Sunday Story: The Harsh Reality

It was the first time Vinayaki was travelling to the city. She had always wanted to, since her aunt told her about life there the first time she returned from there. Ever since, she would ask her every time she would go back for her, but she postponed it every time, saying next time she would. Finally, after incessant pleading, she gave in, and told Vinayaki that she’d take her along during the week of Ganesh Chaturthi.

After a day’s travel, Vinayaki finally entered Mumbai, the city of dreams! The view, the colours, and the liveliness in the air left her wide-eyed. On his way to where her aunty worked and stayed, her eyes were constantly dashing from one sight to another, trying to absorb everything she could, not wanting to miss anything. However, the experience of reaching the place where her aunt stayed was a bit underwhelming. Instead of the welcome they generally received when they visited somebody’s home in the village, she and her aunt were asked to go straight to the kitchen and help bhabhi with preparations for the next day. Though a little disappointed, she kept her hopes high for the next day, telling herself that even at her home everybody used to be busy the day before the festival.

Vinayak woke up feeling exhilarated. It was the morning of his favourite festival—it was the day of Ganesh Chaturthi. She loved everything about the festival—the decorations, music, the furore, but most of all, the sweets! She could not wait for the day to progress. She jumped out of bed in excitement and ran straight to the drawing room, where they were going to welcome the elephant god, Ganesha. The sight of the room widened her already doe-like eyes. The entire room looked like a different world in itself—gleaming with the sparkles of the decoration, colourful, and filled with the aroma of her and Lord Ganesha’s favourite sweet, the modak.

Before she could actually absorb the festive atmosphere, her happiness was cut short when bhabhi shouted from inside the kitchen, “what are you doing loitering around? There’s so much work to do! You aunt did not bring here on a holiday; she brought you here to help with the work. Now, get to it!”

Disappointed, she traced her steps back to the room where she was staying with her aunt, got dressed, and headed to the kitchen to help. Throughout the day, she sat by the kitchen door, stealing glances at the drawing room and looking at what people were doing, and feeling sad that she could have been there too, had she been at her home.

The day progressed but she had to stay put in the kitchen. Bhabhi did not allow her to move from her place or mingle the guests outside. She did not let Vinayaki come out even during the puja. Only after it was done and all the guests had gone, she let her pay her respects for a while and then hurried her back to the kitchen and disinterestedly handed her the remaining 2–3 modaks.

Viyanaki went to bed extremely dejected. This was not how she had expected her experience in the city to be like. The more she thought, the more she missed her village. She could not wait to go back to her mother, whose hugs, warmth, and food she was sorely missing. In just one day, her perspective had changed by 180 degrees. The city may be big in size, but its people seemed small in their hearts. 

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