Love Orchard in the Backyard

By Dr. KS Bhardwaj

Based on Stream of Consciousness Technique, "Love Orchard In The Backyard" sets new dimensions of women emancipation. Women emancipationist Somya, the heroine of this novel is one of those who surpasses even the famed existentialists like Simone de Beauvoir for the protection of her existence and sets an example for all women. This novel brings the readers to women's sex psychology face to face. It highlights not only the sex psychology of women but also their management skills very well.  

In fact, women do not get what they want from the world and that which the world gives, is not acceptable to them. And therefore, Chanchal alias Somya, spends her entire life in search of what she wants. But she fails to get the man of her choice just because she is a woman who lives by heart. To be a sex-toy for men is not acceptable to her.  But as men live by their mind which is very crafty and hyperactive like a horse to seek mundane pleasures, they want to gain the maximum in the minimum time. So whoever came into Somya's life, he wanted to make her his sex-doll and therefore she kept showing each one of them doors. To know why and how, leaf through this novel "Love Orchard In The Backyard."

Based on Stream of Consciousness Technique, "Love Orchard In The Backyard" sets new dimensions of women emancipation. Women emancipationist Somya, the heroine of this novel is one of those who surpasses even the famed existentialists like Simone de Beauvoir for the protection of her existence and sets an example for all women. This novel brings the readers to women's sex psychology face to face. It highlights not only the sex psychology of women but also their management skills very well.  

In fact, women do not get what they want from the world and that which the world gives, is not acceptable to them. And therefore, Chanchal alias Somya, spends her entire life in search of what she wants. But she fails to get the man of her choice just because she is a woman who lives by heart. To be a sex-toy for men is not acceptable to her.  But as men live by their mind which is very crafty and hyperactive like a horse to seek mundane pleasures, they want to gain the maximum in the minimum time. So whoever came into Somya's life, he wanted to make her his sex-doll and therefore she kept showing each one of them doors. To know why and how, leaf through this novel "Love Orchard In The Backyard."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rajesh Kumar
• Release date: Mar 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9788194434238

Dr. KS Bhardwaj

Dr. K.S. Bhardwaj is M.A. (English), M.A. (Sociology), M.Ed., Ph.D. (Education), P.G. Diploma in Teaching of English and; P.G. Diploma in Training and Development. He has worked as an Educator at different levels during his self-chosen career. He retired as Director-Principal of Bhagwan Parshu Ram Teachers’ Training CollegeGohana, Haryana. His Hindi Novel “ShashwatPrem” acclaimed by Hindi Academy, Delhi Government and SamayKeHastakshar (Hindi Poems) are his literary publications. His story Hanspuran, several analytical articles and comments on Hindi poems and articles by other authors have been published in Gunjan, a literary magazine published from Indore (MP). His novel “Love Beyond Horizons” has been published. His stories “The Farewell” And “The Albatross” have been published in Miraas, a Kashmiri literary journal.. Another one, “The Albatross” is going to be published shortly.

Book preview

Author -Dr. K.S. Bhardwaj

Editor - Amitabh Bhardwaj

DEDICATED TO

THOSE WOMEN WHO SUFFERED

AT THE HANDS OF INSENSITIVE MALES

By Dr. K.S. Bhardwaj, (Former  Director-Principal, Bhagwan Parshuram College

of Education, Gohana, Distt. Sonipat Haryana)

Dr. K.S. Bhardwaj is M.A. (English), M.A. (Sociology), M.Ed., Ph.D. (Education), P.G. Diploma in Teaching of English and; P.G. Diploma in Training and Development. He has worked as an Educator at different levels during his self-chosen career. He retired as Director-Principal of Bhagwan Parshu Ram Teachers’ Training CollegeGohana, Haryana.

His Hindi Novel ShashwatPrem acclaimed by Hindi Academy, Delhi Government and SamayKeHastakshar (Hindi Poems) are his literary publications. His story Hanspuran, several analytical articles and comments on Hindi poems and articles by other authors have been published in Gunjan, a literary magazine published from Indore (MP). His novel Love Beyond Horizons has been published. His stories The Farewell And The Albatross have been published in Miraas, a Kashmiri literary journal.. Another one, The Albatross is going to be published shortly.

His publications in education are Facilitative Effects of Germane Humour on Learning in Indian Educational Review (NCERT Journal-January 1988), Microteaching: Theory and Practice, Humour in Classroom, Human Resource Development in Education, (Acclaimed by Ministry of H.R.D

© 2019 K.S. Bhardwaj

ISBN- 978-81-941311-3-7

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Published by

Balaji world of Books

213 vardan house 7/28 ansari raod

darya Ganj Delhi 110002

She: The Crusader

"I was really impressed by a depressed Somya and lovelorn lass’s efforts for bringing the work force of the factory on the constructive path. Children had started going to school, reluctant parents to educate girls had fallen in line and the teachers had become students’ friendly. Good intentions, continuous sincere efforts and missionary zeal bring revolutionary changes which Somya had made possible. By her sincerity and dedication to the human rights especially those of women, she had become a source of inspiration to many providing financial help to college going girls and poor children, making availability of affectionate kids to the issueless, spreading literacy among the old people and engaging everyone in one creative activity or the other. She had become a hero.

The Preface

What the women want is not available to them and what the world wants to give them is unacceptable to the women. Consequently she is in a silent and never-ending war with the world. Still, she lives by heart. She does not like to become a toy which the man wants her to be. Notwithstanding this she never revolts against the world. Wonderful friend and foe relationship they keep intact. But men’s mind always keeps riding on a lust-horse swifter than his mind. Mind is mischievous. So is the lust-horse. Both want to get the maximum out of the minimum time and opportunity. Men move towards women with the same urge. Women are the Goddesses of love whom the men consider sex-dolls mistakenly to quench their lust. This is what is unacceptable to them. This is here where the men feel defeated at the hands of her without whose company they cannot live even for a minute.  It is a never ending inner struggle between the hearts and the heads. And most of the time women are the loser. Probably this is the reason at the root for the start of the movement for women’s emancipation. Some women are strong enough to resist such advances from their opposite sex. Chanchal alias Somya, the heroine of this novel goes one step or two farther to protect her womanhood than the existentialists like Simone de Beauvoir and sets a new example for the women. This novel is women centric. Men are minions before them. But it is not that all women have been spared. The anti-women fervour found in selfish mother-is-laws, wayward wives, sex-pervert lasses, and libertine madams not fit for healthy social fabric too find free expression in the novel. Such wantonness is honoured as freedom of the fair sex by the modern women emancipationists but it is not the whole truth. Women’s emancipation may be assured only if the women are successful in reining the men’s psyche. They have this Midas touch. Only they have to recognise this power they possess. In our opinion, men are too small before the women even though they claim to be superior to women by virtue of the prevailing practice of men’s domination in the society. The fact is whatever decency the men possess is only due to women. It is the woman (mother) who inculcates such sanskars in his clean-slated mind during his childhood which makes him civilized thus guiding him throughout his life. But alas! The modernists have been losing those sanskars too fast leading to escalation of crimes against women day by day.  That is why modern women have lost complete faith in their opposite sex. Women’s lost faith in manhood and how the heroine deals with it has been effectively delineated in this novel. Men urgently need to introspect on this trend.In spite of such horrible situations, how women can initiate change in the society to make it a better place for both is the central theme of this novel. And the men’s world will look to be too small if the women join hands and unite.Even during this continuing war for existence or say identity, the writer does not forget the truth that man without woman and the woman without man are incomplete. In spite of present incongruities both feel a vacuum in their lives. Rejecting the very idea of sex-doll but starved of male-touch throughout her life, the heroine finds gratifying solace in the arms of a man and the female-touch deprived man too feels gratified in her arms. Alas! It happens only at the fag-end of their lives. It leaves a big question before the reader: Could it not happen earlier?

Happy reading.

Contents

Chapter - The Generous     1

Chapter - Coming closer    8

Chapter - Sharing of views             21

Chapter - The Reminiscences   28

Chapter - More Recollections   37

Chapter - opening up of Layers   44

Chapter - The Second Phase   52

Chapter - The Home Coming   60

Chapter - The fallout    69

Chapter - A New Face    74

Chapter - Old Reflections   76

Chapter - The Introspections   82

Chapter - The Rehabilitation   92

Chapter - The Trance    103

Chapter - New Hope Dashes   112

Chapter -The Crusader    122

Chapter - Making of a Philanthropist  128

Chapter - Another Crisis    135

Chapter -The Dialogue on Marriage  153

Chapter -The Cherub    164

Chapter -Sister’s Role Performed   174

Chapter - Another Ugly Face   178

Chapter - The Discourse    189

Chapter - New Challenges   201

Chapter - The Farewell    208

Chapter - New Responsibilities   212

Chapter - Self-Appraisal    219

Chapter - The Disenchanted   231

Chapter - The Hostess    240

Chapter - Another Paragon of Virtue  245

Chapter - The Renunciation   252

Chapter - The Fruits of Benevolence  259

Chapter - A Miracle    265

Chapter - Last Responsibility   270

Chapter - Bed of Thorns    279

Chapter - The Disgust    289

Chapter - Apprehensions Come True  296

Chapter - Apprehensions Come True  301

Chapter - Introspections     305

Chapter - End Comes    309

Chapter 1

The Generous

I was standing in the sun. She too was enjoying outside after a long time as it was too rainy for more than a week. I had never seen her standing outside earlier or talking to anyone. She beckoned towards me. I was taken by a little surprise as I had no contacts with her since she came there a couple of weeks ago and settled down a few houses away from that of mine.

First I ignored, thinking I might be mistaken; and lest I make a fool of myself by responding to her incredible gesture. But no, she was really looking at me and she signalled once again. Now there was no doubt left; and no option left except to respond approvingly lest I am marked uncivilized. She smiled back.

I visited her the same evening. She was in mid-forties but looked younger than her age. And it would not be an exaggeration if I say that she had defied her age. She was very beautiful if her complexion was overlooked. She was dusky which rather added to her charms. The coolness of jasmine, the delicacy of an off-coloured rose and the purity of a white lotus added solemn splendour to her face. Her slim and tall frame brought grandeur to her mesmerizing persona.  And a captivating fragrance floated in the air filling the whole modestly furnished drawing room which had a portrait of Nirala on one side and another of Abraham Lincoln just opposite to the former, a large brass pot with well-nourished money-plant in the left side corner opposite to the entrance, a few feet away from the brass pot was a large book-shelf containing classics not only of the Indian but foreign scholars also which spoke loudly about the taste of the house-mistress. Curtains matched with the colour of the walls. 

As we settled down in a comfortable curtain-coloured-matching sofa and exchanged pleasantries, she got up quickly and returned with a coffee pot and some snacks. She poured it into two cups and passed one on to me. I liked the brew very much as it was a long time since I had had such nicely prepared coffee after my better-half left me forever. I expressed my thanks to her for the tasty drink to which she responded with a dazzling smile.

We discussed a lot about the present scenario in the society. I also gathered that she too was interested in fine arts and that many of her interests were like those of mine. Interestingly, neither she asked me about my family nor she told anything about hers. Contrary to peoples’ tastes and attempts, I too avoided putting embarrassing questions to know others until they themselves involved me or sought my intervention. So there was no question for me to peep into her life.

By and large it was a nice meeting and I appreciated her tastes and ‘never indulging nature’ in others affairs. Before leaving I did not forget my duty as a neighbour to invite her and requested to visit me conveniently. She promised to do so very soon but urged me emphatically never to hesitate to visit her whenever I like.

The sun after its daylong journey was perhaps too tired to continue anymore and it was now ready to retire. Thinking my servant might be waiting for me I took leave of her thanking once again for the coffee and sharing her views on various issues with me. She nodded smilingly.

As I trudged back, I was a little amused to have a hospitable, friendly and simple person of my tastes and leanings like my new neighbour especially in these days of materialism when no one has time to speak even to the closest until one has some self-interest.

The gradually increasing darkness in the east was trying to usurp the crimson light in the west. Thinking the darkness will soon fall making it difficult for me to walk in unlit street I hurried towards my home where I found my servant and my pet at the main gate waiting eagerly for me.

Being very reserve-natured, I was staying in this self-chosen solitude and the duo, my servant and my pet which I fondly called Tyson, were my only companions ever since my wife left for her heavenly abode. Seeing me coming, both armoured themselves to question me in their own ways for being away so long. Tyson’s method of expressing his annoyance or even disapproval was very much heart moving. To keep the matters private, he would first catch hold of my trousers with his teeth and drew me inside home lest our strained relations become public, before making a furious jump on to my chest standing on his hind legs and scratching my chest with his front ones which used to transfer me thirty years back when my little daughter used to pull at my pants expressing her anger against me for reaching home so late and I had to do a lot of fondling and cajoling to calm her down. I was surprised to see how the doers change in our lives with the passage of time to fill the vacuum. As the vacuum occurs the Nature fills it instantly. How much caring Mother Nature is! But we ungrateful keep ignoring her. I had to caress Tyson too on his head for more than an hour to buy peace with him.

There is no doubt for me now that the God comes in different ways to help us in the times of adversity. The fault lies with us, in our eyes, with our thinking, with the approach to our lives and with our self-centered views that we fail to notice His kindness and generosity. The duo had entered my life certainly at the Almighty’s call when I needed their company most. Both provided me not only with companionship of caring members but also as helping hands to take care of my needs.

Tyson too had learnt a lot of things to help me. As I drank milk around 8 at night, he would be ready with my tooth-brush and paste holding both carefully in his mouth lest he damaged the paste-tube. Next morning when I got ready for my morning walk, he would bring my canvass shoes without my asking while my servant prepared a glass of lime juice mixed with honey for me. Such faithful ones I had been blessed with. I felt very much proud of their company and was more than satisfied with the responsibilities they were fulfilling to serve me. And now was this new neighbour: Like the third one sent by God himself.

My servant also felt bad for absenting myself from home for more than an hour without telling him which was absolutely a new experience for him as I had never done so before. I said sorry to him.

I told him about my meeting with the new neighbour and my opinion about her, her tastes and background telling him that she seems to be highly literate, very soft spoken and well-mannered belonging to a very good family who lived in the world of her own without indulging in others’ lives and not at all interested in showing her scars of the past which were must in everyone’s life, to anyone and believed in leading a peaceful life.

My servant asked me her name which I could not as it was not known to me too.

After coming to this place, I had never visited anybody. Nearby neighbours tried once or twice to be close to us, but their language and living styles being totally different from ours, came to be impediments in our close association. Moreover, I was quite watchful, and if I ever found anyone in need of us, I at once extended it to him. I had advised Ajay, my servant, also to help in the vicinity if anyone so needed. My neighbours were thus very much happy with us. Still I remained more or less aloof.

Coming of the new neighbour, who can converse in Hindi, was really a relief to me especially when she had herself initiated the move to come closer.

The muse in me said, But what made my new neighbour to shift to this far off town of South India. And that too all alone! Though I have never been eager to peep into the private lives of the people, but her selection of this place to settle was itself very eye-catching. I had never thought that there may be some person other than me who could be so fond of peace, tranquility, calmness, coolness and stillness and goes to the extent of cutting himself from his roots to reach such a remote place.

Now there was no doubt that it is the search of human beings to be in tune with the nature that he does not hesitate to dive deep into obscurity too, is ready to encounter with the unknown, takes the risk of facing the complex situations provided he gets the coveted food for his soul. Ultimately, the man has to come back to nature leaving every worldly thing behind him which gave him comforts, but not the peace of mind; which gave him name and fame but made his heart completely dry and barren and which gave him pleasures but not the heart that could bow to the Giver and say ‘Thank you.’ This brings a sense of worthlessness of the material world and disgust for it. This sense of worthlessness of the world makes people leave in the quest of peace. 

Thinking thus, I do not know when my eyes closed to find answers to the above questions in the dreams. Sometimes, the dreams help us in solving such complex issues which we otherwise fail to resolve.

***************************************

Chapter 2

Coming closer

The next morning I got up at 3 AM as usual. My servant, who had developed the habit of getting up daily with me, too was ready for his daily chores and Tyson ready with my shoes. I took him for the morning stroll daily which he liked most. If ever by chance or due to any reason beyond my control, my servant tried to take him out, he would become very aggressive, would catch hold of my sleeves and continue to pull at them till I got up, and if I ignored he would not hesitate even to touch my nose with his snout or lick it with his tongue and would not stop until I left my bed to take him out.

At this he would express his triumph over me by jumping here and there, and taking rounds of the whole house hysterically knocking things here and there. And I had to give him a mild rebuke to behave, at which he would crouch at my feet as if realising his guilt or feigning as if nothing had happened.

Tyson was with me for the last several years. My son had brought him against my wish. I believed that every creature: Be it human or any other living being, has a right to stay free. Freedom is one’s birth right. There should be no bondage, no slavery, no captivity and no restraint on their movement or even on thoughts. They should be left to themselves. No one has any right to clip the wings of the birds which have a right to fly in the air; hence they are gifted with them.

I failed to understand how anyone, who himself likes liberty, can keep an animal in captivity which has its rights reserved by nature to frolic and make merry wherever and whenever it likes. I strongly felt keeping pets is a crime against the nature. But before a child’s will, I had to relent. 

Then, I could never foresee and visualise that he was bringing in the house his own substitute who would stay and socialise with me in my old age and serve in his absence; and give me company when my one foot will be in the grave.

My servant was with me to take Tyson back home before I proceeded on to the park for my morning walk. As I walked past my caring neighbour’s house, she came out to accompany us. I was surprised to see her getting up so early.

Does it mean that you too are an early riser? I said to her with surprise. Taking offence to my observation, she said with an artful and astute smile, You are getting biased. Is early rising a prerogative of the males only? I don’t know when will you males shed these types of prejudices against women?

I did not mean to offend you. My purpose was just to appreciate your good habit. By the way what do you do after getting up so early? I said.

She was not amused but she kept quiet. I too kept mum lest the sereneness of the morning is spoiled.

My servant asked her name. She told us that her mother named her Chanchal as she was very much mischievous as a little girl and used to flirt from one corner of the house to the other so fast that her mummy failed to keep an eye on her and was always exasperated to locate her. In order to solve her problem,