Kariya

"Maalik! this year has been worse than the last one. The single plot of four bighas that I have from you has barely ..."
"Oh! You and your 'this year has been worse' story ...When will you change your excuses Kariya?" He snapped at Kariya.

Kariya is a rickshaw puller in a small village. His name is Kariya because his skin is black as coal. He doesn't even know why his name is Kariya. He remembers from his childhood days that his father had baptized him as Karee Ram. But nobody, not even his father, called him by that name. He was always called "Kariya".


"No Maalik. It's not an excuse. Come with me to the field. I'll show you. Most of the paddy was lost in the flood that..."
"Flood ...flood ...flood ...Are you the only one for whom the Kamala river specially brought flood or was it the whole village?" His irritation level had been consistently high after his wife had denied coming along with him to the village this year.
"How come the others have given a good yield? See what Jamuniya has given to Kesavji". Jamunia was another field worker who did not have any land of his own but worked on Kesavji's fields. Kesavji used to help Jamunia with any farming needs as and when needed. He had a consistent record of delivering good yield, at least better than anyone else in the village, to Kesavji and was therefore very dear to Kesavji.
"Jamunia gets a lot of monetary ..."
"What ? What do you mean ? I don't help you? who sent you the hundreds when you needed the urea? and for tractors last year? You have yet to give that back to me? Swine fellow ...keeps singing the same tune everytime ..."

It had been more than a couple of years since Vasudev had lent 200 rupees to Kariya when his wife was pregnant and needed urgent medical care. He had no fees for the doctor and his wife was pushed into labor pains prematurely when she was working in the paddy field. Kariya had been away pulling rickshaw when someone came running for him. Thankfully Vasudev had come to village that very day. Kariya was gifted with a beautiful girl but he never considered it a gift. Though she would be tall enough to work in the waterlogged paddy fields by next year, her wedding was something that Kariya was deeply worried about.
"Maalik ..." He almost tried to pray for sympathy. "Excuse me this year. It has barely yielded one monn". 1 monn was almost equivalent to 40 kgs. "It will hardly last more than a month...I also have another mouth to feed now and ..."
"Who had asked you to get another mouth to feed if you did not have the means? Bastard. I'm sure you got the full field harvested much before I came here."
"No maalik...that's not true. Whoever has told you this thing has lied"
"Shutup...You are the only Harishchandra ...huh ? I'm taking the fields back from you. No need to work on my fields now. Get yourself someone else whom you can fool every year. You have fooled me enough now.One monn from four bighas...everyone laughs at me in the village ...you bastard."

Kariya was crying within. He left Vasudev as he knew Vasudev was dead serious about this. He had heard of such rumors earlier. Vasudev had been telling everyone in the village that he would take the fields back from Kariya this year. Though, these four bighas were not as fertile as the other plots of land Vasudev had. But still just one monn from four bighas? ...This statistics somehow didn't go down well with him.

Neta was Kariya's wife. She was called Neta because of her leadership abilities. She has nothing to cook today. Kariya has not taken his rickshaw out yet because of the dense fog. She is an intelligent woman of average looks. But the whole community swears by her intelligence and presence of mind. She didn't know now though how could she feed Gahunia.Gahunia had learnt to sleep without eating anything. For her, sleeping is better than getting hit and slapped by Kariya when she asked for rice.
Kariya never liked hitting Gahunia. But he had no other option. He gets irritated so much and then Gahunia asked for rice.
"This bitch doesn't even die.Has a mouth of a python.Eat me now ...will you?" A series of slaps and Gahunia's shrieks could be heard from a mile.
"If you cannot feed her ..at least don't hit her" Said Neta.
"Oh really ? okay then here ...take it ...this is for you.." A number of backhand slaps for Neta and she also started sobbing with Gahunia in her lap now.
"Don't cry my baby ...Your father is a rascal ...I must have done evil things in the past that I got a demon here .." More sobs.
Kariya felt guilty after every such encounter. He wanted to hit himself. Many times he had considered suicide but had opted not to; thinking about Neta and Gahunia. He loved them. So very much. But love alone doesn't feed the empty stomach.
A loudspeaker kept talking about "Vote for Advani". Another one "Vote for Congress". He had dearly wanted the elections to happen sooner. He and Neta used to earn a few bucks voting for different parties multiple times. Neta carried a small oil tin in her blouse. As soon as the person on the chair pricked at her middle finger with that black coal, she used the oil to rub it off so she can vote again and get some money from the party workers. Kariya wished if elections could be held everyday. He wouldn't have to pull rickshaw or work in paddy fields. He always wondered why could the government not hold elections everyday. After all everyone says government makes a lot of money after elections. It was a win-win situation for both the government as well as the poor like Kariya. But then he knew nobody cares for the poor and may be that's why Government doesn't hold the elections everyday.
Kariya now decided he will no longer stay poor. One birth was enough. May be if he ends his life being poor, he will be rich in the next life. God cannot be unfair everytime.
"What about Neta?" He thought.
"and Gahunia". He pushed off the thoughts immediately before they could take over him again and he suffers being poor again.
Vasudev repented all his life after next morning. Neta prayed for a demon like Kariya. Gahunia did not know what changed. She still slept hungry except that now she had to take slaps not from one Kariya but from many more "Kariyas". Election loudspeakers kept making promises every five years or at times sooner. Neta knew it must be Kariya ...whenever the elections were held in less than five years.