Night of Pousha
Original writer: Munshi Premchand (Hindi)
Translated By: Dr. Manoranjan Mishra
Assistant Professor of English
Angul, Odisha
(Dhanpat Rai alias Munshi Premchand was
born on 31st July 1880 in Lamhi, a village located near
“ANight of Poush” centres around Halku, a poor peasant, who goes to take care of his ripe crop field but is so distracted by the cold night that he prefers to spend his time near a fire that he lights while Nilgais destroy the entire crop.)
Halku came in and told his wife, “Sahna has come. Bring the money that I have kept aside; I will give it to him. Somehow, he must be got rid of.”
Munni was sweeping the floor. She turned and said, “You have got only three rupees; if you hand it over to him, how would you buy a blanket? How would we spend the cold nights of Magh and Poush? Go and tell him, we will pay him after the harvest, not now.”
Halku stood perplexed for a moment. The month of Poush had already descended. It would not be possible for him to spend the cold nights without a blanket. But, Sahna would not agree to his proposal; he would issue threats; he would even abuse him. If fate would have it in store, they would die of cold; at least the problem would be solved for the time being. Thinking like this, he carried his heavy body (that proved his name false) near his wife and pleaded her, “Give the money… give it… let me get respite from him. We will think of something else to buy a blanket.”
Munni moved away from him. Widening her eyes in anger, she said, “Oho! You will think of some other way of getting one. Let me hear what other plans you have. Will some one donate you a blanket for free? I don’t know what debts we have accumulated; they don’t get paid off. I tell you, why don’t you leave farming? One has to work so hard…the entire produce goes towards debts… at least, there would be some respite. It is as if we have taken birth to pay debts only. Work as a day wager for a living. Get rid of such farming. I will not give you any money… no…never.”
Munni retorted angrily, “Why should he abuse you? Are we living under his reign?”
But, with these words, her temper gave way. The harsh truth that lay behind the words of Halku stared into her face like a ferocious, goring animal.
She took out the money from the box and handed it over to Halku. She reminded again, “You leave farming forever. With the daily wage earned, we will at least get a few rotis to eat. No body would be able to threaten us then. What a noble job farming is! Work hard throughout the day to earn your wage; invest the income in farming, forget about the produce but get enough scoldings.
Halku took the notes and went outside. He felt as if he was going to give his heart out. Saving every pie possible from the wage, he had accumulated three rupees to buy a blanket, but that money was going out. With every step, the weight of poverty was pulling his head down.
It was a dark night of Poush. Even the stars in the sky seemed to be shuddering in the cold. Halku was lying at the edge of his field in a bamboo cot under the canopy of an umbrella made of sugarcane leaves and was shivering under his old thick blanket. Jabra, his dog, was lying beneath the bed with his face tucked in his belly and was whimpering in the cold. Neither of the two had a wink of sleep.
Pressing the knees close to the neck Halku said, “Hey, Jabra… Are you feeling cold? I had told you to lie on the straw. What did you come here for? Now… face the music...deal with this cold…what can I do? Perhaps you thought I was coming here to eat halwa and puris… so you came running ahead of me.”
Jabra lay there wagging his tail and stretching his whimper a little longer. Halku continued, “Don’t come with me tomorrow, otherwise you will turn ice. No one knows where this idiot wind is bringing this cold from. Let me get up and fill the chillam again. Somehow, we have to pass the night. I have already smoked eight chillams. What fun agriculture brings! There are others… if by chance cold passes by them, it runs away by seeing the provisions for warmth—thick cushions, blankets and pullovers. Dare the cold pass by them? How cruel fate is! We work hard as labourers; others enjoy their life to the hilt.”
Halku got up and brought fire from a ditch to light the chillam. Jabra also got up.
Puffing at the chillam Halku asked, “Do you want a puff? Does the cold go? No… only it induces a change in mood.”
Jabra looked at his face with eyes brimming in love.
Halku continued, “Bear the cold today. Tomorrow, I will spread some straw on the ground. Get into the straw, you will not feel any cold.”
Jabra rested his claw on Halku’s knee and brought his face close to his. Halku could feel his warm breath.
After he had smoked, Halku lay down once again. This time he was determined to fall asleep. The next moment, he felt the fluttering of his heart. He changed sides but found cold pressing on his chest like a demon.
But, there was no way he could control the cold. He picked up Jabra and patting him on his head gently, let him sleep in his lap. A foul odour emanated from the body of the dog. Halku experienced a pleasure, the kind of which he had not experienced for months. Jabra perhaps felt as if he had descended on heaven. In the pious soul of Halku, there was no sign of disdain for Jabra. Even, he had not treated his intimate friend or brother with so much love. He was not ashamed of his poverty which had forced him to such a state. This strange relationship had opened all the doors to his soul and every atom of it was shining with splendour.
Some distance away from Halku’s field, there was a mango orchard. It was the time of shedding of leaves. Heaps of leaves were lying there. Halku thought, “Let me go there and collect some leaves. I will make a fire and sit by it to warm myself. If someone found me collecting leaves at this hour of the night, he would take me for a ghost. Who knows! Some animal might be lying in wait to pounce. But what to do? One cannot even sit in this cold.”
Halku went to the pigeon-pea field nearby, plucked out a few plants, made a broom of those, and marched towards the orchard with a burning cow-dung cake in his hand. When Jabra saw him come, he followed him, wagging his tail.
Halku said, “Jabru, let’s go to the orchard, collect leaves, make a fire and sit by it. Once we feel warm, we will come back and sleep. There is much time left of the night.”
Jabra whimpered in agreement and moved ahead towards the orchard.
Darkness had enveloped the entire orchard and the cruel wind was almost trampling upon the fallen leaves. Drops of dew were falling from the trees.
Suddenly a gust of wind carried the fragrance of mehndi flowers.
Halku said, “Jabru, what a nice fragrance! Can you also smell the fragrance or not?”
Jabra had got a bone from somewhere and was busy gnawing at it.
Halku kept the burning cow-dung cake on the ground and started collecting dried leaves. In a short while, there was a heap of leaves. His hands were feeling cold. His bare feet were feeling hurt. But, he was raising a mountain of leaves. It was as if he intended to burn the cruel cold into ashes.
In a short while, the fire started burning. The flame almost touched the leaves of trees above. In that unsteady light, the huge trees of the orchard seemed to be carrying the deep, overspreading darkness on their heads. In the vast ocean of darkness, this fire looked like a shaking unsteady boat.
Halku sat by the fire and felt warm. In a short while, he took off his thick shawl and kept it by his side. He held his legs apart, as if challenging the cold with, “Do what you want to do.” He felt it hard to suppress the winner’s-pride. Had he not triumphed over the colossal power of cold?
He asked Jabra, “Hey, Jabbar…Are you still feeling cold?”
Jabbbar whimpered as if to say, “Master, will the cold continue to affect us forever?”
Saying so, he jumped over the flames. The flames touched his legs but caused no hurt. Jabra moved around the fire and reached him. Halku said, “Go…go…you haven’t got it right. Jump over the flames.” Saying this, he jumped once again.
The leaves had burnt; darkness had once again enveloped over the entire orchard. Only some embers were left under the ashes. When a gust of wind blew, the embers would glow but the next moment they would shut their eyes.
Jabra, barking loudly, rushed towards Halku’s field. Halku himself felt as if a herd of animals had entered his field. Perhaps it was a herd of Nilgais. The sound of their running here and there as well as their trampling could be clearly heard. Then he felt as if they were grazing in his field. The sound of their munching could be heard.
He told himself, “With Jabra around, no animal dare enter my field. He would bite the animal fiercely. Perhaps I am mistaken. Where has the sound gone? I can’t hear anything now. It’s nothing but a delusion.”
He shouted loudly, “Jabra…Jabra!”
Jabra continued barking; he didn’t come near him.
Again he sensed that the animals were grazing in his field. Now there was no question of continuing under the delusion anymore. The prospect of leaving the place seemed venomous. How comfortably he was sitting there! It seemed highly uncomfortable to go to the field in that cold, or to run after the animals. He didn’t budge an inch from there.
He yelled loudly – “Hey! Hey! Hey!”
Jabra barked once again. The animals were grazing in the field. The crop was ready for harvest. The crop was very good but the animals were going to destroy everything.
With great determination, Halku got up and took a few steps towards the field but suddenly, there came such a piercing gust of wind, like the sting of the scorpion, that he returned to the fire. He rummaged through the ashes for the sparks and warmed his body.
Jabra was continuously barking in his hoarse voice; the Nilgais were cleaning up the crops; and Halku was sitting beside the ashes peacefully. Idleness had tied him from all sides like a rope.
Soon after, he slept beside those ashes, on the ground, wrapped in his shawl.
When he opened his eyes in the morning, he found sunshine spread everywhere and Munni saying, “Will you keep on sleeping today? You came and slept here and there, the entire crop has disappeared.”
Halku got up and said, “Did you come by the field?”
Munni replied, “Yes, the entire field has been destroyed. Does anybody sleep like this? What good was your staying here?”
Halku muttered, “I almost died yesterday… you are only concerned about your field. I had so much pain in my stomach… so much pain… that I didn’t know what else happened.”
Both of them came to the ridge of the field. They saw that the entire field had been destroyed. Jabra was lying with his stomach upwards… as if he had lost his life.
Both of them witnessed the condition of the field. Although Munni appeared sad, Halku felt delighted inside.
Munni thoughtfully said, “Now, we have to earn wages to make a living.”
Halku happily said, “Now onwards, I don’t have to sleep here in the intense cold.”
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