The divorcee group was annoyed by the suggestion that the onus was on them to put up with inconveniences and disappointments and keep the marriage going. Many in this group were also working women and therefore felt no need to stay in the marriage due to economic compulsions. Mohan was about to flip the channel when suddenly he noticed that his former wife Malati was also one of the participants. Out of curiosity, he decided to continue watching.
Dr Malati was his student at the medical college. Over the period of the five-year course, they came close to each other and before they knew it, they had fallen in Love. Either of them could not say exactly ‘when’ or ‘where’ but they found themselves spending more and more time, both professional and personal with each other. Soon, it was time to move to the next natural step towards their union. Both being doctors and of the same community there was not much of a parental opposition.
Initially the marriage could be described as “Total bliss” punctuated by quick affectionate glances, whispered promises and ringing infectious laughter. As a couple they went on adventurous treks as also visited interesting places like the beach and exotic hill stations. Those days were indeed magical and continued to linger even as they were blessed with two children first a girl and then a boy. As a doctor couple, they were also bound together by common aspirations and shared dreams.
Mohan’s mind had momentarily been hijacked by the past. He came back to the program to see his ex-wife arguing with a person from the opponent group. The gentleman was making remarks about single working women returning from work to the apartment late in the night and contented that they were poor role models for the younger generation. Dr Malati took him to task and scoffed at his outdated views. She said that his problem was not about women coming late from work but by the fact that women are able to stand on their own legs without the support of a man.
Mohan noticed that Malati’s vitality and articulation had not reduced a teeny bit since the two years of their separation. He could not help feeling a grudging admiration for her spirit and liveliness. Yet, it was this spirit or her desire to ‘always have things her way’ that had perhaps unknowingly but slowly and surely caused a chasm between them. Almost all major decisions, be it the place of an annual holiday, the brand of car to be purchased or the colleges that the children should go to all had to happen the way she wanted it. At first, he had not noticed the pattern but by the time he did, it was too late.
The life of the Mohan- Malati couple and their time together as a family was fun and intact until about the early teens of the children. Beyond that age, the children found more meaning in spending time with their friends rather than with family. They began to spend less and less of their free time with family and relatives. The annual visits to Grandma’s during holidays were avoided by them on some pretext or other connected with studies.
Mohan felt a kind of disconnect; after all, decisions big or small were taken between Malati and the children. He found himself spending more and more time in the hospital. A time finally came, when Mohan felt that there was no point of being in a marriage merely for having a place to sleep at night and for eating breakfast and supper, which was anyway prepared by the maid. In the 25th year of their marriage Mohan filed for divorce which seemed to have come as a bit of a shock to Malati. But then, he justified this to himself thinking “ she should have seen it coming, given the slide in our relationship for a fairly long time.”
Chetana and Arjun had hesitantly walked into his study. They seemed more perplexed than shocked. “Why daddy?” was the expression on their faces. Subsequently, they put it in words and wanted to know why he was taking such a drastic step? Mohan simply told them that “they wouldn’t understand”.
“What kind of an answer is that dad?” asked Arjun. “At least, give a valid reason. Is there anything we can do?”
“Why are you punishing us? What wrong did we do?” Chetana wanted to know.
“I told you nobody is to blame for my decision. It just had to happen…”
Both of them left the room annoyed and angry. But Mohan was unfazed. After all, he had made up his mind after deep contemplation and consideration of the hard reality.
His parents and in laws were also upset and disappointed by Mohan’s decision. In the initial days, they called him every other day to try and convince him not to proceed with the divorce. Finally, they also gave up in the face of his strong determination.
Mohan’s full attention shifted back to the proceedings on TV. There was a dramatic turn in the course of the program. Thus far, the divorcee group was fiercely defending their right to opt for divorce and to be treated with respect as a single woman or parent. Suddenly, the anchor posed the question “Does anyone of you regret your decision as taken too hastily and that a little cooling off time would have been beneficial?”
One lady spoke up “Yes, I think so. Some restrain would have been good. My husband was not a bad person, only a bit gullible. He had temporarily lost his job. My brothers advised and put pressure on me to leave a weakling like him. “We will take care of you!” they had said. At that time both of them were bachelors. Years later, today, “with no support from anyone, I have to work so much harder to fend for myself and my son who is a teenager. I was working at that time. My unemployed husband would have got some job in a few months and our life would have become comfortable in due course. Today from early morning to late night I have to work to make two ends meet” she concluded.
The statement of this woman changed the mood of the discussion. Another person revealed that her former husband was a relative whom she liked even today. It was simply ego on both sides that had broken their marriage. The reunion also did not happen because each one was waiting for the other to take the first step. “Finally, fed up of waiting I rushed to his village to find that he had remarried.” The anchor of the show was himself taken by surprise by the sudden change in the tone and tenor of discussion from the “Big Fight” fiercely fought by the two warring groups.
Next it was the turn of Mohan to be amazed. He heard Malati speaking. “Just because we are divorced, it does not mean that we do not appreciate the good qualities of the spouse. My husband was and is a superb surgeon with magic in his hands. In fact, it was his professional brilliance that first drew me to him. He was also an impeccable father always loving and available to the children whenever they wanted him.”
The slightly dazed anchor asked “If he is so nice and you like him so much, why don’t both of you get back together?”
“No sir” she said “I know his nature. He would not go back on anything once his mind is made up.”
Mohan sat in stunned silence burying his face in his hands. He somehow didn’t think that Malati still cared so much for him. He had developed this image of his former spouse as an overbearing woman who thought highly only of herself. But now, she had said all these good things about him before millions of viewers.
A flood of emotions seemed to flow through him. After sitting spellbound for quite a while, he decided finally and firmly to make that call; a little awkward perhaps, but now he knew that person at the other end also wanted the same thing that he had been aching for quite a while.
“The children and their grandparents would also be so happy!” said an inner voice seconding the decision.
NB: The short story has been included in the anthology "Rangamati" (The Red Earth Dialogue" reflecting universalism of Rabindranath Tagore.
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