People's Democracy

Amma I Will Certainly Build A Hut For You

G Mamta

Amma, I know how hard you have worked in life. I have seen you carry loads of bricks on your head while father used to place them one upon the other applying cement between them.

I even remember the days when we used to remain hungry without food in our village. Don’t you remember those days when everyday, you along with father used to carry me to the village centre waiting for somebody to call you to work in their fields and return dejected when nobody called us. I used to cry a lot. Then I did not understand that even you did not have anything to quench my hunger. How sad you might have felt, I understand it now. When father decided and said that we are moving out of the village, I noticed a faint ray of hope accompanied with a big question mark on your face.

I was happy to see many new things - those big houses, parks and particularly children having lot of fun. I thought now the tears in your eyes will be a thing of the past. We moved into a big space, I was happy that I could play a lot. Slowly it was dug, filled and given the shape of a house. I thought it was for us because I found you and father work so hard for it along with many others. After everything was ready, suddenly we moved out. I wondered why we are leaving this big house that you have built facing so many difficulties. Then we went to another space, then another and slowly I realised that these houses are not for us.

Amma, why did you work so hard if they are not for us? I used to see you weep sitting in the corner when out of my stupidity, I used to ask for some more rice. I was so angry with myself for that and decided never to ask for more, because I cannot see you cry. After all the hard work, you have to cook us food, clean our two plates and bowls and wash our clothes. Still you thought of sending me to a school.

Amma I too want to study but am afraid to go to the school. My friends are asking me so many questions. They are asking, ‘where is your house?’ when I replied I don’t have a house they started laughing. Even my master explaining a lesson said that birds live in nests, wild animals in caves, domestic animals in kennels etc., while human beings live in houses. But amma, we do not have a house, are we not human beings? Then who are we? My teacher said animals urinate and excrete in the open while humans use toilets. But I always find us doing both these things in the open. As I grew up as a girl, then I understood why you always took a hurried bath, that too late in the night. We should avoid prying eyes from high rises!

I remember how you wept when father fell from where he worked and broke his leg. He not only lost his work but we also lost the space where we used to stay. I remember those few days when we lived under the bridge surrounded by stench, dogs and pigs. People used to throw their waste on us, as if we do not exist at all. Amma where shall we go?

It is then, that those comrades had come and spoke at length in the night. I was so sleepy but still noticed you nodding your head with a twinkle in your eyes and father’s too. That made me happy and I dreamt of a new house. While I was playing the next day, I noticed the same people and heard them telling that there was some vacant government land that should rightfully be used to provide houses for people like us. I thought our dream is about to be realised. Father’s friends were talking about how earlier some government officials too came and promised houses for all of them in that land. They were recalling what the comrades had said ‘that the government is giving thousands of acres to big people free of cost’, ‘that big, big people have lots of houses in the lands allotted to the SC/STs’ etc. Amma, when government has vacant land why does not it give that land to us. We too can live in a house.

The comrades started coming regularly to our basti, sang good songs and talked a lot of things. I did not understand but I noticed that your eyes are shining and I was happy, confident that something good is going to happen. All of you went together with red flags in your hands with bright faces. I too came along with you. Police uncles were also there. I have never seen so many of them. Suddenly one comrade has said that this is all our land and asked all of you to build houses on it. All of us are happy, houses at last!

When you and other aunties and uncles started planting the red flags and setting up houses, the police uncles suddenly rushed towards us. I was afraid and hid behind a rock. Suddenly the police started beating you and all your friends. Some of them started pulling clothes. Some others stuck ball pins. All of you were shouting while the police continued beating. They tore your sari. Amma why did they beat you, tear your sari, hit you with boots in your stomach? Don’t they have mothers and sisters too? Amma, you are still shouting. I started crying and did not know what to do. I remembered rakshasas in the stories you told me.

Amma, we are not bad people. Why did they beat us? Is it wrong for us to live in a house? Why don’t the police beat bad people?
My mother was wriggling in pain, but not crying. She had a determined look in her eyes. Taking the torn bit of her sari I told her, ‘Amma, I would bring all my friends and fight the oppressors. I will certainly build a hut for you’.