Life at the Chowk

Summer was at its peak, and the effect it was producing was strengthening the presence of the strong red ball floating in the sky. Sun rays were flickering on the surface of the body giving a feeling of burning sensation. Perspiration streaming from the body never let you feel that you had shower few minutes ago. Hundreds of mason's were standing on the chowk near the traffic signal. Shyama was also standing there, waiting for someone to hire him for the construction job of sites/buildings. His pale green eyes were rolling 180 degrees from left to right and then left with the hope of arranging food and education for his children Rewa and Pankaj. Rewa was 5 years old, a very innocent gal, having sharp features. Pankaj was 8 years old sincere boy.

Shyama  got married to Sandhya 10 years ago. Shyama's income was not a steady one, it was daily wages indeed as he was working as a labor on the constructions sites. Once the construction had got over he again had become unemployed, and then again had started the search for the job on the same traffic signal. He was not educated and the only thing he had inherited from his father was the skill of working at the construction sites.One day when his dad was on his death bed and their family didn't have money to arrange for the medicines, so he left the school and started working at the construction site in place of his dad. With years of working, he started enjoying his job and had got perfection in that.

Sandhya was a beautiful lady, a serene smile always lingers on her face. Seeing her innocent face Shayama forgot all the worries of the world. She was always there with him through his thick and thin. Her support made the difficult phases of his life a easier one to handle. After a year of their marriage she also had started working in her neighbor's home as a maid as She had seen his husband struggling for work.  

It was 1.30 in the noon, beads of perspiration drizzling down from his head. Tension and the worry about tomorrow was making his mind swirl. Suddenly a white car stopped near him. Shyama was constantly looking at the grey glasses of the car, slowly it was sliding down and a man about 40 years in age wearing black RayBan glasses popped out of the window and spat near the legs of Shyama.

"What's your name?" Man asked him.

"Shyama!, Sir ji" . He replied with a hope in his tiring eyes.

"There is some work at my new house, we need a man for the same. Will you do it?" Man asked him

"Yes Sir ji, I will come to work for your new house." He replied

"Okay, this is the address, come there by 2:00 PM", Man handed him a crumbled piece of paper having something written on it.

"Yes Sir ji." He said with a happiness that was showering with every word he released.

Before, Shyama used to work for sky scrappers and once when he was working at the 12th floor of the building, he lost his balance and fell down and then stuck up on the 5th floor because of the steel frames,  which was coming out of the walls of the building. After many days of medications, rest and sandhya's care he got well. Doctor had advised him to join some other job as his back was still weak and it might not be fit as it used to be earlier. He tried to search for the other jobs as well, some other kind of work, but luck and days of unemployment and the years of savings which was spent on him for this accident had forced him to join his old job. Sandhya understood and respected his husband's decision.

He reached at the mentioned address. Man showed him the work that he needed to do, it was to give the final touch to the house. When he had had the complete instructions of what he needed to accomplish and in what timeline, clock was tickling and showing the time as 3:00 PM. Shyama promised the man to complete the work during those timeline. He always had completed the work on time, no matter what happened. For him his words and the promise he gives to people matters most. Finally he had got the job for some days that made him happy for a while.

Rewa and Pankaj went to the government school near to their home. They had strict instructions to study hard. Shyama and Sandhya wanted to give their children the best education they could afford, as they both wanted to go to school and study, but the circumstances didn't allow them to fulfill their dream, now they were reliving their childhood in the form of their children. Pankaj being the elder brother took care of his little sister in absence of their parents.

Next day Shyama reached quite early for the work, while working he felt a severe pain in his head and fell down on the ground, no one was around him to take him to the hospital and within a minute he was dead. In the evening when the man had come to his house he saw Shyama lying on the ground, he asked him to get up, but Shyama didn't respond, with anger in his eyes man went to shook him furiously then he felt the coldness of Shyama's body and then took him to doctor and informed police as well. 

Man then went to the same traffic signal where he found Shyama, and asked people over there, if they knew about his family. He then went to Shyama's house. As soon as the man released the words about Shyama's death, Sandhya was thinking to hold each word and put it back, she hoped that man must be lying, but he wasn't. When she saw his dead body she felt that he would get up and ask her to give tea, but he didn't get up, he didn't say anything as he was in a long sleep.

Years later in the hot summer, a mason with his group was standing on the same chowk. He din't have food since 2 days because of the unemployment that was there for more than a week. He fainted and was taken to the nearest hospital, the doctor saw the mason and tears rolled in his eyes remembering his father was once at the same place as the man was. 

PS: This post is being written for those people whom I see daily, standing on the chowk which I cross while going to my office.