Yamuna’s tale

As she looked around her , Yamuna noticed that the usually lax and inattentive office boy was tidying his shirt sleeve and adjusting his chair and generally being very alert. Even the others seemed to be more alert and busy with their work in front of their desks unlike other days when they would be all over the place except in front of their desks.

 What could be the reason for this sudden change in the attitude of the entire staff in the Treasury office?  wondered Yamuna ! When she asked the office boy, he told her that the new Treasury officer , a lady had taken charge two days back and she was very strict and very disciplined. Yamuna was not sure if this would help her at all since being strict and being efficient did not necessarily go together in government offices !

She had been coming here for the past two years and knew every face and the behavioral pattern of almost all the staff members. Each time she set out, she would do so with a new hope of getting her financial matter settled, but so far there was no such luck ! She had to come because she wanted the office to settle her dues and they delayed because she was not capable of settling their dues. So there was a deadlock.. In the meantime she continued to come to the treasury office two or three times a week with the hope that Praful, the official in charge of her husband’s files might have a change of heart and deposit the pending money into her almost zero balance account.

Yamuna had lost her husband 3 years ago just 4 months before his retirement. Since she was eligible for his pension and the accumulated pension benefits she had to come to the treasury office to claim it. Initially she was greeted with sympathy and a promise that her work would be done within a few weeks time. But things changed drastically with time !

Is there no end to greed ?

With time came the delay and then the open demands for money without which Praful, who handled her file was unwilling to go any further. She had pleaded with him saying that she would pay him whatever he demanded once she got the money, but he was not so trusting. Because , by now he had become an expert at extracting money first and doing his job later and there was no way she could convince him.

The whole process of trying to convince him and make him understand about her own financial difficulties had stretched on and even after more than 2 years she was unable to change him and there was absolutely no progress . She was down to her last few rupees and she was not sure how she would carry on unless she was able to raise some money and pay him off. As she thought about her own helpless condition and her life which was nothing but a daily struggle ,she could not control her tears since she felt totally dejected unable to find a solution . She often wondered whether greed was supreme to some human beings and was there no end to greed ? Were they not able to understand other people’s misery and suffering ?

Last week, when she had determinedly gone to Praful’s desk and asked him point blank when she could expect to get her pension and the money due to her. He had given her a long thoughtful look and told her that the gratuity and the Provident fund of her husband , was left with just a few thousand rupees since her husband had taken a loan. This news shocked her since she never knew about the loan and as far as she knew, it was not spent on the house nor was it invested anywhere else unless of course her husband had done something else with it. ..Either way after she heard the news she had become even more depressed . She had been hoping to do a lot with the lump sum she was going to get but now all her hopes dashed to the ground.

A Tale of woe

Yamuna thought back on her life with Damodar her husband. Hers was an arranged marriage and she was older than her husband by three years , a fact that had been suppressed by her parents at the time of their marriage . When her husband came to know this fact , he had been furious and had sent her back to her parents home. Later, he had taken her back, but had remained distant and aloof most of the time. He had a steady job with a co operative society run by the state government and he dutifully provided what was needed for the house each month. He did take her and their two children, a son and a daughter out to the occasional film or to the local park. But these outings were very rare and were not enjoyed by either Yamuna or the two children Satish their son and Sujata the daughter. Other than that he never gave Yamuna any spending money nor did he willingly give any money to the children for their personal needs. They had to beg and plead for everything.

The children grew up fearing , hating and avoiding their father and although they loved their mother, they also felt that she was partly responsible for his attitude since she never protested nor did she have the courage to stand up to him. He did what he wanted, in the process crushing out their spirits and desires. As they grew up they began to stay away from home as much as possible spending time with their friends and their families which made their father all the more angry, and ,he vented out his anger on Yamuna who in turn begged her children to listen to their father and do what he wanted them to do. Once when Satish asked her “ what exactly does our father want us to do , just stay at home and do nothing ?” she had no answer to this and many other questions that her chidren asked her except request them to obey their father !

Things became steadily worse as the children grew older and became bolder and began to openly show their resentment towards their father. Satish was seen going to the cinema with a girl and when Damodar came to know about this from a relative , all hell broke loose and both Satish and Yamuna were warned not to have any such activities in the future. But Satish continued to remain friendly with the girl named Raksha since she was understanding and caring towards him. Yamuna and Sujata too had met the girl and felt that she was good for Satish who was taking his studies seriously and was planning to take up a job soon after and get married to Raksha.

But this was something that they could not tell Damodar, so it remained a secret between the mother and children. However, when Satish completed his studies and took up a job with a call center, his father was upset because he had no plans of pursuing his higher studies. And, a few months later when Satish told his father about his intention to marry Raksha, Damodar lost his temper and asked Satish to leave the house. Satish had to go because his father was adamant and Yamuna cried for days together not having the courage to speak to her husband nor did she attend the marriage of her son. But Sujata had attended the wedding reception without her father’s knowledge along with her brother who the children were close to..

A change ?

Yamuna came back from her reminiscence to see a flurry of activities taking place around her. Just then a very dignified lady in her forties came walking briskly and entered the chamber. Yamuna realised that this was the new treasury officer that the office staff was talking about. She saw Praful carrying a load of files and almost running into the chamber. She got up and decided to ask him whether he was doing anything about her husband’s pension .

‘What exactly are you doing here near Madame’s chamber ? – Praful almost screamed at her ! Yamuna was taken aback and began fumbling with her own response...

‘What is happening Praful ?and who is that lady ? ‘ the voice came from inside .....

At this Praful began with a nervous smile ...’ she has been pestering me to look at some files and I am asking her not to do so when I am busy , that’s all !

Yamuna, by now was cursing herself for having approached Praful today of all the days when he was busy with the new treasury officer. She decided to go home and come back the next day.

The next morning Yamuna was back at the treasury office at 11 am and sitting on the bench just outside the office. Praful came out and gave her a look of irritation and vanished without speaking a word to her. She was not sure what to do next, when she saw the lady officer come in and look at Yamuna as she went into her chamber.

Within a few minutes the office boy came and asked Yamuna to go into the office since Officer Damayanti , as she was called wanted to have a word with her. Yamuna was not sure why she had been called but hoped that it was somehow with regard to her file and the payment due to her.

Madame Damayanti looked at her as she approached her desk and asked her to sit in one of the chairs placed in front of the desk. Yamuna sat nervously on the edge , a fact not lost on Damayanti who gave her a reassuring smile and asked her if there was a problem that she would care to share with her? Yamuna was not sure how to go about this new turn of events since it was totally unexpected !She briefly told Damayanti about her husband’s demise and how she was having financial difficulties and requested her to look into her file !

Just then in came Praful with his usual heap of files ! He was shell shocked to see Yamuna in Damyanti’s chamber, but being the expert that he was at dealing with such unexpected turn of events , he came forward with a smile that was meant for both of them... Damayanti wanted to know what he had to say regarding Yamuna’s case? Praful tried to wriggle out saying that he had been too busy etc etc...At this juncture Damayanti looked at her watch and since it was lunch time she decided to take a break and continue with the rest after lunch.

She turned to Yamuna “ It is lunch time now, I suggest you go down to the office canteen and have your lunch there and come back here later “ , then she turned to Praful who was still in a shock at the turn of events.... ‘ Praful, please hand over one of your meal coupons and a coffee coupon as well to this lady “

Praful stammered ...’My coupons madam ‘?

‘Yes , remember, you have just taken more than your share of coupons for this month saying you need them to help out those who come to the office on work and get to spend long hours without food, right ?‘

‘Yes ,right madame’...stammered Praful

Yamuna got the coupons , had her meal and a cup of steaming hot coffee and was back to where she sat earlier outside the Treasury officer’s chamber only to see Praful come towards her and give her an angry look. He disappeared into the chamber and came out after a while telling her that Madame had called for a staff meeting and had no time for anything or anyone else.

Yamuna sat for some more time and since no one approached nor called her decided to go home and come back the next day!

Painful memories of the past

For Yamuna it was another one of those evenings when she had to make herself small in front of Manjunath , the shop keeper from whom she had been buying grocery and other household stuff on credit and already owed more than 2,400 rupees. She bought a kilo of rice and a handful of vegetables from the street vendor for 10 rupees. As she walked home she collected and picked a few dry twigs and carried them along since she had no cooking gas and had to cook outdoors with firewood using two bricks on which she placed the utensils...

Having cooked and consumed her meager dinner Yamuna was again lost in thoughts of her own life with her husband and children. At the thought of her children , her eyes filled with tears of sadness and longing . She often thought of her daughter Sujata who too had married against her father’s wishes and had been thrown out of the house. Unfortunately for her, her husband turned out to be a sadist and an unpleasant character and she had two children after which the fellow had left her high and dry. When Yamuna heard this through some other people she wanted to ask her daughter and their grand children to come home but her husband would have none of it. He was not even curious about the little ones , which saddened Yamuna greatly ! She had hated him from that day !

Now, after his demise her one great hope was to revive her ties with her children. She wanted to add on one or two rooms to her present matchbox of a house which consisted of just a hall, kitchen and a bathroom. She wanted to invite her daughter and son to come and stay with her, after all they too had a right over the house since it was inherited by their father. But, now with the bulk of the money having vanished from the PF fund she could not do this and this made her feel very depressed.

She was also disturbed at the thought of this since she couldn’t find an explanation for the loss. Another thought came into her mind as to whether the new madam too would ask for little something from what she got. Either way she may not get anything in hand since according to Praful there was just a few thousand rupees left..So the big question was, what had happened to the accumulated money? Poor Yamuna feel asleep out of exhaustion, coupled with self pity and depression...

People and their attitudes

As she got out of the house the next day , on her way to the treasury office Yamuna met Subbaiah who was her neighbor, a committed gossip who was interested in everything and about everyone. Now he asked her about the status of her pension and when she updated him with the latest developments he came out with his own pearls of wisdom “ Yamuna be careful of that lady officer, they give you a meal coupon and then ask for a few thousand rupees to get your work done. I am sure of it “.....Just then they were joined by Harini living in the same neighborhood, who had some more tales of wicked and corrupt officers to add.

With her ears burning with all the negative talk , Yamuna set forth to the treasury office and on reaching found everyone busy with their work , and she patiently sat on the bench outside the officers chamber. As expected Praful came with a stack of files and glancing at her cursed under his breath nodding his head entered the Madame's room...

Yamuna was not sure what do next since Praful clearly was not going to help her. Just then came the office boy and she went to him and asked him whether she could see the madam? He said he would ask and see...Miraculously she was called in and she saw that Praful, who was already there was glaring at her. Damayanti, the officer looked up at Yamuna asking her to take a seat.

She also asked Praful to get all the files and relevant documents pertaining to Yamuna’s husband. Praful immediately asked for more time since he had other urgent matters to take care of.

“Are those urgent matters older than this particular one Praful ?’ for some reason you have been sitting on this file for more than two years and causing the lady a lot of anguish and distress, so let us finish this before you take up anything new “

Praful could only fidget and stare at Damayanti... ‘ Please go and get the files now’... said Damayanti with some exasperation !

She asked Yamuna to wait outside while she and Praful looked at the files and did the needful. Yamuna was again back at her usual spot on one of the chairs meant for visitors while Praful gave one more of his angry stares and left to his desk and was back with some files , apparently her husband’s ! She was called back in after an hour or so with Praful not meeting her eyes and Damayanti looking quite angry. Yamuna realised that something was drastically wrong for Praful to look so downcast.

Damayanti turned to her ‘ I have gone through the files and there is nothing wrong with your husband’s PF account or the pension fund. It is intact, but we need to calculate before drawing up the statement which will take some time , say five days after which you can come here and we will discuss the matter more thoroughly .

‘ Yamuna was, to say the least, overcome with happiness, relief and expectation all at the same time and could not hold back her tears as she nodded and left the office.

More doubts and suspicions

On her way home she gave the good news to Manjunath, the shop keeper who immediately told her to take what she wanted and she bought some soap and few other necessary stuff . Just then walked in Subbaiah the local gossip and asked her what happened at the treasury ?

When Yamuna gave him the good news he did not seem very impressed....’ why do you think the lady officer says she was going to discuss the matter thoroughly after five days ? because ,she wants to ask you for a cut in what you are going to get, so also Praful’

Yamuna was confused since according to her Damayanti did not look as if she was greedy .But one can never be sure with these government officials. Either way she decided that if she did ask for money she would give what she asked for. It was because of her that the files had been reopened and some progress had been done with her pension account for which she would be eternally grateful to Damayanti.

The next two days were difficult for Yamuna as her mind swayed in different directions , more so after she discussed the matter with her neighbors and she finally decided to visit and stay with her brother who lived with his wife and 3 children on the outskirts of the city . He had a small paddy field surrounded by coconut trees and a small house by the side of it . He and his wife worked hard , the children too pooling in when they could, growing paddy during season and later growing vegetables ,selling them and also selling the coconuts . They barely managed to survive and it is because of this reason that Yamuna never asked him for any monetary assistance.

Her brother was easy going and very patient and his wife and children adored him since his whole life and existence revolved around them. Yamuna felt happy and at peace whenever she visited him although it was on very rare occasions since Damodar never allowed her to visit anyone.

The tide always turns

Having decided Yamuna visited her brother and was pleased and happy when the entire family gathered around her and enquired after her. Her brother wanted to know why she had not visited them for so long and urged her to stay with them permanently. But , Yamuna knew this was not possible since she had many things to do with regard to her own personal life and her children. She unburdened herself with her brother and his wife later at night when the children were in bed.

Her brother thought about everything she had told him ...’ In my opinion the lady officer may not cheat you, she is probably not sure herself as to what needs to be done and the delay seems to be because of Praful , so you don’t worry unnecessarily ! you had already accepted that there was no money in the PF but now you know that the money is intact ,which is in fact good news, so why worry needlessly ?

He went on ‘ Yamuna, my dear sister always remember that things never remain the same , Change is the essence of life and The tide always turns, of course one could never be sure whether it would turn for the better or for the worse.... But one should never lose hope ‘

Having listened to him and his soothing words Yamuna felt much better and after spending two days with him and his family she returned home feeling confident . She had to go to the office the next day and hopefully her problem would have been solved forever and she could lead a carefree comfortable life at least now ,after having suffered all her life.

She was back at the office waiting for Damayanti and keeping her fingers crossed. When the office boy came to her and asked her to go into the Officer’s chamber, for a minute Yamuna was nervous not knowing what to expect. Damayanti looked at Yamuna as she came in and noticed her nervous and anxious expression and wondered...

By then Praful came in, not the arrogant cocky and sneering Praful of last year, last month or even last week..but a subdued Praful with a bent head and barely audible voice. In fact he did not even look at Yamuna, gave the file and an envelope which Damayanti opened , checked the contents and nodded her head ...soon after he left ! Yamuna was amazed at this change in him.

Happy ending

Damayanti handed over the file to her saying ‘ this is your copy of the PF  and gratuity transactions that has been accumulated in your husband’s pension fund. Please check it and let me know if you have any doubts.’

As Yamuna glanced at it and at the figure at the bottom of the page she was stunned ! The total amount came to little over 14 lakh rupees !!!! Damayanti handed over the envelop to her and said that there was a cheque inside for a sum of one lakh and 87 thousand rupees which was the arrears of the pension collected over the last 2 years...Yamuna was too overcome to say anything.

Damayanti again asked her if everything was alright and Yamuna blinked back her tears –‘ Madame I am not sure how to thank you because I had lost hope of getting any money after what Praful said, I feel overcome with emotions, however I thank you from the bottom of my heart ‘

Damayanti replied saying - ‘Praful made a mistake which for his sake ,I sincerely hope was not intentional and as for your pending pension amount he had to do some juggling to get it organised since it seemed to have vanished in the accounts, however we will know exactly what happened to the money after an enquiry is made ’ – ‘ You will not have any more worries regarding money or your pension account.

I hope you are satisfied now and are able to fulfill your dreams for your children, also you can always come to me if you have any problems in the future’ Yamuna wondered how Damayanti knew about her dreams and aspirations....Damayanti had a smile on her lips as she looked at Yamuna ‘ nothing remains a secret here for long, the office boy has given me some information given to him by you, during your many visits to this office since the past two years.

So, Yamuna got the money that was due to her without having to pay a single rupee for it which somehow restored her confidence in humanity. She was a new changed person altogether , planning many things for the future, hoping to have her children around her and helping her brother financially since he had a daughter who was good at studies and had dreams of becoming a lawyer.

Life did look good and Yamuna realised that there is nothing like hope to keep one going and of course, as her brother rightly said the tide always turns, and this time for the better..

( Images - personal)