Vijitha woke up early in the morning, as it was her regular habit. She went for her morning stroll and came back. She started to sweep the surroundings of the house. While sweeping, many ideas were coursing through her mind:
"I keep the surroundings very neat...The neatness in the surroundings depends on my act of sweeping."
"Credit goes to me for keeping my surroundings tidy..."
"I'm only the person to sweep the surroundings... I'm also meant for the tidiness of the house inside."
After sweeping the floor, she went to the kitchen and started preparing food. She was proud of her preparation of food items, waking up early. She felt credit for that. She was busy while many ideas were coursing through her mental horizon:
"I prepare food items on my own unlike others in my neighborhood to have cooks... I'm very special in preparation..."
"The food I prepare satiates the hunger of all the members especially my husband in my family..."
"The water I filter everyday quenches their thirsts..."
"Without me their hungers and thirsts remain unfulfilled..."
"How great I'm!"
"My husband, Vishvajith does not know how to sweep...He doesn't know how to cook also... He doesn't know how to light the stove even..."
"Though he lights the stove, he cant prepare meals...Though he prepares food, he spoils the food items."
"Once the food he was preparing was burning...When he smelt the burning smell he rushed to the stove and found everything becoming ashes...He himself told me about this incident openly..."
"If I don't prepare meals, he's to go on fast... He's to starve himself..."
"He totally depends on me..."
"I'm doing many things for my husband..."
"If I were not there to do all the work...what would happen to him...?"
"He can't bear my absence... He never tells me frankly about his unpleasant experiences in my absence... The fact is very surprising to me..."
"He never realizes the fact...Even then I tried to make him realize..., he doesn't care for my words stating the fact... "
"I'm great...but he doesn't realize my greatness..."
"He can't live without me even for a day too..."
"When he totally depends on me, he can declare my greatness to me."
... ... ... .. ..
Vijitha always felt superior to her husband as he totally depended on her. She used to keep all the food items ready by the time Vishvajith woke up every morning. He got ready for his office. After having delicious and sumptuous meals, he went to his office happily. She always thought that he was successful as an officer only because of her services to him.
Later Vijitha had meals. While having meals, she thought of how she prepared meals for her husband. Her mind was full of thoughts to appreciate her,
"My husband gets ready and has delicious meals happily."
"He goes to office only to sit in his chamber and comes back..."
"Is he doing any hard work like me...He does not know any trouble..."
"Why doesn't he praise me when I do all these services to him...?"
"Perhaps he thinks that I feel superior...Definitely I am superior to my husband though he accepts or does not accept my superiority... It is real...I need certification by him everyday..."
"Behind every man's progress and success, there is a woman...This is a noted fact... I firmly believe in it but my husband never realizes it... It's a fact though expressed or unexpressed by him..."
Such were the feelings of Vijitha. She waited for her husband's appreciation. She never thought that it was every woman's work or role. She was not a special. She lived in her realm of thoughts about his dependency on her.
Vijitha thought that her husband Vishvajith was not doing hard work in the office. He was sitting in his cushioned seat and signing the files in green ink. He was enjoying the comforts and luxuries of his A/C room while she was always doing a lot of labor and service to him.
Vijitha was just a homemaker. She was proud of doing household chores. She did not know that she was to amuse him by her delightful talk and warm affection in addition to his activities. In stead, she felt haughty for fulfilling his physical facilities. She never thought or tried to think on the lines of harmony in the family, playing her due role. For her, preparing meals and sweeping the house were main chores. She thought it was her service of distinction and so she claimed superiority to her husband.
The company awarded Vishvajith 'Officer Excellence Award'. In the function to receive the award, he took her along with him when it wanted him to come with his family. He received the award in the presence of his wife, Vijitha.
All the officers extolled Vishvajith for his invaluable services in the development of the company,
"Vishvajith is a sincere officer... He's punctual and regular, sincere and hard working, healthy and dynamic. There are many more merits when we can talk of him. I congratulate him on receiving the award," said an employee in the company.
"Hearty congratulations to Vishvajith... I am very proud of him...Our company has very good reputation because of him...Credit goes to him," said another employee.
"Vishvajith is doing wonders... What all the people say, 'Behind everyman's success, there is a woman.' He deserves a lot of appreciation...In the appreciation, his wife Vijitha has the lion's share in the appreciation he has...I feel that credit goes to his wife also...," said a woman employee in the company."
When the employees referred to Vijitha, ascribing her husband, Vishvajith's success to her, she was feeling pride. She raised her eyebrows appreciating herself in her heart. Her happiness knew no bounds. She smiled to herself feeling superiority.
All the employees congratulated Vishvajith on the occasion. Vishvajith thanked them profusely for their appreciation. He promised to win many more laurels to the company in the presence of the General Manager.
Vishvajith and Vijitha came back. It was time for them to have lunch at home.
Vijitha wanted to express her feelings to her husband, Vishvajith. During lunch that day, she started her conversation with him,
"Vishvajith, before congratulating you, I can congratulate myself..."
"You can..."
"Vishvajith, your company employee appreciated me for your success, saying that behind a man's success there is a woman..."
"Yes..."
"All recognize my relentless service to you... All except you recognize my service to you. Why don't you do so...?"
"When others appreciate your relentless service...what more do we want?"
"I want myself appreciated more and more by you...You're punctual to your office as I prepare meals rising early...and see that you go to the office and reach home on time. You're regular and punctual to your office...as I wake up early everyday though I'm sick or weak. You're healthy as my food preparations are good. You're regular to your office as I keep you active. You're able to work hard...You're dynamic for you eat the food I prepare sumptuously and deliciously..."
"Yes..."
"Your just 'yes' does not please me...It doesn't gladden my heart...So far you've never recognized my invaluable service to you openly and publicly...You would have told it in your felicitation function...You didn't utter a single word appreciating me in the felicitation function.."
Vishvajith was silent... The idea to appreciate her did not arise in his mind in the function as he always thought of his plans in the company development to express them in the function, as he was an officer of dedication.
"Vijitha, let's watch a film of your choice with the matinee at a theater...Then..."
"Vishvajith, you want the first show then you want all the others...I know all. Why don't you accept your dependence on me...?"
Vijitha went on forcing Vishvajith to recognize her relentless service to him and declare it in the public that he was not able to do any thing and get any award without her role as wife,
"You would have told all that in the function that I was responsible for your success...and your greatness..."
"I felt like promising the Manager and promised the development of the company. I thought of the ways how to win many more laurels for the office...That was my main..."
"I know...You never appreciate my greatness..."
"Is it not enough to you if I get fame and I become a public character...?"
"My service to you is the success bestowed on you...?"
"That's your role as wife...Do you say that it is service...?"
"Yes, I fulfill your needs... That's my service..."
"That's your role as wife..."
"I do household chores... I fed our children up to their primary school stage ..."
"That is your role as wife... To run the circus of our family is my part...You know what my role is."
"You're going to office when I prepare all for you..."
"That'ss your role... That is not at all special...We two have our own roles in the family... The roles are complementary to each other... Without one, the other is not complete."
"What is your role? According to me, you go to office, sit in the A/C room and sign the files in green ink...You come back...I fulfill all your needs...It's my relentless, invaluable service... It's unrewarded service... It goes unrewarded against my wish... It shouldn't go futile like that..."
"Wife and husband form a family... That's the family concept: one plus one is one... We are not separate... We need not appreciate each other when we are one... We're one in the family...for the family. Whatever I do and whatever you do, are important for our family... "
"I don't understand what you say...You've to recognize my service and appreciate me in the public...You don't do it...I don't like it...You don't do that when you aren't able to live or spend a day without me... You can't live without me...It is my challenge."
... ... ... ... ...
Vijitha left for her mother's house as a surprise to Vashvajith, causing her absence in the house. He was able to guess where she had gone. She did not tell her own people why she had come there. Her brother with his wife was happy to receive her. Time passed to tell her that they had stopped giving due regard to her and her presence.
All were spending and enjoying themselves as per their wishes but not Vijitha's. They were buying whatever they wanted.
Vijitha might have forgotten the ATM card of her husband, Vishvajith or she might have felt that she did not want his money. She might have thought that it was a prestige question for her. She had no way to get money nor did they give her money to spend like them. She depended on them for all the things. They sometimes paid deaf ear to her interests. She recalled her freedom in spending money in her husband's house.
On the eve of Kartika Pournami, the full moon day celebrations, all the women were celebrating the fete of women in a befitting manner. Her sister-in-law was celebrating the occasion. She bought all the things for herself. For that occasion, the women were invitees.
Vijitha's girlhood friend, Sonam came to attend the celebrations in her brother's house. Sonam had a glance at Vijitha. It was a startling surprise for her to find her after a long time.
Sonam was Vijitha's classmate. She studied there and married a boy of that place. There was no necessity for her to go to another place in her marriage. She came to the function. She glimpsed Vijitha and hugged her, expressing her feelings:
"What a surprise to find you here!" said Sonam.
"Just casual...I miss you..."
"I too have the feeling of missing you... After a long time, I'm seeing you...I'm happy indeed," said Sonam.
"Thank you..."
"I'm glad that you are here...You can come here once in two years..."
"I'm busy doing household chores and fulfilling physical facilities of my family. All appreciate me for my busy schedule but..."
"But...tell all..."
"My husband, Viswajith never appreciates my restless services to him... When he got an award for his exemplary service... he didn't appreciate me for my busy service to him..."
"Congratulations to him...My congratulations are due to him."
"An employee congratulated me on Vishvajith's success saying 'Behind a man's success there is a woman.' Vishvajith didn't congratulate me in the function on the occasion... After coming back, I demanded him to congratulate me in the house on my busy activities and model service that bestowed on him many awards..."
"You're busy with these activities... Apart from these we can do more for the harmony of a family..."
"What...?"
"Apart from these, I fulfill the interests of my children and my husband. My husband is interested in music. I make him listen to the music he likes most. I look after him until he sleeps. Whenever he proposes an outing, I am ready to go with him...I give him my pleasurable company... I prepare the food items that he likes most. I feel pleasure in it. Still I feel like giving some more pleasures as wife to offer my husband all pleasures."
Sujitha went on hearing what Sonam went on telling. She was just listening. She did not ask her to continue her conversation. Perhaps she wanted her to stop her telling some more.
"It's my pleasure...my role as wife...It doesn't mean that he depends on me and I do relentless work for him... It's my utmost pleasure...His pleasure is my pleasure. My pleasure is his pleasure...What more do we want?"
Sujitha was still silent. Sonam tried to know about her and her husband,
"What are your husband's interests?"
"My husband is interested in listening to music, picnicking amid nature's beauties and sculptures' wonders and enjoying movies... He always talks of those interests to be away from his boredom resulted in mundane realities and routine actualities..."
"That's right...What he talks of is right."
"My husband is an officer...He's no laborious work...I've to do many works. I've to reduce, as I must look after myself... My labour doesn't reward me suitably. I'm for my self...This is my principle...This is my mother's advice too."
"You think that you're doing all...but you aren't doing all what he wants...what he needs..."
"What more should I do for him, neglecting my health all my life?"
"Do you ever try to arrange any sweet talk... sweet music, letting him enjoy it...?"
"I'm busy watching my own TV programmes on astrology and Panchangam (calendar) to know what happens to me today and what will happen to me in the future..."
"Is he interested in it...?"
"No..."
"Do you happen to welcome his wish to go on picnics to watch nature and sculpture...and so on?"
"I get tired of doing house hold chores to fulfill the needs of my family... When I get tired, I need rest..."
"Doesn't he need rest...?"
"He's abundant rest in his office as he just signs files..."
"Rest does not mean undoing what you need for the pleasure of each other...What you work is not bonded labor... It's daily routine... We feel so while doing our minimum works and fulfilling our basic needs... To forget that monotony, you should resort to picnic destinations to be away from monotony for you both...You should feast your eyes by the sight of nature and sculpture wonders. You will be away from monotony..."
"I too know it..."
"A happy family...The concept of a happy family...that is what I know... Wife's role and husband's role are complementary to each other. They're for one-plus-one is one. Your role as wife--many in one: mother to nurture, sister to counsel, servant-maid to serve, lover to delight and so on...You're like milk...pure milk...milk with the sweet blend of water...not like milky water or watery milk...artificial milk...available, salable today."
Vijitha was silent. Sonam went on telling her many more things with full of joys,
"In my case, I guide my husband in his office works... I advise him in many ways whenever he has tensions. He has various problems in the office. When he comes back, I welcome him with my smiles. I try to give him all the pleasures that bestow on him peace and joy to be free from the problems he faces..."
"We've got our own problems of sweeping, cleaning, cooking and others."
"These are not problems. These are common chores of everyone...You want to say that these are problems... That's the part of our lives... duties performed by us as wives."
"Vishvajith never realizes so"
"His success is your success, the success of your family. We should prove that there is a woman behind man's success, progress and happiness."
Meanwhile her brother's wife called Sonam to join her celebrations. Then Vijitha also joined her celebrations without any invitation to her. She participated in the celebrations mechanically.
Sonam's message on the concept of marriage and the harmony of a family was ringing in the ears of Vijitha. It was enlightening for her. She self-examined her role as wife in the family and thought that it was not complete. There was a great awakening in her. She called her husband on the phone after the gap of three months,
"Vishvajith, I'm coming back today... Please wait to receive me at the railway station...I'm sure that our life will be a happy and peaceful one in our happy reunion."
ENGLIT
An International English Literary Journal
1st Year 2021
