Thursday, September 19, 2024

CHAAKARI

 




CHAAKARI

 

 Exchanging hundreds of eye contacts and smiles with a Himalayan girl who works in a tea shop, she is often heard speaking Hindi language with her customers. Her dialect is a mixture of Nepali words and sounds somewhat weird. Her long hair, smooth hands and legs, cheeks red like a rose in the cold mountain winter- her features appears like a typical Nepali girl. Yes how many times after taking delicious sips of the hot tea in her tea shop, the Gurkha soldier intending to exchange intimacy and stimulated by her seductive appealing smile, tries to asks the name of this beautiful girl who seems to be trying to say something…

“Are you a daughter of a Nepali?”

“No, you don’t know anything,” outspread the smiling answer making the atmosphere pleasant

Your father?”

“Gurkha”; was a short reply

“No, I mean your father’s name”

“I told you, it’s Gurkha” the girl repeated.

“Gurkha is the name of an entire community; does your father have a precise name?”

“didn’t you get that?… its Gurkha! Gurkha! Gurkha!” an irritating firm retort.

“There should be a difference between an individual’s name and the name of a community, who said the name, is Gurkha?” the girl answers with some emotion.

“Mother says my father’s name is Gurkha” The Gurkha Soldier is surprised and asks again in affirmation. 

“and what about your mother’s name?”

“Chaakari, Himali Chaakari”

“Chaakari sound some sort of a profession, rather than a name”

“No, of course, I swear, they call my mother- Chaakari, some calles her Himali- Chaakari” the name is also recorded in my school documents”.

The Gurkha soldier ponders, “may be because of illiteracy she couldn’t distinguish a name from a profession, but she talks like an elite”

He asks again- “How far did you study?”

“High School”

“And you must have written you parent’s name at school, didn’t you? What did you write?”

“I just told you Gurkha and Chaakari” came an annoyed response

“and the school accepted such names?”

The school accepted because it was a private school, provided the monthly fee had to be paid regularly”

“Didn’t you go to a government school?”

“of course! I had tried taking admission but they asked for my father’s detail which we didn’t have”

“Where is your Baba then?”

“Well! I haven’t seen him yet, I only know of him from my mother that he was a Gurkha Fauji (soldier)”

 

There was some commotion for a while; there are only two people in the tea shop. Thus breaking the silence, the young woman gets up abruptly from a stool and asks- “Why do you want to know about my family?”

to which the Gurkha Soldier replies with a short smile “felt  you as my own, for love, for closeness”

“Love and closeness felt in haste could yield nothing but a mere infatuation, love accepted after a prolong period meeting and getting to know each other can be trustworthy, isn’t it

Perplexed with the reply the Gurkha soldier says “who taught you such an intellectual and proficient words”

The young women responded instantly- “my mother, my experience, circumstances, more importantly my mother’s advice and blessings”

“and your name?” the soldier asks promptly

“Anumanika, well! Okey! Its already evening and I am closing the shop now”. With this, she starts locking the window hinges, and pointing towards the door, she requests the Fauji “please leave now”

“I am coming to your shop tomorrow again” wouldn’t you wait?” the soldier urged walking out from the shop.

Locking the door of her shop she yells “for what... to drive me crazy with your dayily visit?”

“No, not to drive you crazy but to share my feeling with you. Understand the call of my heart for you. God may have sent you to the world for someone; wouldn’t you include me as one amongst them?”

Both start walking. The young woman turns back to the soldier walking behind her and says- “Lahurey maya chaureypirti (falling in love with a soldier is indeed futile)”

“I know what my mother has gone through in the past, I don’t trust anyone and I am not going to be tapped in someone’s flattery tongue, did you get that?”

 

Anumanika is walking fast and the Gurkha soldier paused abruptly, to ask- “I know few thing about you; you also have the right to know about me, don’t you?”

The young woman afar, turns back to respond- “tomorrow come to the shop…I am in a hurry now, I am gone” she turns back with a smile indicating that she would wait for him and walks quickly. The soldier watched her until Anumanika dashed into the darkness of dusk.

 

 

The Gurkha soldiers are renowned for their bravery and courage, a soldier whose recognition is not confined to a particular nation but also in the entire world. The Vellore and bravery of a Gurkha warrior are exhibited not only in the war filed but also in their normal life. Most of the lives of these military soldiers who dedicate their precious youth hood for the shake of the country are spent in the camp training themselves hard with every potential parameter. For such diligent soldier the authority has made a provision for entitlement leave and emergency leave once a year. Agamveer Thapa, a Gurkha soldier, despite having spent his vacation few days ago, has been granted this leave for twenty days. This leave is of utmost importance to him for he has a dream to marry a girl with modest temperament. Desirous of these imaginations, he walks off the camp. 

 

Anumanika’s stunning appearances and sweet words have made a permanent abode in his heart. In every moment of his journey, he cherishes a plan of engagement with Anumanika and longs to make the mountain beauty his bride. Anumanika too had started to like Agamveer (a Gurkha soldier). She wanted to talk openly about things that had been on her mind but she couldn’t dare in front of the people gathered in her tea shop. Often had she planned for an opportunity to introduce herself. As such, she would close the shop very late.    

 

Day passed by and it had been fifteen days she had been waiting for the Gurkha; now the waiting seem like a year to her but the Gurkha soldier did not come to the tea stall at all. Her expectation seems to be a distant reverie now.

 

He had assured her “I will meet you tomorrow, I will introduce myself,” but he never came.

 

Anumanika who was usually cheerful and talkative seems upset now. She has lost her sanity. Seldom does she talk, she seems depressed and gloomy most of the time. She hardly recalls her customers and the things they have taken or consumed in her stall. Few customers pay on their own, others often taking advantage of her tormented mind would walk away without paying anything. These accounts of her condition are remarked by few well-wishers of her who had observed her at a close range.  

 

“Have you opened this shop to distribute things free of cost?” why aren’t you keeping account of daily transactions?

Another customer would add “I can’t understand what is wrong with her these days, it does not make difference to her whether her customer pays or doesn’t pay”

“I just wanted to see who is reliable and who isn’t” explains Anamanika with a smile that concealed her grief.

“we are getting late, just give us our bill” scoffed the angry well- wisher.

 

In reality, people frequently visit her tee shop to admire her beauty and in the pretext of meeting her, sometimes they would buy stuffs that were needless. People who have disliked tea throughout their life also come to the shop to take a sip. Indeed people who wished to live a life of chastity would also be lured by her beauty. Such was the charisma of Anumanika. 

 

Out of sheer frustration Anamanika would often grumble alone and sometimes amidst people… “sinister, betrayal…. hadn’t he promised to introduce himself, yet he never turned up till now?”

 

Somewhere around a song resonates at the backdrop of a gloomy scenario “pratiksha gara meri mayalu samayley manislai kahakahapuraohcha” (be patient my love, time can takes people anywhere) and she recollects the word uttered by her mother…

 

 

 

 

 

Chaakari, yes she was named as Chaakari… deprived of any religious rite called Nawran. There was a family who had nurtured her and gave her this name. They had named her Chaakari for reasons that were more deceiving than benevolence. 

 

Chaakari’s mother suffered from mental illness; she had spent her life like a tramp feeding herself on whatever people offered. She had lost her mind so much that she had no sanity to care for her own daughter.   She was stripped of everything except her youthful beauty. Soon, she became gloomy. Her sorrow went unheard and unnoticed by the world outside.

 

In a country where women are worshipped as Goddess Durga, Bhagawati and Kali, however, on the other hand, be it a girl child, teen girls, elderly women, or for that matter even girls with mental illness, seldom are they spared from grasp of lustful devils manifested in the masculine soul. Girls with mental illness become easy prey and often live their life conceived with illegitimate child in their womb. Such had been the case with Chaakari’s mother. 

 

One day, in the course of her daily wandering, Chaakari’s mother had chanced to leave the infant in front of a deserted house. The owner, who earned his living selling local liquor, was a ruthless man, upon finding the infant had taken this opportunity to nurture the child and finally raise her to a Chaakari (worker). No sooner had she reached the age of five, she had been forced to work in the shop. It had become customary for people to call her Chaakari while placing their order. As such, the name Chaakari soon engraved her life like a permanent marker and labelled as her official name thereafter. The distress of her life rose when she turned fifteen. May people flung to the liquor shop not only to enjoy their habituated drink but also to quench their thirst of lustful desire manifested on the teen-Chaakari. There were times when customers intoxicated at their heights would be reluctant to leave the shop but would wait for their chance to get lured in her enchanting beauty.

When Chaakari would outpour her grievances before the owner, he would say “this is what we have raised you for and this is how you will repay our debts we owe you”

 

Chaakark had started sensing her insecurity; her daily confrontation with the impudent customers had become her biggest toll, she now understood that her youthful beauty was indeed her biggest curse.   

Her master and mistress seldom paid any heed to her sufferings. For them, the only thing that mattered most was how to increase their customers and make profit. She had to confront times when intoxicated customers would grab her hand and forced her in a manner she would not feel comfortable, the owner would do nothing to stop them but avail the situation with a vicious smile.  “this is how a liquor shop is and you have to get accustomed to it… make the customers happy… this you have to do it by any means”

 

Amidst the insolent customers, there would sometimes be an earnest customer as well, who had come to forget his despair of life; he however intercedes saying “just because she has no one does not mean you can do whatever you feel. If I should complain to the police” Upon hearing this, the offenders would leave the shop hurriedly. In a manner of consolation, he said “you must have no one in your family, you ought to run away from a place like this, someday you might be molested by these miscreants, and you shall definitely be”

 

 

 

That night Chaakari couldn’t sleep, the words spoken by elderly customer echoed in her ears throughout the night. 

 

Indo- china trade route had recently started, road repairing works towards Changu, Serethang, Kupup, Dikchu Nala was undergoing at full swing. Labors in groups were hired from different places, Disguised as one of the labours, Chaakari chanced her way to escape from the shop and ventured to work in the hilly terrain of Himalayan boarder region. 

 

Should proper attention be given to these places of Eastern Himalayan region in terms of socio- economic development, these places should stands nowhere inferior to other renowned places of the world like Switzerland?   

Vast multitude of tourist flocks to this place to enjoy the chilly breeze, snow clad mountains, furthermore, the mesmerizing view of sunrise in a clean weather from Zuluk 32 Golai appears like Lord Shankar with Damaru in the replica of mountain at distant horizon.

 

On questioning about her name, she would say “Chaakari”, scooping the freezing snow on the road with a spade. A blue truck in the early hour of 7am would ply towards the snow laden road of Gnathang loaded with workers both man and women like herds of sheep. For a tourist who has had a glimpse of such truck loaded with herd of animals few minutes earlier, seems perplexed to see similar truck loaded with people in the similar manner. Wouldn’t one sense the difference between human and animal in this place?

 

There were many good-looking female labours like Chaakari. They would vile their face to protect the skin from the dry breeze blowing through freezing snow clad mountains. This would also help them protect their skin form the harsh light of the sun and the eye- straining light reflecting form the snow. 

 

As the truck plied the bumpy road, men would pretend to stumble towards the female co- workers intending to brush past their soft skin. During such an act, Chaakari had almost fallen out of the moving truck, when an impious youth had bumped upon her, luckily, she was saved. Such plight of the female labours remained unspoken and unattained as one would hardly open her mouth in a fear of losing their job.

 

Fear of being unemployed again lurks in Chaakari’s mind too, where would she go? As such, even in the predicament of such struggle, she remains silent.

 

With every clicking hands of a clock, time passed by, the State made deliberate progress. Politician speech were made to change the state into Switzerland, change has definitely come. The state has undergone a paradigm shift in political scenario, from a monarchical government to democratic government.  Earlier, vehicles loaded with people plied their way to listen to political leaders, now, comfortable and luxurious vehicles are provided to fulfil this purpose by the politicians. People are provided with more amenities and facilities. Despite increase in the labour wage, the means of transport of labours has remained the same. There seems to be an irony when the world Celebrating May Day with great zeal yet, the condition of these workers remains unchanged. Indeed these very workers are the ones who play a leading role in defining the progress made by the nation.

Youthfulness is a product of nature, a phase of our life where we rejuvenate every ounce of our spirit. An age when we prefer to be entertained, an age to fall in love, chose a life partner. Even if you are an illiterate, this is the time when you can’t resist the desires of youthfulness.  Even a destitute Chaakari enticed with fragrance of her youthfulness, now desires to seek for a life partner. Sometimes she would miss her mother though retarded and thought to herself “if my mother was still alive, I would have known how it feels to be adored, Now she was destined to be a worker (Chaakari), what disturbed her most was the thought of her mother being gang raped, then she would also remember” the owner who had raised her to be a worker in a liquor shop, if only she had not dared to escape, wouldn’t she too become subjected to molestation?.. Her life would be doomed”

 

A perfect day to have a glimpse of Himali Sundari (mountain beauties) was on Sundays. A day where labours (girls) would clad themselves with the best outfits they have, ornament with best jeweller, lotion and potion. These are the girls who ought to be entitled as Himali Sundaries. Chaakari was always at the forefront of these beauties. She too looks like a heavenly angel as she walk passed the streets of Rongli and Gangtok town. Though a distant place, these towns have been significant as a place where workers like Chaakari often dwells to fulfil their desires.  

 

The workers residing in places such as Tukla, Baba Mandir and Dukla would go to Gangtok Town, whereas, workers residing in Gnathang and Zuluk made their shopping pilgrimage to Rongli Town. These places being a strategic point of Indo- China Boarder, hundreds of Indian Militaries are stationed here. These militaries would leave no stone unturned to have a glimpse of these beautiful Himali Sundaries(pretty girls) in the monotony and wilderness of such place. These militaries would get mesmerized throughout the day.       

In such routine life, one a Gurkha soldier approached Chaakari intending to establish a relationship with her. They had been dating at Rongli Bazar on every Sundays. One day Chaakari had resolved to ask “your introduction please”

“I am a Gurkha Soldier; I do not like myself being affiliated to any cast, creed or community”   we are best known in the world as “Bir Gurkhas” what better could be a caste other than A Gurkha having such worldwide recognition?”

 

Chaakari wanted to ask other questions as well, but feared of being cross- examined by him in the course of sharing introduction. How could she talk of her childhood days which were full of despair and tragedy? The very thought of it made her feeble.

“my name is Chaakari”

Listening to her, the Gurkha soldier seemed less concerned to ask any questions further

 

“Whatever your name is, I shall call you Himali Sundari”

he adds… “you look beautiful, why don’t we discuss issues of getting married straight off?”

 

On their journey back home, there was a huge snow fall. The road covered with snow made vehicles unable to ply forward. They had reached Zuluk at dusk and travelling further was impossible. As such, they decided to stay in a small hotel. The temperature of the weather outside dropped considerably. This made Chaakari shiver with cold; despite her first time, she wouldn’t care to venture with few sip of whiskey in order to make herself warm. The drink not only relieved her from the chill weather but also ignited her youth-hood spark. That night, there was no doubt that she would not offer herself to the man whom she adored most. Soon the two entwined themselves in the knot of union. Consequently, Chaakari bored a child in her womb.

 

False love, assurance, expectation are indeed nothing but a mirage in the desert of vanity. Such unkempt promises abound in every corner of their bleak world. To deliver a fatherless child was something beyond her imagination. However, as days passed by, it had been nine months and then a day arrived of her delivery. Yet a girl child was born on her lap. As she grew up, Chaakari would fear of her indignities and if her child would come to know the reality, wouldn’t she blame her?

 

Chaakari’s daughter started going to a school, as years passed by, she was promoted to higher grades. Chaakari had written her husband’s name as Gorkha Chaakari in her daughter’s school documents.  One day her daughter desired to ask Chaakari a question that had been lurking in her mind for years “mother”, my friends keeps asking me, “What does your father do?” Chaakari bursted into tears… she was not prepared for such question which appeared as intricate as this. 

 

With a feeble heart she answered “your father had deceived me…” she could not speak further

wiping her mother’s tears the daughter said “I have always tried to figure-out myself the pain you have gone through when I was born, the troubles a single mother would take to nurture me, educate me and take care of my needs, henceforth I shall not bother you with such questions”

 

“It’s not what you think…my child, he was a brave soldierindeed, maybe… he might have been sent at war and probably he might have been a martyr..”

 

There would be night when her mother was fast asleep, Anumanika dreamt of her father.  “Father, where on earth are you? I want to tell them that I am a proud daughter of a patriotic soldier, but alas! I can’t. I have been raise with mother’s care. However; I also miss my fatherly protection. I see a void in my mother’s life, a void of her Gurkha husband’s shelter; I have become a daughter without a father” She would cry throughout the night and feared if she too would face similar destiny.

 

“Thanks be to God for my father have not touched me. He left without caressing me” She sensed an unusual pleasure inside her, she closed her eyes, her imagination sublimes like flake of smoke in the world of oblivion.


One Sunday instead of going to the routine market they spentthe day cleaning their house and taking bath. Aunmanika proceeded towards the tea shop. Customers who had arrived at Chaakari’s shop enquire “where is the house of a woman called sundari?” 

 

astonished Chaakari shouts “which beauty are you talking about?”

The strangers (apparently married couple) takes out a photograph for his pocket, shows the picture to Chaakari “we are looking for this beauty, Himali Sundari …”

Seeing the photograph, Chaakari seem baffled for the picture was of her own.. a picture of her youthful days.

 

“it’s me? Where did you get it?” demands Chaakari

“is it you? Is that you?” cries the confused couple in unison “Our son had asked us to find this name… the same girl”, “what do people call you here”?

“Chaakari, yes everyone calls me by the name Chaakari”

 

“In that case we are you in- laws, our son have send us to look for you. We had come sever times looking for you but he had instructed us to find a girl by the name Sundari” retorts the amused couple, they continues “it has been eighteen years, we have been look for you. Since these places falls in a restricted zone, we were denied permission. Even if we got the permission to enter this place, we had very little time to search. Further, the workers keeps shifting their home, as majority of them are transit residents”

 

wiping their tears of joy the couple states “Our son was sent to Kargil, to fight Kargil War, unfortunately his survived major injuries in his legs. His right leg does not have the strength to walk, as such; he has to take support of a crutch. Ever since, his has returned home, he is desperate to see you all, he keeps talking about you. He is our only son and our only hope to continue our legacy”.

“We feared that you have aborted the child and got married to someone else, but our son kept us insisting to look for you. Where is your child? Where is our grandchild?” mother-in- law patted her hand.

 

Bowing her in-laws Chaakari says “it’s not the boy I bore to run your generation, but a girl”

 

 

“Is her name Anumanika?” replies the female couple

Surprised Chaakari snaps “who did you come to about this name?”

“Agamveer Thapa a Gurkha soldier form our village had informed us. He has gone to tea shop to see her, He really likes Anumanika, He would meet her parents to talk about his marriage proposal” informs the couple. Further they adds “When Agamveer had shown the photo of Anumanika, we had sensed an intuition of our blood relation with the girl”

 

Anumanika and Agamveer arrive in the scene and bows before the elderlies. 

 

Mother- in- law speaks “Buwari (daughter- in- law) we have a big plot of land in Dehradun Cant, you have to be there and take care of the land. Do you know, you are the wife of a brave Gurkha soldier? Garkhamaan has been honoured with a Paramveer Chakar form Govt. of India.”… “Anumanika is our only generation!”

The mother- in – law gives Anumanika a tight hug and says “Child, you are my granddaughter,” “Thanks be to Agamveer, for you have reunited our estranged family.”

 

Even Agamveer is pleased to see this; his life partner was indeed a child of a reputed Gorkha family from his native place. Chaakari remains silent; tears were flowing like river Ganga and Yamuna from her eyes. She sits abruptly. Anumanika sinks into the warm lap of her mother “This is the fruit of my mother’s long awaited perseverance and patience. We are united finally”

 

Few days later, the entire family boarded a flight at Bagdogra. A marriage ceremony would be conducted in a lavish Gurkha tradition at Dehradun Kant. 

Chaakari is enfolded in the warm arms of her long estranged husband. This was her long envisaged moment of happiness which compensates her lifelong struggle of misery. Today she lives in world of reality where her fortune takes a quantum leap towards prosperity.    

 

Translated from a Nepali Story by Thaman Nawbag


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CHAAKARI

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