This story is left open-ended so that the reader can think —Will my younger brothers, parents and sisters ever understand that sacrifice? Or will this also be a story that will be heard only in the rustling sound of Peepal leaves…
The old Peepal tree stood silently in the courtyard of the house. The past years spent playing in its shade seemed locked in an old box. The walls of this house had seen so many stories – of laughter, of tears, of sacrifice and neglect.
The elder son had taken the burden of the house on his shoulders since he was just in the sixth grade. The father’s nature was such that he was not used to helping out in household chores permanently. He had no big dreams, no desire to progress through hard work. At an age when other children are busy with their studies and sports, he completed his studies as well as those of his younger brother by giving tuitions.
He raised as much money as he could for his sisters’ education. Clothes, books, fees – he was there for every need. After marriage, his wife also became an equal partner in this responsibility. She not only took care of her household, but also taught her sisters-in-law at their homes and took them to coaching classes with her.
For the small and big needs of the house, the elder brother’s salary and his wife’s money were used for the household. Even his wife’s fixed deposit was used for household expenses. Even when his wife got a job, her entire salary was used for the development of the house.
After many years, the elder brother became stable in his job. He dreamt of having a house – got a new house built, bought an old car so that household chores could be done easily. But the younger brother mostly used the car. Even when his wife was pregnant, the younger brother would go by car, and Bhabhi would go to work by bus. The elder brother himself would go to work with someone else.
The younger brother had already gotten a job before the elder brother’s son was born. But instead of taking up responsibilities or paying off the old debt of the house, he kept on enjoying his comforts.
Once or twice, the elder son also told the parents to pay attention to the needs of the younger son, but not to give wings to his desires. But the parents did not think that the elder son had been carrying the burden of the family for years and had given everything for the house.
The elder brother and Bhabhi always thought and sought something better for the younger one than for themselves – from clothes to education and facilities, they always fulfilled the younger one’s needs first. But the parents and the younger ones’ desires never had patience; whatever they wanted, they wanted it immediately, even if it meant sacrificing the elder one’s sacrifice and hard work.
The elder brother and his wife both used to work, and the child used to grow up in the lap of the father. Even at this time, neither the mother-in-law, father-in-law, nor the sisters nor the younger brother came forward to help.
After some time, the younger brother got married. His wife was also employed. Instead of paying off the home loan, both of them bought a new car. Whereas the money that the elder brother’s wife had received from her parents for the car was also spent in expanding this house.
The most painful thing was that even after giving everything for the sisters’ education and needs for years, they still sided with the younger brother. As if all the sacrifices and hard work of the elder brother had become meaningless like an old cloth.
Now the atmosphere of the house had changed. The ego had increased between the younger brother and his wife. Words had turned into taunts, and taunts into insults. Sometimes the younger brother’s anger would reach the point of hand. Even the mother-in-law and father-in-law would remain silent on this.
The elder brother was now confined to his small world with his son and wife. But a strange silence had settled inside him – a silence that only he could understand, who has given everything for others for years and has received only distance in return.
The sadness was not that the hard work was not rewarded, but that the people for whom he spent every moment of his life turned their backs on him. The elder sister sacrificed for his sisters’ education, taught them at his home, but they too stood quietly by the younger one. Even after the birth of the elder’s son, no one took care of him – neither grandmother, nor aunts, nor uncles and aunts.
The wheel of time kept turning, but one truth remained constant – the teenager who had started managing the house from the sixth grade did not back down from his duty even today. Only now had he given up hope.
One night, after years of suppressed pain, he said to his wife –
“Maybe it was our mistake… we thought that blood relation is the greatest. But in reality, it is understanding and respect that keep relationships alive.”
The wife just held his hand. There was no complaint in her tearful eyes; there was just determination
“Now we will teach our son that humanity comes first, relationships come later.”
The wind was blowing in the courtyard. The temple bells were ringing in the distance. The house was the same, the people were the same, but the elder brother had changed from within. He had realized that sacrifice does not always result in gratitude – sometimes it just results in silence and distance.
One evening, when the leaves of the Peepal tree rustled in the courtyard of the house, the elder brother was sitting quietly with his son in his lap. The son innocently asked –
“Papa, why are you always so quiet?”
The elder one gave a light smile, but the pain inside was evident in his eyes. He just said this –
“Sometimes, son, silence is the greatest strength.”
The Peepal tree had become even more still that evening. As if it had also made a promise that it would always cherish the shadow of the sacrifice of this house, even if people forget, that story would remain alive in every rustle of the wind.
