SHAKUNTALA’S DREAM -FICTION- LIKHITE-1885
Shakuntala was holding
her mother’s hand and was moving in the crowded fair which was set up in a village
far away from hers. She had put on a new
frock and was very excited to be in the fair where a lot of people had
gathered. Many shops were set up selling a variety of toys. Many stalls were
also there vending eatables. Shakuntala was tempted to get some sweet eatables.
She expressed her desire to her mother. Mother promised her to buy some things
a little later. They were moving from shop to shop looking at different items
which were displayed as mother was not able to make up her mind. The crowd was
getting denser and denser. Many children had come to the fair with their
parents or only with mothers as their fathers were busy earning bread for the
day.
Shakuntala’s mother
warned her to be extra careful and not to leave her hand. “See. The crowd is
getting more and more. If you get lost in the crowd, it will be impossible to
trace you. So Shaku, walk very close to me holding my hand.”
They came in front of a
toy shop. Shaku told her mother to buy a small doll for her. Mother asked the
shopkeeper for the price of some dolls. Shaku was already in dreamland with her
doll. She was imagining playing hide and seek with the doll. But the cost was
exorbitant. Mother told Shaku to wait till they find some affordable doll.
Shaku was an understanding girl. She did not persist with her demand hoping to
see an affordable doll in nearby shop. So they moved on. When they were in
front of another toy shop, mother stopped and asked for the price of a nice
small doll. She found that the price was within her budget. She told the keeper
to pack that doll. Shaku was very happy and was again in dreamland playing with
the doll.
And all of a sudden,
there was a big commotion. Everybody started running here and there. “Fire. Run
for your life. Leave the place immediately.” A stall had caught fire and big
flames of fire were engulfing whatever came in their embrace. The already over
crowded fair was totally disrupted. The
whole surroundings were filled with cries and screaming. A complete chaos
prevailed.
Shaku could not keep
herself with her mother. When everybody was running to go away from fire, Shaku
was going in the direction of fire. Her mother was looking for Shaku. But the
loads of crowds pushed her away and she had no control of herself. She kept
shouting “Shaku.................Shaku” but to no avail. Shaku was calling out “Aai...............A..a..i”
for her mother. But she could not hear
the calls. Desperately mother was searching for Shaku. Just then a big burning log
of wood fell on her. Some persons rushed to save her but the fire took her in
its embrace and she died instantly.
Here Shaku was crying
and looking for her mother running every where. The toy shops were turned in to
ashes. When Shaku came in front of the shop, she found one half burnt doll lying
in one corner,which Shaku picked up. She
got the doll but she was not able to find her mother. Shaku was crying. Thousands
of persons were around but her mother was not to be found anywhere. she cried
incessantly. LAXMI an eunuch draped in lady attire noticed Shaku was crying all
alone in this chaotic situation. She took pity on her. Laxmi went to Shaku and
enquired about her mother. When she heard that Shaku had missed her mother, she
asked her name and address so that she can be reached home. But Shakuntala
could not give Laxmi her name or address of her residence as this was the first
time she had come out of her house with mother from a distant village.
LAXMI looked for Shaku’s mother all around but
failed to trace her. Laxmi was confused as to how to handle the situation. She
consoled Shaku, told her that they would search for her mother both together.
Laxmi showered motherly love on this just found child. It was getting dark then. Shakuntala’s eyes had turned dry due to continuous weeping. LAXMI gave her vada-pav to eat.
Hungry Shkuntala grabbed it and ate it
quickly. After this she was sleepy. LAXMI took Shakuntala in her lap trying to put her to sleep.
Laxmi felt the emotions of a mother springing up from within. She imagined of her
own child in her lap even though she knew that she cannot bear a child in this
birth. Now she was in love with this child. Laxmi was afraid of finding the
child’s mother. It occurred to her that as soon as this child found her own
mother, it would leave her instantly and go away with mother to her own house.
Laxmi hoped that this child stayed with
her. That would change her life entirely.
She prayed to God that the
child’s mother should not be found. And God answered her prayers.
Waiting till it got completely dark and the
commotion had calmed down, LAXMI gave up her search for her mother and brought Shakuntala to her house, a hutment in the
corner of the village. In the night only she wound up her belongings and left the village where
everybody knew her as a eunuch. Under
the cover of darkness she proceeded to another village where nobody would know
her sex identity. She carried the child with her giving the child a new
identity as her own child acting as widowed father.
In the morning Laxmi dressed as a man and introduced
himself as her father. Convincing her that her biological parents were dead in
the fire and now he would take care of her as her father. Shakuntala refused to
talk to Laxmi. After couple of days, Shakuntala experienced the affection of
Laxmi as father. Slowly Shaku accepted the food cooked by Laxmi. One morning Laxmi
asked her how he should call her. Shaku told Laxmi “ my mother used to call me
SHAKUNTALA. You may call me Shaku.”
Laxmi told Shaku that the next day he would take her
to school. He warned her that she had to
go to school and study hard. She should become an educated lady.
Next day Laxmi took Shaku to the nearby school and admitted her in the
name of Shakuntala and herself as Shaku’s
father.
Shakuntala’s new life started going to school. Laxmi
looked after Shaku very well. He provided her with clothes, school books and
offered her food cooked with full affection.
Slowly, Shakuntala forgot about her own mother and
Laxmi too forgot about her sexual deficiency. But Shakuntala used to feel odd
about her father Laxmi. She used to find that Laxmi was not a normal man. Nevertheless she loved
Laxmi very much.
The days passed into months and months passed into years. Shakuntala turned into a brilliant
student. Passed her school exams with excellent marks. She came first in school in the board
examination. She was so happy that she went home running and held Laxmi with
both the hands.
“Baba, I am so happy. I stood first in school. You
will have to accompany me to school to receive the prize. Our Principal has
told me to bring the parents to the function of prize distribution. You are
coming to school with me.”
“oh. I am so glad. We will buy a new frock for you.
You wear that and go for prize distribution. I will not come. I am not feeling
well.” Shakuntala was disappointed. But she knew why Laxmi was not ready to
come to school with her. She knew Laxmi was not like the father of her friends.
He was different from other men.
She entered the college for further studies. Laxmi
acting as a man, fulfilled all the duties as father. Laxmi took some labourer
job and ensured that Shakuntala did not face shortage of money for college
studies. Shakuntala completed her graduation and then joined a company as an
executive. The father and daughter binding of love got stronger day by day. Now
Shakuntala insisted that Laxmi stopped working and manage the house and take full
rest at home.
And one day Shakuntala brought one of her friends home to introduce to her father. Shashikant
was a very cultured young man working in a big company. Shakuntala introduced her father to Shashikant.
“Baba, this is
Shashikant. He is my very good friend.”
“Nice to meet you Baba.” Shashikant said.
“I am also happy to meet you. Where do you work?” Laxmi answered in his
hoarse voice.
Shashikant was a bit upset over Laxmi’s voice and manner
of speaking. He found Shakuntala’s
father’s behaviour a little odd. He felt her father resembled a eunuch. But
Shashikant did not make his impressions very apparent.
“Shaku is a nice girl. We know each other for quite
some time. I want to marry her. We want your permission for that. “
“Do you really love her?” Laxmi asked.
“Yes. I love
her very much. I will keep her happy throughout our life.” Shahsikant opened
his heart out.
Laxmi delighted by Shashikant’s seeking permission, whole heartedly gave his consent.
And one day Shakuntala and Shashikant were
married. Laxmi performed the KANYADAAN of Shakuntala and got a heavenly
pleasure. Laxmi felt very happy that despite her wrong sexual
orientation, she could get the opportunity of doing kanyadaan.
After Shakuntala left her present house to move into
another house to stay with Shashikant,
LAXMI felt terribly lonely. He could not bear the separation from his daughter.
Moreover, he had sensed that Shashikant had suspected his sexual orientation as
male. Laxmi did not want any trouble in Shakuntala’s life due to his different
sexual orientation. He decided to end his
life.
One evening Shakuntala received a sad news of her
father committing suicide. Shakuntala was very upset. She remembered Laxmi’s
sacrifices for her education. She recollected how her father had suffered for
her bringing up a better way. She missed her father very badly.
Shakuntatala’s married life was going very
satisfactorily. And one day she disclosed to Shashikant that he was going to be
a father very soon. Both of them were very happy.
But one morning Shakunatala got up very upset.
Shashikant noticed that. He asked for the reason. Shakuntala said, “In my dream
my father came and smilingly he announced that he is going to take rebirth as
my child.”
“but is not that good? Your father is taking rebirth
as our child. That means we are going to get a boy. I am very happy.”
Shakuntala thought “only if my father was my real
father, I also would have been happy. But actually my father was a eunuch. He
just brought me up. My dear dad, I love you very much. But I do not want your
rebirth as my child. I do not want an eunuch as my child.”
{This story is based on Indian assumption of a
person after his death taking rebirth at his will and with the same gender as
before.}
