Radhika was happy. The train from Mumbai was on time. It reached Indore at 8 a.m.  “It is rather cold for february  in Indore this year,” she thought. Mumbai was warm and humid when she left it the previous evening. Radhika’s  parents had retired as professors of  the university in Indore. They belonged to a small village near the temple town of Ujjain. Her grandfather had bought a palatial house in Indore during the forties. And her parents had resisted all pressures from the land sharks who had wanted to buy the property, destroy the lovely house and build a multi-storeyed building there. Radhika’s brother Rakesh  was the head of the family now, after the death of  their parents. Radhika wondered how long he would be able to resist the pressure. It wasn’t easy fighting the land mafia in a town like Indore which was growing every day.

Radhika was happy to see Rakesh on the platform. He patted her on the cheeks and hugged her when she alighted. He picked up her suitcase and they came out to the parking lot. As they got into the car Radhika asked him about the children. “Oh, they are so lazy. I had promised them that I would bring them to the station if they got up early and got ready on time. But today being Sunday, I am sure they will still be in  bed when we reach there.” As the car came out of the station and moved towards their house Radhika looked at the sights with interest. Some of the landmarks were still there. She had been seeing them since her childhood. But there were a lot of changes. Many new buildings had cropped up since she last visited more than a year ago. Her job as a copywriter with an ad agency in Mumbai had kept her rather busy the last one year. And she had even gone abroad for the first time. Her boss had approved her trip to Europe. She was grateful for the education that she got due to this trip. But she was scared that she was beginning to forget Indore. “Mustn’t let this happen again,” she told herself, “must visit Indore at least once in six months.”

When they reached home her sister-in-law Meenakshi and the children Ramesh and Sheela were sitting in the verandah waiting for them. The children jumped with joy when they saw their favourite aunt. “So bua, what have your brought for us this time?” they asked in unison. “Arrey, let  your bua at least come inside and rest for awhile. What will she say about both of you?” Meenakshi scolded the kids. “No bhabhiji,” said Radhika, “let them take their gifts right away.” She had bought nice clothes for all of them from Europe, a Swiss knife for Ramesh, cosmetics for  Meenakshi and a wrist watch for her brother. All of them were very happy to receive their gifts. “So what are we having for breakfast?” asked Radhika after she had bathed and changed. “Poha,  jalebi, and kachori” replied Meenakshi with a smile. Radhika smiled. She just loved poha and jalebi. All this with a glass of tea.  Radhika felt she was in heaven.
 
After breakfast she went to her room. This room had been kept just the way she had left it when she had gone to Mumbai two years ago. Her brother had been a pillar of strength to her after she had suffered much abuse in one year of marriage followed by a messy divorce . She was grateful that she had insisted on finishing her MBA before marriage. She was happy that she had convinced her husband that they wouldn't have any kids for at least two years. She remembered that their father had told Rakesh that her room must always remain hers. So that she always had a place to come back to. So much had happened in the past few years but the room was still the same. She wondered how long she would be able to keep it. She knew that Rakesh would never ask her to vacate it. But could he fight social norms too the way he fought the land mafia?

The kids were soon  in her room. And she opened the cupboard and took out the books that she and Rakesh had collected when they were kids. Indrajal comics, children's magazines like Nandan, Champak, Chandamama and Children’s World and many books. The kids squealed with delight. They were allowed to look at this treasure chest only when their bua was in town. They had a good time going through the books and magazines and seeing the pictures. Nowadays, they spent most of their time in front of the television or the computer. She had never seen them lying in bed with a comic or story book. How the world had changed.  After much laughter and play they insisted that Radhika read them a story. She picked up an old issue of Chandamama and read a story which her mother used to read out loudly to her and Rakesh. The children also knew this. They listened to her as if in a trance. By the time the story came to an end Ramesh was sleeping.

 She and Sheela sat quietly for long. Radhika could hear the gentle Malwa breeze in the neem tree outside her windows. The squirrels were as noisy as ever. But she missed the sparrows. Where had they all gone? Suddenly Sheela told her, “Bua, shall I say something? Your room is so nice, I love coming here.” Radhika  caressed her head and told her, “It is for you gudiya, this will be your room when you grow up. Your papa will tell Ramesh not to give it to anyone else. I promise you that.” Sheela hugged her hard. Radhika  smiled gently. She could feel the warmth of the child’s body as she held Sheela in her arms.
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My earlier short story:  The debate   (What happens when a young man and woman fight each other.)