Dreamy world.

Dreamy world.

The rainy season in India is very beautiful, although it rains often, the weather is pleasantly warm. The surroundings are green, the leaves of the trees are shiny.

The flowers are brighter, and the raindrops on the petals look like morning dew. Although the rainy season is approaching, the city is bustling with life. People are busy with their work, everyone is rushing in different directions.
The monsoon season brings another worry to the slums of Dharavi. People living in these slums are in dire straits in shelters. These slums are mainly inhabited by lower caste people: barbers, dishwashers, ear cleaners, laundresses and the like. The washerwoman Rajendra lives in one of these slums. Even today, early in the morning, he takes clothes to wash and goes to the river. Rajendra has two daughters, the daughters are still small, and his wife is pregnant. Therefore they cannot help Rajendra, maybe after 5-6 years they will help Rajendra. Rajendra and his wife dream of a son because a son is less of a worry and more of a benefit. Raising girls is very difficult because you need a lot of money to see them married when they grow up. If girls are naturally beautiful, there will be many who want to marry them , and they will not ask for a lot of money. In India, there is an old custom: those who want to become a daughter-in-law pay the groom money.
Although Rajendra's bags are heavy due to the rain, his spirit is fresh and he walks confidently. He is in a good mood because during the monsoon season, washerwomen have a lot of work to do. Clients often complain about the dirt around them and transporting a lot of things, and in the next few days his wife will give birth to a child. He will have a son. Rajendra learned that he will have a son not from an Uzi or other devices, but from the holy father when went to the temple. The Holy Father announced that his donations had been accepted and that he would have a son.
On one of these happy days, good news came to Rajendra: his wife gave birth to a son. Rajendra was at work at that time, he immediately rushed home. His wife, two daughters and midwife Seema Aunty welcomed him home. Aunt Sima said: “I am glad that you have a son.” Rajendra gave him two rupees. Then they all sat down at the table and ate sweets. Rajendra and his wife Kamla consulted and named their son Dharma.
Days passed, Rajendra's earnings were enough for his livelihood, what he earned today was not left for tomorrow, but even so, he and his wife lived, hoping for better days. When their son Dharma was three months old, they began to walk for the work of all the families, Rajendra and Kamla did the laundry, and the girls looked after little Dharma. When they were at work, the house (if you can call their hut a home) was looked after by their neighbor Aunt Seema…
Little Dharma is more than two years old, girls of school age, but due to Rajendra's poverty they could not go to school. Rajendr dressed his children in dirty clothes from the laundry, he did not have money to buy toys. One day, Rajendr found a toy car behind a client's house and brought it to his son. Despite the fact that Dharma was small, he knew what a car was, when they went to the laundry, his sisters showed the car and said that it was “beep-beep.” Dharma jumped on the toy in his father’s arms and was very rejoiced, saying “dit-dit.” Since he had no other toys, he played with the toy car all day and night, even when he slept at night, hugging his car.
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Years have passed. A young man walks along the side of the road with a large bag on his head and looks at the cars. This is Dharma. He is seventeen years old and works with his father. Although he is quite thin, the redness of his face and even breathing indicate his health. He did not study at school, due to the poverty of his family, he could have been literate when he studied, but it is difficult for him to have another profession. Because in India people were divided into castes, according to which a washerwoman’s child could only become a washerwoman. Dharma’s sisters got married: one at sixteen, the other at seventeen. Rajendr barely found the money for their wedding. They were given away to poor families as themselves. Rajendr was happy about this, too, because he It was difficult for them to marry off girls in India. Luckily for Rajendra, his daughters, although black-haired, were sweet and handsome.
Rajendra was about fifty years old, his hair was gray and he looked very old, but he still went to work every day. Dharma was always with him, he helped his father. Dharma did difficult things and did easy things himself. Dharma's responsibility was also It was necessary to distribute clean clothes to their owners, otherwise Rajendra would get tired if he distributed clothes on every street. Kamla also worked with them, although she was over forty, she was sick and often tired. Therefore, father and son insisted that he stay at home more .In his free time, Dharma would sit for hours on the main street, he liked to watch cars go by. This is due to a childhood toy car that Dharma played with until he was twelve years old. Dharma was fascinated by the sight of cars, and his dream was to drive a car .One day, Dharma went to distribute clean clothes to their owners and came across an auto repair shop. While distributing clothes to the craftsmen, Dharma observed their work for a long time. From that day on, he often came to the workshop and stayed for hours in the workshop on the pretext of asking the craftsmen for laundry. Sometimes he would perform small tasks, such as handing keys to the craftsmen or handing over oils. Dharma became fascinated by the workshop, where he would spend hours looking at cars scattered, lifted, or parked on their sides. When the craftsmen were in a good mood, Dharma would question them about the car's parts, saying, " What is this? What about this one?” Otherwise, they said, “Fuck you! Do your laundry!” and kicked you out. Thus, over the years, Dharma developed a much better understanding of machines. A man nicknamed “Old Bob” also worked in the workshop. he was a very good person. He called to Dharma: “let's go, son! will you help me?”, and Dharma happily helped fix the car. Dharma sometimes knew at first glance where the problem was in the car, but with embarrassment the old man said to Bob: “Maybe we will see this place.” Old man Bob happily said: “Well done! You become a master."
Days passed in this way. Although the masters’ clothes were not so dirty, Dharma still took them for washing. The masters said: “Don’t touch them! The clothes are still clean, if they are dirty, we will tell you ourselves. Where will we find money for you?” Dharma said: “I don’t need money, I will wash them for free.” The idea was to come to the workshop more often under the pretext of clothes. Dharma could not work in the workshop, his caste was not suitable, because he was a washer. One day, when he and old Bob were repairing a car, the owner of the workshop came to them and asked: “Who is this boy?” The foreman, old Bob, said that it was the boy from the laundry. Then the owner of the workshop said: “Don’t let him mess around here! Give him the dirty clothes and let him leave here!” From that day on, Master Bob and the other masters did not allow Dharma to walk freely around the workshop. They drove Dharma out saying: “If you collected clothes, leave! Otherwise the owner will come and scold us!”...
Dharma sat on the side of the street and looked at the cars, sighing, he was offended that he belonged to the caste of laundries. Dharma really wanted him to be from the caste of craftsmen or drivers, he would go to the workshop early in the morning and spend hours repairing all sorts of machines, it was it would be fun if he drove the cars he repaired. Especially if he was a driver, if he drove back and forth all day, oh what a joy it is to be a driver! His heart was filled with joy from these thoughts. He recalled the days spent in workshop, and sighed, what days those were. He got up in the morning, rushed to work, distributed washed clothes to the owners and ran to the workshop. Helping Master Bob, he got into this and that car, when he got into the car, it was as if he was in another world. The smell of the car interior, the steering wheel, the gas - everything seemed magical. When he touched them, he went crazy, oh-oh, what a pleasure it is to drive a car! He especially loved trucks and envied their drivers. Once, when he was working in a workshop , the truck driver asked him to bring a cigarette from the cab, Dharma was stunned to see the inside of the truck…
Dharma still washed his clothes, went to the workshop less often, but did not give up the habit of sitting for hours on the side of the road. One day he took the washed clothes to the station workers and sat for a long time and fantasized at the station. Nothing suited him, although it was already late, he didn’t I wanted to go home. Nearby, people were standing in line for train tickets. Dharma slowly joined them and stood in line. When his turn came, they said, “Where are you going?” and he came to his senses and gave the money. Dharma took the ticket and left, suddenly the train whistle whistled. Dharma boarded the train and sat by the window, fantasizing and watching the streets. An hour later, the train stopped at the station and people began to get off. Dharma also got off and wandered around the station, not knowing what to do. Then he turned into the street and walked down the street. After walking for a long time, he came to an auto repair shop. The craftsmen were working there, Dharma came closer and sat down, watching their work. After a long time, one master came to him and asked what he needed. Dharma casually said that wants to work here. The foreman said: “The boss is not here now, he will come tomorrow, as far as I know, there are enough workers for the day. If you want to work in the evening, you can talk.” Dharma said, “Okay. I’ll come tomorrow” and turned back.Walking down the street, Dharma thought: “It would be great if they hired me tomorrow!” But at that moment he remembered that he was from the laundry class, and realized that this would not be the case, and was saddened. Dharma arrived at the station, bought ticket to return home, and when he found out that his train would arrive in three hours (so the cashier told him), he bought bread and water and sat on a bench. While he was eating the bread, a thought came to his mind and was delighted with this idea and jumped up. After all, this is a different city! Here no one knows him or his family members! If he comes to the workshop tomorrow and tells the boss: “he’s from the class of masters, he’s been working with his father since childhood,” he’ll believe it. Even better if he gets a job in the evening, washes clothes during the day and distributes linen, and comes here to work in the evening! It’s even better if he gets a job in the evening, washes and distributes linen during the day, and comes here to work in the evening! Even better if he gets a job in the evening, washes and distributes linen during the day, and in the evening comes here to work! On the train back he improved his plan. He was thinking about when to come tomorrow, what to tell his boss, what to tell his parents…
The next day, Dharma woke up in a happy mood, worked with his father all day and finished his work. After lunch, he distributed clothes, dressed in clean clothes, put the old clothes in a bag and went to the station. An hour and a half later, he arrived at the workshop and asked the craftsmen boss. Dharma approached the boss and said hello, the boss asked him who he was and what kind of work he could do. Taking the name of Master Bob, Dharma's first teacher, he introduced himself as "Dharma Anand". He said that he was helping his father in the workshop where his father worked and learned the craft, now he wants to earn money himself, he came here because there were no vacancies in his father’s workshop. The boss told him: “We only need craftsmen for evening work, if you are comfortable working in the evening, we’ll see.” .Dharma agreed, the boss said that he should undergo a probationary period, and called one master to him:
- Romakan, this boy is a new master, we need to check him, let him work with you today. You will tell me the answer tomorrow.
“Okay, come with me,” he told Dharma.
Dharma worked with Master Romakan until the night, although after an hour of work Romakan said: “That’s it, you passed the exam well! You will be back tomorrow,” he continued to work, saying that there was still time before the train arrived. When, already at the time of the train’s arrival, Dharma took a shower, changed clothes, said goodbye to Romakan and went to the station. While riding on the train, Dharmi’s face shone with joy.
The next day, when Dharma came to the workshop, the boss called him and said:
- Son, we are hiring you, according to Romakan, you are well versed in cars. As for the issue of salary, you yourself know that you receive a percentage of the service fee for the cars you repair, so work hard. Yes, and also, you work with Romakan, your work starts at six in the evening. Do not be late!
Dharma said “okay” and went to Romakan. Romakan:
- Come on, student, let's get to work?
- Let's start
Dharma smiled
Dharma's train arrived at five in the evening and returned at nine, and the second flight returned at one in the morning. Dharma finished work by half past twelve and hurried to the train. There was half an hour of travel between the workshop and the station. Dharma fell asleep on the train and arrived in his city at 2 o'clock nights.
Although it is very difficult to wash clothes all day, then distribute them, go by train to another city in the evening, fix the car at night and take the train home again, he did not feel tired. He enjoyed working in the workshop so much that it was like being on vacation at a resort .Especially when the workshop taught him how to drive a car, he seemed to be flying in the sky with joy. Having repaired cars here and there, they drove and tested them. Dharma also drove often, first he started driving simple tuk-tuks, then he started driving all kinds cars. After a few months, he even started driving trucks. At that moment, he was so happy that he was in seventh heaven. Dharma also started earning good money, and his livelihood began to become more stable. Dharma bought new clothes for himself and his parents. He also bought various utensils and household items. The house was filled with various products. This made his parents very happy. At first Dharma did not say what he was doing, but after working in the workshop for two months, he told his parents everything in detail. His father said: “If they they find out, they will fire you, but if you like it, you can work.” His mother was against these things, she said: “What is done by lying does not lead to good, stop what you are doing! Son".
Dharma had already been working in the workshop for over one and a half years. He was completely satisfied with his life and worked happily. He had turned 19 years old and had now become a very strong young man. Although his mother Kamla told him several times that she wanted to marry him, Dharma did not agree. His mother wanted to marry him to girls of her caste or a similar caste. Dharma was in love with another girl. He loved Rupa, the daughter of master Romakan from the workshop. Rupa often came to the workshop to bring food to her father. Rupa is three years younger than Dharma, he only that she turned sixteen. She was a very beautiful girl, her long hair fell below her waist, and she often wore it in a bun. When Rupa came to the workshop, Dharma looked at him, Rupa greeted him, gave his father containers of food and left again. At first Dharma and Rupa did not speak, but later, when Dharma tried to drive the repaired cars, Romakan asked him to take the dishes home. Master Romakan's house was two streets from the workshop, when Romakan was traveling with Dharma, he showed him his house several times. When Dharma carried it dishes, they met Rupa and talked to each other. And so they became friends. When Rupa came to the workshop or when Dharma came to their house, they talked a lot. Rupa was a cheerful and talkative girl. She charmed Dharma with all her words and jokes .Rupa was also partial to Dharma, when she saw her, his face would turn red and a smile would appear on his lips.One day on the eve of the holiday, Rupa said to him:
- Will you spend the holiday in your city?
- I rest at home, I don’t go out on holidays.
- Come and see what the holiday will be like in our city.
Dharma was happy and agreed. They met on the day of the festival and walked around the city until noon. When the day became hot, they rested on a bench under a tree. During the conversation, Dharma's hand touched Rupa's hand, Rupa shuddered, took her hand back and put it back, blushing and laughing .Dharma gently took Rupa's hand, she did not resist. As Dharma held Rupa's hand, his heart was pounding and he turned red with excitement. They walked happily until the evening. In the evening he walked Rupa home, Rupa kissed him goodbye, Dharma's knees shook with excitement. When Dharma returned home by train, he was shining with happiness. But when he came home and lay down, his heart sank with the thought that these dreams are not destined to come true. He despairs, thinking that if his secret is revealed, Romakan will not give Rupa to him, and even Rupa looks at him with hatred.
These thoughts that Dharma feared happened three months later. At one wedding, Master Bob and a master who worked in the same workshop as Dharma sat at the same table. After the conversation, he asked Master Bob about Dharma. “This Dharma isn’t your son by any chance?” - he asked. Master Bob told who Dharma is and what he does. This master came to the workshop and told all this to the head of the workshop.
When Dharma got off the train in the evening and came to the workshop, he saw several masters and the boss standing in front of them. They were angry about something. Seeing Dharma, the boss called him over and angrily shouted:
-Hey, you insignificant person! Creature! Tramp! Want to compare with us? Bastard! Did you think we wouldn’t find out? Scavenger! Fuck…
And he hit him in the face and shouted again:
-Get out of here! Go away
otherwise I'll kill you!
Not knowing what to say, Dharma blushed, took his bags and left. Dharma sat under a tree on the side of the street, covering his face with his hands, crying and sobbing.
No! Dharma was not crying because of the blow or the scolding of the boss. He was crying because of his fate, because he was born as a washerwoman, because he could not join these people. “Why? Why?" - he asked himself. Why shouldn’t he do what he loves? Why shouldn’t he marry the girl he loves? Is it his fault that he was born into a washerwoman’s family?
For three days now he has not regained consciousness, he walks around with sad thoughts. No matter how his parents take care of him, he still does not regain consciousness. Even though his father told him: “Don’t go to work for a few days, you’ll come back later when you come to your senses.” ", but he went to work in a bad mood. Dharma thoughtfully walks down the street with a bag of washed clothes to give to their owners. Previously, he walked, looked at the cars around him, and his eyes were burning. Suddenly there was a squeal of brakes and something hit him. When Dharma opened his eyes, he was lying under some kind of car. Dharma instantly recognized the car: “This is a MAN truck, a wonderful car...” with this thought his eyes closed. They closed forever.

Azot.2024.16.05.
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