BADE THAKUR
The gatekeeper Buddha Singh looked at the clock on the wall. It was already 11 p.m. So much of the night had passed, but the MLA sahab had still not returned from his field visit. Buddha Singh was awake waiting for him to come.
To overcome his lethargy, he lit a beedi. When this too did not remove his lethargy, he got up and started walking around the lawn. Just then, the headlights of a car fell on the gate. The gatekeeper Buddha Singh quickly opened the gate. The MLA sahab had returned. The car came to the lawn and stopped with a creak. The MLA Sahab got out of the car. He was completely drunk. With staggering steps, he walked towards the drawing room.
A heavy-built man with long mustaches got down from the back seat. Following him, a very beautiful young girl of seventeen-eighteen years got out of the car. The girl was dressed simply, and she looked very nervous. Getting out of the car, he looked around like a frightened deer.
Seeing the young girl hesitating, the heavy-built man signaled her to follow the MLA sahab. The young girl started walking slowly. Her face turned pale with fear. Seeing the young girl's state of mind, the gatekeeper Buddha Singh understood that the young girl had not come here of her own will but had been forcibly brought here. The same heavy-built man had probably brought her here.
After dropping the young girl to the drawing room, the man greeted the MLA sahab and left.
The gatekeeper Buddha Singh's sleep and laziness both had vanished. He started walking restlessly on the lawn. There was a lot of thought was being raised in his mind. Just then he heard the voice of the MLA Sahab. He was calling him.
Buddha Singh reluctantly reached the drawing room. The MLA Sahab ordered Scotch whisky. Mechanically, Buddha Singh brought the whisky bottle, soda, and glass and placed them on the table. Buddha Singh threw a shot at the girl. The girl was sitting nervously on the sofa. The girl looked at Buddha Singh with pleading eyes.
Buddha Singh could not see the girl properly in the dark. Now he looked at the girl's face carefully in the light and the girl looked exactly like his daughter Gauri. For a moment Buddha Singh's head was confused but the very next moment he shook off his thoughts and returned from the drawing room. The girl's pleading eyes kept following him for a long distance.
Buddha Singh came to his room and lay down on the bed. He tried to sleep by covering himself with the blanket up to his chest, but sleep was miles away from his eyes. Whenever he tried to sleep, the innocent face of that unknown girl would appear in front of him. Her face was so similar to Gauri's. Her face refreshed the memories of Gauri buried years ago in Buddha Singh's heart. He was feeling an unknown restlessness, an unknown pain inside him.
When Buddha Singh could not sleep even after many attempts, he got up and started walking outside. He walked along the boundary wall of the mansion and went quite far.
He took a look at the mansion. This mansion made of white stone was looking very luxurious in the moonlight. This mansion was built fifty years ago by MLA Sahab's father Thakur Manmardan Singh. Thakur Manmardan was the landlord of this area. He was tall, had a broad chest, and a big mustache, and his personality was very impressive.
Buddha Singh was the special goon of the landlord Sahab. There was no goon equal to Buddha Singh in the surrounding ten-five villages. He was like a king of the boundary. Thakur Manmardan Singh respected Buddha Singh a lot. Wherever he went, Buddha Singh was always with him like a shadow.
Apart from being a good goon, Buddha Singh was also a famous wrestler. He always won the wrestling match at the village fair. People from many nearby villages gathered in the wrestling match. Bade Thakur also invited many landlords of nearby areas to watch the wrestling match. When Buddha Singh, dancing after winning the wrestling match, touched the feet of Thakur Manmardan, Thakur's chest swelled with pride. He used to praise Buddha Singh's bravery and courage with great pride in front of the landlords present there.
Buddha Singh had complete freedom to eat and drink from Bade Thakur. Being a special man of Bade Thakur, he had great respect and status. He was very happy.
Buddha Singh's family was very small. His family consisted of him, his wife, and a daughter Gauri. Gauri was born to them after a lot of requests and wishes, so the husband and wife loved Gauri a lot. Gauri had crossed seventeen springs and had stepped on the threshold of youth. Tall and slim, with big eyes, Gauri was very beautiful. As beautiful as she was, her nature was also as good. Like a playful deer, she used to roam around the whole village. She was friendly with children, boys, and old people. She was the favourite of the whole village.
Wherever the beautiful Gauri, laden with the weight of youth, passed by, people kept staring at her. But as she was the daughter of the landlord's henchman, no one dared to look at Gauri with bad intentions.
Thakur Manmardan Singh was of a very noble and kind nature. He was greatly respected in the hearts of his subjects. He was famous in the whole area by the name of Bade Thakur. He had a younger brother, whose name was Ranjay Singh. People called him Chhote Thakur. Chhote Thakur's nature did not match Bade Thakur's at all. He was a very flirtatious and promiscuous person. He considered the daughters and daughters-in-law of the village as his property.
Bade Thakur had tried a lot to educate him, but it was of no use. Chhote Thakur was not interested in studies. His hobbies were hunting and loitering around with friends. If there was any special quality in Chhote's character, it was that he respected Bade Thakur a lot. Bade Thakur also loved his younger brother very much, so he deliberately ignored his mistakes.
For a long time, Gauri's budding youth had caught Chhote Thakur's attention. Whenever he saw Gauri's voluptuous body, he would sigh. He knew how much Bade Thakur respected Budhha Singh, so he was afraid to tease Gauri. But the desire to possess Gauri's body was increasing day by day in his mind.
Aashadh had ended and the month of Sawan had arrived. Wrestling competitions were being organized in every village. The elder Thakur and Budhha Singh had gone to a wrestling match in the nearby village. The younger Thakur thought it was a golden opportunity. That day when Gauri came to fetch water from the river, he called her to his garden on some pretext and quenched his lustful thirst with the untouched body of innocent Gauri to his heart's content. Later, fearing that Gauri might reveal his secret, he killed Gauri with the help of his friends.
The next day Gauri's mutilated body was found lying in the forest. The villagers picked up Gauri's body and took it home. Seeing the dead body of the laughing and playing Gauri, Gauri's mother screamed and fell to the ground. She fell so low that she could not get up again. When the villagers tried to revive her, it was found that her life had ended.
People from the village rushed to call Budhha Singh.
When Budhha Singh reached home in the evening, his world had been destroyed. The dead bodies of his wife and daughter were lying in his courtyard. Buddha Singh hugged the bodies and wept profusely. Somehow the villagers performed the last rites of both.
After the last rites, the elder Thakur took Buddha Singh to the mansion.
Buddha Singh was crying bitterly while clinging to Bade Thakur's feet. His tears were not stopping at all. Bade Thakur also did not make any effort to pacify Budha Singh. When he became calm after crying his heart out, Bade Thakur stared at his face and said- "Buddha Singh, I have found out who is Gauri's murderer."
"What... Who is it?" Budha Singh jumped up. He screamed, "Tell me his name quickly master, I will drink his blood."
"I have brought you with me to tell you this only Budha Singh. Come, follow me." Saying this Bade Thakur got up and went outside. Budha Singh also followed him.
There was an old temple of the Kuldevi of the Thakur family on the bank of the river to the west of the village. No one except the Thakur family used to go to that temple.
Bade Thakur reached the temple with Budhha Singh. Buddha Singh was very surprised as to why Bade Thakur had brought him to the temple. Bade Thakur opened the temple and ordered Buddha Singh to sit in front of the idol of the Kuldevi. Buddha Singh's curiosity had reached its peak. He could not understand what Bade Thakur was going to do. Bade Thakur kept staring at Buddha Singh for a few moments, then said in a flat voice - "Buddha Singh, Chote Thakur has murdered Gauri."
"What! For a moment Buddha Singh was stunned. Then he shouted - "I will not leave Chote Thakur, Sir, later you may make me grind." Buddha Singh picked up his stick.
"Wait, Buddha Singh!" Bade Thakur's grave voice echoed in the temple. There was some magic in Bade Thakur's words, that Buddha Singh's feet stopped right there. He looked at Bade Thakur with questioning eyes. "Sit down Buddha Singh," Bade Thakur said with the same graveness. Buddha Singh sat down mechanically.
Bade Thakur came closer to Buddha Singh.
Putting his hand on his shoulder he said - "Buddha Singh,
if you want to kill Chote Thakur, then do so. I will not stop you, but before leaving, listen to me."
Buddha Singh looked at Bade Thakur in surprise. Hundreds of questions arose in his eyes.
Bade Thakur took a deep breath and said, "Budh Singh, you know how much respect the Thakur family has among the people of the area. People worship the Thakur family like God. Right now people are considering Gauri's death as an accident. If you try to kill Chote Thakur, then people will come to know everything and the reputation of the Thakur family will be ruined. People will spit on the name of the Thakur family. I will give up my life before seeing that day. Now my life and the honor of the Thakur family are in your hands, Buddha Singh. You may either save him or kill him." Saying this, Bade Thakur took off his turban and placed it at Budhha Singh's feet.
Budhha Singh stood stunned in the temple. Sometimes he looked at Thakur and sometimes at his turban. He started thinking about Bade Thakur. Budhha Singh had become an orphan in his childhood. He had grown up eating and drinking in Bade Thakur's mansion. This respect, this status, money, and even his body were all given by Bade Thakur. Every pore of his body was weighed down by Bade Thakur's favors. The same Bade Thakur was standing in front of him today as a beggar. Will he be able to kick Bade Thakur's turban? Budhha Singh asked himself. No, no, he cannot do this. His conscience cried out.
He thought why should Bade Thakur be punished for Chote Thakur's sin? If Bade Thakur wanted, he could have easily hidden the matter of Gauri's murder. He would not have been able to get a hint throughout his life that Gauri was murdered by Chhote Thakur. No one in the village dared to speak against the Thakur family. But Bade Thakur had told him everything and left the decision to him. He knew that Bade Thakur was a man of his word. If his family is defamed, he will give up his life. No, he will not let that happen. He will not become the reason for Bade Thakur's death. He decided in his mind. He took off Thakur's turban placed it on his head and said "Wear the turban, Bade Thakur. I will do what you say." Either you swear on the idol of the Kuldevi (family deity) that you will remain loyal to the Thakur family like this throughout your life." Bade Thakur said in an emotional voice. Budhha Singh followed the order. Loyal to the Thakur family, he swore to remain a Thakur throughout his life, taking the Kuldevi as a witness. Bade Thakur went forward and took Budhha Singh in his arms. Tears were falling from his eyes. The volcano in Budhha Singh's mind had calmed down after getting the coolness of Bade Thakur's tears.
By chance, only six months after this, Chhote Thakur died due to cholera that had spread in the village. Nature had perhaps punished him for his sins. The thorn in Budhha Singh's mind was removed, and he started serving the Thakur family with full devotion.
Sometime after this, the country became independent and the Zamindari system was abolished from the entire country. Even after the Zamindari system was gone, the Thakur family's pomp and splendor and splendor remained intact. There was no shortage. Bade Thakur was a very sensible person. As soon as the Zamindari system was abolished, he opened a cloth mill, which became very successful.
In the second election, Bade Thakur stood for MLA and won by a huge margin. He was an MLA for three consecutive terms. His splendour had increased many times more than before. Now he had built a luxurious mansion in the city as well. After Bade Thakur's death, his son Abhay Pratap Singh became MLA. Abhay Pratap Singh's personality was as attractive and impressive as Bade Thakur's, but his nature was opposite to that of Bade Thakur. He was very cunning and of a promiscuous nature. He had probably inherited this quality of promiscuity from his uncle Chhote Thakur.
When he became MLA for the first time, he was somewhat fine, but the second time as soon as he became an MLA, his debauchery had reached its peak. The entire family of the MLA lived in a mansion in the city, but he often spent nights in this mansion in the village. Only Buddha Singh stayed with him here for his safety.
New girls were often brought to the mansion to make the MLA's nights colourful. Some girls came willingly, but some were forcibly brought by the MLA's henchmans. This work was done so skillfully in the darkness of the night that no one had a clue about it. As soon as he woke up in the morning, the MLA would again wear the cloak of social service and decency.
Often in the silence of the night, the sound of bangles, mutual jostling, muffled moans, and screams would echo in the MLA's bedroom. Buddha Singh used to see innocent girls being butchered like innocent cows every day, but Buddha Singh's personality seemed to have become non-existent. He could neither hear the screams of the helpless girls nor their struggle. Due to the oath taken in front of the Kuldevi, he had become deaf, blind and dumb even after seeing and hearing everything. His lips had become like stone, which did not say anything even after seeing the atrocities.
It had been seven years since Buddha Singh was living with MLA Abhay Pratap Singh. In these seven years, he had suffered and endured a lot, but he had never experienced such restlessness. The restlessness that he was experiencing today had shaken Buddha Singh's entire existence. Despite trying to keep his mind calm, he was constantly thinking about her.
Buddha Singh looked towards the sky. The moon was overhead. More than half of the night had passed. The cold was increasing. Buddha Singh headed towards his quarter. Buddha Singh had just come to his quarter and was sitting on the bed when he heard the sound of something falling in MLA Sahab's room, then the same girl's scream was heard - "Bapu save me! This monster is robbing me of my honour."
This scream shook Buddha Singh's restless mind. He felt so it seemed as if his Gauri was calling him for protection. The scream echoed again.
Now Buddha Singh's patience had given up. In a moment, he had shattered the Chakravyuha of the oath of the Kuldevi. He was running to save the girl's honour with the speed of a bullet.
The thug inside Buddha Singh had woken up. He broke the bedroom door in one push.
"What is it?" The MLA Sahab had asked Buddha Singh in shock.
"Leave this girl, MLA Sahab." Buddha Singh had said sternly.
"What are you saying, old man? Go, go, and do your work. You live on my bread, and you are threatening me." The MLA had said glaring at him.
Buddha Singh had pounced on the MLA sahab with the agility of a leopard. He picked up the MLA sahab and threw him on the ground. The girl was freed from his bondage.
MLA Abhay Pratap Singh was a voluptuous person, but his body was very strong. In anger, he pushed Budhha Singh with all his might. Budhha Singh's head hit the wall. Budhha Singh lost consciousness for a moment. After this, Abhay Pratap Singh pounced on the girl. In one stroke, he tore off the girl's blouse from her body and threw it on the ground. "Bapu, save me." The girl's scream echoed again. She looked at Budhha Singh with pitiful eyes.
Budhha Singh felt as if someone had stripped his daughter Gauri naked in the market, and she was crying for help. Budhha Singh's temples turned red due to extreme anger. It seemed as if all the blood in his body had gathered on his face. He took out his knife tucked in his waist and with full force thrust it into the stomach of MLA Abhay Pratap Singh. A terrible scream came out of MLA Abhay Pratap Singh's mouth, he struggled for a few moments, and then his body became still. He had died.
The girl was trembling like a peepal leaf out of fear. After taking the girl to a safe place, Budhha Singh presented himself at the police station.
The next day, the news was printed in the headlines of all the newspapers that MLA Abhay Pratap Singh was brutally murdered by his guard. This incident was a topic of discussion in the entire area. People were making all kinds of speculations.
Meanwhile, all the top officers of the district were gathered at the police station. The police asked all kinds of questions to Budhha Singh, but every time Budhha Singh gave the same rote answer "He murdered MLA Abhay Pratap Singh in full consciousness." He did not say anything beyond this. The police were tired of questioning him, but Budhha Singh did not tell anyone a single word about the incident of that night. He had certainly broken the oath in the name of the Kuldevi (family goddess) to save the honour of an innocent girl, but perhaps he was still mindful of Bade Thakur's reputation. He did not want to tarnish the reputation of Bade Thakur's family by telling about the dark deeds of MLA Abhay Pratap Singh.
