The untold Story

It had almost been two months since Nandu Maisnam was discharged from the hospital. Since the past two years Nandu had been waging a war against death. What made his disease more dangerous than any other was the fact that it was unknown to modern medicine. The doctors referred to it as an ‘abomination’.

Nandu and his family resided in Asharikandi, which is a village in Dhubri district of Assam, India. His bloodline had been involved in traditional pottery since centuries. However, the profession was about passion and not privileges. Saving Nandu’s life took almost everything away from his family as the treatment had to take place in the finest of hospitals due to the rarity of the disease. Paying for all the medications resulted in Nandu’s family being under a lot of dept and that burden fell upon Nandu’s shoulders due to the sudden demise of his father while he was still recovering from the after effects of his disease. Nandu who was unable to live life as a normal human being for two years was now about to step into the real world. A world where he cannot let his family go unfed. A world where he can’t let any mis-happenings take place to those he loves and cares about. A world where a single tear from his mother’s eyes would mean his failure as a son. As he cremated his father, Nandu couldn’t help but wonder how he was going to fulfil all those expectations.

After 13 days of his father’s death it was finally time for Nandu to return to his craft after the long hiatus. His family owned a small workshop where all the pots were made and were further taken to the main market for sale. As Nandu stepped into the workshop he started reliving his memories as the person he used to be before he fell sick. Nandu and his father used to spend the entire day in the workshop doing the two things they loved the most which were making pots and spending time with each other. They also brought Nandu’s younger brother Kartik along with them who used to just sit on the cot, doing his school homework and admiring his family’s dedication towards their work. Nandu’s mom used to fry snacks for them everyday and they enjoyed them together as one small happy family.

However things were different now. Nandu’s mom wouldn’t leave her room. She had stopped eating and was growing weaker by the day. Due to shortage of money Kartik had to drop out of school and was now involved in doing odd jobs for a few rich households who could afford having help in the house. The times were tough and what pained Nandu the most was that his best friend, his father was not there with him to endure it. Nandu repeatedly but question god why he saved him and not his father. He was still in the middle of his nostalgic trip when suddenly he heard the sound of a pot breaking.

It was a little boy who had kicked a pot while entering the workshop. Nandu had never seen this little boy in his life.

Startled by the noise, Nandu questioned the boy furiously, “ Who are you? ” to which the young boy replied, “ Sir I could ask you the very same question. What are you doing in Mr. Maisnam’s workshop? You are a thief aren’t you? You are trying to steal from the poor? Have you no manners?”. Nandu became furious upon hearing the little boy’s words.

He yelled, “I am Mr. Maisnam’s son and currently the owner of this workshop. Now you better start explaining your reasons for being here or I’ll beat you with a stick.” The young boy got frightened and started begging for mercy, “ Sir, please forgive me. I didn’t know you are Mr. Maisnam’s son. please forgive me. while you were sick, your father employed me to help him with small jobs like carrying the pots and getting the attention of customers. I thought you were a thief and broke the pot by mistake. I will pay for the damage I made.”

However Nandu didn’t want his money. He told the little boy that he had cost him his hard work and not his money and therefore he can only repay Nandu through hard work. The little boy was startled on hearing such words. Never had he ever seen a person to whom money was a mere object.

The little boy began working while Nandu was selecting the pots that were to be sold in the market the next day. While the little boy was working Nandu asked him, “What is your name?” The little boy replied “ Whatever you’d like it to be!” Nandu got confused. He questioned, “ I’m sorry but do you not have a name?” to which the boy replied, “I am eleven years old, I work everyday to put food in my stomach. I never really got time to name myself.” From that day Nandu began greeting the little boy by the name Chote which means little one in Hindi.

Nandu was putting his hands to use after more than two years however even after being cured he was unable to put them to proper use. After several tries and failures Nandu began cursing himself for not being able to do a simple task.

Chote decided to put an end to his misery. He went up to him and said, “Sir you seem to have forgotten the basic principle of art and that is the reason for you not being able to make pots right now.” Nandu got intrigued and asked, “ And what might this principle be?”

Chote told him that earlier when Nandu used to do pottery, he used to do it out of love. However at the current moment he was doing it out of pressure.

He said, “ Even when you were sick and your family’s debt was growing, your father didn’t give up his love for his art and I believe he would want you to do the same."

Nandu was touched after hearing those words and thanked Chote for sharing this memory of his father with him. He said, " I am sorry Chote. It is just that there is a lot on my shoulders and all I can think about is that I am still not the man I used to be." Chote started asking questions about Nandu's disease and what it did to him. He replied, " At first it took over all the strength I had. When I became weak and prone to its attack, it started affecting all my organs slowly. They said that the pathogen had been in my body for a long time and no one ever seemed to notice because its effects were very slow." As the two new friends talked they didn't even notice that the sun had part ways and the moon was the earth's companion now.

The very next day Nandu and Chote took twenty pots with them to the main market. While making the pots was quite difficult selling them was a much harder challenge. Pot vendors were present in abundance and attracting customers required businessman skills which was something that Nandu was unfamiliar with as it was his father who made all the sales back in the day.

As the sale began, Nandu was clueless. There were times when he lost customers by stating a higher price and there were times when he got looted as he sold the goods at a very low price. The sale was going so bad that both Chote and Nandu could see their dinner vanish in the air.

Nandu asked Chote, “If the sale continues in this manner we would soon have spent double of what we’ll earn today. What should I do?” Nandu was left with two choices. He could either end his sale and come back the next day with a strategy or he could continue it with no plan and probably make money with some luck. In an ideal situation he would've have left and come back the next day with a plan. However due to his family’s huge debt he couldn’t leave the possibility of earning money. Because of this decision he was unable to earn even the slightest of profit and had to return home almost empty handed after a disappointing day. Nandu was greeted at home by his brother who was at that moment the only reason for any residual happiness inside of him.

Upon hearing what had happened Kartik decided to help his brother make a good sale. He said, “ father always advised to mark the price of your product based on the wealth of your customer. If he is rich he would not mind paying extra money to you but if he is not very rich the slightest of high price could result in losing a customer.” to which Nandu replied, “and how do differentiate the rich from the poor” The answer to that was very simple. A person’s shoes is the most precise thing to determine his wealth.

The next day, Nandu returned to the market place to make a different sale this time. Keeping the new strategy in mind, he started off his sale in a brilliant manner. There was a point of time when Chote had to rush to the workshop to bring more pots. The day went well and the profits were high enough to put a smile on Nandu’s face. However none shall prevent what’s bound to happen.

The very same night, there was a knock on Nandu’s door. This knock was about to change his life forever. Nandu opened the door and found some villagers standing in front of him. These villagers were the ones who had lent money to Nandu’s father for his treatment. One of the villagers demanded, “ Your father had promised that he would return all my money today. Now it is almost midnight and the day will end eventually. I want my money before that”

Nandu had no option but to deny the villager’s request. He said, “ Sir whatever money we had left was spent in the cremation of my father. I have just started working again and this little sum is all I have. Kindly give us a few more months. I will return all of your money with full interest.”

The villagers got infuriated. One of them stepped forward and said, “ How dare you demand more time? We have been waiting for two years for our payment? We will take what is ours by hook or crook and no one will stop us!”

The villagers pulled Nandu out of his house and began beating him with sticks and stones. Nandu being weak and defenceless could not take a stand for himself against a dozen villagers. Kartik got so scared that he had no option but to hide himself in a safe spot.

One villager said, “ If your father was alive, he would’ve been ashamed to see you. If you can’t even pay your debts, how can you call yourself a man?”

These words may not have meant anything to the villagers, however they hurt Nandu in every way possible because they stood as a sign of his failure towards his family. The villagers warned Nandu that if their money wasn’t returned by the next day, the same treatment would be given to his family.

Nandu who was hurt very badly could not even move a muscle. The next morning, Chote went by his house and found Nandu lying unconscious. He went inside and found Kartik hidden inside a cupboard. Chote ran to the local doctor and informed him about Nandu’s situation and his whereabouts. The doctor had Chote sit behind him on his scooter holding his briefcase and reached Nandu’s house as soon as possible. There he was lying lifeless on a cot. The doctor treated his wounds and somehow managed to wake him up. Kartik and his mother who were still horrified by what had happened were even unable to speak. Nandu knew that the villagers would be back and that this time they would hurt his family.

Chote said, “ You must leave with your family. Those people will take every measure possible to get the money out of you. Leave while you can.” Nandu couldn’t get himself to agree with what Chote said. He said, “ This is my home, my family’s home. How can I leave everything?” to which Chote replied, “ I’ve never had a family but if i had one I would do anything to protect them. Your family should be your priority right now as home is where family is.”

Nandu was now challenged with two choices. He could either leave and never come back or he could stay and face death or something even worse. He told Chote to take his family and leave town. He approached his brother and mother and asked them to leave with Chote.

Kartik asked, “ Aren’t you coming?” Nandu replied, “ Our father never raised me to be a coward. I will not leave my home with shame. You must go. I promise I will find my way back to you.” As tears came down pouring their eyes, the brothers hugged each other and were forced to part ways.

Nandu who lost almost everything to a mere disease had lost the only two people in his life who kept him going. He was about to reclaim his passion in life but the world never gave him a chance. Nandu didn’t fail the world but the world failed him. No one cares about how a poor person like him lives his daily life by struggling for food, paying debts, losing loved ones. Nandu’s story might not have an impact on anyone but enduring what he has been through is what makes him a hero.               

-Harsh Kakkar