Janaki Amma

Janaki Amma was ninety-years-old. She had lived a fairly long life but now her old age had rendered her quite weak. Lying in her room, in one corner of the house, she would try to hear the feeble sounds and voices coming from outside and comprehend what might be going on there. If there was any birthday or wedding in the neighbourhood, then she would wish to go and play some songs with the dholak. But now, it was even difficult to get up from her bed and go to the bathroom without any help. The daughter-in-law used to take care of her, but perhaps the pressure of the work made her irritable and many times she got angry and shouted at Janaki Amma.

Her voice had also lost its power. One day she shouted to call the daughter-in-law, but there was no reply. Janaki descended from the bed and reached the bathroom with the help of the wall. But there she slipped and fell. An empty steel bucket also fell with her. The bucket caused a loud sound, which was heard by the daughter-in-law. She rushed to the bathroom and seeing her mother-in-law lying supine in the bathroom lost her temper.

‘Could you not call me? Do you hold a grudge against me? If something happens then people will say that the daughter-in-law did not care properly,’ she shouted.

In the meantime, Janaki Amma helped herself and sat up on the floor of the bathroom. Then the daughter-in-law grabbed her arms and helped her to stand and took her to bed and made her sit on it. After the daughter-in-law’s departure, Janaki Amma thought how she had never talked to her mother-in-law in such a loud voice. She had also served her mother-in-law in her old age. Soon, Janaki Amma was lost in her old memories.

Janaki and Suresh got married very early. Suresh was in the twelfth standard and Janaki had just passed the eighth standard. That was the trend of that time. Marriages were arranged at a young age. Janaki had felt no joy in her marriage. The thought of separation from her parents was killing her and she feared going away to an unknown place with an unknown person—her husband. At the time of departure, she went and hugged each member of her family.

Janaki had a dusky complexion but she was beautiful. Suresh was tall, stout and fair. Within a few days, her fear disappeared as she fell for Suresh. Suresh took good care of her. However, he soon left for the city for further studies. Most of Janaki's time was spent in household chores and the rest of it in waiting for Suresh.

Finally, the day came when she left her in-laws and went to the city in a government jeep with Suresh. He had become a deputy Collector. He got a government bungalow, car and helpers.

Janaki was happy but also afraid. She noticed that when they went out people respected them and it was because of her husband. Sometimes she was also afraid because she was from a village and not much educated. Lest some modern city woman should snatch away Suresh from her. Janaki often quarrelled with Suresh due to this insecurity. He had to constantly reassure her that his attention was on her only.

When Suresh was alive, Janaki used to quarrel with him every other day. Now when he was no more she still hurled taunts at his garlanded photo hanging on a wall of her room.

As soon as the daughter-in-law left, she murmured looking at the photo of Suresh on the wall, ‘You never cared for me nor taken me anywhere for a tour. You left for heaven also alone. Why could you not take me with you?'

 Janaki Amma heaved a sigh as the photo did not reply her with any assurance. She was tired now, and after the to and fro trip to the bathroom, falling and getting up, both her mind and body felt exhausted. She felt sleep beckoning her, and soon she fell asleep.