Seven Vows Part 1- Published

The Thinking Room

" Can I show my thinking room" Sreedhar asked Suman who was sitting with Priti Bhabi and Rajashree.

" Go Suman he is calling you from morning" told Priti Bhabi. It was day after they had gone to Ria's place. That day Suman was full time in kitchen with Latika Mami and all witnessing pickles being made and also helping Priti bhabi to put vadam. At her home she had always loved this time of summer vacation when she had helped her mother put vadam and had watched the ladies of the house making pickles. Only difference in her house the girls couldn't eat one piece of pickle while it was being made while boys came and took as their will, but here whenever kids came Latika Mami gave them pieces of pickle irrespective of boy or girl.

Latika Mami told her how she came to the house as a 17 year old bride when Jaideeep's mother passed away due to brain fever. She told Maheswari was six, Sobha 4 and Somu 2 years. She told about how she had became a mother to three of them even before she became a wife as Jaideep Mamu was busy with Quit India movement then. How Jaideep's father encouraged her to study and complete her plus 2. She talked about how Priti became her bahu. Priti was a student in their school and a very bright student and when her father wanted to marry off Priti when she was in 8th, Jaideep's father proposed Sujoy's marriage to Priti with the condition that marriage will happen only post Priti completes 12th. Geetha studied till class 12th. Jaideep's father had encouraged young men to come forward and marry educated girls. Because of him many girls were able to study till 10th and 12th during that time. When IGNOU started he encouraged girls to complete graduation through it. Sandhya was the poster girl of IGNOU. When alliance for Sandhya came your mamu had only one condition, Sandhya be allowed to complete her graduation and her husband's family allowed it. You might have seen Sandhya's family is quite forward thinking.

Sreedhar had come now and then asking whether she will come to see his thinking room. Latika Mami told Sreedhar had a special room on the top of the haweli where he loved to hang around alone whenever he came. If you couldn't find him anywhere else it was known that he could be found in the thinking room.

Now they had almost reached the top and there was a narrow staircase to Sreedhar's thinking room.

" Sumi slowly" he said and held her hand as she took the steps and finally reached the room. It was small but spacious. There was a mattress spread and a rack of books were there. Sreedhar opened the window. Sky could be seen directly from the window and you got a feel you are so near the celestial beings. Suman looked at the books. There was Discovery of India by Nehru, My experiment with Truth by Gandhi, Kalidasa classics Raghuvamsha and Meghdhooth, hindi translations of Ramayana and Mahabharatha and of course Bhagavad Gita, Shakespeare classics, A Tale of 2 cities and some other English classics

" Nanu's collection. He gave it to me before he passed away" told Sreedhar.

" Why no one else here reads" asked Suman

" Not like that. Nanu had a special affection for me. Just like my dadi. He used to read Bhagavad Gita for me from childhood. He will talk about Karma yoga a lot. I used to have lot of such discussions with him till he was there. Being with nanu was like being a free bird where you discussed your ideas unlike at home where Papa always followed the societial rules very strictly. So he might have felt the books will benefit me more. I used to come here the most."

" What do you do in this room. What do you think so much. I never thought Sreedhar you think something. For me you were quite a carefree person " told Suman as she sat on the mattress.

" Sumi only Murali Bhaiyya and to some extend nanu knew that part of me. To be frank I myself is not aware why such thoughts come to me. Murali Bhaiyya and nanu tried to answer my questions in their way but I was never satisfied. You know by now how my family is and thoughts of my Papa so I never discussed any of my thoughts with Papa or even with Maa as I was not sure why I felt such crazy things and why I observed certain things and felt bad about it"