sound of rain drops by sannapureddy &swatee sripada (books for new readers .TXT) 📖

/> “Whom do you want?” he asked.
“My wife had come” he said as if shouting at him.
“My dear fool” he laughed.
“See that side. In those fields another group is there. Go and see” he said.
As he suggested they were seen in the fields. As soon as Shiva was seen everyone’s face turned to Gowri.
“We are brooding on that ‘why he didn’t come’-he has come” Narayanamma said.
“Go now… he will carry not only the basket but you too” Tulasi said.
“Where will she go?” Bhagyam caught up immediately..
“If they want to follow their husbands as soon as they saw them why should we come in a group? No one should leave the group whenever they want. Together we came, together we should go home. No body should slip in the middle. From today onwards this is the rule” she said “if all go behind their husbands whom should I follow? My husband never comes to a place where women gather.” As she said it all the trees heaved with laughter in golden yellow colour.
“My dear Shiva, your wife had not yet tired my brother, see how we had brought her exactly the same she looks. …” she pulled out Gowri holding her arm.
“See her palms, not yet turned red nor had any boils. Look at her cheek, didn’t turn pink with a rash touch of branches, and look at the turn of her waist…. No skin came off due to the twisting of vines. Have you seen? Look properly with wide eyes, then go from here.” in the midst of everyone’s laughter she said without any hesitation.
“Let me pick up a bit of grass for her before I go, Bhagya sister” he bent on the Mirchi field.
Though they prevented him he didn’t pay heed to them.
Stubbornly he pulled out a large amount of grass. As he couldn’t bear their bothering he left the grass there and moved off across the fields.
As the heat sharpened, they pushed the grass into their baskets, filled them again with the grass heaps hidden by them at the streamlets, around the edges of the basket they adorned beautifully blossomed grass flowers, making a base with turning of a palloo, kept the baskets on their heads. For Gowri, Bhagyamma made a base with towel, lifted and adjusted the basket on her head.
The basket seemed not too heavy to Gowri. She thought she could carry it. By the time she reached the field the reality of carrying it came to her experience.
The basket on the head turned into a crag and the green grass became a heap of stones. All the nerves in the head had swollen and crept onto the neck and she felt that at any moment they may explode. The agony of the spine was inexpressible. Vertebrae are leaning on each other and as the weight could not be tolerated she felt that the link may break due to the pressure.
By the time she covered ten more steps, she remained backward completely. Lifting the leg also looked too difficult. By the time she reached the decision that unless she throws away the basket she can’t escape from that physical pain, she felt that somebody lifted the basket from her head and tried to turn that side. But the neck didn’t help. As she turned her whole body, taking up the basket on to his head, leaving the path across the fields Shiva walked forth. She felt relieved.
He might have felt that if Bhagyamma watches she may stop him. So he was walking away from them.
His moving fell in the eyes of women.
As they turned back no basket was seen on Gowri’s head.
“Sent it with your husband?” Tulasi asked.
“She might have felt that if the weight on head is relieved it’s alright. Whoever had taken the grass basket became her God. Even if a beast pulled it off her she would have slipped it down. Has she realized that her husband had taken it?” Bhagyam said. She turned back at her, pricking her swollen neck nerves, sweating face and waist twists glistening with sweat drops with looks.
Women yelled at Shiva to stop.
Shouted at him to hand over the basket……… Their shouts he felt as catapult stones and he moved on swiftly like the parrots that fly away scared. His way of moving made them shout more and laugh at him.
As if he had stolen something and running away his swift walking made them vibrate.
Gowri felt immense pleasure and satisfaction as she fed the calf with the grass cut and carried by her.
Evening when she emptied the grass basket in front of the buffalo as it ate greedily she felt unutterable shudder.
Next day morning when her Atta came with the milk pitcher saying
“ as it had stomach full of green grass it gave more milk” and moved to the milk booth she felt happy.
The green grass brought by her turning into milk was a strange feeling.
In the month of Kartika, at least on one Monday, Shiva thought that he should visit the cave of Belum in Nallamala hills.
He thought of adoring Belum god along with Gowri. But his mother obstructed him saying that they should not climb the hills in the first year of the marriage, so he dropped the idea.
Gowri started going everyday with Bhagyam group to bring the grass. In cutting the grass and in carrying it she had immense help of Shiva.
Shiva faced many problems to conceal others’ look and to get the grass basket.
To cut and hand over the grass to Gowri he felt anxious.
Women never allowed him to reach them, even if he could they didn’t allow him to cut the grass, though he managed to cut it they never allowed him to handover it to Gowri. But still he had his own plans. Beforehand he finds out where they go, he pulls up a bundle of grass and covers it with a sign and moves out. One day he keeps a few grass blades on it, and on the other day he keeps something else. All these signs they decide at home. Nobody goes there feeling that a lady gathered it. As soon as Gowri looks at the sign she lifts the grass into her basket. Shiva’s grass basket episode is known to everybody in the village. Mornings when people saw him there at the fields everybody mocked at him.
Before his inquiry they say-“see your wife……. she went that side fields …… go …go that side...” Some provide wrong information to mock at him.
Deceiving him at least one day Gowri should be made to carry the grass to home was Bhagyam’s whim. So searching new ways she was targeting Shiva to new tortures.
That day in the beginning itself Shakuntala Veeraiah misled Shiva. When they went to east fields he showed hand towards the west. After ten fields when he saw Duggayya he too showed that side only. Crossing the tank Shiva roamed all the waste lands and returned. Nobody was seen. Time was elapsing. He could understand that people duped him.
He couldn’t guess how Gowri could manage that day as she is used to his help in filling her basket every day. Where was she is not known. How far was she? He didn’t know. How much she might be struggling? Might be feeling affronted by her friends. Once if she gets hurt it’s very difficult: everywhere fields and fields only. Where to search for her? He walked and walked, ran on the edges between the fields. Once again he rounded all the fields. Everybody in the fields laughed at him. They had a nice game to play with him. Can make him in to a toy to play…..
The time approached for the women to start returning home.
Anxiety grew in Shiva. He went to Subbamma who was seen in the Mirchi field.
He lifted both the hands, folded them,
“Sister in law where is your sister?”
She was noticing his trouble for a long time.
“Why do you feel so trouble, Abby she’ll not abandon you” laughed perfidiously.
“The head is burning, neck looks as if broken. Back couldn’t stand. Tell me where she will be, I’ll salute your mother”
He implored piteously.
She hooted loudly.
“You say bundles of grass and baskets of grass
My sister is there at fine grass my dear
Brother in law my sister is there”
She described all types of grass in her song and finally said “my dear brother in law my sister is there”
He could not bear the delay.
“Is she going to faint for the unbearable weight of the basket? Tell me exactly sister in law! I’ll touch your feet behind the fields ……..”
Her body quivered as she heard it. As her lips shivered she stretched her hand towards east.
“They are in the lands by the side of the ditch, go” saying this she cast her head down.
Shiva moved at a stretch running. By that time all the women started lifting the grass baskets on their heads. From the edge he looked watchfully at them.
He shouted three times as a sign which inspired Gowri.
Within two minutes the basket was on Shiva’s head.
*************
Afternoon holding a pitcher when Shiva was moving towards the bore well Shiva Reddy called him.
“O Shiva”
“Uncle” he expressed his obedience in his voice. Went close to him and inquired
“What uncle?”
ChennaReddy was sitting on a cot on the verandah. On both his sides two more people were there.
“What happened? Nowadays not at all seen?” he asked.
“Nothing uncle” Shiva scratched his head.
“Always we roam in the streets and fields, we can’t see him. You never look at the street, how can you see him?” the man opposite him said.
“Why?”
“His wife arrived”
Smiles moved on ChennaReddy’s lips.
“Has she studied anything?” he asked.
“Yes!” slowly he lifted his head “she did Inter” he felt shy.
“You are lucky! Your fortune changes”
Shiva couldn’t understand. “Our village’s Anganvadi centre is almost finalized. As we have no educated daughter in law we are getting the sanction and again it’s cancelled. You did a good thing. Though the daughters of this village have no education you brought an educated girl to this village…”
“How many more days did the girl stay here brother? By the time of new year (Ugadi) she may snatch him too to the town” Duggaiah said.
“I heard a shop is there ... That is good …..” said ChennaReddy.
“if the centre survives we could do something later..”
Even after Shiva left the place they discussed something. Sanctioning the post on Gowri’s name, after that they can manage to transfer it on some other’s name, if they couldn’t get an educated girl continuing that on Gowri’s name with someone else……
As everyone was guessing if she leaves the village by the New Year it’s all right, if not they won’t keep the Anganvadi post for her. At present, they are utilizing her as a tool, that’s all.
After Shiva’s arrival for the second pitcher ChennaReddy blurted it out to Shiva.
“Educated girl, it’s a sin to keep her away from the letters…
At least take the newspaper and give it to her.”
Shiva didn’t delay at all.
Folding the paper on