The Homecoming

“Where are you going?”

The masked man asked Birju. Another man, also wearing a mask, focused the camera towards him. Birju stood dumbstruck without uttering a single word. It was not every day that he faced a camera. Instead, his ten-year daughter spoke from behind.

” Move that thing away”

“What?”, The first masked man looked confused and irritated at the same time.

” That thing in your hand”

She pointed towards the microphone.

“I saw that you tried to talk to many people here on this road with that thing so near to their mouths. The virus might be sitting on it for all we know. Baba says it travels like that”

“You are quite smart for your age!”, The man looked surprised. He found her more interesting for his cover story than the father.

He quickly moved his microphone towards her keeping a safe distance. The cameraman also moved in accordance.

“So, what is your name and where are you going?”

The girl tied her handkerchief neatly covering her mouth and nose and said,

“I’m Lakshmi and I’m going to meet my mother in my village”

 

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The road was bustling with a crowd of migrant workers who were heading towards their homes on foot when they lost their jobs due to the outbreak of corona virus. All the factories and shops were shut down except the essential ones. The government also cancelled all transport services to arrest the spread of this virus. This journalist and his team were catching random people on the road to talk about their struggles for featuring it in their news channel. Lakshmi’s father Birju was one of them.

Birju was a vegetable and fruit vendor in the city. Every morning he would pick up vegetables from the wholesale market and sell it in his ‘cart with wheels’ called ‘thela’. In the evening he worked as a chef in a small roadside restaurant and his wife Leela washed vessels in the same place. This is how they earned their livelihood.

Last month Leela’s mother fell sick. So, she had to go to their village to visit her ailing mother and Birju stayed back with his two daughters Bindiya and Lakshmi aged 15 and 10 respectively. Soon after, their city was caught up with the corona virus pandemic. A huge number of people fell sick which forced the government to impose a strict lockdown of the country.

The restaurant he was working, closed and his sale of vegetables suffered a great blow. Money was scarce and the future in the city looked bleak with the virus spreading like fire. Moreover, without Leela he felt helpless with his two daughters. With all means of transport shutting down, Birju had no other go, but to travel to his village with his daughters in his ‘thela’. He was a strong muscular man and he felt he could take up this difficult ordeal of cycling all the way to his village thousands of miles away for the sake of his family. It was risky, but staying back in the city would only result in dying of hunger. So, he made one last call to Leela informing her that he would be home soon and started off in his ‘thela’ with his two daughters sitting on the wooden plank in which fruits and vegetables used to be loaded. The girls fitted in it perfectly as they were small.

Birju let go of his rented house since he had no money to pay for it. They packed as many things as they could in the cart. He requested the hotel owner, where he used to work, to keep the rest of the things with him and told him that he would take it back upon returning. Deep down Birju knew there was no guarantee of getting them back but it was tough to just throw them away. They had been part of their lives for so long. Moreover, who knew if they would come back to the same place or not, if at all they do.

The first thing Lakshmi packed was her school bag with her books, color pencils, a small cloth doll and her marbles collection. Birju wanted to object but refrained from doing so. He realized that what’s unimportant to one person might be the world for another. He let her take whatever was dear to her. They also packed a few bottles of water, some biscuit packets and snacks.

Birju took the name of God and started off. The tiny orange flag fixed in the cart’s handle fluttered in the air. It had the picture of Lord Hanuman flying with a mountain in his hands. The image gave him the confidence to accomplish this difficult task and he proceeded. He wished he had better shoes but seeing the plight of his fellow workers walking all the way in their broken slippers made him feel better about himself. At least he had a vehicle of some kind.

” Bindiya, Lakshmi are you comfortable?”, He asked his girls while cycling.

“We are fine Baba”, both replied.

“Don’t exhaust the biscuits. Eat one at a time with a sip of water. We have a long journey ahead of us and I’m not sure if we will get any food or water on the way”, Birju cautioned them.

“Yes Baba”, Bindiya said, quickly snatching the extra biscuits from Lakshmi’s hands and rolling her eyes at her silently.

Lakshmi didn’t like it but she didn’t protest. She turned her back to Bindiya and hung her legs a little from the cart. She swung it in the air and her anklets tinkled with the moving cart. She cherished the fact that they had overtaken all the others who were walking on foot. Birju was cycling fast. The roads were empty due to the lockdown so it was not a problem. Lakshmi observed the long and broad highway snaking past her as they moved. It looked like a huge unending grey concrete snake. The weather was hot. The scorching sun was parching her skin. But she didn’t mind. She felt like a flying bird. She knew all that she could know about the virus which was causing havoc in the planet. But her young mind lived in the present and had no worries about the future. The current journey was nothing less than an adventure to her and she was enjoying it to the fullest.

The heat and the jolting motion of the cart made her feel sleepy. Bindiya noticed her sleepy eyes and tugged at her dress and pulled her inside. She covered both of them with a cotton bedsheet and they dozed off huddling each other.

Lakshmi was awakened by the sudden stillness. Her throat felt dry. She rubbed her eyes and got up. She had no idea how much time had passed. The snaking road was there no more. It looked like they had crossed the highway area. This was a narrow road lined with trees and it had vast fields on both the sides. Birju was relaxing under a tree. His feet were swollen. Bindiya was still asleep. Lakshmi got down from the cart.

“Baba, are you okay?” Lakshmi asked while caressing his feet.

“I’m fine don’t worry” he assured her.

Then he took out a ten rupee note from his pocket and handed it to her.

“Go eat some hot food from that shop. You must be hungry. I’m unable to walk. If I rest here for some time, I will be fine. I have doubts when we will get another open shop after this one. That’s the reason I decided to take a break here ”

Birju knew that he and Bindiya might be able to control their hunger and survive on biscuits. But Lakshmi was a little girl. She was not mature enough to do that.

The tiny shop with a tin roof stood on the roadside. It looked like a ‘dhaba’ which were small eateries to cater the needs of the long route buses and trucks. It sold cooked meals, bakery items and savories. Lakshmi went to the dhaba with the ten-rupee note clutched tightly in her fist.

A huge iron kadai full of oil was placed in one corner of the shop. A man with a protruding belly sat in front of it. He rolled out the dough and dipped the round flattened dough in the hot oil one by one. Lakshmi watched as the dough puffed up all the while dancing in the bubbling oil changing their color to golden brown in the process. The pooris looked delicious.

“What do you want?”, asked the man.

Lakshmi pointed her finger towards the poori.

The man packed the two pooris in a leaf with a ladle full of potato gravy and handed it to her.

” Ten rupees”

Lakshmi gave him the note her father gave and spread her hands again.

” And one for Bindiya, my sister… And one for Baba…”

” With ten rupees only this much will come. Do you have more money?”

Lakshmi nodded her head in negation.

” Then go away!”

The scent of the poori and potato gravy in her one hand filled her nostrils with a wonderful aroma and her stomach rumbled. But she stood spreading the other hand in front of him requesting for two more packs.

” Who do you think you are, stubborn girl? My business is already on a downside, thanks to the virus.”, He rolled his eyes and looked up waving his rolling pin in the air, as if talking to the virus directly.

“And now this girl has the nerve to demand free food! Go away!”, The man shouted in anger.

“I am Lakshmi. My Baba and sister are hungry. Please give me some more food. I’m going to meet my mother. It’s a long way”

Lakshmi’s innocent mind thought he asked her name and whereabouts for real. She was yet to understand the complicacies of this world.

Tears rolled down her parched cheeks but she didn’t budge from her place.

The man lost his temper. But before he could get up and shoo her away, a woman’s voice came from behind.

“What did you say? Lakshmi is it?”

The shopkeeper’s wife, a slim woman wearing a cotton saree and flowers in her hair came running from inside the dhaba and gestured to him to continue with his work. She had a petite frame but was of the commanding sort to whom one is bound to listen.

“Today is Thursday and Ma Lakshmi is asking for food at your doorstep you fool! Do you want our business to shut down completely? You can’t drive the goddess away!”, She rebuked him. He mumbled something to himself but didn’t protest her and continued rolling the dough.

Next, she packed two more packets and stuffed some extra pooris too. She also took two bottles of water and gave it to Lakshmi. She was a stern but kind lady.

“I know your plight. But you can’t make everyone understand, can you? If human beings don’t help each other in such difficult times then who will? You are such a caring girl. May you reach home safely to your mother”, she whispered to Lakshmi in her ear and patted her cheeks.

Lakshmi wiped her tears and hugged her waist lightly. She thanked her for the free food and ran back to her father.

” Baba see what I brought!”

 

***********

Lakshmi lay on her back and watched the stars as Birju drove the cart. It was a moonlit night. They were crossing a jungle area with dense trees on both sides of the road. Birju wanted to cover as much distance as possible in the coolness of the night. Daytime heat was too tough to bear. So, he rested during the day and travelled only from evening till early in the morning. Since it was a full moon night, the visibility was also good.

Bindiya also lay quietly. Lakshmi nibbled on a few biscuits while counting the stars. The night was too silent and lonely. There was no sound except the chirping of the crickets and occasional hooting of the owls. Lakshmi missed the hustle bustle of the city which she was so used to. She missed her home, her friends, the school and the peanut shop near it, the blaring music system of the neighborhood boys and the chit chat of the ladies. She longed to go back there but deep down she knew that there nothing was going to be the same anymore. Not so soon. She had seen her neighbors lock their houses and leave like them. The shops, school, cinema halls everything had closed. One virus had changed it all. She imagined it as a tiny but powerful monster which had devoured all.

Next day was hotter and humidity was at its peak. The sun seemed to be fuming with rage. Birju paused and rested under the shade of a roadside tree. They washed themselves in a water pool nearby. The sole of one of his shoes had come out. He tried to patch it up with twigs and strings somehow. Lack of proper sleep and food and the intense heat and humidity had exhausted him. Their food reserve was dwindling away. He felt extreme weakness and had serious doubts about his capacity to be able to complete the rest of the journey. Both the girls tried to comfort him by fanning him, pressing his legs and head.

He was amazed how they had never asked him for more food or posed a complaint of any sort. Both were young but the way they had adjusted with a tough situation was commendable. They had cooperated with him at each and every step. Their love, care and maturity made him realize that he was one lucky father. He blessed them with his heart and fought back his tears which threatened to ooze out at any moment. If nothing, he resolved to reach home for the sake of his beloved daughters.

There is a saying that God helps those who help themselves. It proved true when they were hailed by a drizzling rain just after. It was a welcome respite from the smoldering heat. It was the kind of rain which soothed one’s soul. It was neither too hard nor too soft. It cooled their body and mind. The comforting wind took their extreme tiredness away with it. Both Bindiya and Lakshmi shrieked with joy when the water droplets dotted their sunburnt faces. Birju decided to keep cycling in this awesome weather. They drove past lush fields and absolute greenery. The trees seemed to be in tune with them and they swayed with happiness. Both turned their heads up and opened their mouths and let the pure rain water quench their thirst. They covered their belongings with a plastic sheet to avoid them getting wet and both sang a song while Birju drove the cart with a newfound energy.

Things looked even better when they found a roadside shelter where an NGO was distributing free food to the migrant workers like them who were heading home on foot or vehicle. Here they had a proper meal of daal, rice and veggies. Since they were covering a long distance via multiple districts, they were unable to understand the language the people in that area were speaking but that didn’t come in their way. The compassion and care in the mannerism of those strangers spoke a ton. Birju and his daughters thanked them from the bottom of their hearts with misty eyes and folded hands. The invasion of an alien virus made them realize that the world can be a cruel place to live at times but also there is no dearth of good people in it.

Things went smooth for something but their happiness didn’t last long. Bindiya felt feverish and had an extreme headache. Birju knew that falling sick was not a good sign in this situation. It may give rise to false alarms. Birju covered her with the blanket and asked Lakshmi to give her sips of water from time to time to avoid dehydration while he drove. He knew in his heart that she fell sick by getting wet in the rain. But it was tough to explain that to others. She was the delicate one since her childhood. He cursed himself for not being extra careful with her. He missed Leela. She would definitely have taken care of this fact. He was not even carrying any medicine. To top it all, his heart sank when he approached a police check post as he was about to cross a state border.

 

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“Stop!”, commanded the police officer in his khaki uniform and struck his lathi to the cart. Birju applied brakes without delay.

“Where are you going?”  He asked.

“To my village Sitapura”

The policeman observed him from top to bottom and then eyed the children in the cart. Lakshmi stared at the policeman with her huge eyes bulging out behind her masked face. Bindiya lay on the cart with eyes closed.

“Where are you coming from?”

“Chennai”, Birju replied.

The policeman raised his eyebrows in surprise.

” Just look at your condition and you have the heart to take such small children to this long and arduous journey on this dilapidated ‘thela’? What should I call you? Dumb or daring?”

” There was no other way saab. You very well know the problematic condition this pandemic and the subsequent lockdown has put people like us in. I’m helpless”, Birju said with guilt laden eyes.

“What happened to her?”, The policeman cast a doubtful look at the sleepy Bindiya.

“She is not well saab….”

” The virus?”

The policeman asked without a trace of hesitation. Maybe he was used to seeing people affected with the virus by now. But those two words sent a chill down Birju’s spine and no words came out from his mouth.

“No, she got wet in the rain so caught the cold “, pat came a reply from Lakshmi. She was a life saver to her father.

The policeman looked amused and a smile escaped his stern face.

“And you little girl? You didn’t get wet in the rain?”, He bent to the level where Lakshmi sat in the cart and asked her.

” Baba says I’m stronger”, she replied with confidence.

“I am sure you are…and very smart too!”, He smiled at her and got up.

” How many people did you come in contact with during your long journey?”, he asked Birju.

” Very few saab. We stopped at times for food and water requirements. But we kept a distance from all and wore masks. We are travelling alone. We aren’t part of any group”

“Hmm. All of you get yourself tested and follow the 14-day quarantine rule before heading to your village”, he wagged his stick at Birju and said.

” Of course, saab”

” Okay ride away before anyone else stops you”, he added quickly.

He fumbled in his pocket and took out a strip of tablet.

“And take this medicine. I usually keep it with me for my occasional headaches. It will help your daughter. Give it to her after food”

Birju couldn’t believe his luck.

“God will bless you saab. You are such a good soul. You are doing your duty here tirelessly to prevent the virus from spreading but you showed faith in us. You believed in me. I can’t thank you enough”, Birju folded his hands with tears rolling down his cheeks.

“Enough now. Move!”, He ordered and struck the cart again with his lathi.

He watched as Birju cycled away. The little girl in the cart waved at him. He waved back. Next, he took out his wallet and opened it. There was a small passport size photo of his two children. After staring at it for a while, he caressed it with his thumb. It was almost ten days he hadn’t seen them.

 

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” Baba, when will we go back to the city?”

A sudden thought sprang on young Lakshmi’s mind while playing with her marbles in the verandah of her small and cozy home in a faraway village. The father and both the daughters had tested negative for the virus. So, they were free to go to their village after 14 days.

Time was passing fast. It was more than a month now. Birju and his family were staying in his ancestral home in Sitapura village along with his elder brother’s family.

Birju and Leela were busy sorting the dry branches they had collected for lighting fire in the mud stove. He has pondered over this question innumerable times from the time they left the city. Thinking about it made him restless. He didn’t know the answer.

“Maybe soon… Maybe never”, he replied eventually.

“Means?”

“I don’t know Lakshmi… Nobody knows… The world is changing rapidly…everything is uncertain”, Birju sighed.

“But I know we will go back one day”, Lakshmi said with confidence.

Birju and Leela exchanged glances and smiled.

“How do you know my smart little girl?”

“I just know”, replied Lakshmi absentmindedly while playing.

Birju realized she might be true. The virus has surely changed the world but the world still remains the same in many ways. History shows it has taken the blow of so many viruses, natural and man-made calamities, yet over the time it always recovers and establishes itself again with a bang.

So, it’s very much probable that one day he and his family again will march back to the city in search of their previous lives.

Leela fired the stove with a matchstick. The twigs crackled with an orange glow.

“If you say so…”, he said.

 

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