Sparda (Vie)

Tripuraneni Gopichand

About the Author

Tripuraneni Gopichand (1910-1962), of Tenali, Andhra Pradesh, India, is a Telugu short story
writer, novelist, editor, essayist, playwright and film director. His writings exhibit an exceptional
interplay of values, ideas and „isms‟—materialism, rationalism, existentialism, realism and
humanism. He is well-known among Telugu literati for his psychological novel—Asamardhuni
Jeevayatra (The Incompetent‟s Life Journey). He was posthumously presented the Sahitya Akademi
Award for his novel, Panditha Parameshwara Sastry Veelunama (Will of Panditha Parameshwara
Sastry), in 1963. Radical humanist, profound thinker, philosopher, social reformer and an
inveterate votary of truth, Gopichand was a versatile genius, which reflects well in his scintillating
stories that are told in crisp language. His stories pose many questions that challenge the wit of
readers. His birth centenary celebrations are set to commence from September 2009.

Translator

GRK Murty

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Veerayya has a son, Kotayya. Everyone in the village was surprised at
the rivalry that surfaced between these two. For quite a long time,
father and son lived quite amicably. Amicably in the sense, whatever
the father said, the son obeyed. Today, that has changed. In the recent
past, Veerayya happened to remarry after his first wife expired. It is
prior to this that Kotayya got married. Since his father‟s remarriage,
the tension between the father and the son has grown. They have
divided the hut between them. Each got fifty rupees as their share out
of the cash holding. Immediately thereafter, Veerayya purchased a
buffalo with that fifty rupees. His wife started selling milk and curd.
Seeing it and not being able to contain herself, Kotayya‟s wife, by
pestering, made her husband purchase a buffalo. Since then, the
competition has further intensified. Right from feeding the buffaloes to
the selling of milk, quarrels have become a daily affair.

One day, Kotayya went into the cattle yard at 5 O‟ clock in the
morning to feed the buffalo. Ever since his wife complained about her
father-in-law‟s buffalo giving more milk than theirs and their buffalo
being not fed properly, Kotayya himself started giving feed to the
buffalo besides giving it brawn-water. He goes to the haystack to feed
his buffalo with dried leguminous sheaf. Beside it, is his father‟s
haystack. Upon seeing his father‟s haystack, he is struck with a bad
thought. His father had stacked good quality leguminous hay bundles.
What if he feed that leguminous shoots to his buffalo—no sooner had
the idea struck his mind than it appeared dreadful to Kotayya. Slowly,
it sunk into him. He goes to his father‟s haystack. He pulls out a

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bundle of shoots. Moves two steps. His father appears right in front of
him. For an unknown reason, he felt like beating his father with that
leguminous sheaf. Holding the leguminous sheaf in his hand, he
looked at his father furiously. It is difficult to discern what Veerayya
thought, but he slowly walked away. Hurriedly spreading the shoots
in front of his buffalo, Kotayya goes inside the hut and lies down.

By morning, somehow Veerayya‟s wife comes to know of it. Veerayya

is not at home. No sooner did she come to know of it, than she goes
to the yard and pulling out four leguminous sheaves from Kotayya‟s
haystack, feeds it to her buffalo. Learning this, Kotayya‟s wife picks up
a quarrel with her—they lock horns.

“Your hand must break—”

“Why did your husband do it?”
“Did my husband do it?”
“He pulled out our leguminous sheaf—”
“Prove it?”

Veerayya‟s wife proves it calling Rattayya, who resides in the

neighboring hut. Explaining what has happened she adds, “Rattayya
mama1 too has seen it.” This further infuriates Kotayya‟s wife. She
accuses her that it‟s not to let them live in the hut, she implanted all
this. “You have wooed all the neighbors to be on your side.
Obviously, if not on your behalf, who would speak for me—an
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Rattayya mama—Rattayya uncle.

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impoverished woman. What do I have—no wealth, no people‟s
support?” With this Veerayya‟s wife starts abusing her. Again they are
at their full-throttle into a fight—pulling each other‟s hair. In the
meanwhile, the whole neighborhood assembles before them.
Somehow, they bring them to their senses by coaxing each of them
appropriately.

Kotayya‟s wife cannot contain her anger. Inside the house, she yells at
her husband. Shouting, “It‟s all because of your timidness,” she cries
loudly. It doesn‟t matter to you even if others accuse me of stealing or
loafing? She cries and cries. Yet, Kotayya remains lying in the cot fully
covered under a blanket without uttering a single word.

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Wandering hither and thither, Veerayya returns home by evening. No
sooner does he arrive than he senses the happenings at home.
Kotayya‟s wife is again at her full-throttle —starts scolding Veerayya‟s
wife loudly, so that he could hear. Hearing those curses, she pounces
at her like a snake stamped on the tail. Both are again at each other—
locking horns over the leguminous sheaf. Although it is the same old
story, the whole neighborhood assembles in front of them again.
Veerayya is angry. He orders his wife, “Shut your mouth and go
inside.”

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“They are stealing!” she cries.
“Who has stolen?”
“Your son.”
“Who said?”
“Do you think if you don‟t say it will remain hidden?”
“Who said?”
“Rattayya.”
“Why have you believed him?”

“Why, does it need somebody‟s saying, do they have this big-leafed

leguminous sheaves?” questioning she points to the shoots and leaves
in front of their buffalo.

“While going out I have only fed it one of our sheaves. Why so much
ruckus for this?” says Veerayya.

“Look! Look! What a trick she played… not liking our staying in the
hut, she got this done —” Kotayya‟s wife explains the truth thus to
everyone assembled there… She then rushes to her husband.

“Have you seen?” Remaining under the blanket, Kotayya does not
speak.
“Your father came. He told the truth.”
“What did he say?” Kotayya gets up from the bed with a jerk.
“Seems, he himself fed his leguminous sheaf to our buffalo, before
leaving,” replies his wife.

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Listening to this, he lies down at once covering himself fully with the
blanket again. His wife continues with her brawl—continues to shout
at her mother-in-law. He however, does not come out of his blanket.

*****

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