The rain was falling hard. Between the water drops shattering on the earth, the occasional thunder and the frogs crying on the field all other noises were drowned. Dusk had come and gone taking away the last bit of light leaving behind a cold, wet night. Baring the occasional stray rickshaw that bore home someone unfortunate to be out in this weather, the streets were empty. The incessant rain, the cold wind and the dark night drove everyone home.
Her head resting against the cool window pane, Rupa was lost in her thoughts. With no school tomorrow and therefore no homework she was free to do as she pleased today. She had played with her friends all evening until the rain had driven them back to their homes. With nothing else to occupy her thoughts, Rupa was watching the rain fall. From her window she could see the banyan tree which was thirty paces from her house. There was an empty plot under the banyan tree where no one had yet build a house. Grass had grown on that empty land and the frogs and the crickets had claimed it as their own. The lone light in the street right next to the banyan tree lit up the tree more than the road below with a eerie yellow light. Strong lights shone from inside every house in the colony as if to make up for the darkness outside.
Sitting inside the dark night didn't bother Rupa. She generally loved the rain. She loved to jump into small puddles that formed on the roads and splash water. She would float small objects in the streams that suddenly sprung up every where after a heavy rain.
With the curiosity in-born to all ten year olds she looked up into the sky wondering if she could see the drops as they fell from above. With nothing else other then the black sky staring back at her, she shifted her attention to the banyan tree. Its leaves drooping under the assault from the water drops, it stood glistening in the night light. Suddenly she noticed something seemed to be moving under the tree. An odd shapeless form which moved a bit and then lay still. She looked long and hard but she was not able to make out what it was. Right then the television played her current favorite song and rain, cold all forgotten she ran inside.
The fat, heavy rain drops gradually thinned down to a small drizzle. No one noticed that the rain had thinned down and the frogs had reduced crying until a moaning sound was heard. Rupa ran back to the window puzzled at the new sound. It seemed as though the moans were coming from the direction of the banyan tree. There was still something moving under the tree and whatever it was, it seemed to be moaning. As she looked closer, the shape and form of a man began to emerge. He was lying on the ground under the banyan tree covered by a cloth, evidently sheltering from the rain. And he was mumbling something and moaning in between. Rupa ran to get her parents.
Pretty soon her parents, the neighbors and the rain were all watching the man. Rupa overheard her mom talking to her neighbor on the phone "Why doesn't he get up and leave? He must already be soaking wet. Seems like he is drunk. If he dies in the night from the cold what can we do?" Her friend Subbu's father braved the cold and the rain and went up to the man. Rupa watched as he tried to get the drunk man's attention but the drunk was far too gone to pay any attention to the man's words or the rain drenching him. He just kept on mumbling and moaning and crying out. Frustrated, uncle returned to the comfort of his home. After a while one by one everyone stopped keeping watch over him and left him alone.
The drunk man was the topic of discussion at the dinner table that night. Subbu's father who had been the one to go and talk to the man had reported that the drunk was a frail old man who looked as though he was homeless. He had on a thin shirt and a dhoti which he was using as a blanket against the rain. He was soaked to the skin and shivering in the cold. He seemed to be distraught and was crying at intervals about his life. But it was so incoherent that Subbu's dad had not been able to make out anything. It had been decided to leave him alone and hope that when he got out of his inebriated state he would stagger off somewhere else.
Later under her blanket Rupa's last thought as her eyes closed was on the old man in the rain. The drizzle had long stopped and it had begun to rain heavily again drowning his moans.
When her eyes opened, Saturday morning had dawned without a trace of rain and the sun was shining. As her sleep heavy eyes slowly opened, she overheard her parents discussing on the old man. It seemed he belonged to the next colony where he lived with his son. He constantly fought with his family and drank away his sorrows. Last night the fight had been more fierce than usual and he had not gone home after drinking but had come to sleep under the tree. During the night one of the colony wallah's had recognized him and called up his son who had come and taken him away sometime during the night.
Rupa got up from her bed and walked out into the morning sun. There was no evidence of any sort of the drama that had been staged under the banyan tree last night. The banyan tree stood proudly in the morning light its leaves whispering amongst themselves the tearful story of the old drunk man who had poured out his sorrows last night. But the playful wind and the singing birds soon had the leaves swaying to their joyful song all of yesterday forgotten.
Laks
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