The title seems to be confusing or intriguing?Well it's a preface that is given by Nation's Best Author.
I feel a writer is one who can pen down any given idea or at least give an attempt to see if he/she can visualize things by taking someone's else stand. So here is my attempt to carve the story using the preface given by none-other than Amish.(Author of Shiva Trilogy).
Amish Preface:
Close to the city of Paithan, in a small village called Sauviragram, which lay along the banks of the great river Godavari, lived a woman named Ilaa. Being cotton farmers, her family was well to do, but not among the richest in their area. It was the harvest season, and cotton had to be picked from the plants. The wholesalers and traders from Paithan would be arriving in just a few weeks, carrying gold and goods for barter. They would exchange what they carried for the cotton that the farmers grew. The bales of cotton had to be ready in time! Work was at its peak!
But Ilaa was not to be found in the fields. She wasn't working. Instead, she was sitting by the banks of the great river Godavari.
'I am sick of this!' she grunted loudly.
Continuation:
‘I am sick of this!’ she said feebly, head down touching her lap and hands covering over the head and face, tears rolling her face , allowing her to loose in her own thoughts.
'Bhauji Shinde, my father, a well-known Vaidhya in the town Sauviragram. I, being the youngest child in the family had the privilege of getting special attention right from grandparents to maids in the house. The pampering, the love, the care they showered on me was inexpressible.
Bhauji being a Vaidya, had an exclusive room to work on herbs, plants which had medicinal values and articulate his observations and research.He always allowed me to enter the room unlike his routine way of escorting people to his temple (which he always said).
Ilaa, my dear young pretty daughter, father calls me into his temple for assistance. It was one such day , he was so engrossed in doing experiments to find a medicine and does the probability check to ensure the best medicine is given to the people of Sauviragram. At the age of 9, I suggested the molecular quantity of each herb and it yielded the best result he was looking for. Surprised father, could not comprehend the knowledge and the ease at which this young kid of his helped him in resolving the riddle and asked how I knew about medicine. I was also unsure, chuckling my face , I ran away into the backyard of the house to play.
My dad, did observe some strange talent in me and allowed me to accompany in his research than just assist, as I used to do earlier. Days moved and my work with dad was on full swing - knowledge being shared as a teacher and pampered me as a father. Soon I was gaining the attention among the localities too.
I was forced to marry Morarji the laziest and abusive priest of Paithan at the age of 17. I was considered too old of my age as per norms of the society. With marriage , my life also changed as expected but I did not know that it was a way that almighty had planned to sharpen my skills in medicine with the magical touch I had in that field(My father believed so,atleast).
I moved to Paithan along with my husband Morarji. He being laziest priest , spent his days playing cards, having some useless talks with the folks around the city and not supporting me in anyway required. I spent time doing household things, being a righteous wife that a husband expects and working on herbs which was a part of my life, already. I was getting attention from the Paithanites for the magical touch I had in Vaidhya because of the local word of mouth.
After finishing the household work, I used to go around the river Godavari and gaze the jadibootis which had cured many things during the sowing season – snake bites, cuts, wounds and fevers. In a way the work of mine was credited to my husband as he was anointed by local Shavukar as the highest priest of the temple and I got an opportunity to spend time to wander in and around the forest looking for a rare herbs which had a medicinal value.
As the days passed on, Morarji could not with-stand my growing fame. He being lazy and rude by nature, grew even more aggressive and monster ultimately, with this new possession of mine. He started abusing, cursing and tortured me mentally and physically which eventually made me to stop practicing the medical skill.
Every-time I cross the herbs in my backyard an unknown pain gushes my spine .I learnt to gulp the pain and realise that I cannot spend any more time with the herbs and upgrade my medicinal skills. The detachment of medicine from my life made me a living-dead- human-body. Nothing interested me and guilt started building up for not helping people with the knowledge and skill I had-Vaidhyam.
Days turned into weeks to months and years without practicing. The rage in me piled up making me more aggressive than ever. My lazy husband with his virtuous habits, which was good for nothing, asked us to come onto the roads after paying every penny in the form of debts. Wandering from place to place in the name of work to feed me and my family was really becoming ruthless day by day because of my husband’s character and the negative name he got in society.I finally end-up with my husband and kid in the cotton fields doing farming to earn bread and butter.Today, it was a day to spend in cotton field to pluck the cotton from plants and earn money that could serve us for atleast another three months.
But , I am here sitting on the banks of the great river Godavari because of my husband again , with no penny in hand.
My grandmother always used to say that one is remembered not for his wealth or health but for the character he/she owned in his/her lifetime.’
A voice familiar to Ilaa was crying in pain , shook her thoughts bringing to reality.Still head on her lap, Ilaa tried to recollect the voice , within seconds she could relate that it was her 5 years baby boy Pathan who crying in pain .
Ilaa stood in attention and looked around for Pathan who was sitting at the bottom of the tree on the banks of Godavari. The motherhood in Ilaa did not hold her any longer, she ran towards the boy. As she was approaching the kid she wiped her tears rolling from cheek and she sees that Morarji was lying unmoved. The moment Illa checks her husband she could recognise the snake bite, the hidden Vaidhya in her comes to rescue without Ilaa’s conscience.
Morarji , after recovering from the incident , realises the mistake he did and asks for the forgiveness to Ilaa. It was high time that Ilaa had no more positive regards to him and decides not forgive her husband but she cleared him that she had no grudges to revenge.
Ilaa realises the worth of self -"Vaidhya". Ilaa starts practicing Vaidhyam , treats people, inculcates the best values to her child.Ilaa took over Vaidhya completely and she was well known not only in Pathan bu across the country .
Ilaa lives rest of her life in peace doing what she was passionate about.
PERSON SEEKS PEACE WHERE THE PASSION LIES .!