Stories on Animals by Premchand

Author:Premchand
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789353051891
Publisher: Penguin Random House India Private Limited
Published: 2018-07-03T16:00:00+00:00

4

As soon as she took Mannu in her lap, Budhiya realized that she was naked. Overcome by shame, she sat down and called out to a boy. ‘Son, could you give me something to wear?’

‘Didn’t you say that you’d lost your sense of shame?’

‘No, son. Now I’ve got it back. I don’t know what had happened to me.’

When the boys again shouted ‘Mad woman, mad woman,’ she started hitting them with stones. She even ran after them.

One of the boys asked, ‘A moment ago, you knew nothing about anger. So why on earth are you getting furious now?’

‘I don’t know why I am getting angry now. If anyone calls me mad again, I’ll have him bitten by the monkey.’

One of the boys came running with a tattered rag. The old woman wore it. She also arranged her hair. The insanity that glowed on her face earlier was replaced by the sombre glow of reflection. Crying, she said to Mannu, ‘Oh, son, where had you gone? It has been such a long time . . . didn’t you care about us? Your master passed away longing for you. I begged in order to fill my belly. The house was reduced to shambles. When you were here, I cared about food, clothes, jewellery and the house. But all my desires vanished as soon as you went away. I was troubled by hunger, but nothing else mattered for me in this world. My eyes didn’t shed any tears even when your master died. He was groaning with pain while lying on the cot, but my heart had turned into stone. Forget getting medicines for him, I didn’t even care to stand beside his bed. I would think “Who is he?” Now when I remember all those things and the state which I was in, I have to admit that I had indeed become insane and it was only right that the boys should call me “Mad Naani”.’

Budhiya went with Mannu to a garden outside the town. She lived in that garden under a tree. There was only some straw there for her to lie on. There was no other object necessary for survival.

From that day onwards, Mannu began to live with Budhiya. He’d leave the shelter in the morning and return home with some vegetables and bread that he’d earned showing off his acrobatics or simply begging. Even if Budhiya had a son, he wouldn’t have showed his mother the kind of love that Mannu showed. People were delighted by his acts and gave him money in return for the entertainment. Budhiya bought food from the market with this money.

People were amazed by Mannu’s deep love for Budhiya. They declared that Mannu was not a monkey but a deity.

Translated from the Hindi by M. Asaduddin

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