Kali Aai By Vyankatesh Madgulkar

जेव्हा मला बघितले, माझ्या आईला मला पाजताना पाहिले, तेव्हा गुणा आईला कसनुसे वाटले. कधी नाही ते आपल्या हातून घडावे, असे वाटले. ते तिच्यात कधी नव्हते, ते एकाएकी उफाळून आले. तिचे स्त्रीत्व झडझडून उठले आणि त्या नव्या अनुभूतीने माझी गुणा आई फार बेचैन झाली; पण आता फार उशीर झाला होता. मग एके दिवशी तिने काही ठरविले आणि आठ दिवस काही न खाता-पिता, न बोलता ती रानातल्या झोपडीत पडून राहिली. विहिरीत पडून किंवा अन्य मार्गाने मरून तिने माझ्या बापाला आणि गावाला धोक्यात आणले नाही. सांगून-सवरून ती शांतपणे रानातल्या झोपडीत राहिली आणि मरून गेली. Her father came to meet the master. He asked the master as to where was he scheduled then. To this the master replied that once he sets out, he will solely depend upon the wishes of almighty. Then he looked towards me and called me. He said that earlier he had told me that I would not be able to understand the accounts that he had been keeping for all the years. But now master said that I should carry all those notebooks with me, go through them as I would now be able to understand them properly and then maintain those notebooks. Thus handing over the account books, his accounts for his life, the master left our village. This indeed put a full-stop to my education though.