Itni Hi To Baat Hai

Complex Circles

About 3 decades back a revered uncle of mine handed me two books. The first one was named Mrityunjaya by Shivaji Sawant and the second? was a compilation of stories by Bhojpuri playwright?Bhikhari Thakur. My father had passed away in January 1997, so Sawant's book helped me survive that phase. I often wondered why the, "Folk Tales of Bihar"?. Time passed and one summer I went through this beautiful compilation of "Thakur Da's stories, a creditable effort by the Bihar Sahitya Academy.?

Backdrop

I have a gig worker who hails from Madhubani. Though illiterate, some of life's mysteries and immensely?gifted works of Art have been introduced to me through him. I had never heard of Vidyapati ji, or Magh or even Bhasa, till this boy started narrating their works to me. Curiosity led me to seek more about these authors and? when I did, I found life would have been a total waste had I never read them in this life.?

The name Bhikhari Thakur, made me reminisce of a superhit movie named "Aashirwad". This movie won the National Award and numerous Filmfare awards, while being, possibly, the biggest box office success for that virtuous thespian Ashok Kumar. That story is set in Bengal, where Ashok Kumar plays a house husband to his Zamindar wife. For his kindness to the poor, people begin to call him "Jogi Thakur". He is often at the rough end of his wife's vitriol, for being too charitable to the poor. The reason, 'it is so easy to give away the money earned by others, but so difficult to earn that money to begin with". One day, Jogi Thakur commits a murder while saving a peasants daughter from being raped. He is convicted and given life imprisonment.?

The Jail Superintendent played by Sanjeev Kumar sees this kindly man, and gives him the job of his personal gardener. Meanwhile Jogi's daughter grows up into a fine woman, and she often visits Sanjeev Kumar. They are getting betrothed. One evening Jogi overhears his daughter's disgust for her convicted father. The hope of seeing that daughter as a grown-up woman is what has kept him alive over the years, and it stuns him to find that his very own daughter holds so much malice against him. The Day of the Wedding arrives, and it coincides with Ashok Kumar being released from Jail. In tatters and poor health, he has that one last wish to see his daughter dressed up as a bride. The poor in the village had been invited to the girl's dinner and Jogi dressed as a peasant joins that crowd. As fate would have it Harindernath Chattopadhay, who in real life was Sarojini Naidu's brother, recognises him. He raises the chant of "Jogi Thakur", and soon many people recognise him. Here I will leave the ending for the readers to find.

Present

This gig worker is in late 30's, married with 3 children. The wife inspite of having been in Gurgaon for 6 years still speaks Maithili. I have a pretty hard time getting through to her, and mostly end up leaving work to the wishes of God. The husband is an alcoholic and does not turn in for days post receiving his monthly wages. The two fight a lot and have been at break-up point many times.?

About 4 months back, following one such altercation the wife never went home. There are varying accounts, with some surveillance cameras picking her up leaving the complex in the evening, only to make an entry the next morning. There were some society residents who claim they had seen her during the night, in the complex and had voiced concern about security and so on. Well, the result was that the woman has been barred from re-entry into our complex.

Bhikhari Thakur

India's Shakespeare and Brecht, rolled into one have been among the many accolades that are attributed to Bhikhari Thakur. Born in December 1880, one of his most famous plays, "Gabarghichore" were introduced to the village folks somewhere around 1930. Thakur sahib has been largely credited with the introduction of the folk style of theatre that extensively uses the chaupai mode of conversation. So, an orator could be there in the piece, who acts like the sutradhar or samay, the all scient who sees everything and pervades everything, and yet controls the narrative.

Gabarghichore

This story is often compared with the Brecht opus, "the caucasian white circle". Thakur's play comprises of a cast of 5. Galij, Galij bho, Gadbadi, Gabarghichore and the Panch. It so happens, that in a small village in present day Bihar, Galij gets married. He brings his wife to a house rid with poverty. To seek better times Galij goes to Calcutta as a migrant labourer. While leaving, he promises his wife (Galij Bho) that he would soon return bearing money, jewels and gifts and they will live happily thereafter. But 15 years pass and Galij does not return. While being beautiful the writ of misery casts a large shadow on her face. To survive Galij bho finds work in the Rice and Wheat fields.?

Very close to their house a good for nothing, village vagrant named Gadbadi lives. He daily accosts Galij bho and at one point they make bodily contact. A year later a boy is born, who is named Gabarghichore. A very surreptious name that raises suspicion about his birth lineage. As the child grows up he starts helping his mother and the duo begin to make a decent living. One day, a villager meets Galij in Calcutta and tells him that he has now got a 13 year old son. Galij, pulls a hand cart in Caclutta and what he earns he either gambles or spends on liquor.?

Galij thinks if he could somehow get his son to Calcutta, he could put the child to work and live the rest of his life in ease and comfort. With this in mind he returns to the village. He first meets his wife, who ofcourse is delighted. Matters fall apart when he asks her to let go of Gabarghichore. The wife resents that. The issue blows up and it is decided to take the help of the Panch.?

Now there are three claimants. Galij, Galij's wife and Gadbadi. The Panch first asks the child for his preference, to which he replies he is comfortable with his mother and if his father took both of them he would not mind going to Calcutta. Then comes Galij's turn. He says since the child has been borne by his wife, he is the rightful claimant to the child. "It's like a plant that grew in his courtyard and the branches spread over to the neighbors house. The fruit still belongs to the person who owns the tree".?

Then Gadbadi is asked, and he says, "let us say I found a empty purse on the road. I put 25 annas inside. If after 13 years, when the purse is opened and it has become one rupee, then that rupee belongs to me". The empty purse can thus be returned. Finally, Galij's wife is asked. She says, "the womb was mine and though gadbadi sired the child, for a small drop of life, she cannot pass on the child to another".?

The Panch finds merit in all 3 claims and is sympathetic to the mother. Galij offers a bribe of Rs 200 to the Panch and Gadbadi offers Rs 500 to twist the judgement. Finally, the Panch says, all three have equal rights and hence let us call the Jallad and have the boy cut into 3 pieces. Struck by pain, Galij bho offers to give up her share even as Galij and Gadbadi are smiling. The Panch decides, Gabarghichore ultimately belongs to his mother.

Epilogue

Whether it was Muzzaffar Ali's, "Gaman", or it was Thakur da's Gabarchichore, the mass migration for work, poverty, and associated ills are endemic. The more the time passes, the more life remains a Circle. Some may see it as an incomplete circle, but I only see it as a Complete Circle, a very complex circle. The more things change, the more they remain the same.?

I am sure in the case of my gig worker, the wife will stay for she earns.