The Mother I Never Knew Read online

  Venkatesh’s musings came to a halt as the car reached Lalbagh and Gauri remarked, ‘Anna, see how crowded it has become these days.’

  Yes, Lalbagh was very crowded. Many people came to exercise there. It was no longer meant just for young lovers and old people. Venkatesh replied, ‘Isn’t it natural? I used to come alone before, and now, you’re with me. That makes two of us. The population has definitely grown.’

  The road near the west gate was convenient for a stroll and quiet too. Venkatesh and Gauri walked along the cement footpath in the cool and pleasant evening breeze. ‘Anna, you have travelled quite a lot. What made you settle down in Bangalore?’ Gauri asked.

  ‘Well, I’ve been told that the letter J in Father’s name stands for Joshi and that we are from some village in the Mysore state. But I really don’t know much else and I don’t think that Father did either. So we adopted any place that we stayed in and we happened to like this city.’

  ‘But why do we have so few relatives from your side of the family? Everybody I know is from Amma’s side. Where are your cousins, uncles and aunts?’

  ‘You see, Grandma struggled to raise my father and none of her relatives helped or visited her during that time. So when we became wealthy, Grandma didn’t want us to go see our cousins or their families.’

  ‘Okay, I can understand that.’ Gauri paused. ‘But what about your mother’s relatives?’

  ‘You must understand, child; my mother was innocent and meek, but she was also very intelligent. Often, you remind me of her. The only difference is that you speak your mind, but she couldn’t. Those days were like that. In the end, Grandma reigned supreme in the family and Mother spent all her time knitting, embroidering, painting and indulging in other such creative activities.’

  ‘Anna, why didn’t you ever argue with your Grandma?’

  Venkatesh said sadly, ‘For the same reason that you don’t argue with your mother. It’s because some people are approachable and some are not. My Grandma and your mother belong to the latter category. It’s no use talking to them; it’s like breaking our heads against a wall. Their decision is final—whether right or wrong. We simply choose to stay quiet to keep the peace.’

  Engrossed in conversation, the father–daughter duo realized that they had already completed one round along the pond. Avoiding the crowded road in front of the Glass House, they turned back on the same path.

  ‘Anna, maybe things would have been different had Amma stayed at home,’ Gauri said, thinking of her busy mother.

  ‘Perhaps, but the truth is that we’ll never know. Initially, Shanta was a homemaker. When Amma and Appa passed away, I had to take responsibility for my family and the inheritance I received.’

  ‘Grandfather came to your help then, didn’t he?’

  ‘Yes, he did.’ Venkatesh recalled. ‘Your grandfather Suryanarayana is a smart man. He made me take a loan from the bank I worked in and helped us to construct two commercial buildings—Ganga–Tunga—on the Basavanagudi site. Your mother sold our home in the area and we shifted to Jayanagar. Though the land and the money were mine, your grandfather was the mastermind behind the plan. He advised us to rent out both the buildings to private companies. Even in those days, we immediately started earning a profit of three lakh rupees per month after the loan instalment payments. Within fifteen years, the loan was easily cleared. Now, a software start-up has taken the buildings on lease and we get twenty lakhs every month.’

  Gauri interrupted, ‘That is a lot of money.’

  ‘Yes, but your grandfather didn’t just stop there. After the buildings had been rented out, he assisted us with our investments in the beginning, and I was surprised to see your Amma take to the business of investing like a duck to water. Over the years, her investments have returned more than ten times the original money and she’s bought new properties.’ Venkatesh didn’t tell Gauri that except for the Ganga–Tunga buildings, none of the new properties were in his name; they were in the names of Ravi, Gauri and Shanta.

  ‘If we have so many good investments, then why doesn’t Amma take it easy?’ asked Gauri.

  ‘Why don’t I give up my job at the bank too? At first, earning money was a necessity, but now working has become a habit. It’s not that your mother needs the money; her work really seems to give her immense satisfaction. That’s why she does what she does.’

  For years now, Shanta had never asked Venkatesh about his salary. She didn’t care; she had much more money coming in. But the truth was that Shanta had never really worked hard in her life. Her strengths were her common sense and her sound knowledge of business, both perhaps inherited from her father. It wasn’t child’s play to amass wealth by investing in the stock market. While some became rich, others were completely ruined.

  ‘Anna, what do you think of Veena and Purushottam? They may become our relatives some day.’

  ‘What can I say, Gauri? I barely know them. From what I’ve seen, their social work is restricted to the city—they distribute food to children in the slums or give speeches about children’s welfare while ensuring media coverage in newspapers and television. All their activities seem publicity-oriented. I’m not sure if they are genuinely concerned about social issues or helping people in other cities or villages.’

  ‘But even social work has become commercial these days,’ Gauri remarked.

  ‘Yes, I know. I worry that a girl from such a family may not have integrity or dedication towards her work.’

  ‘That’s what you think, Anna. I’m quite sure that Amma and Ravi think differently.’

  They walked in silence for a few minutes. The sky was getting dark when they reached the car and started on their way home. Venkatesh’s thoughts returned to his transfer. He could quit his job. But what would he do at home anyway?

  *

  A few hours later, the pleasant evening had turned into a warm night. Shanta turned on the air conditioning and thought about the meeting at the club that evening. She had praised Veena very carefully while introducing her. Veena had looked pleased after that. Their meeting was so professional; it was like one businessman meeting another. One daughter. One son. Shanta knew that Veena was thinking along the same lines, but they were both too clever to say anything directly.

  Shanta lay down on the bed and thought of her potential daughter-in-law. Was she beautiful? What would Veena and her husband give their daughter Pinki for the wedding? Shanta had heard that Pinki had studied fashion designing—a modern discipline. ‘Will she be able to find a job easily, or will she have to start something of her own? It’s important for us to know. How will it help Ravi’s start-up?’ she thought.

  She tried to sleep but couldn’t. She turned to her side and saw Venkatesh sleeping blissfully. By this time, she knew about his transfer to Hubli. ‘It’s no use telling him anything,’ she said to herself. ‘He will hate it if I tell him to quit his job, the job that barely pays him. I’ll never understand why—is it wrong to want to earn money? Or is he jealous that his wife earns more than he does? Maybe all Indian men think that the wife should work, but her income should not exceed her husband’s. She must be educated, but less than her husband. The wife may be an equal, but not higher than that.’

  Disturbed, sleep drifted further away from her. When Shanta had married Venkatesh, the house in Basavanagudi was already very old. The family lived a simple life on a tight budget under Champakka’s watchful eye. ‘There’s such a big difference between those days and today,’ Shanta thought.

  But a glance at her husband made her feel sad. He’d never understood her or helped with the business. When his father died he had not left a will, but Venkatesh had inherited everything since he was the only heir. Unfortunately, he had no idea of his father’s finances. When they opened the bank locker after JMR’s death, both Suryanarayana and Shanta were shocked. The locker was filled with gold which had a thin layer of fungus on top since i