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In Search of Anjana
387
"Mother! You have done a great injustice. You have ruined my life and thrown me into the flames of anguish." Every word uttered by him was expressive of anguish and indignation.
"But what has happened?"
"What can I say? There is nothing that remains to be said. You made baseless accusations against Anjana who was absolutely innocent. You expelled her from the house without thinking about the circumstances... What else can I say?"
"But my dear son in your absence she became pregnant."
"This is absolutely false. I came here on that night and spent the night with her. It was my son that she was bearing in her womb. Did she not give any clarification or evidence? Did she not show you my ring?"
"She gave a clarification and she also showed me your ring. But I did not believe her words. How could I? During the last twenty-two years you never even glanced at her. You always treated her with contempt. Under these circumstances I had to... Why only myself anyone else would have... done the same thing."
"Of course, I made a mistake but how could a noble lady like you also commit such a blunder? Were you not aware of her chastity and purity? Were you not always admiring her virtues of purity and chastity? You were never tired of praising her and of prevailing upon me to accept her. When that was so how could you so suddenly do such a thing? How could such a noble lady suddenly commit a mistake? How could such a noble lady suddenly become ignoble and immoral ?"
Mother you never cared to think of these things. You could not even wait for my coming. What a monstrous thing have you done?" The tears streamed from his eyes. When he visualized the bitter circumstances under which she had to get away from Adityapur, he felt greatly grieved.
"I am going away from here. I will not come back until I find her. No one need wait for me for anything." Having said
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