Under The Yoke PDF - Vyankatesh Madgulkar

UNDER THE YOKE Vyankatesh Madgulkar The wriler was born in the village of Madgul, born 1927 and worked as a school teacher, art Maharashtra student, commercial artist and}producer of rural...

UNDER THE YOKE Vyankatesh Madgulkar The wriler was born in the village of Madgul, born 1927 and worked as a school teacher, art Maharashtra student, commercial artist and}producer of rural programmes at the Pune India Radio. His first station collection lively sketches of of village life brought him recognition. The story evcerpt from his nOvel The Village Had No Walls below is an heschool had no regular T felt like it. The do a thing untila sufficient calendar. The boys came to school whenever they schoolmaster could not number turned up. And so half the time Ihad little work to do the school room. The other work that I didinside held untold variety, the most important of my roles being to act as a scribe, to write letters, petitions and to write applications for the villagers. When it was discovered that I did these jobs without a murmur, every conceivable problem and grievance began coming my way. Whenever a Sheep was lost, or a wife quarrelled with her husband, the schoolmaster was consulted -in the belief that schoolmasters are well-versed in law and common sense as they are educated and wise. 87  This kept me busy even when there o narte teaching to be done. I had thrown wholeheartedly into the life of the myself village and ;a stage had come, whenit could not do The number of farmers innthe placewithout. me. was small. Before sowing could start, the farmers clear the fields overgrown with thick, had to the rains had engendered. Another grass hardy fortnight and the soil became soft. and there was too much water in it yet. The pliant.rainy But water must be absorbed, the surface must eXCess firm enough for men and bullocks to walkbecome on. So the farmers had to wait until a spell of dry weather had made the soil flaky on top while moisture remained underneath. T'hen the sowing of bajra, gram and other pulses Every morning the farmers could becommenced. seen going off to the fields with their teams and plows and bags of seed. One day, while sowing was at its height, Shekhu came to see me. He had two or three acres of land outside the village and its cultivation was his only interest in life. It was early morning and he had covered himself with a dhoti as if it were a blanket. All Icould see of him were his scraggy face and dusty feet, leathery from constant walking and his toes which had coarse ungainly nails on them. Ayubu with me when Shekhu was arrived. "Teacher" he said, without bothering to slu down, "please find me a bullock from It is sowing time, you know." somewhere. 88  It was pointless to say that as a said,teacher was not likely to own a bullock. I He easily borroW one for me. I have You can I died. can sow my fields if I I one, ne, the other get otherwise it through. means another, starving-the whole year «First tell me of a person who tolend. Then I can ask him " has a bullock «Those who have bullocks have their owI sOwing to do. Who will want to delay their OWn sowing for the sake of another? I have own everywhere," said Shekhu. tried "In that case, whom do you want me to ask?" Do what you like, but help me in The whole village says the my need. there in times of dificulty.schoolmaster is always Why do you treat me different?" Ayubu had listened to all this without a word. He now turned to Shekhu and said, Are you crazy? Where would the teacher get a bullock? Is he a farmer? Is he a cattle dealer? Have you no sense that you come and beg for whatever stupid thing enters your head?" Shekhu was obviously shaken. "I willgo now, but do try and do something Tor me, if possible," he said in a wheedling voice. Ayubu got tohis feet and propelled Shekhu down the steps and on to the road. What a fool you are, Shekhu! As if a Schoolmaster carries bullocksunder his armsor in his clothes!" 89  crestfallen, Shekhushuffled away. Utterly matter aside but I could brush the Aubu tried to feeling that it did not take the nÍt ignore thevery far to teach them tO read and village people needs were of a different so write. Their altogether. was still without his Two days later, Shekhu bullock, although he had tried everywhere, He went àome and slumped exhausted to the flor "It is useless," he told his wife. She was a strapping woman,standing head and shoulders above all the other women and half the men in the village. In the fields she did a man's work. I have asked all over the village. No one is prepared tolenda bullock." "What is to be done now?" she asked. "We shall starve to death, that's all. Kick up our heelsand starve," he answered, his voice low and heavy with despair. Shelooked at her husband and saw that his eyes had the look of a lamp, which has nearly run out of oil. We start sowing tomorrow!" she said stoutly. "What about the bullock?" "Leave that to me. Ishall get one." "From where?" "From whereverIplease. What business 18 it of yours? I shall get the bullock. You just go across the fields tomorrow morning. to Thats all. Shekhu racked his brain. Where was his wite going to find a bullock? In the morning he 90 hoistea Leave thaa to me. Ishall get one  the plow on his shoulder and set off towards hi his field, leading his solitary bullock withthe other hand.Once there, he turned his face towards tho village and sat down to await the arrival of his wife. After an hour or so he saw her. She was alone His face fell. "She has not been able to get a bullock. There would be no sowing now. Abullock might become available after the others have done their sowing. What good would that do? It would be too late. We must starve or roam from place to place in search of work...." His mind went on with his miserable brooding until his wife reached him. "So you couldn't get a bullock?" "Who says so? Get the plough ready." "But, where is the bullock?" "It is all right. Yoke the bullock at one end and Ishallpush at the other." Shekhu shuddered at his wife's words. "No, no, it can't be," he muttered but she had made up her mind and she knewthat she was strong enough for the task. Seeing that her husband was too dejected even to lift his head, she put the bullock to the plough. Then placing one end of the yoke across her own shoulder, she bade Shekhu to bind her tightly to it. The frail man hardened his heart, got upand signalléd the bullock tomove. The animal moved, so did the woman. The ploughshare pierced the earth and began to furrow a path through the damp soil. Shekhu released a handful of nillet intothe hopper. The grain leaped to the courHed down and Shekhu' s wife pullalong the side of the bullock. continued to The sowing went on all morrning. At from the exertion, satmidday, the two, breathless from down to a woman quiet made Shekhu sImall talk. did not speak. The Together they work until the seed was evenly covered went to upturned soil. by the Byevening they had sown the two-acre plot. Exhausted,they made their way horme. Next dav. theincredible tale was all over the village. There was astonishment, some admiration and even a feeling of scornful amusement. That night, on my way back from school, Istopped outside Shekhu's house for a moment. Inside, the lamplight revealed the prostrate form of Shekhus wife by the side of a wall. Shekhu stood on her back kneading her bodv with his feet. Supporting himself with his hands against the wal, hewas massaging his wife's aching back with a slow movement of each foot.