Shattered Dreams!

Those were my childhood days. I was born and brought up in a remote village Reddiahpalem located on banks of river Godavari in East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh. My father was an elementary school teacher. That elementary school was the only school in our village. Around 150 houses in total and all were hut like things except our Karanam Simhadri naidu gari bungalow. Very rich and commanding person in our village. Whenever he comes in any street, every one used to stand up and wish him politely. This is only back drop of my story. Main story is different from what you are thinking. It starts now.

In our school Karanam’s son Seshadri Naidu also a student and that too he was my class mate. He was medium in color but has got wonderful features. He comes to school with well pressed dress, shining shoes, a gold chain and two gold finger rings. As our parents respected his father, we respected Seshu (Seshadri Naidu). We all eagerly waited to play with Seshu. No need to tell you how I looked like at that age. I was very thin, pale personality. My dress represented status of elementary school teacher. We used to buy one new dress per year. All other schoolmates, except Seshu, were also of similar or less to my status. Seshu always preferred to take me into his group for playing. Reason may be I was school teacher’s daughter. After every festival he used to bring lots of home made sweets and distributed to all classmates, for me one sweet extra.

Slowly we grew up to high school level. Every day used to go to high school in the near by big village. To reach that school we used to walk for 5 Kms on one way. Seshu used to come in a well decorated bullock cart. Some times he gave me a chance to travel with him. Even though I played with him, traveled in his bullock cart, I was afraid of speaking freely with him. Reason may be he was Karanam’s son. But teenage brought some changes in me, unknowingly started liking him. He became my dream hero.

To my bad luck, my father got transfer to Hyderabad and settled and retired here. We never visited that village again. But Seshu was in my thoughts always. Several times I felt Seshu hugging me and kissing me. After completing Engineering in electronics and communications engineering I got married to Ram, a software engineer working in US. After marriage I became resident of US and became mother of two college going kids. But in all these years I never forgot Seshu. He turned to my romantic hero Sashank and played several duets with me in my articles which got very good appreciation from readers.

In these 20 years stay in US, I came to India hardly for 4 times, every time with my family members and with very busy schedule of roaming India and visiting all relatives and temples. This time I alone came India to attend the marriage function of my elder sister’s daughter. Ram was busy with meetings and children were busy with their exams. After marriage was over, I visited all relatives as usual. Then found some leisure time. In that time my unsuppressed desire of seeing Seshu once came out and provoked me to visit that village again.

When I mentioned the name of Reddiahpalem, my sister said our father’s friend cum co-teacher Narayana Rao Master is still there. In that way I prepared my sister to accompany me to that village. Visiting that village after 30 years, I experienced lot of excitement. But to my surprise that village was still in the same poor state, may be my very advanced US life didn’t allow me appreciate the changes. Only changes I observed were huts turning to concrete houses, and concrete roads formed with bus facility. 

Got down the bus and started walking into the village, here and there asking. On the way we stopped at a tea stall to take tea with a plan was to enquire the address of Narayana Rao master’s residence. While sipping tea, my sister began the discussion with the tea shop owner and announced who we are. Some old people recognized us and recollected those olden days. Young boys looked at us with curiosity. While this discussion was going on, we heard shouts. Looked in that direction.

There was small crowd. People were shouting at a middle aged man. He was very dark, with pot belly and bald head. It seems due to heavy drinking habit, his face was swollen with blood red eyes. He was not silent. He was making nuisance by calling every one with unbearable vulgar language. His teeth were also red, may be he chews pan regularly. Unable to stand up straight, his clothes were very dirty. First time I observed how alcohol ruins a person. I got irritation to look at that person. Meanwhile my sister asked others who that person is. What they said shattered all my dreams. 

They said he is Seshadri Naidu. They said “he didn’t complete schooling. Didn’t learn how to work and earn money. Just enjoyed the money earned by his father and addicted to all bad habits in this world. After his father’s death he spent ancestors’ properties just like water and turned to this state. His wife works in a mill and feeds this dirty rogue.” After hearing all these words a tear dropped from my eye indicating the pain in my heart over shattered dreams on my romantic hero Sashank alias Seshu alias Seshadri Naidu. Not knowing what is happening in me, my sister felt that I was frightened by that sight of quarrelling and took me away from that place. 

Sneha

Tags: sneha1967, dreams, reality

58 Comment(s)  |  Share   |  Permalink [?]  |  Digg!

Post Rating: [ Votes: 9 ]    Saved