Hello, good tidings to you all ! Here is the twelfth video on ‘Spinning into a Career’.
Ruchi visits Rakhwala on ekadashi day. She prays to God to help her with the Bachelor of Education course and help her to marry the right man. Ruchi suffers from pain during her menses. She chants the name of the Lord. The pain stops after five minutes. When Ruchi is in a befuddled state, she shuffles and drops yes and no chits and picks one to make decision. She feels intensely that it is wrong. She resolves never to do it again.
Ruchi goes to her maternal aunt’s house in Kaveri for the first time. The uncle is working for Lawrence and Mayer. Her aunt is religious and recites her quotidian prayers. She shows Ruchi a small book of shloka, armor of Lord Ganesha. She writes it on a paper slowly and meticulously. After a few days, Ruchi experiments with the ritual of chanting the shloka seven times each day for twenty-one days. Ruchi’s brother climbs up a magnolia champaca tree and plucks flowers to offer it to the deity. He does so everyday till she finishes it on the twenty-first day. Ruchi prays for her marriage with the right man.
She visits temple of a famous saint in Sakurdi. Food is served at the temple premises. During the cold winter, she relishes dal, roti and rice. The family has booked a one-room lodge that is cozy and comfortable. At home, she listens to Hari Om Sharan’s songs. A recurrent feature in Ruchi’s mind is her attraction towards ‘Bhaja Govindam’. She visits Lord Ganesha’s temple at Rakhwala for the second time. She offers her marriage card and invites the deity to her wedding. Ruchi celebrates the ninth day of Navratri, when Goddess Saraswati is worshipped. She cleans the table and offers flowers and sweet gruel. Her mother gets irritated and says, “I cannot give you money for lighting oil lamps, incense sticks and flowers.” Ruchi is hurt and does not understand why her mother speaks such words. Ruchi uses the money she gets from tuitions for the purpose.
Once, her wheezing is so acute that it cannot be controlled by drug tablets. It seems as though she is nearing her death. Her chest aches and she feels relieved at the thought that she will die. She hears a Hindi song that changes her response to suffering. ‘ Jeevan chalne ka naam, Chalte raho subah sham, Jeevan chalne ka naam, chalte raho subah sham, ke rasta kat jayega mitrar, ke baadal chat jayega mitrar…..’ Her wheezing subsides and she knows that she has to rise above her limitations.
We begin with chapter four.
Ruchi coaches students to pay music fees and doctor’s fees and for her pocket expenses. A railway strike led by Jacob Rodericks begins. Her family cannot make a living. There is no food in the house. Things in the house are sold for money. College becomes a luxury when the house has one bread winner. People advise her to take up job. She celebrates her birthday with a little bit of tomato soup. Her dad’s railway strike is called off. He resumes his duty and gets his salary. Ruchi coaches some more students. She is appointed as a tutor for fifteen rupees. The joy is short lived. Mrs. Mitra apologizes saying that she has appointed another tutor who is in dire need of money. Ruchi cannot say anything before the overpowering personality of Mrs. Mitra. She dispatches Ruchi with five rupees in her hand to watch a movie. With the money, she buys some food for the family. She does not want her friends and neighbors to know that she is poor. A Gujarati family wants her to coach their son. She walks for forty minutes to reach the place. The mother of the boy is kind enough to give her tea.
Ruchi’s academic record graphs a decline from first grade to third grade during her third year in college. The economic situation in the house deteriorates further. She and Kirti visit Asif Khan who has put in a word, to get Ruchi a job. The Khan tells Ruchi to meet him on a certain day. She reaches the meeting spot along with Kirti, but he doesn’t turn up.
Thank you for listening. We continue with the fourth chapter in the next video. Till then, goodbye!
Video can be viewed on You Tube by typing, ‘Spinning into a Career’ by Usha Raman.
