“So our company has launched this new shopping site. It is especially for small women entrepreneurs in villages. It is a means of communication to reach the corners of the country with their small business products. So if you have such a small woman entrepreneur in your contact, publish the complete information about her business on your site and promote yourself and this company with that woman! ” Saying this, Bawkar Sir ended his speech and left the cabin.
But the last sentence of Bawkar Saheb’s speech – ‘Promote yourself and this company with that woman!’ A new idea clicked in Disha’s brain, and it excited her. With that excited idea, she also left the cabin with the other staff. And immediately called her husband Shrikant on her mobile, “Shikya, do you remember that Sulu aunt who “Do you remember your Sulu aunt, who was skilled in handloom work in Tijgaon?”
“Yes, I remember, but if there is something very urgent, call me. I am in an urgent meeting right now.” Srikanth.
“Okay, we will talk when we get home in the evening.” With that, Disha also hung up the phone.
Later, Disha finished her daily work in the office and came home at 7 pm. But Srikanth had not come. After calling, he said that since there was a lot of work in the office, he could not talk much on the phone and that he would be at least two hours late in coming home, so eat and go to sleep, we will talk tomorrow. Hearing this, Disha was very disappointed. Waiting for Srikanth for two hours felt like two days. During those two hours, she cooked and placed the plates on the dining table and waited. Once again, she called Srikanth but he did not pick up the phone, thinking that he might be traveling, she hung up the phone and started eating quietly. After eating, she cleared the table and put her empty plate in the sink. She covered Srikanth’s food. Even though it was ten o’clock, Srikanth had not come. Disha also started feeling very sleepy. So, as soon as she lay down on the bed, she fell asleep.
After that, late at night, when Srikanth came home and when he ate and slept, Disha did not know anything. Disha had to wake up at 5 am as her office was early in the morning. When she looked around, she saw Srikanth snoring next to her. She realized that Srikanth would not wake up until 8 am and by then Disha would be ready and going to the office. That meant she would not be able to talk to Srikanth even now. So she decided that she should wake up Srikanth and talk to him anyway.
“Shikya, wake up,” Disha said, shaking Srikanth.
“What the hell, let me sleep, I slept very late last night. Let me sleep now,” Srikanth said, turning to the other side in annoyance and falling asleep.
“Shikya, wake up, listen to me once and then sleep”, but before Srikanth could hear this, he fell asleep again and started snoring.
Seeing this, Disha got very angry. She poured the water kept in the glass on Srikanth’s face. He immediately woke up Srikanth by shouting loudly.
“What the hell, Don’t you know? I slept late last night. And now you won’t let me sleep.” Srikanth shouted, wiping his face with the bedsheet, “Yes, tell me what to say now. I’ve lost all sleep.”
“Oh, do you remember your Sulu aunt, who was skilled in handloom work in Tijgaon, who used to do beautiful embroidery on sarees?” Disha said, handing a cup of hot tea to Srikanth.
Srikanth yawned loudly and took the cup of tea in his hand and said, “Yes, I remember, ma’am, you said the same thing on the phone yesterday afternoon. Now, what’s next?”
“Yes, then let’s both go to her the day after tomorrow, Sunday.” Disha.
“Sulu aunty’s? And that too on the day after Sunday?” Shrikant shouted in surprise, “Oh, lot of work is there in the office. I have to go this Sunday too. And it will take 3 hours to go to that Tijgaon and the same time to return. The entire Sunday holiday will be wasted on that.”
“Oh, let’s take a cab to go there, we will reach there in less time.” Disha.
” I have now told you the time to reach by cab. If you go by bus or train, it will take two days.” Shrikant.
“Okay, we will leave by cab at 4 am. You and I will take a morning nap in the cab. After leaving at 4 am, we will reach Sulu aunty’s house at 7 am and return to Mumbai by the same cab at 8 am. It will be 11 am by then. After that, you can go to the office.”
“Oh, but what do you have to do with Sulu Maasi? She has become very lonely due to the death of her husband and son during the Corona period. She suffers a lot from being alone. Once we go to her, she will not leave us soon. And I will not be able to go to the office either.” Srikanth.
“Yes, I know. She embroidered on sarees and dress materials all day long because she is alone. Our office has started a shopping site. If we sell the sarees and dresses she has embroidered online, we can get good profit. And do you have her contact number?,” Disha.
“There is only one landline number. I get missed calls from her, ten times a day. After she calls me ten times, I take one of her incoming calls. On that, she calls me to her house. She suffers a lot from loneliness. If I go to meet her, she will feel like her own son has come home. And she often starts crying. If I go to her house now, she will not leave soon.” Srikanth.
” Don’t get tense about it. Let’s leave at 4 am. Then we will reach there at exactly 7 pm. And after that, we will leave in exactly an hour. You give me her phone number and I will call her.” With that, Disha started looking at her and Srikanth’s phones.
After taking Sulu Aunty’s phone number from Srikanth’s phone, Disha told Srikanth to sleep. And immediately called Sulu Aunty herself, but the bell was ringing from the other side. After that, Disha was calling Sulu Aunty all day long, but there was no answer from the other side, only the bell was ringing. So she called Srikanth and tried again to get her number, but it was of no use.
Srikanth was also calling Sulu Aunty from his mobile, but he could not contact her either. Then on Saturday, both of them tried the same, but only the bell of Sulu Aunty’s phone was ringing. Due to this, both of them got tense. Moreover, Srikanth did not have anyone else’s number except the landline number of one Sulu Aunty. Earlier, she had the phone number of her son and husband, but after their death in Corona, their number were switched off. And Srikanth did not take another number to contact her. Now Srikanth was regretting this a lot. So he also decided that he would go to meet Sulu Aunty this Sunday no matter what.
Finally, on Sunday morning, at seven o’clock, both of them reached Sulu Mavshi. Sulu Mavshi had just taken a bath and was watering the Tulsi outside. Seeing her happy, Shrikant’s got a big relif! He immediately called out loudly, “Sulu Mavshi.”
Hearing Srikanth’s call, Sulu Aunty’s water cup fell from her hand and she ran over to hug Srikanth.
“Oh, what is it, Sulu Mavshi? You used to call me 10 times every day, but for the past 2 days, when both Disha and I call you, your phone’s bell is ringing.” Shrikant said, leaving her embrace.
“Yes, Sulu Mavshi, I was also calling you. But the bell was just ringing,” Disha said to Sulu Mavshi’s while bowing to touch her feet.
“Oh, my phone is switched off. I had complained to the phone office, but how come these government officials come so early?” Sulu Maasi patted Disha’s head and said. “Come on, come in quickly, let’s have breakfast. You must have not eaten anything during your journey this morning.”
Sulu Maasi immediately made hot Kande Poha and gave it to Disha and Srikanth.
“Wow yummy, Disha, my Aunt Sulu also cooks well. Show the dishes she makes on your shopping site, you will get good orders for that too.” Srikanth said while eating the poha.
“Yes, of course,” Disha continued after eating a spoonful of poha, “Sulu Maasi, you do embroidery well, don’t you? I want to see it. Show me.”
“Yes, these days I don’t have much work to do, so I embroider on clothes to pass the time,” Saying this, Sulu aunty dragged a heavy iron box and opened it in front of Disha and Srikanth. Looking at the embroidered clothes in the box, Disha found a big treasure!
“Wow, how beautiful is this embroidery!”, Disha immediately started taking photos on her mobile phone and uploaded the photos on her shopping site.
“Auntie, I really like this embroidered saree, should I take?” Disha said, carrying the saree on her shoulder and looking in the mirror.
“Yes, why just this one saree? I have embroidered shawls and handkerchiefs too, take them too. There are a hundred or two hundred such clothes lying in this box, take them all.” Sulu said, puting the shawl on Disha’s other shoulder.
“Oh really! How much will you charge?” Saying this, Disha showed Srikanth the sell of ten thousand rupees on the shopping site, on her mobile.
“What the hell, does anyone take money from our people? All these clothes are a small gift from me, for you!” Sulu.
“Oh wow, very nice.” Saying this, Disha called the cab driver from outside.
Shrikant got very angry seeing Disha’s selfish behavior. But Disha ignored him and with the help of the cab driver, With the help of the cab driver, she went to put the trunk in the dikki of the cab, and Srikanth was stare at her angrily.
After a moment, Shrikant regained consciousness and said to Sulu Aunty, “Aunty, look what I have brought for you.”
“What is it?” Saying this, Sulu Aunty opened the box given by Shrikant and looked at it. “Mobile? Oh, I can’t use this thing.”
“I will show you how to use it right now. I have inserted a SIM card in it and the network in this village is also good. So you can video call me anytime from this phone. And only if you video call me from this phone, I will talk to you. Otherwise, I won’t talk.” Saying this, Srikanth inserted the SIM card in the mobile.
Just then Disha came there and said, “Yes Ma’am, now we will leave and we will make a video call to you on this phone. You should take it and talk on it.”
” So soon! You came on only an hour beofre and you are leaving immediately?” Sulu Ma’am asked.
” Yes Ma’am, Srikanth has a lot of work in the office. If we leave now, we will reach by eleven o’clock.” Disha said holding Srikanth’s hand.
” But, at least go after lunch.” Sulu Ma’am kept her hand on Disha’s shoulder and started pleading.
” Ma’am, Srikanth has a lot of work in the office, we won’t be able to do it today. We will make a video call to you from the car. In the video call, it will feel like we are sitting in front and chatting.” Disha said holding Srikanth’s hand and pulling him.
” Hey Srikanth, wait. I’ll cook in half an hour. You like a lot the curry I made , don’t you?” Sulu Maasi started pleading with Srikanth.
“Shrikanth, come on, it’s past eight. If we don’t leave now, we’ll be late,” Disha said, grabbing Srikanth’s hand and dragging him away.
Just then, Srikanth shook Disha’s hand and shouted loudly, “Shut up, I’m not leaving just yet. I’ll leave after taking lunch here today.”
On hearing this, Sulu Maasi’s face lit up with joy, “Sit down, you two. I’ll start cooking right now.” And Sulu Maasi went happily into the kitchen. Srikanth started looking at her with admiration. And Disha sat on the chair with a upset mood.
The End.
