चुडीवाला Chudivala (The Bangle-Seller)

संक्रांतीच्या दिवशी अब्दुल तपोवनात निघतो, तेव्हा मुलगा अन्वर त्याला जाऊ नकोस म्हणतो. बायको शन्नू नाराज असते, कारण त्या दिवशी दुकान बंद राहणार असल्याने शेजारचा रघुभैया गिऱ्हाईक मिळवेल असे तिला वाटते. तरीही अब्दुल पेटी घेऊन निघतो आणि वाटेत कुणाला भेटलात तर तपोवनात जातो हे सांगू नका असे बजावतो.

The story opens with a small domestic tussle. As Abdul prepares to leave for Tapovan, his young son Anvar tries to stop him, while his wife Shannu scolds the boy in frustration. Her real grievance is that on a day crucial to the bangle trade, Abdul is shutting the shop to give bangles away for free, letting their neighbour Raghubhaiya profit instead. Ignoring her, Abdul picks up his box of bangles and a bag and steps out, warning Shannu not to mention where he's headed if they meet anyone on the road, since it could hurt business. The anger in her eyes is nothing new to him, yet today, instead of resenting it, he feels only sorrow for her.

अब्दुल बसने तपोवनाच्या दिशेने निघतो आणि पोहोचल्यावर मुली आनंदाने ओरडत त्याचे स्वागत करतात. एका मोठ्या झाडाखाली बसताच स्त्रिया त्याच्याभोवती गोळा होतात, प्रत्येकीला आधी आपल्या पसंतीच्या बांगड्या हव्या असतात. काही तास चालणारा हा सोहळा तपोवनासाठी वर्षातला सगळ्यात आनंदाचा प्रसंग ठरतो.

Even as the cold makes him shiver, Abdul travels by bus and arrives at the entrance to Tapovan. He is pleased to see how much the creeper, barely a sapling on his last visit, has grown. As soon as he steps in, little girls run about excitedly calling out his name. He has barely settled onto the seat under the shade of the big tree when the women, dropping whatever they were doing, cluster around him, some wanting red bangles, others green, each with her own preference. Years of practice have made Abdul's hands deft at this task, and the smile that appears on each face once the bangles are on feels worth more than anything to him. The nearly three-hour celebration becomes a special day of the year for everyone at the colony, and watching their delight fills Abdul too with a rare contentment.

काही दिवसांनी अब्दुलला तपोवनातून पत्र येते, ज्यात त्याचा खास सत्कार होणार असल्याचे निमंत्रण असते. समारंभात दाजीसाहेब सेतुबंधनातील खारीच्या गोष्टीचा दाखला देत, अब्दुलसारख्या साध्या माणसाची निरपेक्ष मदतही मोलाची असते हे सांगतात. फुलांचा गुच्छ आणि फुलदाणी देऊन ते अब्दुलचा सत्कार करतात, आणि अब्दुल भारावून त्यांच्या पायांना स्पर्श करतो.

A few days later Raghubhaiya arrives with a letter the postman has delivered for Abdul. Since it is written in Marathi, Raghubhaiya reads it out, revealing that Dajisaheb has decided to honour Abdul specially at an upcoming gathering at Tapovan. Abdul keeps wondering to himself what he has done to deserve such recognition. At the ceremony, the radiant eighty-four-year-old Dajisaheb recalls the building of Rama's bridge, reminding everyone that even a tiny squirrel played its own small part in that great task, and expresses his gratitude that Abdul, without anyone urging him and without asking for anything, has for years sown joy into the lives of Tapovan's women. Abdul steps onto the stage, and Dajisaheb presents him with a bouquet and a neat flower-vase crafted by the residents themselves; applause breaks out, and the overwhelmed Abdul quickly touches Dajisaheb's feet.

सत्कारानंतर घरी परतताना अब्दुलला शन्नूला सोबत न आणल्याची खंत वाटते. घरी शन्नू जेवायला वाढते पण स्वतः जेवत नाही आणि मुलगा अन्वरने खिम्यासाठी हट्ट धरल्याचे सांगते. अब्दुलचा घास हातातच राहतो. शन्नू पुन्हा एकदा हा धंदा सोडून दुसरा सुरू करण्याबद्दल बोलते, पण वडिलोपार्जित धंदा सोडणे अब्दुलच्या मनाला पटत नाही.

Riding home in Dajisaheb's own car, a quiet regret nags at Abdul, that he should have brought Shannu along today, it might at least have softened her sulk. Back home, Shannu gets up and places a plate of chapati and eggplant curry before him, but does not eat herself, complaining instead about how their son Anvar had insisted on having minced meat that day. Hearing this, the morsel freezes in Abdul's mouth and his appetite simply drains away. Shannu returns to her old complaint, suggesting he give up the bangle trade for something else, words so familiar to him by now that he knows them by heart. Capital is one obstacle, but beyond that, abandoning the trade handed down from his father is something Abdul's heart cannot bear.

काही दिवसांनी अब्दुल रघुभैयाला सांगतो की तपोवन आता दाजीसाहेबांच्या हाती राहिलेले नाही, हे कळल्यापासून धंद्यात त्याचे मन लागत नाही. रात्री उशिरा तो बांगड्यांच्या पिशवीतील वस्तू बाहेर काढतो, ज्या तो संक्रांतीला तपोवनात नेणार होता. पण आता ती आनंदाची भेट होणार नाही हे जाणवून त्याचे डोळे भरून येतात.

A few weeks on, though business is otherwise going well, Abdul turns up at the shop one morning looking dejected. When Raghubhaiya asks why, he explains that Tapovan is no longer Dajisaheb's responsibility, and ever since hearing this his mind has simply not been on his trade. His voice grows heavy as he wonders who will now care for such a vast colony with so many patients, and what Dajisaheb must feel, leaving behind ground he built with a lifetime of sweat. When the temple clock strikes two at night, with Shannu and Anvar deep asleep, Abdul quietly rises and starts taking out, one by one, the items in the corner bag, powder tin, ribbons, golden and plain bangles, that he had meant to carry there for Sankranti. Realising the joyous rush of women and girls running toward him, their unguarded laughter, will never happen again, his will to keep going seems to flicker out, and his eyes fill with tears as he looks at those objects.