Half and Half

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.

“Sick”, she really meant it. Certain problems are real problems, because they do not have solutions. Sickness is relative and that is what, she is feeling sick about. She had been a problem to the problems that she had faced. But some of them, like the current one, have disturbed her much. Thoughts flew along with her river friend Godavari, in reverse direction.

She shares.

Part of her name, food, toys, family’s love and affection, friends and of course her mother’s womb – she shared anything and everything with her fraternal twin brother Ilesh. For Ilaa, Life was Li__ without Ilesh.

When they both were half a year age, Ilaa was crying continuously in an increasing tone. People of the family tried various tricks to satisfy and pacify her. But she went on crying. All through this drama, Ilesh was also crying, but as per the “law of sound”, the intention of external efforts to reduce the noise is directly proportional to the vibration of air that has the maximum tone and pitch. Ilaa’s grandmother suggested her mother to feed her with milk and Ilaa’s mother did attempt to do so. But the amplitude increased rather decreasing. People at home had limited clues. Ilaa’s father took her and started walking across the rooms showing various pictures. By that time Ilaa’s mother started feeding Ilesh. Surprise!!! As Ilesh was drinking and feeding his hunger, Ilaa ceased to cry and started smiling and then slowly went to sleep.

Growing together, they shaped up with similar likes and dis-likes. Both of them did not participate in any events that were exclusive for any of the sects. For others, it was initially, a set of surprises that gradually changed into routine observations, including the marks they scored at every stage, the mistakes they made, the friends they had, expectations they possessed and pains and gains they shared. Their family or friends never tried to find the difference or create one.

  

She solves

One day evening, kids’ father returned from his work and sat in the verandah. His face, gestures and the body language very clearly indicated that he was disappointed and baffled. He shouted at the ladies at the house and rejected to have food.

Earlier in the day, he went to his farm and started his work by interacting with the workers. The cotton field was in the time of maturation and the plants (and the farmers) were ready for harvest and to enter the next stage. In another week, the cotton will be dislocated from their parents’ house to in-laws house, and the father of the family is busy preparing for the separation.

There came a jeep with four men and zoomed near the location where work was going on. It was not a pleasant entry indicated that they carry something awful. They were from the set of people who run the governance and supposed to help the public. The carry, along with the big set of files, a news that the entire area of cultivation land that the twins’ dad possessed, will be taken over by the rulers for constructing railway track as it was in-line the path for the infrastructure. On a compensation front, he will be getting land of same measurement on the north of the city, which was considered to be a god forsaken land and no cultivation were attempted on those grounds.

Back at home, dad was restless and started walking across the streets. Kids are blessed with the quality of not realizing the reality and so were Ilaa and Ilesh. They, with their bunch of friends where playing hide and seek. Needless to say, the rule of the game was bent to find the twins together and not alone. The blinder started counting and kids scattered to hide out. Ilaa showed Ilesh a road that was less travelled and forced him to come and find a place to hide there. Ilesh was scared and said,” Ilaa, let’s go hide on the places that are comfortable to us, so that we don’t get lost. More than winning the game, safety is more important”. Ilaa smiled and answered, “Road not-travelled always gives new places to hide. The very reason that the avenue is less explored means the blinder will find it difficult to seek us and we will win. Games are played to be won and let’s attempt for that. Thought of safety is actually dangerous. Come, let’s go and find a place to hide in this road” Ilesh agreed and followed.

This rang a bell and gave an answer for their dad, who was in deep distress. Life is a game, where in, exploration is the key for all the locks that are hard to open. He went ahead and took the land and gave up his old possession.

She innovates

After initial set of struggles on the new land, they cultivation started entering elongation phase. Gifted by a great learning of life, their dad took both of them to the land whenever they were away from their school work and play schedule. Ilaa and Ilesh enjoyed the company of their father and the new land of cultivation.

On the vast land they ran, tried their hand power by throwing stones, went far away and tried shouting to check their vocal cord potential. They grew along with the cotton plan and land fertility.

On a day, where they both were on their seventh grade, after finishing huge pile of writing work, they restored themselves to their cotton friends and started playing. Ilesh picked up few cotton flowers and threw at Ilaa. Ilaa took few of cotton and soaked with water and threw and Ilesh did the same. This became their new pass-time and play trick. After that day, they had a tight schedule and couldn’t go to the farm for two days. After this gap, they returned to their playground and started their play.

Ilesh took one of the water-soaked cottons and threw at Ilaa. Ilaa caught that and felt surprised, “Ilesh, look at these cotton pieces, these are the ones we soaked in water two days back, still the cotton is holding the water, isn’t this surprising ?” Ilesh came closer, had a close examination and said, “Yeah this is quite amazing – there is something special about this piece of cotton”. They then examined many of the cotton pieces and found same result. Ilaa then exclaimed, “ See even after two days the cotton retained the water and when we squeeze now, still we are able to get out the water—this means we can use this for something useful”, Ilesh replied in affirmative. Ilaa continued, “Listen to this, for writing long home works, we dip our pen nib in the colour solution multiple times and write, which is turning out to be strenuous, how about using this cotton to store the ink and have a piston to squeeze the ink whenever needed to write”. Ilesh jumped in joy and both of them ran to their dad and explained what they saw and what they felt. Dad was amazed.

It was a matter of time; they had a big manufacturing unit using their own cotton. “IL Pens Manufacturing Company Pvt Ltd” became one of the noted industries in the surroundings of Paithan. Ilaa and Ilesh grow up along with their fame and visibility. They were successful by the time they reached their tenth class.

She suffers

It was their tenth December vacations. As usual, they played together and unusually Ilaa fainted. After that the family did not allow Ilaa and Ilesh to meet each other for a week, after which everything became normal, for a while. Ilaa tried explaining to Ilesh and Ilesh couldn’t correlate much on what she was saying, but he realized one thing, that there is something different between her and him.

Days moved and there separation became more frequent, every month. Initially they thought it was temporary and it was turning out to be never ending. Ilaa’s behavior changed, she started getting irritated and wanted loneliness, which Ilesh was not able to digest. Ilaa was trying to avoid that, but things were not under her control.

Ilaa’s thoughts were rounding around this separation. Why Ilesh isn’t facing any problems. Why am I suffering? Why is this difference? We never experienced a differential treatment? Why can’t he share some of my pain? What is the rule – me to suffer and he to suffer by seeing me suffering? Isn’t sharing natural?

'I am sick of this!' she grunted loudly.

“Sick”, she really meant it. Certain problems are problems, because they do not have solutions. Sickness is relative and that is she is feeling sick about. She had been a problem to the problems that she has faced. But some of them, like the current one, have disturbed her much.

She Shares.

Time does not have answers to all your questions. But it does the magic of making you forget the question. Ilaa and Ilesh grew up with all their mixed experience of sharing and separation.

They sometime found that they have understood and sometimes, they were perplexed. But the factor of sharing was always lingering in Ilaa’s mind. When they couldn’t find an answer for their question, Godavari gave both of them a lot of consolation with her pleasant flow, aroma and chillness.

After her regular schedule of work in “IL”, Ilaa was waiting for Ilesh to join at the bank of her favorite Godavari. She was in deep thought, again, on sharing, and touch of a hand disturbed her flow of thought. “Ilesh, why are you so late and what’s this new practice of calling me by touching, I was waiting for your voice”, said Ilaa without noticing. “I am not Ilesh” , answer with a soothing and caring voice, was new to her. She lifted her “index of the mind” and noticed a guy who smiled and said, “Ilaa, I propose, Will you marry me…Can I have the privilege of spending the rest of my life with the most brilliant and gorgeous lady of Paithan??” Ilaa was confused

  

After few days, they both met ( for a difference, this time “they” are Ilaa and her fiancé – wait, wait – until, she confirms let’s call him “the man who proposed to her few  days back” ). She said, “I share and sharing is in my blood and is my blood. I have not done any significant activity without Ilesh”. He answered, “That was known to whole of Paithan, what is surprising about that? That does not mean that you should not marry any one and he should not also”. Ilaa said in hurry, “No No that’s not the point. We are trying to find an answer for a question that is lingering in our mind for last few years and the lack of the answer for that is making me feel to  be more close with him. I am having a fear of losing him and with that fear I am not able to do anything.” He enquired, “Ok what’s the problem let me know I will see if I can help you”. Ilaa continued, “What is the actual meaning of sharing?? Can’t a girl and a boy live throughout their life sharing all their feelings, happiness and pain?? We never had this question during our childhood, but, now this is killing both of us”. With a deep breath, he answered, “There are some things in life that we cannot answer in words, but just by feeling and experience. I can assure you that, I can try to give you a life of equal sharing or even more than that”. Ilaa was not convinced and her face showed that.

Days rolled over, fiancé (confirmed!!) evolved to husband and Ilaa was in the path of next promotion. Close to the date of delivery, they both sat at the same place where they discussed about sharing. This time, he was in a deep thought and she was relaxed. She asked, “What happened?” he replied, “I am thinking of the sharing discussion that we had and I feel I have to find an answer”. She smiled and started looking at her Godavari. He said, “I have submitted enough prayers to Godavari Maa and I am sure she will give me the answer. Can both of us take a dip in the river?? “She was alarmed and said, “ Come On, I Am in the phase where our little one can pop-out any time, I don’t want to take chances”. Mr. Ilaa replied, “Please this is very much needed for me to find the answer and just one dip, please”. Ilaa agreed and they both started climbing down the steps, she started feeling something different, but did not want to disappoint her better half. They both dipped and came out wet. She felt very energetic and he started feeling giddy and he started shouting in pain, holding his abdomen. She was puzzled and both of them rushed to hospital. All through the 17 hours, after which she delivered another twins, he suffered the complete pain and was unconscious.

Half and Half – she shared and he found the answer……