Gently Falls the Bakula Read online

  Shrikant’s gaze turned involuntarily to Shrimati’s house. He could see Shrimati, dressed as usual in a cotton saree, a string of bakula flowers tucked in her long plait her only adornment. She was engrossed in a conversation with her friends Sharada and Vandana.

  What were they talking about? Were they laughing at his defeat? Was she gloating over her success? Shrikant was getting more and more agitated.

  Just then he saw his group of friends led by Mallesh and Ravi approaching his house. Mallesh had a garland in his hand. Shrikant went out to meet them and Mallesh garlanded him. Then in a low tone he said, ‘Congratulations, Shrikant! She may be first but you are first among the boys.’

  Shaking hands with Shrikant, Ravi said, ‘Come on, Mallya, did we know that Shrikant would get the second rank? This is indeed a bonus for us. So what if Shrikant has not got the first rank this time? He will definitely get it next time. Haven’t you heard the famous poem, “Try and try again boys, you will succeed at last.”’

  Mallya laughed, ‘Yes, yes, that poem is especially written for boys.’

  Patting Ravi on the back, he said, ‘Now, let’s not be jealous. Isn’t she our classmate too? Has she not brought glory to our school? As far as I can see, we have made a lot of fun of her but she hasn’t retaliated even once. We should go and congratulate her. Shrikant you must also come. I am sure there will not be any problem.’

  Shrimati had been surprised to see the telegram informing her about her first rank. She had never ever expected that! When her mother had asked her about her performance in the exam, she had casually said that she had done fairly well. This first rank made her really happy, but she kept her cool.

  Actually, it was her friends who were absolutely thrilled, particularly Sharada, because Shrimati’s success was a one-up in the girls’ camp and one-down in the boys’ camp.

  Rindakka, who had looked down upon Shrimati all these years beause she was not as fair and good-looking as herself, was very pleased that her granddaughter had done better than her neighbour’s son! Suddenly her tone changed. ‘After all she is my granddaughter,’ she said with pride in her voice, ‘she has inherited my intelligence.’

  Shrimati’s father Shrikant Deshpande, too, was beaming with happiness and was very proud of his daughter’s performance. He behaved as though he was responsible for it. Kamala had a look of peace and satisfaction on her face. But in Shrimati, there was absolutely no change.

  When Shrimati saw the group of her classmates coming towards her house, she wondered what they wanted, what would happen. She wasn’t curious to know Shrikant’s marks. Though not first rank, she was sure he would have also got very good marks.

  She quickly warned her friends and the people at home not to say anything to Shrikant. ‘After all, an examination is not the index in life. It is just a matter of luck at that moment. I do not want to hurt anybody when they come to our house,’ she said.

  Sharada was most displeased with this remark.

  FIVE

  The rainy season had set in. There was a continuous drizzle. Mother earth was so thirsty that she had been longing for the showers. The dried yellow grass was turning green. Flowers bloomed and were looking fresh as if after a bath. The beautiful champaka flowers shivered in the cold breeze. The bakula tree was so happy that it was laden with blossoms. Though it was not pouring, the continuous drizzle was making life difficult for everyone. Even Gangakka was tired of picking up the bakula flowers and making innumerable garlands for all the gods.

  Almost a week passed by in celebrations and felicitations after the announcement of the results. There was great jubilation in Shrimati’s school because of the two ranks that the school had bagged. With this result, the school’s reputation got a huge boost and there was a long queue of parents when new admissions were announced.

  Shrimati and Shrikant were the focus of all the attention. They were given numerous prizes, much praise was heaped upon them by their teachers and students looked upon them as role models.

  In all these felicitations, neither Shrimati nor Shrikant congratulated or even spoke to each other. Though Shrimati tried once or twice, Shrikant did not respond. He was still too hurt. So Shrimati withdrew. It was not proper for a girl to push too much. In a place like Hubli, such things mattered a lot. Girls were not supposed to even talk to boys in public.

  After the excitement had died down, Shrimati decided to go and visit her maternal grandmother who lived in Dharwad. She was too old to travel, so the granddaughter thought she would go and get her blessings.

  Shrimati took the Hubli-Dharwad local train. After the office rush hour, the train was usually empty. Shrimati got into a deserted compartment and sat by a window. Since it was quite a boring journey, she had brought a book along and as soon as she settled down, opened it and started reading. Just as the train was about to start, Shrimati realized that one more person had entered the compartment and occupied the seat opposite hers. She looked up and to her surprise, found it was her classmate Shrikant Deshpande.

  For a minute, she was taken aback, but she said nothing.

  Shrikant was equally surprised to see Shrimati. He was travelling to Dharwad to meet his sister’s in-laws. When he looked at Shrimati, he did not know what to do. This was the first time both of them were facing each other without their respective friends. Shrikant was quick to observe that she was simply dressed as usual, with no jewellery except the glass bangles on her hands and the string of his favourite bakula flowers tucked in her hair.

  The mild fragrance of bakula pervaded the compartment. He looked at her face and saw she had a natural smile, which was neither ingratiating nor condescending. Shrikant mustered up enough courage to talk to her.

  ‘Are you going to Dharwad?’ he asked, knowing very well that the train’s destination was only Dharwad!

  ‘Yes, to meet my grandmother. She lives in Malmaddi. What about you?’

  ‘I am going to meet some relatives in Saptapur.’ The conversation stopped there.

  Although Shrikant was gregarious by nature, that day he did not know what to say, even though he really wanted to talk to her. He felt drawn to Shrimati, but could not say why. Perhaps because they were opposites in nature, or because she was his rival or because forbidden fruit is always more desirable!

  Suddenly he remembered he had not congratulated her, so he extended his hand and said, ‘Congratulations.’

  Shrimati was confused for a moment. A gesture, like shaking hands with a man, was not common in the society of that time.

  However, she reluctantly took his hand and shyly said, ‘Thanks and congratulations to you also.’

  ‘Why are you congratulating me? For having stood second, is it?’

  ‘No, Shrikant. Believe me, I think your success is more deserved than mine. There is no great difference between the first and second rank. It is only a matter of the examiner’s mood and a few better answers. Many a time I wanted to talk to you, and tell you how much I appreciate the qualities you have which I don’t. You are so focused and hardworking. Over a period of time, these qualities will fetch you whatever your want. Unlike you, I am happy with small things . . .’

  Shrikant was surprised by her words and happy too. A girl who was brighter than him had appreciated his qualities. He felt elated! Suddenly he knew how the conversation could continue.

  ‘Shrimati, which college are you going to join?’

  ‘I have decided to take up arts.’

  That meant Shrimati would not be a classmate any more. More than that she would no longer be his rival! The thought cheered him up. ‘Why do you want to take up arts when you are so good at science?’

  ‘I am more inclined towards history and literature. Moreover, I have a principle of my own. We should do what we really like. For two things in life it is very important for us to make our own decisions. One is education. I believe we must study only that subject which we like.’

  ‘What about the other one?’

  ‘The other on