decision in their stride. They knew how keen Madhav was to become a doctor. And they were certainly happy about the arrival of Sharayu's new baby, although Surangi had been hoped it would be a girl.

Aaji made Surangi wait an entire day before she let her meet the infant and mother, referring to something called quarantine. 

"We don't want any illness you may have carried over from the city to affect the baby. He is too vulnerable right now!" Aaji told Surangi firmly making her feel even more unwanted.

"You have to wait just a day longer before you can meet mother and child!" Yashoda smiled at Surangi. She knew the girl's emotional state but this isolation was necessary. It was important for the girl to learn that life was filled with challenges and one had to face them inevitably, it was all a part of growing up.

"It is a plot, I know. Just you wait, Madhav shall come back for me soon!" Rohini continued to rant and rave hoping that Surangi would crack and confront her or at least reveal some information about Madhav.

"If and when he comes back, if he wants to mess with him you are welcome to have him!" Her patience worn thin Surangi finally snapped, leaving Rohini stunned. The girl continued to stare after Surangi minutes after her footsteps had hurried home.

"You smell of mother's milk, but in a nice way!" Surangi's affection flowed easily as she hugged the infant boy. The baby cooed in response to his adoptive new mother. That is what Surangi was to become, over the coming years. 

"Karangali, marangali, madhley bot, chaphekali, angtha!" Surangi recited, pointing at each little finger on the baby's tiny palms. 

"I am your Vahini, the wife of your cousin Madhav!" She changed his soiled swaddling cloth as gently but firmly as Sharayu had taught her.

Far away in the city Madhav cruised the tiny bylanes that criss-crossed his path from Vidya's home to the mission school. These streets were always a little untidy but he did not mind that, on the contrary the heaps of fruit, vegetable and flowers sold by the street vendors reminded him of home. It was his routine to pause briefly before a particular flower vendor.

Before him in a bamboo basket lined with green leaves nestled garlands of pretty pearl-white rounded buds, trying to open into four-petaled flowers. The petals enclosed a cluster of yellow stamens in the center. Bees hovered around the basket, drawn to the heady fragrance of the blossoms.  

"Bhau, Surangicha gajra devu ka?" The flower girl called out to him as she usually did, tempting him to buy her perfumed garlands.

"It is too early, I may have to wait a while for those flowers! Give me some marigolds for the puja!" Madhav said enigmatically as he paid her with a coin for the small bundle of marigolds. As he walked home, he had a faint smile on his lips, his lungs and senses filled with the familiar scent that his mind linked to someone who was close to him and yet was so far from him.