THE MEANDERING RIVER

-1-

Natarajan kept on throwing pebbles after pebbles into the flowing blue
waters of Trishna. Edwina rose from where she was sitting by his
side, clutched her maroon-silk sari with her left hand at the cresses
and brushed aside her long curly hair that ran down her face with her
right hand and started climbing the stony steps that led to the old
temple of Lord Shiva, Her steps were in a rhythm. The ground
THE MEANDERING RIVER

seemed to kiss her rosy feet each time they touched it. She reached
the temple and reached the Garba-Griha. There was an idol of Shiva
made of stone. It seemed that he place had not been visited by nay
devotee for years. There were no flowers on the idol. The entire place
carried an air of solitude. The instant Edwina entered he place a score
of bats flew over her head out of the cavern. She shivered. Her feet
touched he holy temple floor. Once again a shiver went down her
spine. She stood before the idol, closed her eyes and started saying a
prayer.
Did she know a prayer? She was a Christian and was not used to
prayers. But long years of companionship with Natarajan had taught
her way to prayers. “Prayers certainly are not limited to religion” –
Natarajan used to say her whenever people used to criticize her in
front of Natarajan that he had choose a girl from the alien community
to be his life.
Edwina’s lips moved in an inaudible prayer. She was motionless and
still for minutes. Then she opened her eyes and quickly left the place.
She came down the steps. Natarajan was still busy in the act of
pebble throwing. He did not even turn to see her approaching.
“What did you ask from God?”- He asked.
“Guess!”-She answered.
Then neither of them spoke for minutes.
Edwina rose again from the last row of the steps to the river where
she and Natarajan were sitting side by side. This time she did not
climb the steps. Rather she chooses to walk parallel to the river along
the banks. One can see from here that the river made frequent bends
and curves like the walk of a snake. She continued walking till she
was a little far from Natarajan and he was clearly out of sight. She
could only hear the sound of the pebbles being thrown into the water.
She started humming a tune to herself. Soon she was singing loudly.
She felt static. Suddenly she felt Natarajan behind her. He had stolen
up quietly behind her. Edwina turned to say something. Natarajan put
his finger on her soft lips signaling to remain silent. Then he took
her in his embrace softly and kissed her, first slowly and then
deepening with passion. Both lost into it.
Let them be so….. Let us focus on the landscape.
The place was a setting in the hills with a small rivulet Trishna
flowing through the cutting. There were tall forest trees all around the
hills. In fact the place had an air of holiness and solitude. The most
eeriness of the place was due to the fact that it lacked dense human
inhabitation. Yet it was the place where Edwina had met Natarajan
four years earlier.

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THE MEANDERING RIVER

The couple broke loose. Natarajan took Edwina’s hand in his own and
started walking away from the river bank. He crossed the small
wooden bridge that overlay the river, crossed the terraces of the paddy
fields sown with ankle deep water and walked towards the small hill
town of Finam. Edwina just held on to his hand and followed him.
God’s ways are wonderful and so his manifestations in a man’s life
are wonderful too. All His manifestations are indeed instruments by
which mortals run to become wise and wonderful.
When they reached the town, Natarajan said softly- “I have to leave
now. Take care of yourself. Never let a tear fall from the corner of
your eyes till I return. Promise me darling!”
Edwina was unable to bear these kind words. She broke into
hysterical sobs. Once again Natarajan had to give her a quick, soft
hug. Then hastily he left the place. From the place where Edwina
stood, she could see him disappear into the horizon below the curve
towards the bus-stop.

-2-

Slowly with heavy steps Edwina returned to the school hostel where
he used to teach. Unlike other days she did not have the usual energy
to mix with the kids and chat or pamper them. Many big thoughts
had entered her brain. It had been extremely painful n her part to
bear the parting with Natarajan two years earlier when their relation
was broken as families on both sides refused to accept the marriage.
That was why she had left the city, had taken up a job in the hills
and had settled here finally. It was a mental training on her part to
ease Natarajan completely from her mind.
But god had other plans for her. So once again they met only a day
before.
Today Edwina had no appetite for dinner. To keep her bones and
limbs together she ate a few crumbs. The next day was Sunday- the
Church Day and she was not going to hurry for school in the wee
hours.
She was in her bed but her eyes were wide open far away from
sleeping. “Was he going to come back?” Even so why? She couldn’t
understand the things that had been happening in the last forty-eight
hours.
All apart, she still believed that Natarajan loved him even now. She
knew him. She knew his nature. She had known him since she had
UTTIYA SARKAR 3
THE MEANDERING RIVER

loved him, four years back, when she was in Finam on a trip with
her classmates. She was then in her final year of post-graduation in
History-a subject which she had loved ever since her childhood as her
father used to tell her stories of historical battles and empires from a
very early age.

-3-
Yes, she was very much like her father in nature and appearance.
Sometimes she used to ask herself was she very much like her father?
People said so and she believed in it.

Her father- yes, he was a man of cheerful air. Though she knew that
he had had a hard life. That was what he had been able to teach her
since childhood.
She was very different from her mother. Her mother was fond of the
church.

She was born n Hyderabad, in Salim Nagar. It was a Muslim

demography but her family maintained all the Christian rituals. They
went to a church extremely far from her area of residence. Her
childhood days were extremely happy. They had a small house . Both
her parents were very fond of her but particularly her father . she was
his sweet darling. His beats of the heart- his life. Her first school was
very near to her home. Her father used to take her to the school as her
mother stood on the lawn and wished her bye. She still remembers those
days. In her first day at the school she was an awkward child endlessly
crying and stamping her foot . Her father had to stay back from his college at
the school with her. Yet those days had passed and by time she became so
fond of her school that when she was shifted to another school for her
secondary education she felt torn as well her teachers as they had loved her
for her sweet face, obedience and her academic performance in her class.
Though she was not genius, yet her class performance and her marks were
very good. Her father had never relied on tutor to teach her. He himself used
to teach her. He had much patience and using this skill he discovered abstract
teaching methods for her. He used to converse continuously with her
whenever he was at home from the university. He had never preferred to go
out with his colleagues and friends to spend time. His real hobby was talking
to Edwina. Though he taught her all things of knowledge that would fit her
little brain but particularly he taught her, rather told her stories of history.
She developed images and scenes of kings, emperors, battles and other
events painted in her little memory in the course of time.

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THE MEANDERING RIVER

And her mother was a good cook. Whenever she found time from her work
she used to cook delicacies for her- her favorite ones.

She went to a big school in Secunderabad for her higher studies. It was then
her father saw a little of her, as he himself was either too busy with his
research and academics or Edwina was overloaded with the pressure of her
syllabus. Her mother was at hand but apart from her tender love and
delicious foods she was also busy with her job.

Edwina topped the school in her 10 th exams. It was time for her to leave her
sweet home and go for higher studies. Her father had planned her entire
future very cautiously. That is why though Edwina lost both his parents
untimely, and she had never been able to get through the trauma of it, but she
survived through her economic condition. Her parents had saved sufficient to
keep her for her entire life.

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UTTIYA SARKAR 5