Every drama of life must end with a happy end. if its end is not happy it can't be called an end. Life is full of tragedies but there is also no end of happiness in life. My life was also a tragedy. I was born in a very poor family where scarcity prevailed on all fronts. At times survival was at stake.
We were a family of six people with three brothers and a younger sister. My father did not have a regular job. What all he did was errands. To go without food had become a way of life. At times in order to divert our attention from hunger our mother would put something odd to boil. The truth was something else.Unfortunately nothing ever boiled.
Times were really testing and tiring. But the period we lived in was less stressful and least frustrating. The scarcity we faced didn't promote intolerance and acrimony amon us. Inspite of all odds the family lived with the little happiness it had.
The geographical region I was born in was known for poppy growing. The saddest part was that local people became habitual to poppy consumption. My father was one of them.
We also didn't have a house of our own. At times when my father failed to pay a meager rent of twenty five paisa. Our small family belongings would find their place on the road. The land lord would throw us out. The world is not kind enough. We as kids would sit by the side of road, only to gather our small belongings. On such occasions we used to become silent spectators. No one shed tears. It became part of our life.
Once we had to take asylum in a stable with stinking smell. I know not, how long the family lived there. Man and animals lived together.
All these vicissitudes left a deep imprint on my memory. All finner and emotional qualities of a man are killed when he becomes victim of intoxication, be it wine or gambling. He developes a stone heart. Intoxication kills all that is good in man. Perhaps my father, my dear father became victim of intoxication.
Suddenly something unhered, unthought and beyond imagination took place in the family. A distant relative happen to visit us. We had never seen him before. He was not so close to the family but my father knew him. This unknown man had brought a very surprising proposal , a proposal that family never thought of. This stranger was well aware about the financial position of our family and wanted my father to give one of his son to a far off relative. He ment to sell one'of his son. He also told my father that a fat amount would be paid in lieu. The money part of the proposal changed the mindset of my father.
The distance relative had no kids but lot of wealth. Seeing the poor condition of the family my father told the stranger that he will think over the proposal and will discuss the same with his wife. Throughout the night my father thought about the advantage and disadvantage of the proposal. His focus was more on money part and less about love and affection a son will be deprived off. My mother had a very insignificant role in the matters of family. Her role was limited only up to cooking food. Perhaps, my father never took my mother into confidence regarding selling a child to a far off relative.
After a number of parleys my father decided to sell one of his son. Fnally he decided to sell me. I, don't know why he decided to sell me in particular. I was only four years old. Finally all was settled for an amount never revealed to me. Even if I were to know it, how did it matter. All this was highly confidential and had no concern with me.
The sale deed was signed between my father and my new father rather my new owner. It was pure human trafficking. All these classified discussions become declassified in later period of my life.
A day came when my father along with the stranger took me to the railway station. My mother too accompanied me to the station, she held my hand fast with many a kisses on my face and head. It was a hot summer day and inorder to protect me from the scorching rays of the sun she covered me with one corner of her saree. Perhaps it was the last time when I enjoyed my mom's company. Her love and warmth knew no bounds. Walking and kissing me she cried in and out so much so that all her jumper and saree was soaked in tears. After all she was my mother. 'A mother'. I find no words to express her love. Perhaps, only silent tears can explain.
We soon reached the railway station. We had hardly relexed when we suddenly saw a steam engine approaching the plateform. The monster halted with bogies joined. By then, my mother had compromised with the harsh realities of life. She knew that her son has been sold to an unknown person. For her poverty had many faces. As I stepped into the compartment along with my father and the stranger, the engine blew whistle and started moving. With every movement of the train my mother ran along. The train picked up spreed so did my mother but she couldn't keep pace with the speed of the train. Soon she was out of sight. The last glimpse I had of her was that she set on the plateform only to see me getting into oblivion. I don't know weather she took food that day or not. Weather she slept that night or not. 'My dear mother.'
Within me a different type of turmoil was going on. My heart was forcibly taken away from my mother. It looked like a terrorist forcibly taking away young girl from her mother. In her absence, I felt a strange type of vaccum. In order to drive away my vaccum I went from one corner of the berth to another. At times I would put my head into my fathers lap. After traveling for twenty hours I finally reached my new house, my new destination or better put it as 'my permanent dwelling till the end of my life'. My father was maker of this destiny.
It was nice that my younger brother had also accompanied me. My father and my brother stayed for few days. After collecting the sale deed money they quietly left me as Buddha left his wife and son. Few drops of tears rolled down my face when I found them missing in the morning. But that too came to an end.
I was among strangers now. A big house had only three members, my new mother, my new father and my new grandmother. Of all these strangers, my grandmother was the sweetest. She loved me more than my biological mother. Her words of kindness and affection drove away all my newness to the family. Soon I became a permanent member of the family. She played a very big role in making me feel at home. Unfortunately, the old lady who loved me the most left for heavens. Her passing away created a another vaccum in my life. This was another irreparable setback to me.
As the things would have it, my life took an ugly turn. I didn't get the same love and affection from my new mother. I was an stranger for her. My new mother and father after a short discussion decided to put me away from the house under the guidance of a small time accountant commonly known as Munim. The room was small with no bathroom. I had to walk approximately a km to unload every morning. This was the biggest problem for me.
But I had full faith in my God. Rather an unshakeable one. It was here that I came to know that I was sold by my parents to these people, I bitterly cried for sometime. A time came when my tears dried and I became emotionless. But there was no one to listen to my greviance. I surrendered myself to my fate.
Providence had something else in store for me. I was ten years old by now. Life took a twist and my father decided to put in the most prestigious boarding school of the country.
With the passage of time I passed matriculation with first division. It was a big achievement in those days. My market value had increased and my father merried me to a beautiful and well cultured girl.
Today I am doing well in my buisness. It is spread in and out of India. I am a very happy man in the evening of my life. All is well that ends well. Sweet are the uses of adversity.
L.M. Sharma
