LOST IN JHELUM

They were very good friends. Village elders frown upon their friendship. Maulvi Basheer's daughter Ayesha and Pundit Sita Ram's daughter Jhelum left their houses to go towards the fields. Maulvi Basheer was a very powerful and respectable Maulvi while pundit Sita Ram was a very poor pundit of the village. Jhelum was dressed in a ragged salwar-kameez and covered her breast with a ragged cotton towel. Ayesha had salwar-kameez made of zari and a string of pearls hung around her neck and wore golden bracelets and silver anklets on her hands and feet. She covered her head in an expensive silk hijab. Ayesha had gold nose- pin and earlobes whereas Jhelum had copper wire for her nose and ears.

The two friends were walking, clinging close each other, holding each other's arm.

They were the example of togetherness.

Jhelum was chewing a pickle.

‘Very tasty', Jhelum twisted her lips and tongue.

‘What?' asked Ayesha.

‘My pickle.' Teased Jhelum.

‘How you got?' irritated Ayesha asked.

Somebody offered in our ‘Shani Temple.' ‘We had vegetable pulao with pickle and chutney.' Jhelum blinked her eyes naughtily and said.

Irritated, strong and well built, Ayesha pulled Jhelum inside the bushes and pinned her down on the ground and rode over her. She hugged her very tightly and took hundreds of kisses all around her body.

After some time Ayesha and Jhelum came out of the bushes.

‘Besharm.' Arranging her ragged clothes Jhelum murmured.

Ayesha again hugged Jhelum tightly and kissed her frantically on her cheeks.

‘Sweet liar! You think I don't know? You did not light your sigri last evening because you had neither grain nor rice.

‘We have mutton kabab and egg biryani' mocked Ayesha, putting her arm around Jhelum's neck.

‘My father told us. You had nothing to eat and you said that you had vegetable pulao with pickle and chutney'. Mocked, Ayesha still holding younger Jhelum in her arms and in between, rubbing her small breasts.

‘You also had nothing to eat last night?' teased Jhelum fluttering in her arm.

‘We didn't have anything to eat last night? You naughty sweet bitch! Who told you this? Last night we had the soup of fish and we ate mutton kabab and egg biryani,' shouted Ayesha.

Her father was the most prominent Maulvi of the village. He used to get loads of offerings from the people. He had gone to attend a meeting to the city and brought the tasty fish and mutton for the dinner.

Peeved, Jhelum moved towards the rice fields. Ayesha followed her, swinging her arm and breasts. In the village, madarsa children started their prayer.

‘Allahu Akbar, Ash hadu an la ilaha illal lah,' the Maulvi recited.

‘Allahu Akbar, Ash hadu an la ilaha illal lah,' recited the children in a chorus at the top of their voice that echoed the village.

Ayesha and Jhelum started, running and playing into the narrow long chasms. Playing their way, they moved ahead. On one side of the chasm was a sweet full grown apple garden.

‘I am joining the madrasa from the next Jumna. That day is a good day for Muslims. The Maulvi asked my father to send me to madrasa and my father gave his consent,' said Ayesha.

‘What is the use of this madrasa education?' asked Jhelum.

‘What is the use? Listen; listen to that, how beautifully they are singing!'

‘Maulviji asked my father too. My father said what use of a madrasa to a pundit daughter.'

‘Yes your father is a pundit, my father is a Maulvi.'

Jhelum became very sad on this and tears rolled down on her cheek.

After some loitering they lay down to rest and slept on the soft grass, their heads were side by side and they were looking two pigeons in one nest folded in each other's wing. Thus lying cheek to cheek and breast to breast with each other, they were sleeping in an embrace.

In the sarkanda bush, a monkey jumped on a tree. On the narrow pathway, some red and yellow flowers dropped. Ayesha took some flowers and inserted them in her hair. Jhelum too picked up some and tucked them in her hair.

Ayesha became very happy and started dancing and hugged little Jhelum.

‘See Ayesha, my roll of hair is like a small pot but your bun is very small and without oil,' she said. Ayesha looked at her.

‘I don't need any decoration.' replied Ayesha. ‘Look at my head, I always use scented oil, and my hair have plenty of oil, but your hair is very dry and no oil in them.

The madrasa children were still howling at the top of their voices, puffing their vocal chords like cycle pumps. Ayesha crooned with them.

‘Allah,' said the madrasa children, chanting the Holy Quran prayer.

‘Allah,' said Ayesha.

‘Allahu Akbar, Ash hadu an la ilaha illal lah,' said the children.

‘Allahu Akbar, Ash hadu an la ilaha illal lah,' repeated Ayesha.

‘You stay here reciting, I must go and collect some dry woods and leaves,' said Jhelum and moved into the forest. Ayesha also followed her.

Jhelum was fourteen years old and Ayesha was around twenty. But Jhelum was hard pressed by her family responsibilities. With a pitcher on her head, she had to go to the lake and fetch water for the family. She had to go to the forests and orchards to collect dry woods and leaves. These responsibilities Jhelum had to carry out regularly.

Jhelum's father Pundit Sita Ram was a priest in a Shani temple which also had a Hindu crematorium nearby. Before terrorism in Kashmir valley, they had enough earning through offerings. But due to Islamic terrorism, all the Hindus fled from the village fearing for their lives. Now they had hardly any earning. Earlier on Saturdays devotees whose wishes were fulfilled used to remove their worn out old clothes and footwear in the Shani temple. This practice used to gave them enough clothes, although old ones.

Likewise, during cremation people used to remove clothes and chaders of dead ones before putting them on funeral fire. This practice also gave them enough clothes. They also used to attend tehervi bhoj of dead ones, leaving them a little better off.

After terrorism, they had to face very tough time. Whenever they tried to work in fields and orchards as labourers, Muslims and Harijans did not allow them to work. They declared that if pundits work in fields and agriculture, they will bring disaster for everybody. They pelted stones on this poor pundit family whenever they tried to work in fields and orchards.

In the fields nearby, bunches of soft anjeers' and figs', pods and flowers hung on the branches. Ayesha pulled down a few branches and plucked few anjeers and started eating. Jhelum was very sad. That day she hadn't had anything to eat or the night before.

‘Oh, God! I am hungry.' She murmured.

‘Don't cry, my dear daughter, there is nothing in the temple to eat.' Crying, her mother comforted her. Seeing her mother's pain Jhelum slipped into bed under the pain of hunger and overtiredness.

Jhelum was the daughter of a pundit; she didn't have the courage to enter the field and pluck fruits and eat. If poor like her commit petty thefts, they will be punished very ruthlessly. If the rich and powerful like Ayesha commit the same theft, they are ignored. All the way, Ayesha kept pulling down the branches and eating the fruit. She had no fear.

‘If the big Khan catches you, he will beat you,' said frustrated Jhelum.

‘Nobody is going to see. Even if anybody sees, nobody can touch me; I am the daughter of Maulana Basheer, head Maulvi of the main mosque.' Said Ayesha, squeezing Jhelum's bony cheeks.

Jhelum's stomach started burning in pain. She was haunted by empty kadhai and cold sigri at home. There was nothing at home. Her father had no work, nor was no one ready to give any job to her father. Nobody was ready even to give a loan to her father as all were sure that he cannot repay. Again she would starve. Jhelum's eyes filled with tears.

The narrow path was filled with the deodar and teak leaves. Jhelum forgot all about hunger and pain. She started picking up leaves and dry twigs and pressed them down in her chader. She has fulfilled her task for the evening fire. The load was heavy but her heart was light. Both the girls turned back home.

Jhelum asked Ayesha to help, lift the load on her head. The load was properly placed on Jhelum's head. Both her hands were holding the load. Seeing this good opportunity, Ayesha lifted the kurta of Jhelum. Helpless Jhelum could not do anything. Ayesha set on her knees and started fondling the little breasts of Jhelum. After few minutes, Ayesha started sucking, Jhelum's breast. Jhelum could not understand all this but she also started enjoying this game. But she remained silent as if urging Ayesha to embrace, kiss and suck the juice of her breasts.

Both girls were busy in this love game. Ayesha was overjoyed. Her hand was slowly and slowly slipping into the salwar of Jhelum.

‘Who is there?' a voice thundered from the forests. It was like a thunderbolt. Both the girls separated and looked into the field. Right in front of them stood big landlord Khan. With folded hands, Jhelum bent like a bow and said Salaam-Alaikum, Landlords Khan's eyes were burning red with anger.

‘What is this?' Thundered Khan.

‘For the sigri fire,' Jhelum muttered, shuddering.

Khan came in front of little Jhelum, Noticed the basket with leaves and twigs and on top the anjeer twigs. He lifted his leather shoed foot and with all his power, gave a kick to the load. The chader and the leaves flew.

Shivering with fear and tears in her eyes, Jhelum again spread the chader and started collecting leaves again with his little hands.

‘You bitch, gathering again?' Khan thundered. He had no idea how much value the leaves had for Jhelum and her family. The leaves and dry twigs were enough for a day's fuel. Though only a child, she knew her responsibility. Her entire existence cried for the leaves.

‘Janab! I will never come into your field again,' she begged and fallen into his feet.

Landlord Khan looked around. There was no mark of Ayesha. She ran away and vanished into the forest. Seeing the good opportunity, he shouted again, "What is it you have hidden under you kurta?"

‘Nothing.'

Khan lifted her kurta up to her breasts with his rough hands. Failed to find anything, he shouted, ‘you are a very cunning girl, you must have hidden inside of your salwar.' ‘Open it.' He yelled.

‘Ma, I can't-do this,' she started crying bitterly.

‘Then I will, you bitch.'

He pulled the cord of her salwar. With one jolt her salwar was on the ground.

Jhelum could not understand this, although the landlord Khan could not find anything. She gathered some courage. She stopped crying and shouted at him: ‘I didn't commit any theft. Look at my chader and my clothes.'

Landlord Khan pushed her on the ground.

‘You son of a randi! I did not steal anything,' she hurled a string of abuses.

Shocked khan completely came over Jhelum. To save her chastity, Jhelum pulled the long beard of Khan. Rattled on this sudden attack, Khan writhed with pain. His skull cap flew away. Now his ugly face was burning with lust. Shaven head, no moustache and floating beard, he was looking like an ugly demon. Khan leapt and tore her clothes and rubbed his coarse hand on her breast.

Khan leapt over Jhelum completely and started to kiss her very violently. He kissed again and again: Lips, cheeks, forehead, nose, ears.

Then he hugged her very tightly. Her tiny body was completely trampled under his weighty body. Khan started pressing her little breasts by his rough hands.

‘No,' Jhelum said and tried to remove his hand, but failed. She wriggled a lot, but he kept on pinching her breasts.

‘This is not right,' she panting, biting his chest.

Khan cried with pain and slapped her with full force.

‘Don't, Kahn abba!' she pleaded.

‘Stop talking nonsense,' he shouted, interrupting her garbled plea.

He reached down to remove her salwar. She tried to halt her ruthless advance but all in vain. He removed her salwar completely, very forcefully lifted her small legs and demon sized Kahn adjusted her in-between her legs.

She realised some sharp-straight object piercing her small hole and entering her body.

‘Oh ma, I'm slaughtered, please have mercy!' she cried with pain. She was unknown to all this.

After few minutes Khan started giving very violent push and jerks.

Then he started blowing and puffing very fast.

After some time Khan stopped and got up. Now Khan was silent. He adjusted his clothes and left her alone.

After weeping for a long time Jhelum opened her eyes. Jhelum's entire body was aching with unbearable pain. She picked her clothes and slowly wore them with feeble hands.

‘You son of a randi!' you and your family will perish.

‘Oh ma,' she began crying again, and crying still, went towards the river Jhelum. She reached on the bridge of river Jhelum. She was still crying inconsolably but nobody was there to wipe her tears. She climbed on the railings of the bridge. Her body was still aching. She closed her eyes. She remembered her father, her mother, her bosom friend Ayesha and her cold sigri at home.

She pleaded her mother to forget and forgive her.

‘O Mother Jhelum forgive me because I am innocent,' and jumped into river Jhelum. There was splash sound and within seconds she lost with the waves to sleep eternally in the lap of mother Jhelum.

Far in the madrasa students were still reciting, ‘Allahu Akbar, Ash hadu an la ilaha illal lah.'

At the threshold of the temple, her mother was waiting for her dear daughter Jhelum to unload her load of dry leaves and branches. A small old Kadahi was put on sigri and sigri was still cold.