Shaandaar Sitare

4. VARUNMALA'S CONSPIRACY

Varunmala asks the couple that Chandrakanta did a good thing and she needs a reward for pushing her relative to jail..? The husband says that doing embezzlement (corruption) will be handled by military laws and he can't help his uncle. Then the mother argues saying that Balakumaran only cares for his wife and his children.

Varunmala brings the past in light and asks how Shyamala can take money from her husband and use it for her brother's marriage and study. Balakumaran replies that she is his wife and they earned together risking their lives together and she has the right to take money from him.

They leave when Lakshmi asks them to get out of her sight and Varunmala says that she made an arrangement for the couple in the other bedroom which is not very lavish.

Varunmala took advantage of Balakumaran and Shyamala going to war and occupied their lavish room which is made for the elder son of the family and then his sons. Shyamala looks at Varunmala and accepts to stay in the other room.

Chandrakanta on the other hand applies something on her lips to make her lips look pale from a certain distance. It becomes clear when a person sees carefully from close.

Chandrakanta hears some foot steps as she pretends to sleep. Her parents came and her father was upset seeing her condition and told her mother to observe how pale her lips were. Her mother observes her lips carefully and understands the matter but she doesn't say a word.

Madhurima informed Shyamala and Balakumaran that Siyali came there to meet them. Shyamala and Balakumaran came out and closed the door of Chandrakanta's room. Chandrakanta opened her eyes and she was listening to their conversation.

Shyamala asked Siyali whether Varunmala called for a physician to treat Chandrakanta but Siyali replied that Varunmala never cared for Chandrakanta and although Chandrakanta has parents who fight and participate in war at the border, Chandrakanta never got a single penny.

Siyali also adds that Chandrakanta was sent to the village from time to time and she never had proper dresses or meals. Shyamala then asks Siyali why Varunmala sent Chandrakanta to the village this time.

Siyali replied that Varunmala despite being married into the Wadiyar family for more than 10 years didn't have a son and she wanted to adopt her 10 year old nephew. Siyali then said that Chandrakanta gave a dessert to the nephew as she is a kind person but the dessert attracted wild bees which bit the nephew on his face.

Siyali adds that the weather was freezing cold when they were sent to the village. Balakumaran says that Varunmala is very vicious or cruel and she needs to give divorce to her husband.

Shyamala asks who opened the dessert that is packed and Siyali replies that Chandrakanta opened the package for the little boy. Shyamala then says that despite being 10 years old, he can't open his package and asks Chandrakanta to open the dessert package.

Chandrakanta wakes up a bit with the hope to see what her mother will do.. Shyamala says that either a work is done properly or it is not done. She then informs her husband that their daughter Tara was in poor health because she stuffed herself with food in a hurry causing damage to her spleen and stomach.

Siyali explains why Chandrakanta stuffed herself and Balakumaran was upset as they expected that their daughter was having a good time in house with proper meals but she had a worse time than the refugees (jo ghar chod ke gaya ho kisi wajah se..)

Shyamala asks her husband to visit his brother and he leaves. Shyamala and Madhurima were talking and Madhurima says that Chandrakanta is in poor health now and God knows when she will recover. Shyamala then tells Madhurima that Tara's unconsciousness gave an opportunity to pick on Lakshmi.

Chandrakanta who was hearing, understood that her mother has sharp eyes and Shyamala knows that Chandrakanta pretended to be unconscious. Chandrakanta questioned herself why her mother turned a blind eye (ignore) towards her bullies.

Madhurima then says that Shyamala was clever to lie and her lie exposed Lakshmi and Varunmala's true colors. Madhurima then doubts whether Colonel Balakumaran will let go of his mother as he is kind and is devoted to his mother.

Shyamala explains to Madhurima that even though Balakumaran is kind-hearted, he will attack the enemy on the battlefield or else he would have been killed earlier. So she asks Madhurima to not worry as Balakumaran knows when to stand up and when to hold back.

Chandrakanta who listened them thought why her mother didn't intervene when she knew that Chandrakanta was being bullied due to the grudges on her mother. She then overhears other things.

'Mata mujhe ek khilone ki tarah istemaal kar ke putr aur mata ke beech ek kalah daalna chahti hai.. Maata kitni kroor hai..' Chandrakanta thought.

Chandrakanta then overhears her mother saying that as it is more than a decade, it's difficult for Shyamala to control her daughter, so she needs to discipline Chandrakanta well.

'Jinhone mujhe tang kiya unhe samajh sikhane ki bajay mata mujhe anushasit (discipline) karna chahti hai.. Pratit hota hai ki ab mujhe swaym par hi nirbhar hona padega..' Chandrakanta thought.

The next morning in magistrate's prison (nyayadhish karagar), Virendra Singh was sitting and Das came inside.

'Kya Wadiyar pariwar ke ghar pe nigrani kar rahe ho..?' Virendra singh asked.

'Shrimant, Wadiyar pariwaar abhi jhanjhat (mess) mei hai.. Wadiyar pariwaar ka mukhya, Lakshmi amma, kumari Chandrakanta se krodit hai ki kumari ne Lakshmi amma ke brata ko pakadwaya hai..' Das said while Nakush came inside and cleared his throat.

'Shrimant, humne pata lagaya hai ki Wadiyar pariwaar ki dusri bahu, devi Varunmala kuch sahi nahi hai, unke athirikt Wadiyar pariwaar mei sab sahi hai.. Hume khabar mila hai ki us din jisne hume anusandhaan karne se roka hai vo dasi Adviti hai jo devi Varunmala ki seva karti hai..' Nakush said.

A soldier came and informed them that a man came and gave them something saying that Chandrakanta sent the thing.

'Vo Shrimant ko rishwat dena chahti hai kya..?' Das said while Nakush brought the thing near Virendra singh. He opened the cloth and saw haystack and a fabric.

'Yeh der saara kabad kaisa..?' Das asked. Virendra took the fabric in his hand.

'Wadiyar pariwaar mei har ek sadasya ek dusre ke tulna mei bade nistavaan hai..' Virendra commented (he meant that they were loyal but in a mocking way).

Virendra singh then raided Varunmala family's fabric store and they found that something is wrong with the accounts. The grandfather who was caught (Lakshmi's younger brother, i.e., Achyuta) invested 80,000 mudras but he got only a small amount in return. So Nakush said that it was stolen money which the grandfather invested.

'Shrimant ne abhi tak hamare uphaas karne hetu jo kumari Chandrakanta ka bheja hua der saara kabad hai usko kyun feka nahi..?' Das asked.

'Kya kumari Chandrakanta humse is vastr se kuch kehna chahti hai..?' Nakush asked.

'Sukhi ghaas.. Sukhi ghaas ka tatparya hai ki karnal wadiyar ke mama us din sukhi ghaas mei chupe the.. Vastr... Vastr se vo hume is vastr ki dukaan ki aor ishaara karna chahti hai.. Kitna rochak (interesting) hai..' Virendra said.

'Kumari pehliyon se hume raaji tho nahi karna chahti hai..?' Das said.

'Pratit hota hai ki kumari chahti hai ki hum unki palayan (escape) karne mei sahayta kare..' Nakush said.

'Hum kyun uski sahayata kare..? Vaise bhi prateet hota hai ki usne swayam marg dhundh liya hai palayan karne ka..' Virendra said looking at the fabric.