Anita- (3)
He had just crossed the stree front of Maker Bhavan. At that moment, the harsh words of his boss struck Shekhar's ears. In an attempt to erase the pain in his heart, a song came to his lips.
' No one understands our pain,'
' Everyone is crazy about their own needs,'
What will we gain by living in this world.
The country is foreign, and the people are strangers,
At that moment, a woman's despair touched his ears and a song tape was broken.
"Give the hungry something to eat, he has not eaten anything for two days, the child has missed breast feeding.
The woman was begging in front of the people coming and going with her hands spread out.
Shekhar became emotional seeing the distortion of the world.
The woman was sighing due to hunger.
The little boy was crying for the want of milk. He was sucking his mother's bare nipples.
, People were staring at her bare breasts.
No one felt sorry for her.
Seeing this, Shekhar put his hand in his pocket and took out whatever change available with him and handed over to her.
At that moment, his eyes fell on the woman and was shocked!
"Who Anita?"
The question emerged in his mouth.
His eyes could not bear the sight.
This question bemused him.
"How can she be here in such a state?" He spoke to himself.
He moved forward. At the same time, Shekhar stopped hearing his name from that woman.
And his suspicion turned into reality.
Seeing her, his heart trembled. He could not bear the condition of a simple, good-hearted woman.
Anita was crying seeing him.
Shekhar reassured her.
He was standing in front of Anita. Seeing this, some people gathered.
Shekhar was confused by the situation.
He did not know what to do.
Shekhar wanted to help her. He wanted to satisfy both of their hunger.
But where should I go? That was a problem for him. Still, he motioned for her to follow him.
He had first met Anita in Chamber No. 36 of kamathi Pura.
He was a journalist. He was also a social reformer. Still, his own needs dragged him into this environment. There was something about her that touched Shekhar's heart.
He had developed a passion for Anita from the very first meeting. Seeing her, Shekhar remembered an article from a women's weekly.
A woman is a unique creation of nature. Her tongue is full of sweetness. Her heart is a treasure of love. Golden children are born from her womb.
He saw all these qualities in Anita.
In the very first meeting, she had requested Shekhar in very intimate words.
"Please read what is written in this letter?"
Taking the letter in his hand, Shekhar had asked spontaneously:
"Who is this Amar?"
"He is my fan. He loves me." "
Shekhar read the letter silently.
After hearing the contents of the letter, she realized that she was a girl from an elite family and her face turned red with shame.
Shekhar did not talk to her much.
But Amar wanted to marry her. He had mentioned this in the letter. A social reformer became emotional after knowing this.
There is a perception about prostitutes. They are completely professional, mechanical. They cannot give happiness to their clients like married wives: they actually deceive their clients. But Anita was an exception. She entertained her clients with responsibility worth for what she gained from them.
What did men want? Why did they come to her? She knew the theory behind. She was always busy. A client would wait for an hour to sit with her. Anita had all the qualities of a friend, sister and wife. Shekhar understood this. He himself wanted to meet Anita once. He called Anita, out to meet him. And Anita had agreed to meet him.
"I will meet you tomorrow I will meet you near Maratha Mandir Theatre at 11-00 clock. "
Shekhar was happy about accepting his call.
In this situation, he did not ask "11 am or pm?". He had gone to meet her both times. But Anita did not turn out which frustrated Shekhar a lot.. He went to meet her again. She had asked the question.
"Did you feel bad that I did not come?"
"Not at all! If I had been angry, would not have come to you?"
She had asked the same question twice. This left no room for doubt in her words.
She had mentioned this while holding Shekhar's hand.
"But my happiness was short-lived. Before marriage, I had become pregnant because of Amar. He accepted it. But no one at home was ready to believe it."
"Meanwhile, my health deteriorated. Amar had called the doctor. Hearing this, it was like a feeling of suyami for me. "
"I had HIV/AIDS. There was no hope for me to survive."
" The family's attitude towards me was changed."
" I had become a burden to them. I was shifted to a charitable hospital. It was time for me to deliver the child, but no one was around me to take care of me ."
"I didn't want to give birth to a child. But abortion was also impossible. The light of my life could vanish at any time."
" Still, I gave birth to a child. I had no money to pay to the hospital bill. In this situation, I came out of there and the footpath became my only shelter. "
" There was nothing left in my life. Still, I had no option but to live for my unborn child. "
"In this situation, I wanted to go back to my original job. But because of the child in my womb I was not allowed to restore my original place. I should have gone there morally. But I wanted to take revenge on the person who have given me this contanigeous disease to everyone. "
There was no way left for her. She started begging. At that time, Shekhar had advised him.
"You should have gone to your parents."
"What way should I go? They have closed their doors for me, have placed me in the list of dead persons."
"It is because of them that I have entered this hell. I cannot think other wise."
. "What should I do? Why did God punish my son like this?! What sin he has committed? If some arrangement is made for him, I will leave this world. This is the only way left."
"Don't think like that. God is for everyone. There is one way."
"whats that? "
"If I get shelter in a women's development institute, everything would be fine."
"They will shelter a prostitute, but they will never keep an AIDS patient in their institute."
"No Anita! There are many AIDS institutes that can shelter you, and provide you with better facilities than hospitals."
"Will I get shelter there?"
"Sure! I know one or two institutions. I have some work today. You weight for a day meet me here tomorrow at 5 P. M.. I will get you admission."
"Babuji! I will never forget this favor of yours."
: "It is not a question of favor. This is my duty. I am a social reformer."
Shekhar consoled her. The lotus blooms in the mud. After meeting you, I do not realize that you have done so much for me. I have got a chance to repay it."
" I have not done anything for you. I have not kept even a small promise."
Shekhar had promised to meet the next day and left after giving both of them a full meal. Anita had bid him an emotional farewell.. and that turned out their last meeting."
Shekhar had reached the place the next day as promised.
A crowd of people had gathered at the place.
Someone had died. He was shocked to hear this.
"A woman is dead!"
People were talking among themselves.
Hearing this, Shekhar moved forward through the crowd.
The woman's body was lying on the ground. Someone had covered her with a sheet.
Shekhar moved forward and removed the sheet and saw her face. And he was shocked.
Seeing Anita's dead body, he started crying. His child was crying next to him.
He immediately took the child on his lap and took a taxi to reach orphanage directly.
0000000 (to be concluded )
