Bijaya Raj Acharya
On holidays, Daddy used to take me on outing. But today, in spite of being a Saturday, Daddy was busy playing harmonium since early in the morning. One could hear him play harmonium in our music room even from a long distance.
My father is a music teacher. Many artists keep visiting him to request him to compose music for their songs.
I went straight into the music room. Daddy was alone.
“Didn’t you say, we are having an outing to the village today?” I said, trying to sit on Daddy’s lap. I enjoy sitting on Daddy’s lap, stroking his beards, and talking to him.
“Do not disturb me today, Daughter. I have to finish a task at all cost. Go out like a good girl and play with your friends,” he said and got back to his work.
I went into the kitchen looking for Mom. She was chopping vegetables. As soon as she saw me, she said, “I am in a hurry, Daughter. Go out and play.”
I entered the music room again and said, “Daddy, will you play a dancing song? I want to dance.”
A wrinkle appeared on Daddy’s forehead. He smiled gently and said, “I will play such a song tomorrow.” He then took a sweet out of his pocket and gave me.
No one in the family had time to talk to me, or play with me.
I came out to find friends in the neighborhood to play with. I had hardly walked a short distance when I saw a terrifying man coming. He was carrying a huge bag, the size of a sack.
I had heard that some people, who stole children, had entered the village. I though he was one of them, and this froze me with fear.
“Mummy,” I shouted and ran towards home.
“What’s wrong, Daughter?” said Daddy and peeped out of the window.
I went rushing to my mother.
“Outside, a child-hunter has come,” I said in a single breath, holding Mummy tightly around the girdle.
“What’s that you are saying? said Mummy, and hurried towards the window. I followed her.
Daddy had, by then, come down to the front-yard, and was talking to the same sack-bearing man.
“This is the man I was talking about, Mom! Look what a big bag he is carrying!” I exclaimed.
“How are you doing, Lachhuman? You came after many days,” said Daddy with a touch of intimacy. I was surprised by that.
“I am fine, Hajoor! I had been to my village; I just came back yesterday. The price of empty bottles and old papers has gone down these days. So, I often do not feel like coming. More, whenever I enter the village, the dogs start barking. The children too start shouting after me. Just a while ago, a small girl ran away on seeing me. She entered your home, if I am not wrong. Could it be that she is your daughter?”
On finding that he was not a child-hunter but an old metal and paper hunter, my fear subsided to some extent.
“Daughter! Come down, here,” shouted Daddy from below. I came out to the front-yard, still housing some fear, and caught hold of Daddy’s hand.
“You don’t need to fear with Uncle Lachhuman,” Daddy said, consoling me.
Uncle Lachhuman took out two toffees from his pocket and gave them to me. I pulled myself back.
“Take them, Daughter! You don’t need to hesitate,” said Daddy. Only then did I accept the toffees.
“Which class are you studying in?” Uncle Lachhuman asked.
“UKG,” I said, still trembling with fear.
“My daughter too is in UKG in the village. Tell me what your book has in it. Does it have ‘A for Apple’? My Sumina shows me fruits, birds, cattle and many other things, and bothers me by asking a hundred of questions.”
I was pleased to hear Uncle Lachhuman’s words. I also added, “My book also has ‘A for Apple’, ‘B for Ball’ etc.” After a pause, I asked Uncle Lachhuman, “Do you know what the letter ‘D’ stands for?”
“Oh, do not mention that! I am afraid to see it. The moment I enter the village, it starts barking…”
Uncle’s words provoked me to laugh. Daddy was happy to see me come near and rejoice with Uncle Lachhuman.
“You talk between yourselves; I have some task to finish,” said Daddy and moved into the music room again. After talking briefly with me, Uncle Lachhuman too took his way. I went rushing into the kitchen.
Since this day, Uncle Lachhuman made it a point to visit us whenever he came into our village. Whenever he reached our front-yard, he called me out, “Nanu!” And I went out running. He always asked the well-being of my parents, gave me a couple of toffees from his pocket, and took his way.
With time, I started feeling that Uncle Lachhuman was my own uncle. If there was any day when he did not show up, I used to get quite restless.
However, Mummy was quite unhappy about growing intimacy between me and Uncle Lachhuman. One day, she angrily told Daddy, “You have pampered your daughter. Someday, he might lift and sell her away. We’ll then be crying all our life.”
It was Saturday. I was out with Daddy for roaming. We saw a group of people gathered at a place, and talking.
“The police caught and took Lachhuman away. Did you hear that?” said someone. I was cold with fear.
“Why was he caught? What wrong did he do?” asked Daddy.
“He was trying to cue a small girl in NewariBasti with a toffee. The grandmother of the girl happened to see him, and shouted out. The villagers then caught and handed him over to the police.”
Meena from NewarBasti was my schoolmate. I feared if it was Meena whom this man was trying to kidnap.
From there, Daddy walked straight towards the police post. I followed him.
A few people had gathered outside the post. Uncle Lacchuman had been kept inside.
Daddy talked with some policemen there, and asked permission to meet Uncle Lachhuman.
“What’s this, Lacchuman? Why did you do it?” Daddy asked.
Uncle Lacchuman quickly looked on our faces. Then he took a long breath and said, “I was wrongly blamed.”
“What is the case? If you have done no wrong, you don’t need to worry. Tell me all the details,” Daddy said.
“Sir, I was out early to collect old bottles and paper. On reaching a household, I called a small girl. Her name was Meena. Her name and face match with those of my daughter Sumina. So, whenever I went thither, I always met her, and talked to her. On meeting her, I always had the feeling that I was meeting my daughter Sumina.”
I was surprised to her Uncle Lacchuman’s words. I remember the way he treated me too as a daughter. He continued to narrate: “Sumina’s birthday is nearing. She has asked me to bring home several toys on her birthday. So, I have been remembering her since very early today. On seeing Meena, I remembered my own daughter. So, I tried to give her a toffee. In the meantime, her grandmother called out for other villagers and they caught me on charge of trying to steal their daughter. Then they brought me here to the police.”
“Oh, what a bad thing!” Daddy said, taking a long breath. “Do not worry, ands do not fear. Seeing a stranger, they doubted on you. I will go and talk,” he added.
Daddy walked towards Meena’s home; I followed him.
When we reached there, some people were talking in Meena’s front-yard. No sooner had he seen Daddy than a brother said, “Lo, Uncle is here, and it’s a good thing. We confused as to what we should do and what now.”
“Why? Anything wrong?” Daddy asked.
That brother turned his face quite grim and said, “I too don’t believe that Lachhuman is a man of such evil intentions. He often comes here. Our children become quite happy on seeing him. He often met and talked with Meena as well. But then, I don’t know why Auntie shouted out on seeing him, calling him a child thief.
“He always gives toffees to my granddaughter and talks for hours. Shouldn’t I be doubting, then?” said Meena’s grandmother.
“What did he say in such long talk? Did you hear anything?” Daddy asked.
“How would I know! I am a deaf old woman,” she said, trying to escape.
“He also comes to our home. He meets our daughter Bibechana, and the two talk with joy upon meeting one another. We, however, never doubted his intentions.”
“A person cannot be white or black, or bad or good, simple because he belongs to a certain place. There good and bad people in every place, caste and religion.”
On hearing Daddy, people in the village realized that they had made a mistake.
“We didn’t show good behavior to Lachhuman. What should we do now?” the same brother asked Daddy.
“It’s alright. We make mistakes sometimes. Realizing the mistake and resolving not to repeat the same is the best thing,” Daddy said, patting on the shoulder of that brother.
After this, all of them went to the police post, as decided.
On behalf of all the villagers, that brother asked Lachhuman to forgive. Following this, Uncle Lachhuman came out of the police post. On seeing me, he lit up with joy. He picked me up and wiped his tears, placing me on his shoulders.
Following this, three of us went to our home. We drank tea together. By then, Mummy too had realized everything. She asked Uncle Lachhuman, “I think you will now go to celebrate your daughter’s birthday. When are you leaving?”
On hearing Mummy, Uncle Lachhuman was thrown into confusion. He said, “Sister, I do want to go, but…”
“But?” Mummy asked.
“I have not been able to buy new clothes and dolls for Sumina. My business did not fare very well this time.”
“Oh, I see. Wait for a while,” said Mummy and went to the upper floor. After some time, she came down with some stuff in a bag. One of the things inside it was the spotted frock brought for my birthday.
Taking the frock in her hand, Mummy said, “I’m sending this frock to your friend Sumina. I will buy you a new one.”
“That’s OK, Mummy. From my side, I will send her some dolls,” I said, and went in. I collected some dolls that I liked the most and came out.
“I think Sumina will like these dolls,” I said, placing the dolls in the hands of Uncle Lachhuman.
Uncle should have been happy on receiving new clothes and dolls for Sumina, but he appeared quite sad. I could see tears filling his eyes.
Daddy was sitting quietly until now. He too felt it uneasy perhaps, he woke from his seat and took out some cash from his pocket. Giving it to Uncle Lachhuman, he said, “Take this cash from my side. Return soon after celebrating your daughter’s birthday. Someday, we will also go to meet your daughter.”
Uncle Lacchuman let tears of joy flow from his eyes. He held me and kissed gently and departed, promising me that he would return soon.
I was not at the least upset that I did not have new clothes and dolls for my birthday. I kept remembering Sumina all the day, and passed time in great joy.
***
[Bijay Raj Acharya (b. 1977) is among those writers of children’s literature, whose total published titles outnumbers almost all of his contemporaries. Though he also writes haikus and biographies, his fame basically resets in fictions for children, both long and short ones. A few of his significant works are In Search of light, The New Village, The Rising of the Dimstars, Our Voice, Jhamak Kumiri, Shanti’s Autobiography Kanchha Kumar, Shyam Prashad, An encounter with Leopard, Pioneer Writer, Our Ideals, The Spiny Porcupine, Kokle Kyak Kokle, I Won’t go to School, Wonderful School, Two Voiceless girl of Sitlangpur, Budhani, Bijay Raj Acharya’s Children Stories, Melting Earth etc. Equally many are the works he has edited and translated.]