It was 8PM, dark outside, as there was no electricity in that village,The sky was brightened by billions of stars, the darkness was killed by the moon light.
With a lantern and some fruits in his hand, Ramayya entered into his small hut.
His wife Sitamma was waiting inside the darkroom, the couple were at the level of poverty, that they couldn’t afford to purchase two lanterns for each of them .
Sitamma was 9 months pregnant.
Ramayya gave all the fruits to his wife which he brought with him by working for a whole day .
‘ eat some of these !’ saying so Sitamma gave an apple to her husband .
‘No !
You need nutritious food in this time and your parturation date is also approaching…
Our baby should be healthy!’ said Ramayya giving back the apple.
They went through many things to give their baby a healthy life .
When the day came ,
The couple was blessed with twins, a boy and a girl.
But, Sitamma died while giving birth to them.
Ramayya was puzzled.
He didn’t know what to do next.
‘ how should I take care of my children without their mother ?
How should I go to work and take care of them at a same time?
Would I be a good father to both of them?
Would I be able to give them a better life?’
Many things were running in his mind .
With dejection, Ramayya completed all the last rites of his wife .
He named his daughter after his wife’s name SITA and his son RAJA.
He worked day and night in his one acre land and as a maid in others houses to feed his children.
He carried both babies on his back while working.
He barely ate as he spent all his earnings on his children.
After years……
He made his son and daughter succeed in their life.
Ramayya took loan , borrowed money from others worked in the houses , worked as a labour to give his children a better life .
But , Ramayya kept their children on the dark side without saying about his struggles.
On the other hand…
Raja and Sita who went to city for their jobs, working in the same office ,changed their names to RAJ and ‘C ‘ respectively.
They were ashamed of their village, names and even their old father .
One day,
When Ramayya’s children stopped contacting him , he was worried what happend to them.
He immediately borrowed money from one of his friends and headed to the city to visit his children.
When Ramayya visited his children’s work place, the security guard denied to let him in.
‘I’m father of Raja and Sita working in this office’ Ramayya said
‘Heyy country man !
There is no one in this office with those names !
Get lost !
‘And just look at you!
Without any footwear, lean , wearing only a banian with holes and just a dothi , you’re saying your children work here !
How should I believe you ?’ the guard yelled
By the time Ramayya explain , he saw Sita and Raja passing and said ..
‘ look !
They are my children!
Raja !
Sita !’
‘Ohh !
But his name is Raj and she is ‘ c ‘ the guard replied.
Ramayya was astonished.
When he was shouting, all the employees were looking with an irritated looks .
‘What the hell is he doing here Raj ?
He’s just insulting us by doing this’ said Sita
They denied Ramayya as their father when the guard asked them .
Ramayya shattered into pieces after listening that.
He went out and sat outside the office and started crying like a child and remembered all the things and sacrifices he did for his children.
Suddenly, with a heavy heart, he fell to a side leaving his last breathe.
The local municipality authorities cremated his body as Ramayya’s children denied to do so.
And ……. his sacrifices were buried forever, just like pillars of a house, because people only see a house but not its pillars.