Rusiya ran towards the barren farmland calling out Pina’s name.
‘Pina...Where are you? How dare you touch my mangoes kept in the secret location?’
Pina was nowhere to be seen. Rusiya called her again.
‘Pinaaaaa...Pinaaaaa...I will find you.’
The afternoon sun did not spare Rusiya from its scorching heat. Sweat was dripping down his face but that did not stop Rusiya who went frantic searching for his younger sister. He had gone to great heights the day before to hide the mangoes from Pina’s prying eyes. First, he hid them under the half broken bed in the only room of their house. But he decided to hide them under the debris-strewn space at the back of their house, which was once their bedroom.
The cyclone last year had washed away the kitchen, flew away the thatched roof and severely damaged the bedroom, leaving behind a single room which was the only roof over their heads. Rusiya lived with his father Natiya, mother Bidulata and sister Pina.
‘I do not know anything about your mangoes. ’Pina’s muffled voice could be heard near the banyan tree close to the narrow road crossing their farmland.She raised her voice in protest again.
‘Stop shouting or else I will call mother and tell her that you hit me.’And then she ran towards the village market.
Rusiya ran after her saying ‘Don’t lie. You are the only one who could have stolen it. I am sure you have eaten my mangoes with your dirty hands.’
While running ahead of her brother, Pina shouted back. ‘You stole it first without mother’s knowledge. Stop blaming me.’
Two days back Rusiya’s uncle had come from Bhubaneswar, bringing with him some mangoes and guavas. Rusiya hated guavas but loved mangoes. While his mother was away, Rusiya had gone gingerly into the room and kept three mangoes for himself. But this act was not left unnoticed by Pina, who saw through the cobwebbed and broken window at the other side of the room.
Pina was no match for Rusiya who caught hold of his eight year old sister and held her hand tightly. Their father, who was passing by, shouted at both of them. ‘Stop fighting. Go home to your mother.’
Rusiya cried and complained. ‘Father, she has stolen my mangoes. Ask her to give it back’.
‘You are eleven years old now, Rusiya. Kids of your age in our village help their parents in tilling land, or doing other household chores. Stop running after mangoes.’ said his father.
Rusiya’s father Natiya was a farmer and their small piece of fertile farmland fed the whole family. The devastation after the cyclone had affected their land badly. What remained on the land after the cyclone was a series of mud patches and debris of broken trees. All this happened when Natiya was ready to harvest their produce after a decent monsoon. The coconut tree that once adorned their garden was nowhere to be seen. The mango tree that was their pride was uprooted too.
But miraculously the guava tree close to their house was spared. Rusiya had prayed for the mango tree during the cyclone. Later, he cursed the guava tree everyday. Often, he would stand by the guava tree and say ‘I hate you. You killed my mango tree.’ Pina would then come charging at him and scold him. ‘I like the guava tree. Go away from there.’
Rusiya would curse the tree again before leaving.
Whenever he heard that his Sridhar uncle is coming to visit them, he would be happy for he can have ripe & juicy mangoes.
Rusiya’s friend Pratap, lived nearby. Pratap loved mangoes too like his friend. But he did not have a mango tree or an uncle like Sridhar to bring him any mangoes. He relied on Rusiya who always shared a tiny portion of his mangoes with him.
Pratap had a dog named Jhunjhun. The dog accompanied Rusiya & Pratap on their expeditions to almost every hideout in the village.
And after relishing on the mangoes they would often run off to the fields and scare the crows. Jhujjhun would bark continuously till the crows left the last inch of the farmland and then he would come back to his masters with a swelling pride. In return, Pratap & Rusiya would pamper Jhunjhun and play with him.
Rusiya was heartbroken after his mangoes were stolen. He went to Pratap’s house for some consolation.
‘Aunty, where is Pratap?’ asked Rusiya to Pratap’s mother.
‘He has gone with his father to collect clothes. What happened? Why are you looking so gutted?’ asked Pratap’s mother.
‘Nothing Aunty. I am alright. Can you tell him that I was looking for him?’
‘Is anything the matter son? What are you two upto now?’ asked Pratap’s mother again.
Rusiya did not answer her question & left the place hurriedly.
Pratap’s father earned his livelihood by washing clothes of the villagers. His house too was washed away completely during the cyclone last year. He and his family had taken refuge in Rusiya’s house. Both the families shared whatever food was left in Rusiya’s house. Jhunjhun was also a part of the group. Both Rusiya & Pratap prayed for the mango tree. Jhunjhun wagged his tail throughout those tense moments.
After Rusiya could not find Pratap, he lost all hope & cursed Pina & the guava tree. Later he complained again to his mother during dinner time.
‘Mother, you should ask Pina to return my mangoes.’
‘I have not taken his mangoes mother.’ Said Pina.
Their mother was used to the everyday banter between her son & daughter.
‘Shut up you two, & eat your food. I have made fish curry today.’ said their mother.
‘Which fish have you made mother?’ asked Pina.
It is Rohu fish. Your father bought it from the fishermen. They had a good catch today and so your father got it very cheap.’
‘Really mother.’ exclaimed Rusiya.
The siblings forgot about everything & savoured on Fish curry & Rice.
Later their father also joined the kids.
‘Father, this is the second time this week that we are having fish.
From now on, are we going to eat fish twice a week?’ exclaimed Rusiya.
‘No Rusiya. Stop bothering your father & let him eat his food.’ said the mother.
But Natiya replied to his son. ‘The fishermen were very lucky today so I got it cheap. But if we have a good harvest this year, I promise that you will have more fish to eat.’
Few months passed. Rusiya had forgotten about the mangoes. The monsoon helped them with a good harvest & the entire village was engaged in uproarious festivities.
Natiya bought more land & also planned to reconstruct his house. On one afternoon while Rusiya was helping his father clean up the debris filled backyard, he saw two mango seedlings in a neat line close to the farmland.
‘How did this happen father?’ asked Rusiya.
‘Maybe someone threw some mango seeds here, or a bird dropped it.’ said his father.
Rusiya was filled with joy & ran inside his house to tell his mother. He could not find her.Then he ran towards Pratap’s house. Pratap’s mother informed Rusiya that he had gone to Berhampur with his father to buy cheap detergents.
That evening Pratap’s mother came to their house. She was very happy to tell Rusiya’s mother that Pratap will study in a school in Berhampur, which was a big city. Pratap’s father had a friend there who worked as a mechanic. He had agreed to keep Pratap under his supervision.
‘Sister, why don’t you send Rusiya to Bhubaneswar? Your brother Sridhar works there. It will be good for Rusiya’s future. why, it is even better than Berhampur. ’ said Pratap’s mother to Bidulata.
‘No, I do not want to leave my village. I like it here.’ Rusiya cried in protest and ran away.
‘Pratap has been enrolled in a govt school there. OK, It’s getting late sister. I must leave now or else I can’t cook dinner.’ said Pratap’s mother without paying attention to Rusiya’s complaints and left Bidulata to ponder over her advice.
Rusiya had no choice but to leave for Bhubaneswar. Uncle Sridhar had agreed to take Rusiya there. Before leaving the village, Rusiya cried. He also hugged his father & Pina. Bidulata also cried a lot. Jhunjhun accompanied them to the bus stop & kept running until the bus was out of sight.
Rusiya was enrolled in a municipal school in Bhubaneswar. Rusiya would visit his family twice a year. He was doing well in studies. Pratap would write letters to him about his school & also about Berhampur. Many years passed & then they were out of touch with each other.
Pratap’s family moved to Berhampur & started a laundry business there. Jhunjhun died after giving birth to a puppy named Rocket which was taken care of by Pina. Rusiya’s family stayed in the village. Natiya built a pukka house & bought a motorbike too.
Pina also moved to the city for her college studies. After she graduated, her marriage was fixed with a trader in Bhubaneswar. Pratap & his family had been invited by Natiya. Rusiya met Pratap after 10 years.
Both hugged each other. Rocket wagged its tail & joined them. The mango trees had grown. Pratap laughed looking at them.
‘What happened? Share the joke Pratap.’ Said Rusiya.
‘I had planted the seeds of the two mango trees. It was Jhunjhun who had unearthed your hidden bag of 3 mangoes and brought it to me. I ate all of them’ said Pratap.
‘But when I came to know that it was yours, I was embarrassed. Hence I was silent all these years. I also know that you blamed Pina all along.’ said Pratap after a pause.
Pina’s farewell moment had arrived. She bid goodbye to everyone. She smiled at her brother & shed a tear.
Rusiya gave her three mangoes as a farewell gift. Both laughed in unison.
As Rusiya & Pratap looked at Pina the bride, who was waving her hand to everyone from the wounded down windows of the bridegroom’s car, Rocket ran after it, until it was out of sight.
‘Pina...Where are you? How dare you touch my mangoes kept in the secret location?’
Pina was nowhere to be seen. Rusiya called her again.
‘Pinaaaaa...Pinaaaaa...I will find you.’
The afternoon sun did not spare Rusiya from its scorching heat. Sweat was dripping down his face but that did not stop Rusiya who went frantic searching for his younger sister. He had gone to great heights the day before to hide the mangoes from Pina’s prying eyes. First, he hid them under the half broken bed in the only room of their house. But he decided to hide them under the debris-strewn space at the back of their house, which was once their bedroom.
The cyclone last year had washed away the kitchen, flew away the thatched roof and severely damaged the bedroom, leaving behind a single room which was the only roof over their heads. Rusiya lived with his father Natiya, mother Bidulata and sister Pina.
‘I do not know anything about your mangoes. ’Pina’s muffled voice could be heard near the banyan tree close to the narrow road crossing their farmland.She raised her voice in protest again.
‘Stop shouting or else I will call mother and tell her that you hit me.’And then she ran towards the village market.
Rusiya ran after her saying ‘Don’t lie. You are the only one who could have stolen it. I am sure you have eaten my mangoes with your dirty hands.’
While running ahead of her brother, Pina shouted back. ‘You stole it first without mother’s knowledge. Stop blaming me.’
Two days back Rusiya’s uncle had come from Bhubaneswar, bringing with him some mangoes and guavas. Rusiya hated guavas but loved mangoes. While his mother was away, Rusiya had gone gingerly into the room and kept three mangoes for himself. But this act was not left unnoticed by Pina, who saw through the cobwebbed and broken window at the other side of the room.
Pina was no match for Rusiya who caught hold of his eight year old sister and held her hand tightly. Their father, who was passing by, shouted at both of them. ‘Stop fighting. Go home to your mother.’
Rusiya cried and complained. ‘Father, she has stolen my mangoes. Ask her to give it back’.
‘You are eleven years old now, Rusiya. Kids of your age in our village help their parents in tilling land, or doing other household chores. Stop running after mangoes.’ said his father.
Rusiya’s father Natiya was a farmer and their small piece of fertile farmland fed the whole family. The devastation after the cyclone had affected their land badly. What remained on the land after the cyclone was a series of mud patches and debris of broken trees. All this happened when Natiya was ready to harvest their produce after a decent monsoon. The coconut tree that once adorned their garden was nowhere to be seen. The mango tree that was their pride was uprooted too.
But miraculously the guava tree close to their house was spared. Rusiya had prayed for the mango tree during the cyclone. Later, he cursed the guava tree everyday. Often, he would stand by the guava tree and say ‘I hate you. You killed my mango tree.’ Pina would then come charging at him and scold him. ‘I like the guava tree. Go away from there.’
Rusiya would curse the tree again before leaving.
Whenever he heard that his Sridhar uncle is coming to visit them, he would be happy for he can have ripe & juicy mangoes.
Rusiya’s friend Pratap, lived nearby. Pratap loved mangoes too like his friend. But he did not have a mango tree or an uncle like Sridhar to bring him any mangoes. He relied on Rusiya who always shared a tiny portion of his mangoes with him.
Pratap had a dog named Jhunjhun. The dog accompanied Rusiya & Pratap on their expeditions to almost every hideout in the village.
And after relishing on the mangoes they would often run off to the fields and scare the crows. Jhujjhun would bark continuously till the crows left the last inch of the farmland and then he would come back to his masters with a swelling pride. In return, Pratap & Rusiya would pamper Jhunjhun and play with him.
Rusiya was heartbroken after his mangoes were stolen. He went to Pratap’s house for some consolation.
‘Aunty, where is Pratap?’ asked Rusiya to Pratap’s mother.
‘He has gone with his father to collect clothes. What happened? Why are you looking so gutted?’ asked Pratap’s mother.
‘Nothing Aunty. I am alright. Can you tell him that I was looking for him?’
‘Is anything the matter son? What are you two upto now?’ asked Pratap’s mother again.
Rusiya did not answer her question & left the place hurriedly.
Pratap’s father earned his livelihood by washing clothes of the villagers. His house too was washed away completely during the cyclone last year. He and his family had taken refuge in Rusiya’s house. Both the families shared whatever food was left in Rusiya’s house. Jhunjhun was also a part of the group. Both Rusiya & Pratap prayed for the mango tree. Jhunjhun wagged his tail throughout those tense moments.
After Rusiya could not find Pratap, he lost all hope & cursed Pina & the guava tree. Later he complained again to his mother during dinner time.
‘Mother, you should ask Pina to return my mangoes.’
‘I have not taken his mangoes mother.’ Said Pina.
Their mother was used to the everyday banter between her son & daughter.
‘Shut up you two, & eat your food. I have made fish curry today.’ said their mother.
‘Which fish have you made mother?’ asked Pina.
It is Rohu fish. Your father bought it from the fishermen. They had a good catch today and so your father got it very cheap.’
‘Really mother.’ exclaimed Rusiya.
The siblings forgot about everything & savoured on Fish curry & Rice.
Later their father also joined the kids.
‘Father, this is the second time this week that we are having fish.
From now on, are we going to eat fish twice a week?’ exclaimed Rusiya.
‘No Rusiya. Stop bothering your father & let him eat his food.’ said the mother.
But Natiya replied to his son. ‘The fishermen were very lucky today so I got it cheap. But if we have a good harvest this year, I promise that you will have more fish to eat.’
Few months passed. Rusiya had forgotten about the mangoes. The monsoon helped them with a good harvest & the entire village was engaged in uproarious festivities.
Natiya bought more land & also planned to reconstruct his house. On one afternoon while Rusiya was helping his father clean up the debris filled backyard, he saw two mango seedlings in a neat line close to the farmland.
‘How did this happen father?’ asked Rusiya.
‘Maybe someone threw some mango seeds here, or a bird dropped it.’ said his father.
Rusiya was filled with joy & ran inside his house to tell his mother. He could not find her.Then he ran towards Pratap’s house. Pratap’s mother informed Rusiya that he had gone to Berhampur with his father to buy cheap detergents.
That evening Pratap’s mother came to their house. She was very happy to tell Rusiya’s mother that Pratap will study in a school in Berhampur, which was a big city. Pratap’s father had a friend there who worked as a mechanic. He had agreed to keep Pratap under his supervision.
‘Sister, why don’t you send Rusiya to Bhubaneswar? Your brother Sridhar works there. It will be good for Rusiya’s future. why, it is even better than Berhampur. ’ said Pratap’s mother to Bidulata.
‘No, I do not want to leave my village. I like it here.’ Rusiya cried in protest and ran away.
‘Pratap has been enrolled in a govt school there. OK, It’s getting late sister. I must leave now or else I can’t cook dinner.’ said Pratap’s mother without paying attention to Rusiya’s complaints and left Bidulata to ponder over her advice.
Rusiya had no choice but to leave for Bhubaneswar. Uncle Sridhar had agreed to take Rusiya there. Before leaving the village, Rusiya cried. He also hugged his father & Pina. Bidulata also cried a lot. Jhunjhun accompanied them to the bus stop & kept running until the bus was out of sight.
Rusiya was enrolled in a municipal school in Bhubaneswar. Rusiya would visit his family twice a year. He was doing well in studies. Pratap would write letters to him about his school & also about Berhampur. Many years passed & then they were out of touch with each other.
Pratap’s family moved to Berhampur & started a laundry business there. Jhunjhun died after giving birth to a puppy named Rocket which was taken care of by Pina. Rusiya’s family stayed in the village. Natiya built a pukka house & bought a motorbike too.
Pina also moved to the city for her college studies. After she graduated, her marriage was fixed with a trader in Bhubaneswar. Pratap & his family had been invited by Natiya. Rusiya met Pratap after 10 years.
Both hugged each other. Rocket wagged its tail & joined them. The mango trees had grown. Pratap laughed looking at them.
‘What happened? Share the joke Pratap.’ Said Rusiya.
‘I had planted the seeds of the two mango trees. It was Jhunjhun who had unearthed your hidden bag of 3 mangoes and brought it to me. I ate all of them’ said Pratap.
‘But when I came to know that it was yours, I was embarrassed. Hence I was silent all these years. I also know that you blamed Pina all along.’ said Pratap after a pause.
Pina’s farewell moment had arrived. She bid goodbye to everyone. She smiled at her brother & shed a tear.
Rusiya gave her three mangoes as a farewell gift. Both laughed in unison.
As Rusiya & Pratap looked at Pina the bride, who was waving her hand to everyone from the wounded down windows of the bridegroom’s car, Rocket ran after it, until it was out of sight.
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