Rajkamal Chaudhary’s short stories give glimpses into newly independent India and its weariness

Padma arrived in the courtyard dismal and worried. There was a demure streak of guilt and regret in her eyes. Without saying anything to her sister-in-law, she entered the northern room. From the kitchen, her sister-in-law asked: “Is it Laal-daai?”

Without answering, Padma came out of the room with a comb and a mirror and sat down on the mat, quite morose.

Ramganjwali came out of the kitchen, wiping her sweat-covered face with the corner of her saree, and was stunned by Padma’s morose eyes, limp gestures and lowered forehead: “You didn’t get anything, not even a rupee?”

She moved closer and, caressing Padma’s forehead affectionately, said, “Why, dear? Why are you so sad? Didn’t you meet the rascal?”

“No, Bhauji, it’s not like that. I did meet the rascal, he even gave me two rupees, but a strange thing happened. Oh, a disaster, Bhauji! What can I say!” said Padma, licking her dry lips. She untied two one-rupee notes from the corner of her saree and handed them to her sister-in-law. Bhauji’s worry dissipated: “Whatever may happen, I have two rupees. Now what’s the worry?”

Both Padma and her sister-in-law are widows. Padma is about 23–24, Ramganjwali is about 32–33. And both are childless, of independent disposition.

Padma’s village Vangram is a huge village. There is a high school, police station, post office, hospital, and market. This is why it’s not difficult for these two Brahmin widows to live their life here. In a village of about 2,000, at least 200 are rascals. However, tonight Padma was sad. Her sister-in-law asked again, “Lal-daai! You’re behaving like a child. It can’t go on like this. Tell me what has happened. Did the police detain you on the streets? These days, the policemen roam the woods all night.”

“Which constable would dare to detain me? Does the inspector not know me? I don’t know how to tell you what has happened, Bhauji! Just assume that I am not alive – I have died.”

Bhauji laughed, “OK, I have accepted that you are dead. But tell me who killed you, how did you die?”

Then Padma began the tale of her night –

“I ran into the rascal near the temple. I took him behind the temple and said: ‘Hey you, I need five rupees.’ He said: ‘You go to the haunted tree, I will bring the money.’ He didn’t have the courage to do anything else in the temple. I was waiting for him under the white fig tree in the haunted area. He came after a long time. He placed two rupees inside my blouse and then, holding my hand, said, ‘It’s just two rupees. I’ll give the other three rupees early in the morning.’ And then he licked and kissed me for a long time. I was in a hurry, I worried that if I get too late, Bhauji would get mad, but he just wouldn’t let me go. Sometimes he would take me in his arms, sometimes something else. Eventually, even I couldn’t control myself and it felt like the entire tree had turned into a swing and I was flying in the sky with that rascal.”

Suddenly the Ramganjwali pressed Padma’s hands forcefully and said: “Laal-daai, don’t go into so much detail. Tell me, what happened next.”

Padma continued, “Then the rascal undressed me. It was as if I was out of my mind. Right at that moment, a constable came along, humming loudly. As soon as the rascal saw the constable, he ran away, leaving me behind. I just couldn’t take it. What a coward! I began to run behind him. But he disappeared into the dark woods. I tried looking for him, I couldn’t find him anywhere. I called out his name a couple of times, but nothing. The constable had strolled off down another path and gone away. I was running from one tree to another. After a long time, the rascal screamed from somewhere: ‘Padma! Oh Padma! Come quickly.’ I ran towards the sound. I found the rascal lying naked under a tree, writhing, moaning. But, Bhauji, it was if I was high on bhang. Seeing his naked body, all his organs under the moonlight, I couldn’t help myself. I didn’t have an ounce of sense left, where was I, what was I doing, why was I doing so. What more can I say, Bhauji, I can’t remember what happened after that. But when I came to, I saw that the rascal was no more, only his body lay on the ground.”

“Oh god!” – screamed the Ramganjwali.

“Bhauji, a snake had bitten the rascal,” screamed Padma.

“That’s why he was calling out my name. Bhauji, I slept with a dead man, now how will I live?”

Padma started crying. She cried for a long time.

Then Bhauji said, “Laal-daai, go, go take a bath in the pond and sprinkle some holy water from the Ganges. What else can you do? When there is no shame in sleeping with a living man, why feel shame in sleeping with a dead one?”

Padma got up and went to take a bath.

Excepted with permission from “Sisters-In-Law” from Traces of Boots on Tongue and Other Stories, Rajkamal Chaudhary, translated from the Hindi by Saudamini Deo, Seagull Books.