stench of kerosene
Stench of kerosene is a tragic love story. It begins on a romantic note and ends with self-immolation of the hopeless wife. The story highlights the plight of indian women who are victims of unjust social custom.
Guleri's parents lived in chamba in himachal pradesh. She was married to manek. A few miles from her husband's village the road descended downhill. From the top of that hill one could see chamba a long away down below. Whenever guleri was homesick,she used to gowith manek to that high point and see the homes of her native town twinkling in every year after harvest,she used to spend a few days with her used to send a man to bring her to of her old married friends also came home at the same time of the they used to meet annually. They shared each other's experiences,wore new dresses and went to the harvest festival together. Guleri used to wait eagerly for the end of monsoon. That happy day arrived. A mare sent by her parents neighed outside the house. She recognised the sound. She ran up to it and put her head against it. She greeted her father's servant Netu. She made ready to leave next day.
Guleri had no children,hence she had no problem about them. She had been married foe seven years now. She had met manek for the first time at the harvest festival in chamba. they gave away their hearts to each other. Once they managed to meet alone. He took her hand and told her that she was like an unripe corn, full of milk. She replied that only cattle ate unripe corn;human beings like it better roasted. She advised him to go and ask her father for her hand. It was customary in their community to demand a price for the bride. Manek was nervous for he didn't have much money to pay. But Guleri's was fairly well off, and had lived in cities. He had taken a view not to take money for his daughter. Manek was a worthy young man of a good family. So he got Guleri as his wife.
Guleri sought Manek's permission to go to chamba but he kept quiet. She asked him if would be coming to the fair at chamba at least a day. She feared that he was against her going to her parents house. It was unusual that fear was not unfounded. Manek pleaded to her to cancel going because of his mother. He could not complete the sentence. He could not tell her painly that his mother had decided to buy another girl for him. She was insisting on his second marriage because Guleri had failed to beget a child. He loved her dearly, yet he had not courage to defy his mother.
Guleri set out for chamba. Manek went with her long way on foot. Then he told her to ride the mare and to go with netu. He had brought with him his flute. He let her take it along. She enquired if he would come and play it on the day of the fair. He only turned his face away. She was perplexed with his silence. She took the road to chamba while manek returned to his home . Back home,he slurped on his cot. His mother asked him if he had gone all the way to chamba. He answered in a weal voice that he had gone only to the top of the hill. She shouted why he was croaking like an old woman and told him to be a man. He too wanted to say to her to behave like a woman and understand the feelings of Guleri. But he remained silent. He knew that she was only waiting for the departure of guleri. for five hundred rupees, she got him that year a second wife-Manek was married but his heart was dead within him.
Many days passed. One morning he sat smoking is chillum when his old friend bhavani paased that away. Bhavani was going to chamba for the fair. He had been with manek seven years ago also when the latter had met guleri. He took leave of manek and walked away. Next afternoon when manek was in his fields,he saw bhavani returning. He knowingly looked the other way. He didn't want to talk to his friend or hear about the fair. He knew that Guleri must have been waiting for him. But bhavani came up to him and sat in front of him. He looked depressed and cheerless. He reported that Guleri is dead. When she heard of manek's second marriage, she poured kerosene on her clothes and put a match stick to them. Manek was mute and numb with pain. He felt own life burning out.
The days went by. Manek worked in his fields as usual, but he was like a dead man. His wife complained but to no effect. Nevertheless she was pregnant. This was a matter of great joy for manek's mother. She spoke about it to him but he showed no excitement. She assured her daughter-in-law that manek's mood would be all right after the child was born. Manek became a father of a son. His mother bathed the body, dresses him in fine clothes and put him in manek's stared at the baby with an expressionless eyes then suddenly he began to scream. He cried hysterically to take the child away, it stank of kerosene...