The Invincible Moonsheen
Part – 35
(Telugu Original “Venutiragani Vennela” by Dr K.Geeta)
English Translation: V.Vijaya Kumar
(The previous story briefed)
Sameera comes to meet her mother’s friend, Udayini, who runs a women’s aid organization “Sahaya” in America. Sameera gets a good impression of Udayini. Four months pregnant, Sameera tells her that she wants to get a divorce and the circumstances are conducive to it. Udayini asks her to listen to the story of “Tanmayi” and pursue her to make her own decision after listening to the story. Tanmayi and Shekhar, who met at a wedding ceremony, go to marry with the permission of their elders. After the marriage they started their new life in Visakhapatnam. A boy was born to the couple in a year of their marriage. Tanmay engages in her studies deeply and enjoys the friendship with her colleagues forgetting all about her household disturbances. Her parents came to stay with her for a month while Shekhar is away on his long-term camp.
***
When Tanmay arrived at the hostel the next evening, Mary was cleaning the room. Mary always kept the room neat and tidy. Tanmay felt delighted when she saw the yellow flowers on her table, placed in an empty Horlicks bottle filled with colored water. Overwhelmed with joy, she hugged Mary.
Mary said, “Oh! Love you, dear! How about we go for a cup of tea? It’s been a while since you last ate!” Mary made tea in a special way that Tanmay adored.
When the tea was ready, both of them pulled their chairs close to the window and enjoyed the scenic view of the hilltop grassy meadows bathed in the evening sunshine. The blades of grass swayed gently, creating a soothing rustling sound. Their daily chit chat seemed endless. As Tanmay was sharing the gossip from her day, Simhachalam arrived and informed her that she had a call. Her mother had already called her the previous day, so Tanmay felt puzzled about why she was calling again.
However, the call was from her lawyer, Viswa.
Tanmay felt anxious and asked, “Is everything alright, sir?”
Viswa replied, “Don’t worry. Everything is fine. We are going to win the case. The other party’s lawyer has informed me that they want to withdraw the divorce petition and all the allegations made against you.”
Tanmay asked irritably, “Does this mean I have to accept his terms?”
Viswa explained, “It’s entirely up to you whether you want to compromise or not. However, this gives you a fair chance to file for divorce on your own terms. The court has records of the torture you endured, and they will likely grant you a divorce easily.”
Tanmay hesitated, “But what about the child?”
Viswa reassured her, “The child will remain under your guardianship until he turns five. If your ex-husband wishes to claim custody in the future, he will have to appeal to the court. Don’t be discouraged. In my entire career, I’ve never come across such a scoundrel with such unreasonable demands, even asking for the Mangalsutra. Rest assured, I will ensure he pays back every penny he took from you.”
Tanmay sighed in relief, “Thank you, sir. I will come to your office tomorrow to file the case.”
When she returned, she felt a sense of peace, as if a storm had finally passed.
Mary encouraged her, “It’s a great decision, Tanmay! Now you can live independently with your scholarship and lead a comfortable life. Don’t overthink about the child. Everything will work out.”
This was what Tanmay admired about Mary. Mary was always strong and supportive, never deterred by her own five years of loneliness. She radiated strength and peace, a result of her daily prayers.
Tanmay remembered the “Dhyana Mandiram” by the seashore. During an excursion to Rishikonda, their bus had broken down, and everyone had to walk. On the way, they stumbled upon the Meditation Hall, which Tanmay had never seen before. It was a half-globe-shaped structure, spacious and serene. Mats were spread across the floor, and silence boards hung on every pillar. The only sound was the gentle rustling of the tides from the nearby sea. Tanmay felt an immediate sense of relief and solace. She made a mental note to visit the place again.
Mary prayed every night after dinner, while Tanmay enjoyed reading under the table lamp. Even though there were no exams, she spent most of her time immersed in books.
She found comfort in the words of great writers:
-“The selfish person is bad, the one who adopts others’ opinions is weak, the altruist is the best, and those who see God in everything are great.” – Tolstoy
– “If work becomes pleasure, life becomes happy; if it is a responsibility, it’s slavery.” – Gorky
– “How foolish are you, trying to carry your burdens alone? Leave them to Him, and He will bear them for you. Be free of stress, for greed and foul breath will extinguish the light within you. Receive gifts not with desecrated hands, but with sacred ones.” – Tagore
– “Have you ever seen a kind heart anywhere?” – Sarath
Reading such great inspirational words brought Tanmay solace and opened a new world for her. In her loneliness, books became her greatest companions.
The next morning, Ananta arrived at the hostel unexpectedly, bringing good news. She happily announced that they had been selected for government teacher posts.
“Wow, congratulations, Ananta! You both did it!” Tanmay exclaimed.
Mary added cheerfully, “That’s fantastic! I always dreamed of getting such a post, but I couldn’t even secure a secondary grade position!” She laughed.
Tanmay smiled saying, “I’m sure you’ll become a professor someday, Mary. That’s why you missed these smaller jobs!”
Mary exclaimed in delight, “Thank you for your kind words, Tanmay. If that happens, I’ll be the luckiest person on earth! By the way, why didn’t you apply for the same post?”
Tanmay replied, “I don’t have a B.Ed. degree.”
Ananta chimed in, “Tanmay has bigger dreams. She was selected for JRF and might soon become a government college lecturer.” Turning to Tanmay, she added, “The results for lecturer posts will be announced soon. Give me your number.”
Ananta also mentioned, “Do you know Karun was selected too?”
Mary noticed a flicker of displeasure on Tanmay’s face at the mention of Karun.
After they left, Mary asked, “Who is Karun?”
Tanmay shared her unpleasant experiences with him, and Mary remarked thoughtfully,
“These things happen! You handled him well. Such people often hide their ulterior motives behind the guise of friendship. It’s unfortunate, but opposite-sex friendships often lead to demanding end in bodily pleasures. Not everyone can maintain a fair and sane relationship like we women folks have instinctively do.”
Tanmay replied, “But I believe there are still good people like Venkat and Murali.”
Mary laughed, “That’s what I admire about you, Tanmay. You always see the good in people, while I tend to be more skeptical, I hate those buggers”
Tanmay said firmly, “I’m the mother of a boy, and I want to raise him to be respectful and decent toward women.”
Lawyer Viswa informed her that the day of the trial had arrived. Tanmay took a head bath to calm her nerves. She waited for her turn sitting under a tree nervously shrouding her saree around her shoulders. A neighbor sitting nearby caught her attention. The woman seemed uneducated and was attending her case for unpaid alimony.
She vented her frustration, “It’s so hard to raise two children alone. That scoundrel left us without a penny and refuses to pay alimony.” She then showed Tanmay the wounds on her back, revealing the scars of her suffering.
Before she could finish her tirade, Tanmay was called into the courtroom.
Moved by sympathy, Tanmay handed the woman a hundred-rupee note, saying, “Please don’t think otherwise and refuse it, buy something for your children.”
Inside the courtroom, the judge announced, “We grant you the divorce. Are you ready to accept it?”
Tanmay nodded, “Yes.”
The judge asked, “Do you want alimony?”
Tanmay, loathing his nearness in that narrow courtroom and also the idea of depending on his alms firmly replied, “No.”
Her lawyer looked at her in confusion.
The jury declared, “Though you are reluctant to receive alimony, for the sake of the child, we order him to pay one-fourth of his income, which amounts to ₹300 per month. From now on, you are delinked from each other and have no rights to claim each other’s properties or interfere in personal matters.”
Tanmay was incapable of making anything out at that moment but signed the papers mechanically and walked out. She didn’t even notice Shekhar leaving the courtroom.
Her lawyer explained, “He submitted a false income statement to reduce the alimony amount. ₹300 is a meager sum.”
But Tanmay was too numb to care. She felt philosophical, “Divorce is like tearing a single life into two separate pieces.”
A flood of memories overwhelmed her—her wedding day, her parents’ efforts, the joys and sorrows of her marriage, and now, the finality of it all. She realized she needed to let go of the past and focus on living her life.
She boarded a bus randomly and, when the conductor asked her destination, she replied, “Dhyana mandiram”
As the bus sped along, she felt her burdens lifting. She realized this was a day of celebration—she was finally free.
The court’s decree echoed in her mind: “He has no rights over you.”
She felt like a free bird, her heart light and unburdened. The bus wound through the hill, the saffron rays of the setting sun glinting over the sea. It was a splendid evening, and Tanmay felt an overwhelming sense of freedom.
When the bus stopped, she got off and walked along the seashore. As she reached the rows of casuarina trees, she picked up a handful of sand and walked into the water. Standing knee-deep in the waves, she let the sand and water slip through her fingers and shouted at the top of her voice, “Mr. Shekhar, you have no rights over me anymore!”
*****
(Continued next month)
A post graduate in English literature and language and in Economics. A few of my translations were published. I translated the poems of Dr. Andesri , Denchanala, Ayila Saida Chary and Urmila from Telugu to English. I write articles and reviews to magazines and news papers. To the field of poetry I am rather a new face.