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Wednesday, 25 May 2011

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‘Black fume circles’

Sirisena, though disabled, being the sole breadwinner of the family, oared his life-boat despite inconvenience and severe hardships. His whole life was full of ups and downs since his childhood but he never abandoned his efforts whatever difficulties rested on his way. He was so courageous that his will-power never left him alone. He left no stone unturned to keep up his confidence and run the family without much fuss.

Sirisena’s sister, Soma, was the only companion who shared the burdens. She too had to undergo a lot of pains because of her disabled brother and aging father who had been bed-ridden for a long period. She has been an affectionate sister and an obedient daughter to her brother and father. Because of the inexplicable domestic chorus and bountiful duties, her education was also held up. She dedicated her time and energy completely on her father and brother which she thought was a great merit.

The chief incumbent of the village temple who realized the pathetic situation of this family sincerely offered them a helping hand through their thick and thin. Had it not been for him, things would have been more aggravated. So they respected him with great veneration.

”No one can fight against the destiny. Sins we have committed in our previous birth come after us like a cart dragged by the bull.”

Chief priest often tried to console the minds of Sirisena and Soma by explaining the teachings of the Buddha. His valuable admonitions were a great relief to their depressed minds.

”Soma, you are doing a great service that other women can’t be proud of themselves. Ministering to the sick is a great meritorious deed. You are lucky and can be proud of yourself in that way.”

Whenever the kind words of the Chief Priest echo in her ears, she was silently sobbing. She felt she had been stranded in two worlds. Her ailing father and disabled brother. Her youth is covered with black fume circles most of the time spent in the kitchen preparing meals and heating water. Cobwebs all over the dilapidated roof and the cracked walls were similar to her emaciated life. This she felt at times but endured somehow.

Sirisena made his mind not to bother his sister except for a particular need. He was fully aware of the troubles and pains she had experienced because of him. Whenever he sees the sorrowful face of Soma, his heart was filled with inexplicable sorrow for he could not perform his role of a brother. Though she was in a marriageable age, she was never a thorn in his side. Her sole determination was to treat her aged father and disabled brother.

Her decision to remain a spinster was a terrible blow to Sirisena. When he sees the wrinkly face and grey hair of his sister, the agony born in his heart was unbearable. The painful murmur of his ailing father too intensified his agony.

Soma’s fate on and off induced her to contemplate the plight of her family for which she had no resolution. She would remember everything in the past just like a flashback of a movie. The day she attained puberty was a red letter day in her life. She remembered how her mother gifted her a pair of earstuds, bought from the money she had saved by doing odd jobs from door to door. The one and only frock presented by her father was used throughout the week after cleaning. Sometimes she had been abhored and cornered by some students from well to do families but never did they sympathize with her for being poor.

She had a great fear that her future would be bleak for her poverty and depression had combined to shatter the mirror of her thoughts. Though she tried to smile through the tears, severe discriminations and insults fenced around her making matters worst. Had it not been for the Chief Priest, her life would have been destroyed by now.

”Soma, you must not give up your studies. I will stand by you whatever obstacles come on your way.”

”You must not compensate for my sins ape hamuduruwane. This is my fate.”

”Don’t let your worries rally round your soul. Everything will be settled for better. What you have to do is, that you must lead a life free from conceit and engaging in religious deeds.”

The hospitality and the sympathy of the priest were not tolerated by some rascals and fabricated stories against the priest through jealousy. But the priest being a philanthropist and a pious monk, never stopped his association with Soma’s family.

The wattle and daub hut which was on the verge of collapse was gradually renovated with the assistance of the priest and Soma was offered an opportunity to start a day care centre at the temple for which the priest paid something to make the both ends meet, even at a small scale.

Sirisena’s plight was assuaged too when he was donated a wheelchair by the Social Service Association of the area, with the interference of the priest. Sirisena, despite his deformity, made every possible effort to run the family.

”Nangi, this is our fate, we must have done a lot of sins in a previous birth. Although I am disabled my will-power is strong. You must not worry about me. My only fear is that our father will not last long.” Sirisena sometimes uttered in pain but did not let his tears pour down in the presence of his sister.

”Let’s face the reality, aiya, you must not feel sad about me and father. We have performed our duties and responsibilities to the best of our ability.

Priest will never look down upon us but we must have courage to stand on our feet...” she tried to console his brother’s heart.

Soma was a girl to be proud of. She tolerated every plight that stood on her way. Whenever Sirisena saw the withered look on her face, an inexplicable sorrow throbbed in his heart. He thought seriously of her. “She should have been married by now but how unfortunately she had to experience the wicked sins like me.” Sirisena’s train of thoughts was a terrible hell.

The benevolence of the Chief Priest brought consolation whenever they faced the bitter realities of life. They had a feeling that the priest would have been a brother of their own in a previous birth.

”Ah... Soma Nangi, priest has got a very keen interest in you, hasn’t he?”

Young men in the vicinity passed unpleasant remarks on Soma through jealousy.

”He must be treating you well without much fuss.”

”What’s the business he is having at your place till dead of night.”

”Be careful of him. He is a peculiar type of person.”

”Sure, sure, you will be ordained by him before long.”

The remarks were disgusting.

Her anger on such occasions knew no bounds and came out with harsh words for she could not bear up the insult.

”You rascals, go to hell and do your worst. Don’t you know that he is a very disciplined character. Don’t insult such a pious among who is indispensable for all the villagers.”

Soma’s non stop scolding made all the rascals silent and through her inability to bear up the pain she burst into tears. She, with her much reluctance, determined to lessen her visiting to the temple for the good of the priest.

”World is not a place to live in with hopes. Everything is subject to decay.” The priest very often reminded them the truth of the existence and they acted accordingly. Sirisena and Soma never induced themselves to mortgage their poverty and innocence to others but the priest.

The most sorrowful day, all of a sudden dawned in the presence of their eyes. The heavy rains had no mercy with thunders. Water poured down through the gaps of the cadjans in the roof, wet the whole floor.

Father, who was in a critical condition, trembled with severe cold. His painful murmur gradually decreased the hopes of them. Soma prayed for a speedy recovery to his father. Sirisena applied some medicinal ointment all over the chest of his father and he felt into his palm the breathing was becoming lesser and lesser.

The dim light of the oil lamp was at once blown out with the cold breeze. Sirisena embraced his sister and began to sob in pain. Soma’s heart began to beat very fast and her voice mixed with the lamentation of her brother and rose to the empty sky.

”Everyone has to face this destiny. Even the Buddha was unable to prevent the death although he consoled the whole world with his teachings of emancipation. You both have done a great duty and achieved merits with no limits. So you must not weep and worry over the demise of your beloved father.”

Kind words of the Chief Priest at the funeral brought some sort of relief to the minds of Soma and Sirisena. The whole environment had been silent when Soma’s wailing floated is the dusk. The flame of the candle, lit on the grave was swaying this way and that way with the swift wind. Sirisena, with great difficulty, accompanied his sister back home where solitude was prevailing to the extreme...

”Subject to decay are all component things, strive on with diligence. If we are to cry to the extremity we will destroy both our physical and mental health. It’s true that we find it difficult to bear the loss of a dear one. Death is inevitable. No one can afford to prevent it. That’s the doctrine.”

The commemorative discourse after seven days of their father’s death delivered by the priest assuaged their hearts. But the sobbing of Soma on and off throbbed the hearts of visitors. She heaved a sigh of pain looking at the burial ground of her father and her eyes began to fill with tears.

Time passed like a swift wind. They left no stone unturned to make their lives fruitful. The chief priest offered them a helping hand through their thick and thin with the noble purpose of encouraging them to achieve the success of their lives despite of all the impediments by unscrupulous people.

The pathetic story of Sirisena and Soma written in tears, was just reaching towards its end with the dawn of a new era of their lives. The will-power, determination and commitment of the two, stood in their journey forward to the future. Selling lottery tickets brought them a consolation beyond their expectations. The shadow of the kindness of the Chief Priest was always sheltering above their strength.

Fortune, never expected so soon, smiled gracefully with Sirisena. He felt that his dreams have come true. An unsold lottery ticket had made him an instant millionaire. Innumerable lovely feelings filled his heart, vanishing the dark memories.

He made plans to give his sister in marriage without further delay and donate some money to the priest to improve the standard of the old temple as a mark of gratitude. The priest was the livewire behind their success.

”You got this unexpected wealth because you treated your parents well.” The kind words of the priest and the advices on how to use money wisely, enlivened his hopes.

The news that Sirisena became a millionaire was not tolerated by some villagers. Their hearts were always filled with pessimistic ideas and jealousy. The ill-bred characters tried their best to hoodwink Sirisena’s family. Unprecedented dangers were fencing around them but the priest stood like a giant amidst all risks.

But the cruel hands of the surrounding were more powerful and on and off they broke into Sirisena’s house and plundered all the valuables by threatening their lives. Sirisena and Soma had no other alternative but to surrender to them.

Troubles came in battalions again when they were making efforts to keep their heads above water. Jealousy, cruelty and hatred had combined together to destroy them.

It was the darkest day of the family. Sirisena never thought his doomsday would dawn so soon. He was returning home from his daily routine in the dusk. Gangsters who were impatiently waiting for his arrival in a dark corner of the lane plundered his money. When he was struggling to escape from the danger, his mouth was covered with a piece of cloth very tightly so that he could not raise his voice. But through his will-power, ignoring his deformity Sirisena fought back with them to save his life but unfortunately all his efforts ended in smoke. Severe blows with iron rods and clumsy logs of merciless murderers could not be prevented. His body was laying in a pool of blood and the debris of his wheelchair had been spread all over the place.

Hours after the pathetic incidents, when police arrived with the chief priest, Soma was lying unconscious embracing the feet of her brother. The priest, through utmost sympathy, got closer to her and tried to console her. On hearing the priest’s kind words as if in a dream, she, by and by opened her tear-filled eyes. When she noticed the yellow robe of the priest her lamentation was aggravated.

”This is his fate, no use of crying over the death. Be cheerful and try to face the life...”

Priest’s compassionate but sorrowful words entered her ears. She opened her eyes clearly. She remembered her dead parents and brother’s priceless affection, above all, the sympathy of the priest who had been a shadow behind them. She knelt down at the feet of the priest and resting her head on those noble feet, cried like anything. When tears were struggling in priest’s eyes through unbearable pain, he turned his head towards the brutal assassination of poor Sirisena and remembered his innocence.

Soma departed the priest with great difficulty and saw several unsold lottery tickets had been scattered around. She picked some of these blood stained tickets and raised her feet towards the burial ground of her father.

The priest, through his tear-filled eyes, was looking at Soma’s staggering figure disappearing far away in the darkness.

 

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