Many things were tried but Vipin’s face did not come back to its normal shape. The left side of his face had twisted so much that the sight of it was frightening. However, his limbs had gained enough strength to enable him to walk about a little. Asha had vowed to propitiate the Goddess during her husband’s illness. Today it was the occasion to fulfil that promise. The women from the entire mohalla had come dressed up for the ceremony. There was a lot of singing and celebration.
A woman asked, ‘Asha, now you must not like his face at all?’
‘I find it more attractive than earlier,’ Asha replied solemnly.
‘Oh come on, are you kidding?’
‘No, sister, I am speaking the truth. I got his soul in place of his good looks, which is far more precious.’
Vipin was sitting in a room. Many of his friends had gathered there. They were playing cards.
There was a window in the room that opened into the veranda. The window had been closed at first but a friend of his now opened it quietly. Peeping through the window, he said to Vipin, ‘Today beautiful fairies have gathered in your house.’
‘Close the window,’ Vipin said.
‘Ah! Just look at these beautiful faces. Who is the most beautiful among them according to you?’
Vipin glanced around cursorily and replied, ‘For me the one who is decorating flowers on the thali is the most beautiful.’
‘What has happened to your eyes? Have they too become disfigured along with your looks? For me she is the ugliest.’
‘That is because you are looking at her face; I see the beautiful soul beneath it.’
‘Oh, is she Mrs Vipin?’
‘Yes, she is a Goddess.’
Translated from the Hindi by Shaifta Ayoub
A Hired Pony1
Two young men were walking hand in hand in the playing field of Agra College one evening. One of them was named Yashwant, while the other one was Ramesh. Yashwant was tall and of a sturdy build. There was an unusual glow on his face that spoke of a life of moderation and good health. Ramesh was a man of short stature with a lean body. He was spiritless and infirm. There was an argument going on between them.
Yashwant said, ‘I consider wealth to be worthless before the spirit.’
Ramesh replied, ‘Oh, that’s wonderful.’
‘Yes, you just wait and see. I know you are making a jibe at me but I’ll show you how insignificant wealth is for me.’
‘Well then, you can prove it to me later. I don’t consider riches to be insignificant. I’ve been studying books since the last fifteen years for the sake of wealth. I’ve also been staying here, away from my parents, brothers and relatives for the same purpose. Who knows how many doors I will have to knock on and how many people I will have to flatter? Won’t it involve a degradation of the spirit? I can’t adhere to such high ideals. If I get a considerable bribe in a lawsuit here, then perhaps I won’t be able to resist it. Would you let such a chance slip through your fingers?’
‘I won’t even look at it and I’m sure you’re not as mean as you pretend to be.’
‘I assure you, I’m meaner than I’m ready to confess.’
‘I can’t believe that you’ll be able to harm anyone out of self-interest.’
‘Brother, only ascetics can subsist on ideals in this world, I cannot. I believe that if I can win a bet by pushing you, then I’ll surely throw you to the ground. And if you don’t mind, then I’ll say that you too will knock me down in such a situation. It’s difficult to sacrifice self-interest.’
‘Then I’ll say that you are a hired pony.’
‘And I’ll say that you’re a blockhead.’2
Yashwant and Ramesh had enrolled themselves together in school and had also passed out together from college with their respective diplomas. Yashwant was a bit slow-witted but he was hard-working. Whatever work he took on, he stuck to it and wouldn’t rest before completing it. Ramesh was intelligent but lazy. Even an hour of concentrated effort was difficult for him. Till his MA, he had always been ahead, while Yashwant lagged behind. Intellect prevailed over diligence. But, the equation reversed in the civil services exam. Yashwant left all other activities and concentrated on his studies with full vigour. He turned his face away from the usual entertainment. He didn’t go wandering around, didn’t visit the circus or the theatre with his friends, and confined himself in his room. Ramesh chatted away with his friends and played cricket. Occasionally, he would open his books, for a change. He was fairly confident that he’d do better than his friends this time too. He’d often go and tease Yashwant. He’d close Yashwant’s books and exhort him not to risk his life studying. Civil service was not the ultimate objective in life—so there was no need to sever all connections with the world. If Yashwant saw Ramesh coming from a distance, he’d close the door.
Finally, the day of the exam arrived. Yashwant had read everything, but when he tried to think about how to answer a specific question, it seemed to him that he’d forgotten everything. He was in a state of panic. Ramesh was not accustomed to making preparations beforehand. I’ll see when the question paper is before me, he thought. He was full of confidence and had no worry at all.
The results of the exam came out. The slow-moving tortoise won over the fast-running hare.
Now Ramesh’s eyes opened but he didn’t despair. He was confident that for a worthy person like him fame and wealth were bound to come, sooner or later. He started preparing for the law exam and although he didn’t work too hard, he passed in the first division. Yashwant sent him a congratulatory telegram. He had become a government officer in a district.3
Ten years passed. Yashwant worked very hard and his officers were very happy with him. But, although his officers were
