38. Prutvi goes to meet mother

CHAPTER 38

Prutvi goes to meet mother

The car was moving on the road. Instead of turning towards Santa Cruz, the road went toward Khar. Prutvi was shocked. “Where are you taking me?”

The man said, “Sir, the dead body is in Bandra.”

“What are you saying? When did it come to India?”

The man punched a number and gave the cell to Prutvi.

Prutvi asked him mother on phone, “Mommy, where is papa’s body? Where did the accident take place? Here or in the foreign country?”

Mother said, “The dead body is here only. Once you came here, you will know everything.”

The car entered Sea View colony and went into a big bungalow. Prutvi got down and looked at building. Men were standing here and there. Many cars were there.

One man welcomed him. “Come in sir.”

Prutvi climbed up the stairs. He entered the hall. The dead body was placed in the centre. It was filled with garlands and flowers. Police was all around. His mother was sitting near the dead body. Everyone was silent. Prutvi looked at his mother. She had tears in her eyes. He looked at his father. There was cotton in his nostrils. He held his father’s face. He was very sad. Tears appeared in his eyes. The tears fell on his father’s face. Suddenly he felt someone touching his shoulder.

Daga said, “My boy, what to do.”

Prutvi turned around and looked. He was shocked. He got up. “Remove your hand first. Why did you come here? Don’t touch my father with your polluted hands. My father was a saintly person. Get out.”

Everyone was shocked.

Prutvi said angrily, “You are the fellow who fell in front of me in the bazaar. You are Daga. Get out.”

Mother was shocked. “He is your uncle. Your father’s own brother.         “

Prutvi was shocked. “Mommy, what are you saying? He is mafia don. He is squeezing the city and eating out of it. But my father, he was a godly person. How can this bastard be his brother?”

One man came with a garland. He approached Daga. “Sir, I am very sad to hear of the death of your brother. He was your right hand in everything.”

Prutvi heard this. He was shocked. How can his father be right hand to a don. “Mommy, please don’t say that my father was daga’s brother. “

Mother said, “Truth is always sour. I had hidden it from you for so long. He is really your uncle.”

Prutvi looked around. He went and sat down on a chair with his hands on his head. Mother approached him and patted his head. “My boy.”

Prutvi became serious. He looked at her. “First remove your hand. Don’t touch me with your defiled hands. What type of mother are you? Am I the son of a mafia? Why did you inform me when he died? If you had not called me here, I would have lived all my life happily thinking that I am from an ashram.”

“Don’t talk like that about a dead man. He was the man who gave birth to you.”

“You know who these mafia people are? They live on people’s dead bodies.”

Prutvi’s mother got very angry. “Eh! First you close your mouth and listen to me. Then if you want you can stay or else you can leave.”

Prutvi looked at her face.

Mother said, “During childhood, father and uncle were on the roads as orphans. They used to wash dishes in a hotel. Not only that, they had to work hard at such a small age. Nobody was there to guide them. Hunger showed them how to survive. They became small smugglers at that age. When they grew, your uncle, being strong, became Daga. Helplessly he became Daga.”

Prutvi was listening silently.

Mother said, “He did not even get married but got your father married. You were born. It was his idea to send you to the ashram so that even the shadow of this life will not fall on you. Not only that, whatever he earned, he gave to the ashram so that thousands of children will get a good life there. He thought of changing his ways but for the sake of the ashram he continued to be the Daga.”

Prutvi just couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It was all so shocking. But he kept silent as his mother continued.  

“He is not breaking the stomach of the poor as you imagine. He gets money from smuggled goods. If we told Swamiji that this is mafia money, he will not accept it. That is why we told him that we are staying in the foreign country.”

Prutvi was shocked. Tears appeared in his eyes.

Mother continued, “I would not have called you. But you are our only son. I called you to do the Karma of your father. I am giving you the choice. If you want you can stay or else you can leave this very minute. I will bring one of those children from the ashram to do the karma.”

Daga was listening while sitting on a wheelchair. He approached her. “Don’t hurt Prutvi. It was wrong on your part to have called him. I had hidden the matter from him for so long. See how bad he is feeling knowing that he is the son of a mafia. You did a great mistake.”

Prutvi approached his mother. “Mommy, I will do the karma.”

He approached his uncle. “Uncle, I will do the karma.”

He fell at Daga’s feet.

Daga caressed his head. “Get up, my boy.” He hugged Prutvi lovingly.