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Sparda (Vie)

Tripuraneni Gopichand

About the Author

Tripuraneni Gopichand (1910-1962), of Tenali, Andhra Pradesh, India, is a Telugu short story

writer, novelist, editor, essayist, playwright and film director. His writings exhibit an exceptional

interplay of values, ideas and „isms‟—materialism, rationalism, existentialism, realism and

humanism. He is well-known among Telugu literati for his psychological novel—Asamardhuni

Jeevayatra (The Incompetent‟s Life Journey). He was posthumously presented the Sahitya Akademi

Award for his novel, Panditha Parameshwara Sastry Veelunama (Will of Panditha Parameshwara

Sastry), in 1963. Radical humanist, profound thinker, philosopher, social reformer and an

inveterate votary of truth, Gopichand was a versatile genius, which reflects well in his scintillating

stories that are told in crisp language. His stories pose many questions that challenge the wit of

readers. His birth centenary celebrations are set to commence from September 2009.

Translator

GRK Murty

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Veerayya has a son, Kotayya. Everyone in the village was surprised at

the rivalry that surfaced between these two. For quite a long time,

father and son lived quite amicably. Amicably in the sense, whatever

the father said, the son obeyed. Today, that has changed. In the recent

past, Veerayya happened to remarry after his first wife expired. It is

prior to this that Kotayya got married. Since his father‟s remarriage,

the tension between the father and the son has grown. They have

divided the hut between them. Each got fifty rupees as their share out

of the cash holding. Immediately thereafter, Veerayya purchased a

buffalo with that fifty rupees. His wife started selling milk and curd.

Seeing it and not being able to contain herself, Kotayya‟s wife, by

pestering, made her husband purchase a buffalo. Since then, the

competition has further intensified. Right from feeding the buffaloes to

the selling of milk, quarrels have become a daily affair.

One day, Kotayya went into the cattle yard at 5 O‟ clock in the

morning to feed the buffalo. Ever since his wife complained about her

father-in-law‟s buffalo giving more milk than theirs and their buffalo

being not fed properly, Kotayya himself started giving feed to the

buffalo besides giving it brawn-water. He goes to the haystack to feed

his buffalo with dried leguminous sheaf. Beside it, is his father‟s

haystack. Upon seeing his father‟s haystack, he is struck with a bad

thought. His father had stacked good quality leguminous hay bundles.

What if he feed that leguminous shoots to his buffalo—no sooner had

the idea struck his mind than it appeared dreadful to Kotayya. Slowly,

it sunk into him. He goes to his father‟s haystack. He pulls out a

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bundle of shoots. Moves two steps. His father appears right in front of

him. For an unknown reason, he felt like beating his father with that

leguminous sheaf. Holding the leguminous sheaf in his hand, he

looked at his father furiously. It is difficult to discern what Veerayya

thought, but he slowly walked away. Hurriedly spreading the shoots

in front of his buffalo, Kotayya goes inside the hut and lies down.

By morning, somehow Veerayya‟s wife comes to know of it. Veerayya

is not at home. No sooner did she come to know of it, than she goes

to the yard and pulling out four leguminous sheaves from Kotayya‟s

haystack, feeds it to her buffalo. Learning this, Kotayya‟s wife picks up

a quarrel with her—they lock horns.

“Your hand must break—”

“Why did your husband do it?”

“Did my husband do it?”

“He pulled out our leguminous sheaf—”

“Prove it?”

Veerayya‟s wife proves it calling Rattayya, who resides in the

neighboring hut. Explaining what has happened she adds, “Rattayya

mama1 too has seen it.” This further infuriates Kotayya‟s wife. She

accuses her that it‟s not to let them live in the hut, she implanted all

this. “You have wooed all the neighbors to be on your side.

Obviously, if not on your behalf, who would speak for me—an

1 Rattayya mama—Rattayya uncle.

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impoverished woman. What do I have—no wealth, no people‟s

support?” With this Veerayya‟s wife starts abusing her. Again they are

at their full-throttle into a fight—pulling each other‟s hair. In the

meanwhile, the whole neighborhood assembles before them.

Somehow, they bring them to their senses by coaxing each of them

appropriately.

Kotayya‟s wife cannot contain her anger. Inside the house, she yells at

her husband. Shouting, “It‟s all because of your timidness,” she cries

loudly. It doesn‟t matter to you even if others accuse me of stealing or

loafing? She cries and cries. Yet, Kotayya remains lying in the cot fully

covered under a blanket without uttering a single word.

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Wandering hither and thither, Veerayya returns home by evening. No

sooner does he arrive than he senses the happenings at home.

Kotayya‟s wife is again at her full-throttle —starts scolding Veerayya‟s

wife loudly, so that he could hear. Hearing those curses, she pounces

at her like a snake stamped on the tail. Both are again at each other—

locking horns over the leguminous sheaf. Although it is the same old

story, the whole neighborhood assembles in front of them again.

Veerayya is angry. He orders his wife, “Shut your mouth and go

inside.”

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“They are stealing!” she cries.

“Who has stolen?”

“Your son.”

“Who said?”

“Do you think if you don‟t say it will remain hidden?”

“Who said?”

“Rattayya.”

“Why have you believed him?”

“Why, does it need somebody‟s saying, do they have this big-leafed

leguminous sheaves?” questioning she points to the shoots and leaves

in front of their buffalo.

“While going out I have only fed it one of our sheaves. Why so much

ruckus for this?” says Veerayya.

“Look! Look! What a trick she played… not liking our staying in the

hut, she got this done —” Kotayya‟s wife explains the truth thus to

everyone assembled there… She then rushes to her husband.

“Have you seen?” Remaining under the blanket, Kotayya does not

speak.

“Your father came. He told the truth.”

“What did he say?” Kotayya gets up from the bed with a jerk.

“Seems, he himself fed his leguminous sheaf to our buffalo, before

leaving,” replies his wife.

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Listening to this, he lies down at once covering himself fully with the

blanket again. His wife continues with her brawl—continues to shout

at her mother-in-law. He however, does not come out of his blanket.

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