The Robbery of a Temple

“Why didn’t you do the chores, you have been assigned to?” my mother asked her.

She did not reply, and went to the bathroom and washed the clothes as usual.

A neighbour called her from the window, “Are you done with your work, Shalini?”

Shalini was her nickname christened after her modest behaviour, melodious voice and the bright but milder look she wore on her face. She was fair and beautiful.

She rushed to the window, “No Aunty, in one more Ghanta, I will complete it.”

It was one of those four storey apartments with four sizeable rooms, a parlour and a Veranda attached to it, allotted to the forth class employees at TELCO. There were flower vases along the staircase up to the parlour. The flowers in them blossomed throughout the year, for Shalini took care of them as if they were her younger brothers and sisters. The different types of flowers, added aroma to the atmosphere of the apartment. There were about Four hundred apartments around the vicinity. If you happen to forget the Number and Type of your apartment, you’ll never find your residence; for the lanes and land marks look alike everywhere. Ours was on the first floor, just above the ground floor. A road passing by it leads to Sakchi Main Bazaar.

My father was a TELCO employee. The working hours at the Factory were into three “shifts” divided: Shift- A, Shift-B and Shift –C. And my father, most of the time, as I remember, had “A Shift” that begins from 6 in the morning to 2 in the afternoon. These were the working hours of an employee at TELCO or TISCO in Jamshedpur. And mother taught in a nearby school to while away her time because at home she felt quite bored. She was very particular about the cleanliness of the house. She kept everything in the house in their right place. And when guests were to arrive, she would be an ablutomaniac.

And surely, Shalini was more beautiful than I. But why she had to work as a maid servant in our house and listen to my mother’s verbose, often, abusive tantrums. When we went shopping to the nearby shopping Mall, no boys would look at me nor stare nor devise designs to comment on me. She always remained the apple of the eye for the boys wherever we went out. But I never felt unwanted or neglected because I knew what she felt being with me. She always addressed me as “Didi” and I loved it. I believe, every lass’s heart grows fonder with her beauty - whether on the face or within with grace - appreciated and attended to, by her opposite kind.

It was, now, two in the afternoon. She had completed her work, and was getting ready to go home. Her home is about 20 minutes walk from our residence. My mother suddenly barged into the house from, nowhere, unexpectedly. She usually returned from school at about 4 in the afternoon. Why has she come back home early today, I thought.

“Shalini, where are you ready to go?” Mom asked her.

“Home,” she replied quickly.

“Stay back today,” Mom said.

“Why,” I asked Mom.

“Some guests from Delhi are arriving this evening to see you.” “Mom, you never told me about it,” I said sadly and went to my room.

As I moved to my room, Shalini humbly said, “Madam, I haven’t informed at home, and I have never stayed back out of home over night.”

“Who would serve the guests, then? There is no one at home, and Malti will have to be in the engagement gown,” said Mom sternly.

Shalini uttered not a single word but after a thoughtful moment, requested Mom to ring up. She requested Mom to ring up to her neighbour- Sheela whose phone number she could remember. She parroted the number – do, panch, aatt, saath, theen, chho, chho, aour panch. (25873665).

“Please inform, Shalini’s father - Md. Akhtar, your neighbour that Shalini will stay back here with us today in Mr. Mehta’s house.” Mom dialed through the landline phone.

“I don’t know anyone as Shalini here, Madam.”

“Ok, it’s not Shalini, its Shabanna Parveen,” Mrs. Mehta said, recalling her real name.

“Alright, I will,” the voice from the other end of the phone said.

The eyes of the sun were drowning dimmer as the darkness dawned. In the nearby Garden which had about a dozen tall trees, a number of birds made their night shelter as they would return after wondering around for fodder. Some foxes from under the bushes and shrubs, suddenly appear in search of their potential prey, now here, now there crossing the roads (that lead to Sakchi Bazaar) possibly to attract the attention of the children who play hide and seek, usually. And to attract the attention of the regular passerby through the road, perhaps.

Though most of the houses had electricity, and cylinder gas connections, here and there from some houses of the Telco colony, smoke in different shapes spiraling up the sky, you could enjoy, watching. These were from the outhouses for the servants.

The darkness had taken over the task of the sun. The moon shone brightly in the East, and a few prominent stars, appeared in the clear blue sky. Suddenly a car stopped at our residence. Everyone in the house was half asleep, half awake as if in a state of inebriation because of the scorching sun of the day.

“Hello! Is there anyone in the house?

And there was a knock at the door. It was 8 p.m.

Mom asked Shalini, “Go and see, if the guests have come.”

Shalini went up to the door to open it, and to our astonishment, five strong men, their faces covered with dark masks, pistols wielding in their right hands, broke into the room. They bolted the door.

“Give me the keys,” one of them said, as he stood behind Shalini. My mother tried to pull Shalini away into the room and shut the door. Then the second man aimed his pistol at my mother’s ear pit. She remained stupefied and as still as a rock by the sea. My father unaware of what was happening at the door, came out into the parlour in his Kurta and Pajama dressed for the First Fiancée Meet. When he sensed the situation, he first tried to phone up to the police station but the wires were cut off, and our mobile phone was sent for repair. Dad came out with a sword to defend the family; he wielded the sword at them. One of them fired at my dad, and his sword fell on the floor, the bullet missed the aim, escaped into the back wall with a deep trench in it, leaving dad unharmed. They overpowered him. Mom and Dad were gagged, and locked into the room next to the parlour.

Shalini and I, trying to escape from them, ran from room to room, hid behind the curtains, sometimes under the table but all in vain.

I, felt, in life, sometimes, disobedience changes into grace and blessing, in disguise. Man does not realize that God has a purpose in everything thing in the world. Shalini hadn’t cleaned the Moss gathered round the flower vases because, with the broom, the Moss wouldn’t clean.

Now, we were under the table in the parlour, suppressing our sighs. To escape their detection, we crept towards the door, and hid behind either sides of the long curtains, our backs brushing against the wall. More than fear of death, the fear of being robbed off our Eternal Jewels, had gripped us both. It would be a life in death, if we lose our pristine Jewels, we felt.

Shalini, silently blinked at me to unbolt the main door to escape to the neighbourhood. I surreptitiously started trudging towards the door. Suddenly, one them came, and took hold of me. The one with red shirt and dark pants, made inappropriate and lewd gestures. Something, within, told me, “You must protect Shalini.”

I tried to free myself, and started perspiring profusely; thought of shouting but one of them put his left palm on my mouth, and led me to the bed room, tried to hurl me into the bed. I resisted, shoved his hands off me. But he grabbed my Duppatta, and I, immediately, slid off it. And another forced Shalini onto the Sofa and stripped her off her upper garments. She did not give in. She could not shout. Nor could I. We fought till the last moment, till the last breath of our life. We fought till every beat of our heart, every beat of our breath, came to silence.

What followed next is unimaginable… I, somehow, managed to rend myself off the clutches of the man, and entered into the bathroom, and bolted it.

After about half an hour, I slowly, fearfully unlatched the door, peeped through the deep of the door. No one was there. I came out and found her, lying there, on the sofa unconscious-her clothes torn, body semi- naked. I sprinkled some water on her face, and she came back to her nerves. Immediately, I unbolted the door of the room where my parents were locked; removed their gags. My dad said, “The rascals have taken away all the jewelry and cash meant for your marriage.” And Mom took a shawl, rushed to Shalini, and covered her with the shawl. But we found Shalini lie on the sofa speechless, and almost lifeless.

***********

Mom advised us to take her to the hospital for medication. While coming out of the house, by the flower vase, I found a pair of keys. I kept them in my pocket, and hurried to accompany Shalini. Her parents were not informed of the incident. We were in the hospital in half an hour. We waited outside the chamber in silence for the doctor’s assurance. I grew impatient, tried to see through the door pane but could know nothing, for the curtain from inside had severed my sight from her.

“Mr. Mehta, your daughter is perfectly alright, she was just fear shocked, she is still a Virgin,” said Dr. Rath, “She would be discharged in the morning.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Dad said gracefully, as I stood by his side. I told my Dad, before he could say a word, “I will stay back with her in the hospital in the night.”

***********

It was 12 mid - night. The doctors were on their routine round. While I sat on a shaky chair by Shalini’s bed, I overheard the doctors whisper, “This girl suffers from epilepsy. Because of epilepsy she fainted.” My ears and eyes, I could not trust for I knew what had happened.

And till this day none knows the Truth about Shalini’s Secret Epilepsy, and the Robbery of the night. Because, she never fainted again. But I knew, now, my parents felt no more inferior because of her, as she wasn’t any more as beautiful as I, as pretty as I. The Robbers did not try to rob and loot our house but the Sacred Temple of Her Eternal Jewels that God has made so pure, fine, delicate and beautiful, each one us. It was the Robbery of the Temple. Could they rob her of her eternal jewels?

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