THE ASTROLOGICAL INTERVENTION

“We’ll get only six cylinders in a year and they are calling that devilish rate as subsidized!” exclaimed Manjula.

She threw the newspaper onto the table and went to the kitchen to stir the curry. The pressure cooker whistled in agreement. Wiping the sweat off her face with the ends of her sari, she went on, “And Neha’s fees, her tution classes, her dance classes, her music and swimming classes. How will we afford all that now? I had planned to buy a scooty for myself. Do you even know how difficult it is to travel by public transport? These autowallas I tell you! They demand fare as if their fathers own the road. And if I argue, they misbehave. Mrs. Sharma was telling me about one rickshaw driver that tried to molest her daughter. Nothing is safe.

And don’t even get me started on the buses. These bus drivers drive so rashly and always skip bus stops. And the passengers, those uncivilized brutes! They trample your feet on purpose and don’t even bother to realize, leave alone apologizing. They overcrowd the buses and hang on the footboard. And I’m complaining about the female passengers here only. Men will always be men. These bus conductors try to attain as much as body contact with women as possible in a single bus ride. Even when space is available to easily walk inside the bus, they’ll lean on you or at least brush their filthy bodies as they pass. How happy I was to finally get rid of this menace. But now my dreams of traveling freely have all got crushed. And look at Neha!”

Ravi wasn’t paying attention. Seventeen years of marriage had taught him to choose occasions wisely where he could get away with a deaf ear to Manjula’s woes. He was completely engrossed in preparing a presentation for the board meeting on Friday. But Manjula couldn’t stop yet.

“Do you know her grades are falling? She is always busy with her phone. God knows, what inauspicious moment that was when I agreed to let you buy her one! I’m sure she has gotten into boys. Nowadays, all girls are getting spoilt. They think it is fashionable to have boyfriends. Mrs. Daruwala told me that she had caught her daughter kissing a boy on her terrace. God knows, where this generation is going. I’m telling you if you pamper her so much she is going to dance on our heads. If she gets out of our hands, we won’t be able to control her. Then sit and cry. Right now, you believe that I’m the vamp of this house na but later you’ll regret not listening to me. Then don’t come and tell me ‘You were right Manjula, I should have listened.’ You treat me as if I’m invisible. Nobody cares if I’m dead or alive. And look at her, she is only 16 and acts as if she is the owner of this house. Nobody has any respect for me. You are to blame for all of this. We can’t even afford her school fees and you sit and pay her cell phone bills on top of that!” Manjula’s Bp level was rising now.

“Then why don’t you get me a prepaid connection? The bills will be a lot lesser!” Neha shouted from her room.

“Haan, Haan! Everyone in this house has the right to shout at me. But don’t you dare even ask such a thing! I know why you want a prepaid connection. You think your mother is that dumb? Atleast, we get to know about your doing through the bill. With a prepaid connection, you’ll get the freedom to do whatever you want and you’ll spoil your life.”

Neha’s voice subsided. She couldn’t argue further. This didn’t seem like the right time to wage a war against her mother. The prospect of a prepaid connection was at stake. She would bring this up when she would be alone with her father. And anyways, arguing with Manjula was considered as a fruitless and tiresome waste of time by the father-daughter duo. But Manjula had her own scheme of planned sequences today. She brought out her lethal weapon that won all the arguments in her house. She began to weep. “You don’t care about me Ravi. You find your laptop more interesting. Whenever I try to discuss something important, you ignore me completely. After all these years of sacrifice and toil, this is what I get in return from this family. No value. No self esteem. I’m a bonded laborer for life!” What began with soft sobs now turned into a loud outburst. Manjula ran into her bedroom and shut the door.

Ravi looked up astonished. The door had been shut. He took a deep sigh and walked towards the slammed door.  It would now take rounds of negotiations to calm her down. “Manjula, open the door. I was listening to you, sweetheart. I didn’t want to interrupt in between. That would be rude, right? I’ll talk to Neha and persuade her to work harder on her studies. And who said you are not getting a scooty? Do you know why I was busy with my laptop? I have some important news for you. C’mon open the door quickly and I’ll tell you.”

“Go away! I don’t want to hear anything”, Manjula retaliated.

“Come on Manjula! Please open the door. It is very important. You’ll be very pleased. I swear.” Ravi reiterated.

The door slowly opened and Manjula scowled. Ravi smiled and began, “My boss has hinted of a promotion. If I convince the board with my presentation, I’ll be made head of my department and salary will be doubled. I’m planning to sell my bike and buy a new car. And I’ll buy you a scooty too. We can easily pay our home loan and afford the car loan as well.”

Manjula dropped her scowl and gleamed with joy. “Wow! Why didn’t you tell me before? I’m so happy Ravi!” She hugged him lovingly. “But you have to control Neha, she is getting out of our hands” She moaned.

“Don’t worry; I’m planning to send her abroad for further studies. She’ll study in a premier university. She’ll have a well settled life. I’m her father, I know my responsibilities.”

Responsibilities had a relative definition that got amended constantly in that house. For now, Ravi had conquered the closet monster. Another dirty linen successfully dealt with. He returned to his laptop and Manjula went on with her cooking.  The next day, Ravi went to a showroom and booked a car. His loan had been sanctioned. Manjula even selected the model of scooty she wanted. The car came home. The neighbors welcomed it with envy. And to add to their plights, Manjula distributed sweets in all the neighboring flats.

On the day of the presentation, Manjula woke up at 4 am and began a special puja for Ravi’s luck and success. It was an ordinary custom of the house. She would fast the entire day. Ravi left for work after the puja. However, he returned late. Manjula had patiently waited for his return. The hunger pangs were getting unbearable.

“What happened? I’m dying to hear some good news. It’s been so long.” Manjula enquired impatiently.

“Nothing happened. I’m tired Manjula. I’m going to sleep.” Ravi replied half heartedly.

“But….Ravi, wait!”

Ravi went to lie down in his bedroom, switched off the lights and fell asleep. Neha came out of her room and asked Manjula. “What happened mom? Is everything alright?”

“I don’t know and now I’m too scared to ask your dad about it. He never behaves this way.” Then with a stern look she said “And now, you don’t think about all this. Go to sleep. You have to get up early for school.”

Neha obeyed. Manjula was frightened and worried. Her hunger had died a slow death. She tried to watch TV. A car commercial sang ‘….Bring home luck and prosperity. We offer families a heavenly ride. No compromises with joy…’ Manjula thought about her new car. It had not been lucky for the family yet. She surfed through the channels to avoid thinking about the loan. But no daily soap helped to soothe her worries; nor did the songs and movies. And the news channels only made it worse. She turned off the TV and slept on the sofa in the living room.

The next morning Ravi was still sleeping past 11 a.m. “Ravi, Ravi. Get up now. You are supposed to be in the office at this time. One day, I get up late and the entire house doesn’t bother to wake up before me. Neha also missed her school bus. Get up, at least inform them or your salary will be deducted.” Manjula kept persuading.

Ravi opened his eyes and said “Let me sleep Manjula. I’m not going to the office anymore.”

“Wh..What do you mean by that now?” Manjula asked reluctantly. Her heart had skipped a beat.

“They fired me!” Ravi got up and sat upright. “Bas**rds! They say it’s the takeover. The management wants fresh opportunity and resources now. Half of the employees are laid off.”

Manjula sank onto the bed. “But how can that be? They wanted your presentation and now they don’t need you any longer? Now what will we do? You bought a car. We have so many loans to pay. Where will we go now?” Manjula began to cry.

“Don’t cry.  They have to pay my salary and give me the relieving letter. I’ll look for another job. Market opportunities are good now. It’s not like the recession. Until then, we have to depend on our savings to repay the loan.” Ravi made an attempt to pacify her. But on the inside, he too was terribly tensed.

Weeks now started to appear like months. Each day, a new expense would crop up. Ravi and Manjula were both getting impatient and irritated. They quarreled often.

“What are they saying now?” Manjula interrupted Ravi’s phone conversation.

Ravi came out of his room and said “They are not replying to my mails. And the HR is also not cooperating. They keep delaying it. It’s been two weeks and my salary is not credited. I can’t apply anywhere without my relieving letter.”

“Don’t give me that crap again. Our savings are shrinking Ravi! Do something soon. I can’t take it any longer. I’m planning to remove Neha from all her non-academic classes. We can’t waste money like that now.” Manjula went to make few calls to do the needful.

“Mom, where are you? Why did you remove me from all my classes?” Neha stormed into the room the next day.

“Don’t shout at me like that! Your father can’t afford even your studies now. And you want to waste time and money on your hobbies! You are not born in a family with big estates. If you don’t score well, I won’t send you to college for your further studies. Sit at home and help me with my household chores. At least your in-laws won’t curse your mother for not teaching you anything.” Manjula scolded.

“Neha, come here.” Ravi intervened and called Neha into the living room.

“Dad, this is not fair! I’m even working hard on my studies now.”

“I know dear. Just bear with your mom for the time being. You can join your classes again as soon as I get a new job.”

Neha looked at him in disbelief. “Ok fine.” she sighed and left.

Few weeks passed. Manjula had stopped visiting her relatives. She would now avoid their calls too. “My uncle from Canada had called. They are buying another house there. Here we can barely afford our groceries and people are buying houses everywhere. He said he can help you out with your job search. Please talk to him. You have to sideline your ego for our sakes. The market is not going to rise for you. You don’t have the ability in you. You must face the truth. My aunt was talking about some faults in our flat. It’s the Vastu. We should contact an astrologer soon. She had done the needful years ago and so they have reaped the fruits today. They lived in a single bedroom chawl and now they are buying houses like someone buys Bhelpuri!”

The next day Manjula began with her pleas again. “Mrs. Shinde has given me the astrologer’s contact number. Call him, Ravi. He is available on weekdays too.”

Manjula’s pleas continued for days in a row and had now begun to affect Ravi strongly. He had started to believe that the turn of events had an astrological reason behind them. Finally, he agreed to meet the guy.

“Your palm lines are not satisfactory. They are affecting your career and marital life. And the lines on your forehead indicate that someone has done black magic on your family. All negative vision and energies are degrading your life. You must wear few gemstones that I’m writing down. Also, make sure your daughter wears this too. She is getting diverted from her studies. I need to do a ‘Vastu’ check on your flat. I’m sure we’ll find the right solution there”, the astrological doctor prescribed.

“Swamiji, please suggest us a shop where we can get these gem stones at affordable rates.” Manjula asked.

“You don’t need to go anywhere. We sell genuine gemstones at shockingly low prices. This is all for public welfare. After all, that is what my profession is all about.” The doctor laughed ironically.

The gemstones were bought; the yagnas and yagas were done to curb the black magic whose source was still unknown. The doctor visited the flat and added another list of prescriptions to remove the ‘faults’. “Your eastern area is weighed down by the furniture. And your western area has windows! And look towards the north! You are in a huge mess Ravi. We need to sit down and restructure everything. The money inflow has been clogged due to wrong designing. No wonder, you haven’t built your own house yet.”

Ravi began to panic. And so did Manjula. The toilets had to be broken, the furniture removed and shifted and the walls were demolished and rebuilt. Lakhs were spent on remodeling. Ravi’s savings dried up. He took another loan to repay the previous ones. But Manjula waited patiently. She had utmost faith that their fate was going to turn a new leaf. She waited with every passing day and grew quieter. She seldom got engaged in any conversation with Ravi. They had crawled into their protective shells where life didn’t seem so bad and frustrating. Ravi applied for all kinds of jobs available. But none came to his relief.

A year had passed since he got fired. The car was seized by the bank.

“We should have never bought the car. It was an omen. Look at the damage done.” Manjula said.

“Stop it Manjula! I have had enough of this. Stop blaming the car for our condition! And give me your gemstone ring! Neha! Neha! Come here. Remove your rings now. I’m going to end this menace once for all.”

Ravi grabbed the rings and left the house. He went to a jewelry store that also sold silverware. “I have these silver rings. I’d like to sell them.”

The store owner took those rings and went to examine them with his magnifying glass. “Sir, I’m afraid these rings are not silver rings. They are made of white metal and the stones are also not pure. You have been fooled by someone” the store owner declared scrutinizing Ravi from top to bottom in a doubtful gaze.

Ravi was astonished and devastated. He returned home and told Manjula about it. “It’s all because of you and your superstitions. We damaged and remodeled our house for nothing and these rings!” Ravi threw them into dustbin. “We have been cheated Manjula! And who got fooled in the end? Your dear husband! All our savings were spent on nothing. I should have never listened to you. I should have never married you in the first place. If you ever speak about another astrologer again during my lifetime, I’ll divorce you! Do you hear me?”

Manjula began to cry. She didn’t know any better at that moment. Both were devastated with the status quo of their lives. Manjula went to pray and begged for an end to their misery.

Few days went by. And a new day arrived.

It was a Friday again and yet a different one. Ravi woke up early and got dressed in his best clothes. Today was the job interview that he had been waiting for since months. He didn’t allow Manjula to fast. The custom was finally broken. He had prepared for this interview making reports, presentations and had also done a good amount of reading for two weeks. The job offer didn’t come as a surprise to him. He returned home with gifts and confections for his wife and daughter. Manjula was delighted and overwhelmed with joy. She informed all her relatives about the good news. Her aunt who lived in Canada said “I knew he would get a new job. The Vastu Shastra never goes wrong.” A week passed at work. It was a Sunday. Ravi was busy working on his laptop. Manjula was in the kitchen.

“The vegetables are so expensive. And the milkman mixes water in the already diluted milk. We are buying milk flavored water from him everyday. Mrs. Dubey takes milk from another milkman. We should contact him as soon as possible. I haven’t bought a new sari for Diwali yet. Revati silks are offering 50% discount on all saris. But who will take me there? My husband remains busy with his laptop even on Sundays. And what about these curtains? You had promised to wash them today. I am supposed to remember everything and do my work on time while people in this house can lay back and enjoy! Do you know what Mrs. Sharma was telling me? Her daughter has got admission in one of the best colleges in Delhi. And look at Neha. Where will she study? You never ask her about her test scores. Everything in this house is my responsibility.” Manjula complained.

“Mom, I have scored 80% this time. Dad already knows about it” Neha replied from her room.

“Haan,Haan! You can fool him but not me. What will you do with your 80%? No college is going to take you. The cut off begins at 94, 95! This girl is going to make us pay huge donations and fees. And you don’t even listen to me Ravi….”

Amidst all the chaos and the melancholy cacophony of arguments, Ravi was smiling and looking at his palm lines. These unsatisfactory lines had brought his career and marital bliss back. And after all the remodeling and construction, changes made in lifestyle, changes made in modes of worship, changes made in relationships and perspective towards living life in that household, he realised that the only thing that had changed was him. He looked at Manjula and began laughing. Perturbed by same, Manjula continued “Yeah! That is what you do best. Laugh at your wife now. Make a mockery of her plight. Your daughter doesn’t respect me and now you too…….”

The symphony of her words swirled in Ravi’s ears as he smiled and returned back to his laptop and his new ‘astrologically-free’ life. The grievances were same and so was the attitude. But the astrological doctor had changed his life in reality. “…We believe in public welfare. After all that is what our profession is all about!” Ravi remembered his words and smiled again as he began typing. He wasn’t busy with his office workload. He was penning his novel. And with joy he christened the first chapter, ‘The public welfare!’

__END__