The wife of a Kashmiri zamindar was perennially depressed. Any attempt at knowing the secret of her mood might have revealed a history. But each time she told her story one particular cause overshadowed everything else and that was ‘The Lazy One’. You would want to know who that lazy one was but for that you have to listen to the story.
The women’s husband was a lazy bag of bones. He owned quite a few acres of land and the share of the produce was more than enough to sustain their family. So, there was no need for him to work. But his wife worked through the day till midnight, attending to domestic chores and looking after the children, while her husband whiled away his time playing cards and chatting with sycophants. The wife could do nothing to stop him and muttered words of disgust to herself as she slogged through the day. At times, when the sounds of her sighs and mutterings reached his ears, he snubbed her with shouts of anger. These snubs sometimes were like droplets of water sprinkled on burning oil in a cauldron. An explosion would follow.
The infuriated wife would raise such a hue and cry that a war would be inevitable. The faults of the man would be scrutinised and the husband would shout at the top of his voice to shut her out. The domestic war would reach such a crescendo that neighbours would gradually start flocking at their doorstep, peeping inside with great curiosity. At that time, consciousness would dawn upon them and they would sit quiet with grave faces, with heads bowed down in shame. Occasionally, the wife would warn the man that if more such encounters were repeated, she would leave her husband’s home and settle somewhere else.
One day, after a similar showdown, a friend comes to see the zamindar. The zamindar pours his heavy heart out to his friend complaining about his wife’s that to leave home. The friend advises him saying, “The next time there is a showdown, even before she repeats the threat, you too must serve the same threat”. You see afterwards, how your wife shall apologize and fall at your feet to bring you back!”
The zamindar did not have to wait long. One day, after their fight reached a crescendo, before the wife could say anything, the man shouted out saying that he had no desire to live under the same roof for even a moment. He waited eagerly to see the effect of his pronouncement on his wife’s face. He expected his wife to fall at his feet praying for forgiveness. But lo and behold! The results were shocking. The wife pretended not to have heard the threat. The man repeated his threat again began to feign preparations for a departure. The wife remained unshaken and indifferent. Now, what does he do? Having reached the door, he turned back once to see what his wife was doing. She was nowhere to be seen. And here, he had been fantasizing an apology! The zamindar was in a dilemma now. He cursed his friend for having suggested such a proposal. He had been reduced to a fool, he thought. However, a word once out of the mouth, was out in the open. He had to live up to his word. Poor fellow, he began to take a step at a time towards a friend’s dwelling. On the way he thought where he has gone wrong. At a distance there was a huge mound. He sat at the top of the mound from where the entrance of his dwelling was visible, and in that position his wife too could clearly see him. Frequently he kept on grazing at his hut from that distance to keep vigil on his wife and children. But unfortunately, while hours passed, nobody enquired about him. She made no effort to search for him outside. Suddenly he saw his wife coming out of the door of their house. He stood up on the mound in hope. He was wrong. His wife came out and began to walk towards her friend’s house and entered it.
The zamindar did not lose hope. He explained to himself that his wife might not have seen him.
He stood up and gradually walked towards his friend’s home. He found his wife engaged in a chat with his friend’s wife. The zamindar pretended that all was well and wanted to know what she had cooked that day while he was away, as he was hungry.
His wife showed not to have heard him. Bidding farewell to her friend, she headed straight to her house. The zamindar was crestfallen. He had not expected such behaviour. However, his friend and his wife saw and understood everything. They began to blame him. Now there was no option left for him. He had to return home. Hence, having thrown aside his pride and arrogance, he followed his wife’s footsteps back home. His wife was waiting for him at entrance. Seeing him enter, she remarked, “Shame does not suit the lazy one!” With these works, she went inside their home.
Translated by Partha Sarathi Gupta
