[Show all top banners]

Rythm
Replies to this thread:

More by Rythm
What people are reading
Subscribers
:: Subscribe
Back to: Stories / Essays / Literature Refresh page to view new replies
 Fate's Amusement- a short story.
[VIEWED 6023 TIMES]
SAVE! for ease of future access.
Posted on 06-12-08 11:07 PM     Reply [Subscribe]
Login in to Rate this Post:     0       ?    
 

 This story is purely fictional. I do not mean to offend anyone by the use of caste discrimination in this story.

         

 

  When compared to the vast and diverse world, and all the people who live in it, the life of a single person seems insignificant. That is how she felt since she was a small girl. Do not get me wrong, it’s not that she did not have a good family, a good life or good education. In fact, she had more than an average Nepali girl of 8 years old can ever think of. She had a loving family, good food to eat, good education, and to be truthful she had everything that she desired. If she expressed the desire to acquire a certain toy, or a certain dress, she knew she would have it within a few days. When it came to beauty and brains she was as gifted as any 8 year old can possibly be. She always ranked at top of her class and had looks that often turned heads even at the age of 12. So why did she feel insignificant, you might ask. The fact being, she was too aware of the world and too aware of the ignorance of her upper-middle class family whose world revolved around petty things.

 

            Even at the mere age of 8, when normal girls play with their dolls and start worrying about their looks, and in this day and age- the boys in their class, she worried about how Sita didi was being treated at home. Sita didi was their household helper who belonged to a lower caste and therefore, was not allowed to enter the kitchen. Hajurmuwa did not eat anything that had been touched by anyone from the lower caste, hence Sita didi was doomed to do other household chores. That included doing the dishes, washing clothes with cold water, sweeping and mopping the floor and everything else that can be done in a household outside the kitchen. And by mopping the floor, I mean getting on her fours the traditional style and dipping her hands in ice cold water every two minutes in mid-winter. And what did she get in return? She hardly even got a smile of appreciation from anyone except Anushka (our 8 year old girl). Anushka asked endless questions about why Sita didi was treated like an inferior, why was she given different kind of food than everyone else in the household, and what did caste have to do with people. Her family would normally ignore her, or tell her things like “this is how it was from the time of their ancestors and who are we to refute it?” She sometimes even got answers like “these people have been brought up differently- this is what they are fit to do and they are getting paid for their work.”

 

            She never believed any of these things but was powerless to do anything about it. She would spend any free time with Sita didi and learned about her family and children. Sita didi’s husband had left her for another woman and had kicked her out of his house. He has also turned his back on the two children that they had together. Sita didi went to her brother’s home but her brother could not afford to support the two families. Out of desperation, she had looked for a job and taken the job as a helper in Anushka’s house as she did not have a good education. She saw her sons once a month or twice if she got lucky. Anushka could not understand why people had to suffer such different fates and why the material things like money mattered so much.

 

            When she came back from school one day, Sita didi was not there. When she asked about her whereabouts, she was told that Sita didi had left them to join her family. Though she felt sad about the departure of her trusted friend, she was happy that Sita didi could spend more time with her family. There were many Sitas, Gitas and Nitas that followed but she did not get close to any of them and slowly started accepting how things were. When her educated family thought that this was how things were supposed to be, who was she to argue that? After all, what could an insignificant girl like her do about it? She started caring more about school and less about what went on in her household and why the other Sitas suffered from this cruel fate. She finished school, and like every other youngster from the upper-middle class family in Nepal, she went to the U.S for her education.

             U.S was quite different from what she had thought it would be. It was not the glorious haven where all people were treated equally. It was not her escape from discrimination and prejudice. It was back like home where whites thought everyone else was inferior and everyone else thought whites were rich snobs. Everything was the same here- only she was Sita didi here, trying her best to pay for college. Though she could get everything she wanted back home, her parents could not even think of affording her college, and she could not even think of asking her parents to get a loan to pay for her college. She worked in the mall for an Indian, who tried his best to take advantage of her F-1 status. She labored for him 11 hours a day and received 50 cents under the minimum wage. She went to school two days a week and worked six days a week. She joked that she now had an eight-day week. On Thursdays she would go to school in the morning and work from 3-9 in the evening. She sometimes remembered her life back in Nepal where the only work she had to do was her homework. And here she was slaving away in the United States. Why had she come here? Only god knew. She was just following the trend and now she was here, feeling demoralized and inferior. She often wondered if this was how Sita didi felt. She was sure Sita didi did not feel how she felt, after all she had hopes for a good future and this was a temporary job, for Sita didi it was her destiny.

 

            Life went on as it does- and with time Anushka graduated, got a better paying job and with that- a better lifestyle. She also met a very handsome man who had passed his Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination and had a wonderful job. He belonged to a lower caste, and hence the dilemma. Though she considered herself to be a highly educated woman from the modern era who loathed the mere mention of caste, she knew her parents thought caste was not only a status symbol but the core of every being. Your caste determined what kind of a person you are, what kind of upbringing you had, and how you would treat everyone else. If she asked her parents they would probably say that Nimesh was from a lower caste, hence had a bad upbringing and would treat people with no respect. She did not know if she could go on with this relationship, as she did not want to disappoint her parents.

 

            Nimesh had a very difficult childhood. One drunken night Nimesh bowled like a baby in Anushka’s arms and told her about his life. His guardians were not as fortunate as Anushka’s were financially, and it had taken its toll on him. His parents had died when he was young and his uncle and aunt had adopted him. Though they had never asked him for a lot, he knew that they could not afford to feed him along with his brother and three cousins. He was the oldest amongst the lot, hence he had started working since he was 14 years old. He was a smart boy and had taken utmost interest in his classes which enabled him to speak good English, which enabled him to get a job in Thamel. He worked in a shop there, and as it was a tourist spot, his English was a great asset. By the time he was 17, he was working in a hotel front-desk and by the time he was 21, he was the manager of the hotel. He was now supporting his brother, was able to help the family financially and also had some savings in his bank account. He applied to the United States for a Masters program in accounting when he was 23 years old. Not only did he get admission but he also received a 100% tuition waiver and a TA position that paid him $14,000 a year. He transferred most of his savings to his uncle’s account and came to the United States with the rest of it. He graduated from college two years later and was a certified accountant now.

 

            Anushka was astounded by what he had gone through and her life felt like a fairy tale in front of his. Rather than feeling like he was an inferior for all his struggles (which her family would probably feel), she fell more in love with him. She admired him for his strength and for his maturity. She felt hurt that he did not get to enjoy his childhood and had to take responsibilities in his little shoulders at such a young age. She was even more crushed to know that he had lost his parents at such a young age. She asked him if he remembered his parents. He said that he did not remember living with them but he often looked at his mother’s picture. She had died shortly after his father due to an accident. His uncle, who was his mother’s brother, had given him her picture. She asked if she could look at the picture. That picture made her head reel… looking at her from the picture was Sita didi!

 

            According to Nimesh, Sita didi had died when he was 9 years old which meant she was 8 years old at that time. She went back home that day and called her parents. After exchanging pleasantries with Aama, she asked the question that had been haunting her.

 

“Aama, do you remember Sita didi?” she had to know.

 

“Ko Sita? The maid we had when you were little?”

 

“Yes. The one who quit to join her family. Did she really leave to join her family when I was 8?”

 

“Where is this question coming from?” All of a sudden Aama sounded alarmed.

 

“Aama, you lied to me didn’t you?” She was mad that Aama would lie about something like this.

 

“What should I have done Anu, you were 8 and really attached to her.” Aama sighed.

 

“What happened aama?”

 

“It was a tragedy,” she replied. “Who would have known that Ramesh babu would go after a tallo jaat ko nokarni aimai (Ramesh was Anushka’s uncle, her father’s brother). He liked Sita, so he went to her room one day and told her how he felt. Ramesh babu already had a wife, but he thought that he could lure Sita by money to have an affair with him. Sita did not agree to his proposal so he tried to force himself on her. Sita was running away from Ramesh babu when a truck hit her in front of the house. You know how truck drivers are; they don’t want to pay anyone’s medical bills, so the truck came back and hit her again. Bichari was killed at the spot.  It was not like we did not take her to the hospital. We were even ready to pay for her treatment, but she was dead when we reached the hospital.”

 

Aama made it sound like she was about to do Sita didi a favor by paying for her medical bills. As if her family owed Sita didi nothing after what Ramesh kaka had attempted to do. She had never felt disgusted at her family’s way of thinking before.

 

“Why are you asking me this anyway?” Aama asked in a suspicious voice.

“Aama, I am in love and want to marry this guy.”

 

“Really? That’s great. I had kids by the time I was your age. Who is the guy? I hope you chose a nice guy from a good family and the right caste.”

 

“Yes Aama I did,” Anushka replied. “He is Sita didi’s elder son.”

 

With that she hung up the phone.

 

            Anushka has been married to Nimesh for five years now. She is very happy and is expecting her first child in three months. It’s going to be a girl and they are going to name her Sita. Her family was against the wedding and is still taking time coming in terms with the idea that Anushka married Sita’s son. Her parents did not tell anyone what really happened to Sita that day, and the secret is still safe with aama, buwa, Ramesh kaka and Anushka. They don’t want Ramesh kaka to be insulted in front of the society. Anushka sometimes feels like telling Nimesh the truth about both his parents. The truth that she had learned about his father when she was eight and the truth she had learned about his mother five years ago. She has the urge to tell him again and again but does not want to take away the image that he has in his mind about his parents. Let them both be dead, and let them have led a happy life. This is the way it really should have been.


 
Posted on 06-12-08 11:28 PM     Reply [Subscribe]
Login in to Rate this Post:     0       ?    
 

nice story....the plot is captivating though a bit implausible with how things tend to unfold. 
as you pointed out there is still a lot of discrimination regarding intercaste marriage in Nepal and I feel like someone needs to slap all those who talk about caste, status and prestige as being the same.
on the brighter side, it's good  that  writers in sajha are getting their muse back!
Last edited: 12-Jun-08 11:30 PM

 
Posted on 06-13-08 1:44 AM     Reply [Subscribe]
Login in to Rate this Post:     0       ?    
 

Very nicely written, very touching, k garne sathi duniya yestai chha.....j lekheko chha tehi hunchha. ( i believe in fate btw)
 
Posted on 06-13-08 7:44 AM     Reply [Subscribe]
Login in to Rate this Post:     0       ?    
 

Nepali samajik paripekshya ma buniyeko yo katha le Happy Ending payeko cha ……Hindi Film Jastai

But Im not comparing this one with hindi film……its just the last touch you had

Youve written very well. I admire that.

Hmm..Moreover, we want more.

 

Keep Writing...

 

-daum


 
Posted on 06-13-08 9:33 AM     Reply [Subscribe]
Login in to Rate this Post:     0       ?    
 

.Rythm,

So the wait is over. I knew we had to wait a little bit to read your story but didn't have clue that we had to wait till your summer vacation. Well, the wait was worth it and you came up with a very nice story. Derr aaya par Durust aaya! he he he!! Simple story yet very captivative. I liked the names you have chosen for your characters and specially the way you write "Aama" and "Buwa" in your stories. In such a small story you have successfully described the different stages of one's life and have ended at a very good stage of her life, where she can have a good hope for better future.

"She went to school two days a week and worked six days a week. She joked that she now had an eight-day week." A typical life of international students... very realistic.

Kudos! :-)


 
Posted on 06-13-08 11:30 AM     Reply [Subscribe]
Login in to Rate this Post:     0       ?    
 

Rhythm,

A simple yet captivating plot which dissects into the discrimination that still exits in the society, we belong to.  I bet there still exists thousands of Sitas in our social setting even now. Hope it won't take long for those people to realize that there exists only four blood group worldwide with 2 Rh types. Probably, things are slowly changing as the globe revolves constantly. It was a nice read, keep 'em coming...


 
Posted on 06-13-08 12:52 PM     Reply [Subscribe]
Login in to Rate this Post:     0       ?    
 

In cases like Sita's we choose apathy because there is not much we can contribute. I contribute it to economic hardship and lack of opportunity for these poor folks who get to live a semi-decent life working as maids and servants.

Life in US like you described it is pretty authentic, that's exactly how it is for most people I guess. It's all for the search of a better life or so they think!

As for the ending it was totally filmi......what are the chances of that happening? Fate or no fate...

Anyways, kuddos for the imagination!


 
Posted on 06-13-08 1:08 PM     Reply [Subscribe]
Login in to Rate this Post:     0       ?    
 

 

Last edited: 13-Jun-08 01:08 PM

 
Posted on 06-13-08 1:09 PM     Reply [Subscribe]
Login in to Rate this Post:     0       ?    
 

A karmic rebalance in the end...Buddhism's law of Karma worked perfectly here (and that too in one lifetime.  No waiting until the next life to get one's revenge).

Anushka's uncle, Ramesh tried to rape Sita but ended up killing her instead.  Whereas, Nimesh, Sita's son ended up getting to fugck Anushka every night ultimately killing her relationship with her family...Damn, everything now worked for the better.  A true concept of "you reap what you sow."

Nice work there.  I thoroughly enjoyed it!  Simplistic, yet one can see the author's altruistic side in the story he/she has written.  Good job!!


 
Posted on 06-13-08 1:38 PM     Reply [Subscribe]
Login in to Rate this Post:     0       ?    
 

Nice write up!
 
Posted on 06-13-08 3:55 PM     Reply [Subscribe]
Login in to Rate this Post:     0       ?    
 

Rythm bahurain, as always, wonderful story..just like the person who's written it.

 
Posted on 06-13-08 4:05 PM     Reply [Subscribe]
Login in to Rate this Post:     0       ?    
 

Thanks to all for reading the story. I guess I have opted to be a bit filmi this time around, compared to the negative, psychotic endings.

Fortunefaded: I agree that the plot seems to be a bit implausible at times. I guess I was attempting to write a story where the right thing happens in the end. Thanks for the comment. I guess it is still going to take some time for the Nepali society to think that all castes should be treated the same.

Saru bhakta: Thanks :)

Daum: The ending was filmy wasnt it? I wish this could be the case in real life.. and this might be the case in real life for someone out there. Thanks for reading.

Camo!: LOL. My weeks last semester were exactly how I descrive Anushka's week in this story- eight day weeks. Hence the long gap in between. And now that finally school is over (and I literally mean over as in I dont have to go back to undergrad. life anymore), I thought I should write a new story. I am a bit rusty though... so it might take some more time for me to write new ones. Thanks for readong. And thanks for the completely positive feedback. lol. I need some of those to feel good re k. lol

Nepal ko Chora: Exactly my thoughts. I dont understand why people in Nepal treat each other like they are from different planets. I was once told in one of my classes that India and Nepal discriminates the most amongst its citizens. They discriminate on the basis of caste.. whereas no other country does that. I was shocked at how true the prof. was! I think it is going to tke some time for Nepalese to forget about the caste system  as most of us are brought up believing that caste is  HUGE thing. Thanks for the comment :).

Simple Life: Thanks for reading. I must say that the ending was filmi.. and yet I hope that something like this does happen. I think we need people to do things like this to abolish caste discrimination.

Samsara: Interesting feedback. I was hoping that Nimesh would not kill Anushka's relationship with her family. I wanted her family to finaly accept her decision and for all of them to have a happy life. Thanks for reading. :)

And last... yet not the least.. Thanks to Spring.

Phew... this is a LONG post. See you all later :)

 

 


 
Posted on 06-13-08 4:12 PM     Reply [Subscribe]
Login in to Rate this Post:     0       ?    
 

SNDY (mummyji), I had not noticed your post. Thanks for reading and thanks for the lovely comment. Nice people always seem to think that everyone else is nice too. Which explains why you think everyone you meet is a wonderful person. Ciao. :)
 
Posted on 06-13-08 6:08 PM     Reply [Subscribe]
Login in to Rate this Post:     0       ?    
 

what goes around comes around bhanya eahi hola

rythm, lekhai ramro chha  tara ali chhoto bhayena ?   

 


 
Posted on 07-08-08 9:48 PM     Reply [Subscribe]
Login in to Rate this Post:     0       ?    
 

This story is purely fictional.

After reading the ending, i realized that it couldn't be anything but a fiction
.

That doesn't discount the fact that you are a gifted writer. Words just flow in the silk route through your pen (or fingers if you type). Write more often now will you?

Oohi purano Uncle
LooTe KuKuR :)


 


Please Log in! to be able to reply! If you don't have a login, please register here.

YOU CAN ALSO



IN ORDER TO POST!




Within last 60 days
Recommended Popular Threads Controvertial Threads
What are your first memories of when Nepal Television Began?
निगुरो थाहा छ ??
Basnet or Basnyat ??
Sajha has turned into MAGATs nest
NRN card pros and cons?
Will MAGA really start shooting people?
मन भित्र को पत्रै पत्र!
Top 10 Anti-vaxxers Who Got Owned by COVID
काेराेना सङ्क्रमणबाट बच्न Immunity बढाउन के के खाने ?How to increase immunity against COVID - 19?
TPS Work Permit/How long your took?
Breathe in. Breathe out.
3 most corrupt politicians in the world
चितवनको होस्टलमा १३ वर्षीया शालिन पोखरेल झुण्डिएको अवस्था - बलात्कार पछि हत्याको शंका - होस्टेलहरु असुरक्षित
शीर्षक जे पनि हुन सक्छ।
Disinformation for profit - scammers cash in on conspiracy theories
someone please tell me TPS is here to stay :(
Nepali doctors future black or white usa ?
Doctors dying suddenly or unexpectedly since the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines
BREAKING: THE LEFT HAS LOST THE SUPREME COURT!
Another Song Playing In My Mind
Nas and The Bokas: Coming to a Night Club near you
NOTE: The opinions here represent the opinions of the individual posters, and not of Sajha.com. It is not possible for sajha.com to monitor all the postings, since sajha.com merely seeks to provide a cyber location for discussing ideas and concerns related to Nepal and the Nepalis. Please send an email to admin@sajha.com using a valid email address if you want any posting to be considered for deletion. Your request will be handled on a one to one basis. Sajha.com is a service please don't abuse it. - Thanks.

Sajha.com Privacy Policy

Like us in Facebook!

↑ Back to Top
free counters