Social Identity

By Dibyendu Maiti

‘’Don’t touch my mother. I’ll kill you, brute. Leave her………I’ll stab you.’’ Fani thundered. He frantically tried to open the door. But he failed. He peeped through the window and saw her mother being sexually harassed by a licentious man. He became desperate and cried out again and again furiously. But who cared for a little boy? He wanted to enjoy only the fullest sex as he paid her according to her demand. Fani’s wild cry did not rouse any sense in him. He tried to enter the room forcefully breaking the door. At last, he succeeded. He rushed to the bed and beat the man hysterically with his tender hands. No sooner had the boy beaten him than he tried to embrace her tightly. He became desperate and ferocious to give her mother a respite from the clutches of the man. Being helpless he ran to the kitchen and taking hold of a rusty knife used for kitchen work, he stabbed him with wild madness. Within few minutes, the man lost his sense and laid down on the bed. Fani’s mother was at her wit’s end. Gradually she came to her sense and pulled her son with great affection and asked him with terror,” what did you do? He was my customer. To satisfy customer is my religion. I am a prostitute….my son.” She cried bitterly for the unexpected occurrence. Embracing her son, she was confused and could not decide what to do at that moment. She was totally off her balance and looked vacantly. Suddenly she had to get a hasty decision. She bade her son flee away from there instantly. Fani, sitting her most secured lap, looked at her mother meekly and began to tremble with uncanny sensation. Mother most unwillingly pushed him to go away from there. Fani could not understand her implication of order but he had to abide by his mother for the time being and not going far he kept himself hidden in a bush and stared at the door of his house with bated breath. An hour later, a police car came there. Fani was trembling in fear and became curious to know what they would do. They entered his house calling aloud. Fani was in great anxiety and wished to go to his mother. But an unknown terror seized him. Within few minutes they came out from the house and his mother followed them with handcuff in her hands. She tried to look here and there as she wanted to have a look something for a moment. Fani observed everything and craved to run to his mother. But situation seemed to create a vast difference between them. He only noticed her vacantly in tears. Shalinidevi , Fani’s mother, frantically rolled her eyeballs to have look her dear son. Alas! it’s an irony of fate. Eternal bond seemed to slacken forever. The driver started the car and went out of sight within few minutes. Fani started running after the car but the little boy’s flight fell short immediately. He had to halt at a certain place and desperately panting for breath. He was now far away from his house. A confusion raised many questions about his material and emotional comforts. Negativity took hold of him and nothing seemed to come in favour of him. Fani was now completely exhausted and perils of life crowded around him. Definite life turned indefinite. Colour of life is now fading. Pall of darkness seemed to envelop him. However, he gradually, gained strength and courage. He trotted towards the railway station. The sun was then descending slowly over the western horizon yielding place to darkness. Darkness gradually began to spread its shroud everywhere. Fani sitting on a bench of the station was thinking numerous things and sometimes watching the passing passengers, vendors, hawkers, vagabonds and the railway personnel. Suddenly, the narrow world of Fani broadened. He felt hungry. No means was there to satisfy his belly. He only sobbed and sobbed. He drank water from a tap and laid down on a bench. In the middle of the night, he felt very cold and wished to have the cosy shelter of his mother. Suddenly a pious man like an angel appeared there to assuage his lacerated heart. He covered Fani with a blanket and tried to comfort him till dawn.

With the cooing of doves, dawn broke. Fani woke up with renewed hopes and saw a smiling face of a man, who asked him, ’Where do you live, my boy? Why are you here? Who are your parents? “Fani’s face suddenly turned pale and began to cry. The man pitied on him and did not ask him any question. Only he comforted him offering some snacks. The man then asked him, ’Will you go with me?” ‘’Where? ‘The boy queried. ‘’I have an Ashram near Barpara. Will you go? ‘’Fani showed some interest but was eager to know about his mother. “Your mother! What was with her? Anything wrong? ‘He enquired. Fani began to sob and explained him what had happened yesterday. Hearing everything the man heaved a long sigh. He stretched his helping hands and asked him to follow. Fani ambled along with him. Several hours later, they reached the Ashram. Some of the children aged between seven to fifteen came running to him and surrounded him with stretched hands. The man gave them many things and they vanished within few seconds. He told Fani, “They are all orphans living here together under my care. From today you will live with them. ’Since then, his life turned another way. Days passed. Fani gradually changed himself with the mates and began to incorporate Ashram life to his mind. From morning to night, every moment of the day he began to spend with numerous happenings. Studies also went on well with his friends. Everybody in the Ashram was very friendly and helpful. His physical as well as mental development started well in this calm and soothing ambience. Mother’s memory gradually faded. Sometimes her image came to his mind and he would cry sitting under a tree of the garden. The pious man would notice him and come to him slyly. He sat with him and tried to console him telling stories with morals to make him distracted from his mother. He tried to cajole Fani and encouraged him to pursue law so that he might be able to prove his mother’s innocence.

Eighteen years passed. Fani was now a full-grown youth with handsome look. He had already completed his post graduate degree in Law from the University of Calcutta. Now he practised law in Calcutta High Court under a senior lawyer. He rose to eminence rapidly in his profession. Everyone knew him in his circle for his presence of mind and logical argument. One day a case came to his court and he had to take up the case as it had a special importance to his life. Shalini Devi, Fani’s mother, had been sent behind the bars for an unexpected incident. It was now an acid test for Fani to acquit her from accusation.

The long-expected day came and Fani appeared in the court with his traditional attire. He looked quite nervous but some hidden conviction made him daunted and courageous. The bailiff shouted, ’Asami, hajir Ho!’. Within a minute, she came and stood in the witness box. She had been changed widely. She was quite thin and weak. Her age was around 45. The glow of her skin had been faded. She was quite emaciated. Hair almost lost its natural glow. It seemed that she had no passion, no wish, no hopes, completely indifferent to the mundane world. Fani stared at her with keen eyes and wished to go her.  What an irony of fate! A moment snapped an eternal relation and created a vast distance between a mother and a son. Fani recoiled himself and out of professional urgency, he started a lawsuit in favour of his mother. He started by telling that Shalini Devi who hailed from Behrampore, became parentless at her tender age and was brought up by her distant relative who sold her to a man of the neighbouring village. She having a conjugal life for three years with the man, gave birth a son named Fani. One day the man carried them to Calcutta to have a darshan to the famous places. After having some lovely moments throughout the day, the man suddenly disappeared for bringing snacks. They waited for him for a long time but he did not turn up. Darkness gradually descended on the earth. A woman at once appeared there and tried to comfort them. Later the woman brought them to a small house at Birana on the pretext of meeting them with him. From then her life changed drastically. Fani had to adapt the situation provided for him. One day a man aged about fifty came to her as customer who tried to satisfy his sexual lust at any cost. Fani, her son, suddenly spied them on the bed through a window. Out of great anger and profound mental turmoil, he could not tolerate his mother’s sexual harassment. He broke into the door and being unable to bring her out from his clutches, he stabbed him with a knife. Fani was then a mere boy of eight. So mother, Shalini Devi, took the blood-stained knife to respite her son from the crime. Since then, she had been in jail without committing any crime. Fani should be punished for this murder. He killed the man deliberately. ’My lord, I am that poor son, Fani. Please send me behind the bars. I am a murderer. I cannot tolerate my mother’s pain. Please respite her’’. Fani began to weep and sat on the floor. The judge was totally shocked at the occurrence and ordered him to stand straight. Fani stood slowly and stopped crying. On hearing everything, the judge gave a verdict in favour of Shalini Devi. The judge also declared a surprise verdict that Fani would not be convicted on the ground of juvenile and humanity. Both mother and son united after a long gap of time. Fani threw his hands around her mother’s neck but mother felt quite embarrassed. She tried to prevent him from coming closer. Suddenly he began to run wildly at the terrace of the court and jumped down from the five storied building. Everybody presents there seemed choked and got stuck by this unexpected climax. Fani was totally out of mind and stood like a statue. Only tears wailed down from his check. Slowly and steadily, Fani came down to her and stared at her blood-stained body with stony eyes. What should a son do? This scathing and unbelievable incident raised a question. ’’Did a prostitute mother give her son a social identity’’???

By Dibyendu Maiti