Raniya Bhikharin.
Raniya Bhikharin (मैथिली)
By Acharya Ramanand Mandal.
Translated by: Prabhash Ranjan.
A beggar woman came to the block headquarters at the Gopalpur bus stand. She was a 25-year-old with a fair complexion and a thin, frail body. She was also afflicted by polio on her left side, causing her to walk with a slight limp on her left leg, while her left arm hung loosely. She would ask for food at the hotels near the bus stand.
I worked as a demonstrator at a unaided government inter-college and lived in a rented house next to the bus stand. On my way to college, I would see her. Sometimes she would sit or lie on a torn quilt spread on the ground by the bus stand. At other times, she would be standing at a hotel waiting for food. When the hotel owners gave her food, she would sit down and eat there and then go to drink water later.
One thing that stood out was that she kept herself clean. She would bathe in the pond next to the bus stand and wash her clothes there as well. She would even ask the grocery store owners for soap. All the shopkeepers at the bus stand showed sympathy towards her and called her Raniya.
One day, I saw her getting off an empty bus at the bus stand. I was surprised. I mentioned this to Manohar, the hotel owner where I ate. He said, “Yes, Dayanand Babu. Raniya cleans the bus. When she cleans it, the conductor gives her some money.”
A few days later, I noticed that Raniya was undergoing physical changes. Her body was gradually filling out; her cheeks were becoming rosy and prominent, and her breasts were also developing. Her hair was let down to her waist, and there was a smile on her lips. It struck me as somewhat strange.
After a few more days, I noticed a bulge in her belly. I again told Manohar about Raniya. He replied, “This is all due to the conductor of the bus. The conductor is sexually exploiting Raniya, but she seems to enjoy it.”
I said, “But hasn’t the conductor raped Raniya?”
Manohar responded, “No, the conductor hasn’t raped her. We all stay at the bus stand; if he had raped her, she would have definitely raised an alarm and told us all about it. All of us shopkeepers respect Raniya. The conductor is seducing Raniya and exploiting her sexual desires. He is taking advantage of Raniya’s youth and physical hunger. Just look at how happy she is now!”
Raniya’s belly had grown quite large by then, and whispers could be heard around the bus stand. The local police officer and respectable people would comment but said nothing in opposition.
Nine months passed, and Raniya gave birth to a beautiful fair-skinned girl. She became a mother now. If any woman asked for the baby, she wouldn’t give her up. She constantly kept watch over her child.
When a woman becomes a mother, she is just a mother—whether that child is born out of love or from sexual exploitation or even rape!
Today, unmarried mothers often abandon their children out of fear of society or even kill them. But Raniya loves her child dearly, regardless of its illegitimate status.
For Raniya, her baby feels like a part of herself; she is always gazing at and kissing her child and often breastfeeding as well.
Raniya embodies truth, affection, compassion, and maternal love beautifully as a mother. Today, she appears as a complete woman; no longer just a beggar but now like a queen.
Raniya has left the bus stand and moved on to another place.
Author: Acharya Ramanand Mandal, Social Thinker from Sitamarhi.
