SIBLING LOVE

Sankar was a disturbed man that Monday morning. He had arrived at his office as usual on time. Everything he did in his life had to have an order. There was no place for disorder in his life. It was this systematic and sincere work that had raised him to this position, combined with his undying belief in God. For the past 4 years Sankar has been managing the Southern region of his company with efficiency. His company was happy with him and had rewarded him periodically for his work.

He maintained the same kind of order in his house too. His wife, Ranjini, knew his ways and supported him to keep the family in harmony. They had brought up their daughter Sneha in a disciplined manner, but not forgetting to shower her with all their love. Sneha loved and respected her parents. Thanks to their love and their pious ways, the family had not had a discordant note till now. Sneha was now almost 22 years and in her final year of Master’s Degree. She was excellent in studies and never gave any reason for her parents to worry about her future. She was endowed with beauty and brains, with good pleasant manners to match.

The news Sankar heard today disturbed him considerably. He was not worried, but then the fact that Sneha hid something from him, was something he could not digest easily. He had given her enough freedom to confide anything in her parents. She had no reason to fear to divulge anything to either of her parents. But then she had hid something from them. The news had come from his assistant, Joseph, whom he trusted fully.

Joseph was a bachelor at 45 years and lived alone. He had shifted to a new locality three months ago where he had found a quite homely place to have his Sunday breakfast. Though he cooked daily, he enjoyed his Sunday breakfast outside, after his Church service. Joseph was an honest hard-working person and very trust-worthy. Sankar had found him to be quite a valuable asset.

On this particular morning Joseph’s usually smiling face was replaced by a slightly confused serious face. Sankar knew later that the news he conveyed had bothered him.

“I see them every alternative Sunday, right from when I started eating there. She didn’t recognise me. We have just met a couple of times. They are usually there when I reach and are there till I leave. The young man seems quite decent and well-behaved by look”

Sankar had listened quietly.

“I didn’t want to complain or spread rumour, but I thought you should know” Joseph had said quite apologetically. Sankar assured him that what he did was quite right and thanked him for that.

Sneha had no reason to hide her meeting a man. She was old enough and her parents had brought up with enough freedom to choose her own partner. They used to tease her often pairing her with some of the boys she was more close to. She could have informed him and her mother. Why was she hiding this? Why was she not telling them that she had met a man whom she wanted to marry? They would have gladly met the man and advised Sneha accordingly. She had no reason to fear and she knew that her parents would advise her well. Then why this secrecy about meeting a man. Sankar decided to investigate the matter. He wanted to be sure before confronting his daughter. He had no doubts about his daughter, but he wanted her to know that there was no need to hide anything from her parents.

The wait till the next Sunday was painful for Sankar. And he didn’t know if Sneha was meeting him that day. Sneha was usually out on Sundays from morning till evening visiting her friends and spending time at the mall or in some restaurant. As usual she left the house that Sunday morning too. During the week Sankar had observed her and found nothing out of the ordinary. She had been the same laughing, chatting, friendly, loving girl that he loved so much.

The restaurant was on the ground floor of a popular mall and had a window that faced the road. Sankar found a good coffee shop in the opposite building on the first floor from where he had a good vantage point. He waited for her to arrive. His wife had wondered where he was going on a Sunday when he usually enjoyed a lazy day with her. He mumbled some answer to her question which he knew she had not believed. He will explain later once he was back.

He saw her walking into the restaurant with a man. Sankar could not make out his age correctly but assumed it must be a couple of years more than his daughter's. He had a good face, with well groomed hair and a nice thick moustache. Sankar himself grew his moustache thick and favoured that in men. He didn’t like the clean shaven look that most youngsters nowadays seem to like. The man was dressed in jeans and T-shirt, much the same way as Sneha. They both were smiling and talking as they walked in and made themselves comfortable at a corner table. Sankar initial reaction to the man was good and thought he wouldn’t mind him as a match for Sneha provided he was well employed and from a good family. Sankar left soon after having confirmed himself that it was Sneha that Joseph had seen with a man.

Sankar was not concerned, but was angry at Sneha that she should hide such a relationship. After giving her all the freedom and love, she had hidden something from her parents and Sankar didn’t like that. He was a firm believer of honesty in any relationship. His own relationship with his wife and daughter was firmly based on openness and frankness. Sankar decided that he should talk to Sneha about this and make her know his displeasure. He discussed this with Ranjini and they decided to talk to Sneha the same evening.

As they sat for dinner around the table, Sankar cleared his thoughts and looked at Sneha.

 “I saw you with a man today at the restaurant” he said looking at his daughter.

Sneha’s hand stopped midway from the plate to her mouth. She slowly dropped the piece of dosa on the plate and looked at her father. It was not something she expected to hear. Taking her time to form a reply she asked “Were you tailing me?” There was a hint of anger in her voice. That was not something that she expected from her father. She knew very well that her father stayed home on Sundays and if he had gone out, it was only to tail her.

“Yes. My assistant Joseph says he sees you on most Sundays with that man at the hotel. If there is something between the two of you, you could very well have told us. You need not meet him secretly. He seems to be a good enough man, and you know we won’t object to anything without giving you a fair hearing” Sankar finished in one breath and looked accusingly at his daughter. Sneha saw anger in his eyes.

“He is not my lover” the words came out loud and both parents saw anger in her face and eyes. Sneha was known to fight back to anyone, even her father, if she was not on the wrong side.

“Then who is he? Why are you meeting him secretly? Why not tell us and go? Why do you want others to inform us of your clandestine meeting with some young man?” Sankar was equally angry.

Sneha looked at her father for a few seconds. She looked like she was deciding how to construct her reply.

“He is your son” She said hotly “The one we never knew existed. The brother who I never knew existed. The result of your earlier marriage with one Sunanda”

Sneha was angry beside herself. She looked at her father with open anger. The thought, that her dear father, who preached and supposedly practised honesty, had hidden this from her and her mother, had made her so angry. The anger that she had hidden for so many days, on the request of her step-brother, had come out in full force.

Her parents looked at her calmly. Her father’s anger suddenly seemed to have melted. There was even a smile on her mother’s face.

“Your mother knows” Sankar said calmly, looking at Sneha. He was partly ashamed at having doubted his daughter of some secret relationship. He was party also pained at the thought that his daughter had come to know of this through some other source.

Sneha looked at her mother who smiled and replied “I knew it before marriage. She was not a woman who your father could live with. Her ways were different and was not suited for the kind of married life your father wanted. Neither did she want to spend her life with a man who refused to allow her all her whims and fancies. They divorced on mutual consent.”

Sneha did not know whether to be surprised or shocked. But she was happy. She was happy that the image of her father in her mind had not been tainted. She was happy that the whole affair was accepted by her mother and that her father had been honest enough to tell her everything before their marriage.

“Yes I know about her” Sneha said as soon as she had recovered by her mixed feelings.

“Even now she is not with Rajesh. She left him with her parents when he was just 10 and is living with someone at Mumbai. Even he doesn’t know where she is. He used to hate her a lot earlier, but now he has purged the hatred out of his system. But why didn’t you tell me anything about this?” She completed her speech with this question, though she was proud of her mother for hiding this from her, thereby not tarnishing the image of her father in his daughter’s mind.

“There was no need for you to know. We never thought that my son, who I never saw, but knew of, would ever cross our path. But then how did you meet and how did you both find each other and knew that you were siblings” Sankar wanted to know. He wanted to know whether his son was contacting his daughter with some ulterior motive.

Rajesh had become Sneha’s friend in Facebook through some common friend of a friend. He had liked this smiling, bright girl and had browsed through her photos. He had been shocked to see the photo of the father and daughter. He knew that the face of the man was the same as that was on photo he had with him – the only photo of his mother with his father. There was not much difference though the man had aged gracefully. As soon as he saw the name he was sure. He had knows his father’s name through his grandparents. They were always full of praise for his father. He was happy at seeing his father and wanted to know him and talk with him. But more than that he had wanted to meet and know his lovely little sister. He had started liking her from her various posts and comments. She had an intelligence and maturity beyond her age and he liked that very much. He was thankful that he had not gone ahead thinking of her in a different way. He was glad that he had bothered to see her photos.

Rajesh then started communicating with his sister first through comments on her posts and then through chat. He had made it clear that their friendship was just that and nothing more. It was just 6 months back that he had taken a job in Chennai. He knew that it was more to be nearer to his father and sister, than for any other reason. He hoped that at least once he will be able to meet the man, who he had never had the opportunity to know or be loved by. He knew his mother’s ways from his grandparents and had hated her from the beginning. She had never been there when he wanted. But later the hatred had turned to indifference.  He tried not to think about her as much as possible.

After he had settled in Chennai he had requested to meet with Sneha, which she agreed readily. She liked this serious looking man, so different from others in that he had made it clear that it was just a friendship, whereas most others almost always tried to get closer to her with intent of making her their lover or in some cases tried sex chats with her. They had met at the same restaurant on a lovely bright Sunday morning. She remembered that she had told her parents that she was meeting on of her online friends. They had never taken it to be anything serious and forgotten about it.

He had dropped the bomb at the first meeting, but made it clear that he had no intention of her shocking her or shaming her father. All he wanted was to be treated as a brother, as family. She had seen the brotherly love in his eyes and all her apprehensions had vanished. They had continued to meet and he had showered her with brotherly affection and even sometimes admonished her on some of her habits. She loved this loving elder brother who had appeared out of nowhere. She had told him what a nice man their father was and what a happy loving family they had. Hearing that he had refused to come to their house or meet his father. He insisted he didn’t want to upset their happy family. He said he was happy to get the whole family’s love through her. She had cried hard on that day, not just there at the restaurant but also at home, at night in her bed, thinking of her dear brother who could not get a share of the love her parents showered on her.

Sankar didn’t know how to react after hearing the whole story from Sneha. He struggled to control his feelings. He was afraid he might cry. He couldn’t look at his daughter.

“Bring him home. Tell him his father wants to see him” Sneha looked at her mother in surprise when she heard Ranjini say this. Ranjini knew that this was what her husband wanted but was scared to voice his wish.

Sankar looked at his wife with gratitude and love. Sneha got up from her seat, walked to her father and sat on his lap, as she did as a little girl and as she even now does when her love for her father over-whelmed her.

“I am sorry to have doubted you, my baby” Sankar said, the words coming out in short spurts as his throat choked with emotion.

“I am sorry too, papa. I should never have doubted that you would have cheated mummy”

There were tears flowing down three pairs of cheeks – tears of love and happiness.

THE LIE

“So it was all a big lie” Said Janaki as she stared at her three brothers sitting opposite her in the big sofa along the wall “All of you were together in making me believe all that. I never thought my own brothers will lie to me like this”

The brothers could not meet her eyes. Their only sister, who had brought them up since their mother’s death, was correct in what she was saying. They had all conspired together in this and now felt ashamed at what they did. But then the situation had demanded what they did and she herself was not exactly without blame.

“The situation was like that. We had to do it then, but we meant no harm to you”. The eldest of the brothers, Mahadevan, tried to explain. He was the only one who would dare to answer her. He was also her favourite.

“I never thought you would also do this to me” Janaki said bitterly “I can understand the other two behaving like this, but you........” She left the sentence midway and left the room. The brothers were clueless how to make her understand and erase the bitter feelings. They respected her for what she had done for them. But then they could not accept her faults when it started affecting their lives.

While the brothers sat there wondering how to pacify her, Janak herself was deep in thoughts. Her face reflected the peculiar situation she had got herself into. How was she going to get out of this? What will Prema, her daughter think if she knew this? The shame that will fall upon them will be too much to bear. How will they face others after this? Was there a way out of this? Who can they turn for help? She felt as if the ground under her feet was slipping away. She held the wall for support and closed her eyes. But this was not the time to despair. She had to get out of the tight situation which she herself had brought upon herself. Will the brothers do something to help her and her daughter? Probably not, considering the fact they have become bold enough to lie to her and think they could get away with it. They were no more her little brothers who could be made to do her wish. She wondered when and how they have turned this way. She wondered if the love for their wives had ultimately made them go against her wishes and commands. She pushed away these thoughts and started thinking how she could get out of the situation and that too without her daughter knowing any of it.

The silence in the house was palpable. All lost in their own thoughts. The brothers were glad that their sister was busy in the kitchen. It will give her time to cool down a bit. It will also give them time to relax a bit before they began to tell their side of the story. This is also the time for readers to know a bit of background.

Janaki was the first born to her mother Krishnaveni and father Venkatraman. Her mother was hardly 20 when Janaki was born. The parents’ wish to have a son was unanswered for up to 12 years after which the first boy of the family was born. The next two had come in quick succession with a gap of just over a year between them. Venkatraman was not a believer in planning the family and accepted all the children that God chose to bless him with. Krishnaveni’s poor health had put a stop to that. When the youngest son Shankar, was just two years Krishnaveni had left the mortal world. Venkatraman was badly shattered at the loss of his wife and could put his mind to nothing more than his work and his daily chores. The kids were left to the care of Janaki who was just past 15.

Though the cooking was done by an elderly lady who had come to live in their house when she was widowed, the care of the kids was left to Janaki. Though the work was tiring she enjoyed looking after her brothers. Janaki also learned to look after the finances of the house with Venkatraman hardly bothering about anything much. Janaki saw to it that the children did not feel the absence of their mother and took great care in keeping the house a happy one. But she had to pay a costly price for this. Her own education was stopped at the pre-University level and she began a full time home maker. She made sure the boys went to school regularly and studied well. She ensured that they led a happy life with whatever money they got from the father’s salary. As the needs of the family grew it became necessary for Janaki to plan their finances well and also to save something for the future. She did this extremely well without letting the others know any kind of hardship. However she was very strict in spending and avoided any kind of expenses on luxuries. She also admonished her brothers when they expressed their desire to buy any fancy item. All expenses were restricted to only those items that were necessary.

Though he was not involved in the daily affairs of the house, Venkatraman did not forget that his daughter was growing up and needed to be married off. Finding a suitable match he got Janaki married off at the age of 22. The job of looking after the kids was still left to her and she and her husband stayed in her house for this convenience. However Janaki’s married life was short-lived as her husband died in an accident within a year of their marriage. However he left behind a daughter for Janaki as mark of their wedded life. Janaki’s bereavement left her sad and shattered, but the duty of looking after her brothers and her own daughter made her carry on with life as usual. However she had become more worried about hers and her daughter’s future. This made her more calculative and even a bit cunning and selfish. When the first brother started working, she ensured that he handed over the salary to her and she continued to control the finances of the house. This continued even when the other brothers started working. However the brothers didn’t feel anything out of ordinary about it as she had always handled the finances. As they had grown up in difficult financial circumstances none of them acquired any bad habits and hence didn’t find much need for money of their own. Janaki saw to it that they were given enough money to keep them happy and without complaints. However without their knowledge she had started saving for herself.

The first pothole in the smooth journey came when Mahadevan was to get married. Janaki insisted on finding the match herself and also that they need to demand a good dowry, as he was well employed. The brothers were not happy with this, however they were averse to making a big issue of this. Their love, affection and respect for Janaki was too strong for them to object to her demands. The matter was resolved smoothly when the alliance turned out to be good and Mahadevan’s wife was very loving towards his sister. Janaki was happy at getting a good dowry as money and gold. She insisted on keeping the gold in her custody and money in her account. Mahadevan convinced his wife not to make this an issue. However as days went Mahadevan’s wife disliked the kind of control Janaki exerted on the finances of the house. It was not too long before the couple left to live separately. Janaki expressed her anger and bitterness quite vociferously, but however cooled down after Mahadevan promised to give a share for the house’s expenses.

Krishnan, the second one was not however so quite about accepting his sister’s total control. He made his displeasure known but however accepted the alliance which Janaki arranged for him and accepted the dowry demands. But he insisted he keep the money and gold received from his wife’s house and moved out as soon as the wedding was over. Janaki’s expressions were more vociferous and angry.

Things were smooth after all the heated exchanges. But the disturbances in the family and old age had taken a toll on Venkatraman’s health. He passed away peacefully in sleep. The whole family united in the sorrow and it was a time when all differences were forgotten. Though a man not given to verbal expressions of love, Venkatraman dearly loved his children and they all knew it. The functions for the departed were done elaborately with the active participation of both daughter-in-laws of the house. It seemed that the death of her father had mellowed down Janaki considerably and her attitude towards the bothers and the two sister-in-laws looked quite loving and affectionate.

Janaki’s daughter Priya had by now become a beautiful young woman. Her looks were sure to turn a man’s head. She was also good in studies and had got an admission to study medicine. Janaki was overjoyed with this. However the admission itself needed a big amount of money and added to it were the educational fees. She was averse to asking assistance from the elder two brothers knowing only too well that they will discuss with their wives who may not necessarily agree. She knew that Mahadevan’s wife was not still happy with her keeping the jewels. Janaki requested the youngest brother for assistance and he willingly agreed to chip in for the fees.

Janaki still remembered how Shankar’s marriage had shaped up. The alliance had come though their uncle, their mother’s brother, who was in Tiruchy. He had visited their house in Kochi to finalise the alliance. The whole scene was fresh in the minds of Janaki.

“The girl is very beautiful” Said Sitaraman showing a colour photo of the girl. Janaki saw a very beautiful modern girl. She would have preferred the girl to have been wearing a saree at least for the photo which they circulate while seeking alliance. But then these days girls prefer to wear a salwar suit which is more convenient for their daily life.

The girl, her uncle said, was working in Chennai but could get a job here in Kochi easily. Her parents lived in Tiruchy with her father’s father. Her father had a job in some private company.

Hearing this Janaki wondered about their financial status. She was intent on taking a good amount as dowry, knowing very well that her own daughter’s future has to be secured. A man who was working in a private company in Tiruchy living with his father didn’t sound too rich. She voiced her concern.

“Ohh they are a very rich family. They are ancestrally rich and the girl’s grandfather has a lot of property in Tiruchi. There are only two sons to divide all the wealth. Only thing it will come to them only after his death. He doesn’t want to do the partition now and see his sons go their different ways. Hence the arrangement” Janaki’s uncle explained.

“But what will they pay as dowry during the wedding?” Janaki wanted to make things clear.

“That is the problem” Started her uncle slowly “They won’t pay anything during the wedding. Of course the wedding will be done well and there is already some jewels made for the girl. But they don’t have the cash because they have spent on her studies. But when the property is partitioned they will sell that and pay the dowry”

“But how long will we have to wait for this?” Janaki regretted as soon as the words had come out of her mouth. It was not the right thing to ask. But then her own daughter will complete the course in three years and she has to arrange for her marriage. She will have to make a good alliance, preferably someone abroad, for her daughter.

The discussion had continued and at last Janaki was convinced to accept the alliance, though she wondered why she cannot look for other alliances. Being the eldest in her father’s family, Sitaraman was able to convince her, saying that he knew the family well and it was a good match for Shankar.

The marriage had taken place in Tiruchy in a fairly good manner. The girl’s parents and relatives had treated her well and kept her in good humour. The marriage went off well without any unpleasant incidents. Janaki, however, wasn’t very pleased with the amount of jewellery the girl wore.

Three years had gone since that marriage. Shankar’s family had a new member in the form of a beautiful baby boy. In the three years the brothers and sister had maintained a cordial relationship. However the sister’s demands for money from the brothers were increasing daily which made the brothers feel that maybe their sister is taking a payback for all the love and care she had given them. The meetings had become less frequent and more formal. The wives too started showing their dislike by refusing to accompany the brothers in most of their visits to the sister’s house. This however doesn’t seem to bother the sister much.

As the brothers waited for Janaki to return and continue the discussion, Janaki had recovered from the shock of what she had heard. She recalled the day’s chain of events.

Janaki had summoned the brothers for today’s meeting. The brothers guessed that there must be some new demand for money. But there were totally unprepared for the amount that she demanded.

“Why do you need ten lakhs?” Mahadevan had asked as soon as Janaki had mentioned the amount she wanted. The brothers were shocked. It was a huge amount for any middle class family.

“Where can we go for such a huge amount?” asked Krishnan “I have pledged my wife’s jewellery to raise money for the dowry for Prema. As it is the loan on the house is a big strain on our finances”

Janaki’s daughter Prema’s marriage has been fixed with a doctor. Their dowry demands had been quite high and the brothers found it totally unacceptable. However the brothers managed to raise the money and had given to Janaki, thinking of the good future of their niece.

“Already I have availed a loan and still the marriage expenses are yet to come” said Shankar the youngest one, who was the boldest when it came to arguing with the sister. “Where can we go now for such a huge amount? You still have not told us why you need such a big amount.”

“Actually it is for the boy” Janaki said slowly. She knew it was an unfair demand from the boy’s side. But she had acquiesced to it thinking that it will only improve her own daughter’s status in the society. “They want to send him abroad for a higher education course” she explained. Considering the high demand she felt compelled to elaborate. “It is for six months and after passing the exam he will get a higher degree which will help him get better salaries here”.

She waited for the brothers to absorb the explanation and react.

“But where will we raise this money from?” Shankar was the first to speak

“What about your wife’s inheritance from her grandfather” Janaki asked seizing the opportunity. She had not wanted to say this thought this had always been in her mind. She remembered that the inheritance could get Shankar’s wife up to 20 lakh rupees. She had calculated this amount while promising the boy’s family that they could pay for his education.

The brothers looked at each other. There was shock in their faces. They had never thought that a situation will come when their lie will be exposed. They looked at each other and then looked away wondering how to break the truth to their sister. They had all been together in fostering the lie, though it was conveyed to Janaki by their uncle, on their request. They had used the uncle to convey the lie as they knew he was the best person to convince Janaki. He had agreed to the deed because of his love for the nephews.

“There is no such inheritance”. Shankar said summoning up his courage. He felt it was his duty to break the news to Janaki as the whole conspiracy was for his sake. He waited for the news to sink in.

“What do you mean there is no such inheritance”? Janaki demanded angrily. She was shocked. She felt the whole place spin. Her eyes clouded and she thought she was going to faint. She gripped the armrest of the sofa for support. She stared at Shankar in disbelief. Her mind was numb. There was total blankness. This was not an answer she had expected even in her dreams. She had expected resistance from her brothers. But this was like a sudden blow out of the blue. Her whole world seemed to crumble. Her daughter future was at stake and now her brother was dropping such a big bomb. She didn’t know what to say. She waited for Shankar to continue.

Shankar had not expected Janaki to respond with so much anger, though he could understand her position. It was her daughter’s life that was at stake. Now that she had promised the boy’s parents, not meeting the demand would only result in the marriage being cancelled. Even if the marriage happened Prema will be treated very badly at her husband’s house, knowing very well the family’s greed for money. Shankar looked at Mahadevan for help.

“There was never any inheritance in the first place” Mahadevan volunteered realizing very well that the time had come to tell the truth.

Janaki was horrified at the way her brothers had constructed a story about an inheritance to convince her to accept the girl as Shankar’s wife.

Shankar had fallen in love with the girl when he had been at a training program in Chennai. She worked in the same company and both had found each other pleasant to be with. The relationship had continued even after Shankar came back and bloomed into a romance. Both of them like each other and felt that they could be partners for life. The main obstacle was that the girl belonged to a lower middle class family with just enough money to get her married. Knowing very well Janaki would demand a huge dowry Shankar had consulted his brothers as to how they could convince their sister to agree for the marriage. The result had been the big lie about an inheritance she would get. This would take care of the immediate problem of dowry. They had requested their uncle, who incidentally lived in the same city as the girl’s parents and also knew them from various functions at the temple. He had vouched for the family’s good standing and agreed to help them.

Janaki had felt ashamed that it was due to her greed for money that her brother had lied to her and to hide this she had launched into a tirade against them and walked into the kitchen. Now as she started back to the living room to meet the brothers, she realized that she was equally to blame for how her brothers had behaved. But her mind soon went to the immediate problem of how to convince the boy’s parents.

“We will have to tell them we can’t pay this amount” she said with a sigh “Maybe they will cancel the wedding. But there doesn’t seem to be a way out. I made the mistake of believing whatever you told me and trusting that you will come to my aid” she finished looking at the brothers accusatorily.

In her absence her brothers had discussed and decided that they have to come to Janaki’s help as it concerned their niece’s life, and they all love her as their own dear daughter. They all agreed that the amount could be raised if they pledged Mahadevan’s house and some jewellery belonging to Krishnan’s wife. Shankar was deeply saddened that he could help them in no way. The brothers consoled him.

“No need to tell them. We will raise the money”. Krishnan said.

Janaki looked at them with disbelief. Relief washed over her. She felt as if colour had returned to her world.

“How?” she asked softly

“We will manage that. Just give us a week” said Mahadevan

“Thank you” she said, the gratitude showing on her face and her voice.

Mahadevan looked at his sister.

“Now you understand how much difficulty a girl’s parents are put to, when there is such unreasonable demands for dowry”

Janaki knew that Mahadevan’s words are aimed at her. She bowed her head in shame. Tears flowed down her cheeks. Words refused to come out of her mouth.