Every May, someth ing extrao rdinary happens in the new cemetery

of the sleepy little town . Standing beyond the southernmost corner

of the vast expanse of t he old cemetery-dotted with concrete
vanities, both ornate and simple-the humble Indian laburnum
bush erupts in gl o ry, wi th its blossoms of yellow mellow beauty.
The first t im e it h appen ed , some years ago , surprised vi sitors to
the concret e memorials assumed that it was an accident of n ature.
But each year as the bush grew taller and the bloss o m s mo re
plentiful, the phenomenon stood out as a magnificent inc ongruity,
in the sp ace where man tries to cling to a make-believe permanence,
wrenched from him by death. H is inheritors try t o preserve his
presence in concrete structures, erected in h is homage, vying to
out -do each oth er in size and style. This consecrated ground
has thus become ch oked wi th the spe~imens of human conceit_.
-More recently, photograp hs of the dead have begun to adorn the
marb le and granite hea d sto n es.
But natu re ha s a way of u pstaging even the hardest roc k and
gran ite ed if ices fa bri ca t ed by 1nan . vVeeds and obstinate bram ble
sprout fr 0111 every j nch of soil uncovered by sa nd and cetn ent. So
every Easter week , t he co m in un ity com es together to spruce u p
heads t ones an d get rid 0 ( r h c in t rud ing n ar u r;tl gro wth . T he
names on ind iv id ual gr;iv e sircs arc lov ingly wip ed clean of dust
and bird -s hit b y love d o n es ; occ asion al stra ngers read them
as inc idental pastime.

I
2,
3
(,But the l ab urnum b us I1 ,vi ii not or cannot revea l readil y who o r
Th ;it first ye;i r, her new ga rde ner pull ed om the small saplings
\. lies
what • b eneat h its
· d I.O
. oping bran ches during its annual sh ow o f
;i ]o n g w ith t h e weeds growi n g uo u n d t h em . Afte r loud
. Tl t p·,rti cubr spot dispLi ys nothing thc1t m;rn
yell ow sp 1en d om. 1a ' . . rcc rimiru ti o ns, Lcnrin;i hought <.ome mo re saplings and this time ,
· ·. d ·
has 1mprov1~e , on )' I nature who docs not possess any sc npt , ab,des
' pLinr ed t hree of t hem in three co rne rs of t he gard en. She hoped
t I1ere: s I1e on 1)' 11 -s th e seasons . And the seaso ns pLi)' out ;i
0\\ ,
t h;i t ;) ( ]e;is r o ne or t hem wo uld <. urvi\'(' . Rut ir \\';)S not (0 be. One
·
pantomime o 1· be~ut)'
" ;rnd baldn ess on th e tree. sta ndin
_ g on the cl.i y s he he;i rd lou d h.:irkin g ;ind cow<. mooi ng '-
\ 'C r\"
I
cl ose to her
edge of the lifeless opulence, spread ove r th e rcma111s o l the as sort ed
compo un d . \Nhcn she ome out to in w, tig,irc. she l'ound that so me
dead : rich and poor, young and old , ;rnd mourn ed and un - m o urn ed
1 s tr;i y cows on heing pu rs ued h\· her nc1ghhn ur ·, dugs ;:ind findin g
The headstones in the old cem etery bear mut e testi m o n y to duties her g;ire <; lighrh- ;i j.:ir, h:1cl ru"hed inro her ~;i rdcn :1nd \\TIT hl issfully
performed by wi lling and unwilling offs pring and relatives . The mun chin g on rhe pl.:inr, rh c~· l-o t1n d t here includin g her preci ous
laburnum tree on the other hand is alive and ever unchanging in bburnu m s;:1p lin gs. She heg:1 11 to wo nder ahour rhc,t: :1ccidcnt s
its sea sonal cycles : it is resplendent in May; by summer-end the in her g;i rd cn eve r ,i ncc· "he h;:1 d phm cd rhc hhurnu rn s:-iplings .
stalks holding its yel low blossoms turn into brown pods ; by wi nter N eve nh elc,'> , "he d id n()l gi\·c up ;i nd the thi rd \'C .,r tllo , she
it begins to look scraggl y and sho rn . Springtime brings b ac k pale plan ted some mo re ";ipl i ng-., orher { ;i \ <>Urt[c 11 1) \\ cring t ree . Almost
green shoots and by May it is weari ng its yellow wreath s again , to mira cul o usly th ev :. urvi ved t he 1-i r\t (cw month, and hcg.1n to thrive.
our-do all the vainglorious speci m en s erected in marble and granite. Lentin ;:i wa, th r ill cJ ;rnd co uld nm , .11r rn '>cc them he:1 r rhe
Bur the st o ry is running ahead of itself and must b e told magnifi cen t :'ell o w bloo m <, . , he <,O admired But bc t'o rc her wish
from the beginning. It al l started with a woman n amed Lentina co uld co m e true , ano th er d i '> J:. ter <; tr uck O ne da\ . ;i wo rker fro m
and her desire to have some laburnum bushes in her garden. She th e hea lth de partm ent c:i m e \,Vh ile )he \\ J:, ,) ut \' i\ 1t in g .1 (riend ,
ha d al ways ad mired these yell ow f1owers for what she thought was and spra,·ed a deadl v D D T co nc octi on 1rn rhc ed ge , o( t he g;i rden .
t hei r fem ini nity; they were not brazen like the gulmohars with As ill luck wo uld h;l\e it . it rai neJ he.1 • :! char ni ght tlnoding 1

th ei r orange and dark pink blossoms . The way the laburnum th e enti re gard en . Except che l°u ll -~ rl)\\ n t ree -, . ,111 her !lowers
fl owers hu ng their heads earthward appealed to her because sh e includi ng rhe laburnum s, wi th ered .rnd Ji cd Lcncin;i ,, ;1,-, dev;i _q ;ited
attributed humility to the gesture. So she decided to grow a couple and be0;
b
:rn co thin k ch ar her cfforr , .ir bn ng,ng the , t r.rnge beauty ~ ~

of these trees in her own garden which , though n o r bi g, could in to her garde n wo u ld nn·cr Ix , uccL' " i"ul. P,ut ,, hencve r she saw
accommodate them if they were planted in the corners , wit hout these fl owers in bloom . L)n hi~h ,, .11 , .ind in ga rdtn , , t he inte nse
affecting the growt h and health of the other plants. S he purcha sed yea rning ro h:1 \·c rhcm ,· l,) , L'r hL)lltC 61.·g,111 w over power her. Her
sap lings from a nur se ry and had them pl anted at the ed ge of hu sband and childrL'll 11 er,· , · 1.) 111 inc L·d th at :,he was developi ng an

her boundary wall. S he follow ed the instruct io n s faithfully and unh calrlw (cris h (m l.ib u rnu,n :ind beg.in rn talk openly about
hoped that within two year•s, as• t ]1e nur sery m;in ass ured J1er, rhis in dnsL' l.unih g:H herings . Sh e co uld not understand their
the bushes woul d flower. L'(\ll ( l'l'I\ ,111\1 \\ .b i1l\\ .lrc!l, hun br rh cir -, cc ming insensitivity co
4 5
he never gave up her hope of having a
beauty aroun d t h em . But s
full-grown laburnum tree in her garden some day.
Lentina did not mention laburnum to any one ;my more ; nor
.d l t to plant the tree she so ardentl y admired and
d 1 s 1e attemp
wished to have in her garden . Meanwhile, her hu sband b egan to
show signs of a strange disease and before :111y proper diagno sis
could be made , he passed awa y quietl y one night in hi s slee p . The
funeral services were long and el,1borate bec,1use the d ecea sed wa s
a respected and prominent member of society. On the burial day,
while the hearse was about to leave for the cemetery, Lentina
surprised everyone, including herself, by announcing that she
was going to accompan y her husband on his last journey. Usually
it is men who take part in the last rites at the gravesite and stay on
to supervise the erection of the temporary fence around the fresh
grave. But when Lentina saw the group , including her sons and her
own bro t hers , st epp ing out of the house behind the hearse , some
impulse urged her to join them . Her words were met with silence,
because no one was prepared t~ voice dissent at such a moment.
So the party departed , and in the graveyard while the last prayers
droned on, Lentina stood among the assortment of headstones
and began ruminating on man's puny attempts to defy death ; as
if erecting these memorials would bring the dead back to life . .,
t he sen se o f eLi rio n she fe lt co ul d not be hid den for Iono. So
b
she loo ked :irou nd for her d ri ver ;:i nd ges tur ing to him co follow
her m ad e her way home .
T h:it ni g ht s he could no t (, leep fro m excitrn, ent: it \V J S as if a
big prob lem h:id so lved It se lf: hut how w.1-.. :- he t"ion inCTb to ;iccompl is h
it ? It was clear t hat she cou ld not co n(ide in her rcbtives or
chi ldren : so s he had to rind ,omeon c who wuuld undc rsrnnd he r
deep - seated lo n gi ng ror the ~· cll ow ½o ndcr . . . :-ihe turned her
attention to her sc rv;ims : whom ;i mo ng the m cou ld she trus t?
No t t he cook o r the g;i rdcner, Lhe:· h.id l.1m d,~, .rnd secrets in
(;i m ili e.'> :ire neve r s:ic ru sa ncl . .~udd enl y he r mind t ur ncJ to t he
d r ive r who h:id hee n in thc ,r cmp ln: menc 1·o r more ~·e;ir.., than
s he co uld rem ember. I- le w;i, a widowt.:r. "lht.: J1.:c1 d1.:d co ma ke hi m
her confidan t. She wo ulJ t:i ke h,m !"or ,1 dr1\L rht.: n t:: xt d.1v to the
ce m etery :i nd woulJ cxp l:iin to h,m wh.:1L ,hc \\.rntcd for ;i hc r1dstont
when she died , :i nJ why. Bue chere \\o ulJ be o nt.: co ndi r1o n: ., he
ha d rn see the tree bloom duri ng her lit"ec, mc: . r ht.: d river's name
was iVfapu buc eve ry o ne ca ll ed h,m Bab u bcc.iw,c Lt.:nc ina, gr;incbon
ca ll ed him by ch ac name , unab le w pron1)unct: \fapu ,1 l (i rsr . I he
name scuck and ,\ 1apu goo d-n arnn.:dl\ J1J noc ubicc t n en when
the o ld er p eop le began calling him BJbu.
Th e next morning, she senL lur B..1bu ..111J d1 c _\ wuk th t.: road LO

. Lentina decided that she did not want any such attempt at the cemetery. Thi s in it.':>el( \\u ulJ nlit .1pp1.: .1r ..,u-.rngc . ,1 widow
imm o rtal it y when her time came , and at that thought she pa)'ing a visit co the gra ve o( her hu -.. b.1nJ . Bul Lcnun.1\ 1ntcnriw1
ex perienced an ep ipha 111c · • w11y not I1ave a 1a b urn um tree
· sensation. was di ffe rent : .":>he \\anted td , unc:\ tht.: . . ull-1:nip t.~ -,itc:. ,rnd to
" l1 wou Id 1·1ve on over her remains
pl anted on her grave , one wh 1c reset'\'e a spoc \\ here :. he\\ lHrld t><: bur1 1:J Jt h,h.l w bt.: .1 ,puc which
instead of a sill y head st one? T his way, even her lifelong wish to wo uld n ot be di::-t u rb l'd 1 n .1 k> 11g \\ hi k .1 nd \\ uuld nn t p o!>C any
have such a t ree cl ose to her would be fulfilled . In spite . o f· t I1e p ro bl em for orliL' r:- \ \ 'h l: 11 lhc _~· reache d chc ..:1.:m c tcry, in:-tead of
som b re occas ion she be ai1 . 5111 1.1 b
. ' g to
I
e ut w 1en a rela t ive saw h er, I1 e a L1.ll g l U \1 ,ll" dJ .'\ [ ll' l" fll l', b .lll l .j ' ~ t::,._, ,-.i•, ,.~ . Lcnu n:i' m.1. rched to the
:!
she qu ickl y went b k l I.
· ac to 00 <in g ap pro pria te ly bereav ed . Bu t C.\'l re111c (() rn cr::- u I l IlL, 1
gtl
·, Lil ·!
L l .
J' , (
J
lu uk in g (ur a los t treasure .
6 7
J be an arduous trek , s h e settl ed o n a s p o t in
After what seemeo to
. ( the cem eter y and b e gan to n o d h e r
the so uth ernm o s t tip 0
·f ·h - l,,,d found what she wa s looking fo r. Babu was
hea d as 1 s e 0
'I d d . I ost beginnin g to see what hi s yo un g ma st ers
puzz e an was a n1 . . . But u n fortun;ite ly it w;is almos t wi nter and thev had co wa it
had sai d abou t m ad am los ing her m rnd . Wh en s h e ges tur ed t o h1m
h h e wen t h es itant! )' M o tion in g to him to w::ilk fo ste r,
to approac , ·
she pointed to t h e spo t wh ere sh e w;i s standing and sai d lo udl y,
' Th is ism):_ sp_o t , l wa n t to b e buri ed h ere wh en m y tim e co m es .'
·-Bai: was taken ab ack and b egan to protest , ' But madam , your
pl ace is already ea rmarked b es ide m y ma ster! '
'N onsense, it ca n go to which eve r son goes first . M y place is
h ere and you are goi ng to see that the Town Committee gives a
written comm itment o n th is . But mind you, no one at home is to
b e to ld .' She k new th at Babu' s son- in- law was a petty officer in
that offi ce. 'A.rrange it w ith your son- in-law. I'll p ay whateve r
amount it costs . And also swear him to secrecy just as you are
goi n g to d o n ow. Will you keep my secret ?'
Babu , seeing t he f ire and intensity in her eyes , an swered , 'Yes
madam, I will keep your secret and I will see to it that m y so n -
in-law does the sam e.' Lent ina added , 'He is not to t ell eve n hi s
wife .' Babu n o dded and sai d , 'Yes madam .' Havin g m ad e thi s
momentous decis ion , sh e stretch ed her hand to him and with
her leaning on him, they m ad e their way to th e car p arked o ut side
the gate and came h o m e . T h e old wo man looke d ex h a u s t ed
and went straight to bed . No o n e t hought it strange, b eca u se th e
funeral acti vi ti es had taken a Iot o ut o f- eve r yone and even th e
y~ung wome~1 o~ the household were loo king for ward t o an early
111ght. But lying 111 b ed L · .d k wh ic h have f u rnre prnspccrs . Thar w;iy no o ne wi ll pay atten t io n
, entma was w1 e awa e an d pl an n ing h er
next move : she wanted to 1 - l b . . w h en ,vou h ti\', ·, r, .1nuJ 1\' h en t h e ro11 ,n c"., pands•, )'our ho ldin gs will
. P ant a a urnum tree on h er graves 1te
while she was still alive to en . . -l ll l .
sui e t lat a t 11s troub le o f securing
t h e p lot and keeping ever ything quiet had the d esired results .
She had to see the tree bloom before she breathed he r las t. Even
for this t::isk she h::id to e nlist the help of her faithfu l Babu .
til l the ne xt spring. '
f n th e m ea ntim e Rabu beg-in t h e p relim in;ir ~• discu ssio ns with
his so n - in - b w about rese rvi n g a plot in the ce met ery. Ar first t he
yo un g m ;in w;is puuled ; wh y wa<. hi<. fat her- in - b\\' talkin g oF
s u c h a m o rb id s ubj ect? W;is h e <. uffer ing tro m some term inal
di sease th;it he- had kept sec ret From hie; ow n family) Rut he kep t
hi s thou g h ts to him se lt. From him Rahu lea rn t chat most. people
w;i nt ed t h e front rows in t h e cemeter:· a nd t here w:is ;i\w;iys
so m e di spute o r the oc h e r ab out such i<.c;ues amo ng the more
p ro min e nt p eo pl e o( ch e tow n . Babu 'c; request s urprised his
so n - in - Li w bec;:i u c;e it w;i s for the moc;c insig n i!"ican r plot in t he
cem ete r y. H e ac;<;u red hi s fathe r-in-la ~\ char ;is tar a~ the loc;icio n
went , h e co ul d fo re<;ee n o tro uble at all Bue. he co ld hi m char
th ere h ad to b e an official reque<;c : o nlv the n could the Co mmittee
t ake appropriat e action.
Babu inform ed hi5 mi s tress ab o u t chis Jnd o nce .1g;iin Lcncin;i
was faced with a dilem ma. S ho uld ~ht' ) ig n o n t he :1ppl iotio n
form o r devise another plo v to keep the 1dent 1t\' o ( the app li cant
secret? The larrer seemed to be :1 better ,dea bur ho\~ was ~he goi ng
to achieve it? As s h e pondered . sh e remembered a co nversatio n
she lud with her husband krnoC, ago . T hev were di sc us sin g the
prospects of real estate and he h;id sa id . ' I ( ~•o u wa n t to gain
from in Yesrmencs in land , Sl) for in.:: o ns picuou-; plots , but on es
appre c iar c in \'alul' t11 :1n y rimes o ve r.' .
8
9
. f· I ·s she abandoned h e r original id ea of
Taking a cue tom t 11 ' it and say, tu rn it into ano ther ce d h
• I · I alread)1-congested cemetery and we nt for . metery an c arge rent ! Aunty, I
buying a p ot in t 1e . . d o no t kn o w wh;it 1s goi ng to ha p . , Th
· · l . t!1e next day. This time she 1nv1ted Babu to ' pen t o us . e poo r man was on
anot h er v1s1t t 1e1e th e verge of tear s bu t Lenti n a ins t ead f , I ..
· I1 h et. a1•ou 11 d the perimeter of the wall , and told him to . , , o S} rnpat 11zmg, appeared
wa lk wit to beco m e exc ited ;ib o ut hi s outburst.
examine· t I1e di·t·ecti·on in which the cemetery would expand . Babu
Afte r what he con s ide red to be <a peri·od 0 1c.r u dc ~1-·1encc, Lenuna
·
at once caught on and asking her to rest a while did a quick survey
turned to h im a n d beg-in to as k ( o r t he details of h is land .
[ che surrounding area and came to a conclu s ion . He h elp ed
0 Khalon g t hought t hat it was· ·sim plv
, her wa, ,· orex pres sing
· concern .
1
her to the car and after they were seated comfortably, h e said ,
But w hat c;i m e n ext com pl et ely rlo o red him . 'W ill vou sell t hat
'Madam, the land adjoining the southern boundary will be the p iece of bnd to me?' she ,is kcd in an excited man n~r. He cou ld
best, though I do not full y understand why you want to do this not ;in swc r imm edi,ic ely becau se he was deb ati ng with hi m self
when a small plot of land would serve your purpose.' She looked wh et h e r it wo u ld be ri gh t to sell her a pi ece oC u ns u itab le land just
at him with a glint in her eyes and replied , 'Be patient Babu , beca use s h e felt so rry for him. I t would amoun t to taking ad vant age
t im e will answer your question .' With that enigmatic reply she o f her symp ;it hy ;i nd wo uld ce rtai n ly be uneth ical. Rc;id ing his
dismissed him and they drove home in silence. m ind co rrec tl y, t he o ld wo m an said , in a gende \·o icc, ·1 know
Once again, Lentina withdrew to her bedroom and b egan to wh at yo u are t hin ki ng , but let me ass ure yo u chat it i::. nor merely
wo rry about the prospects of acquiring the adjacent plot of o ut of m y co n cern ( o r yo u t hat I am d o ing this. I have a ::. cl fis h
lan d. T h e only pers o n she could rely upon to accompli sh chis was m o ti ve . Fo r qui te so me t im e n o w l ha ve been loo king fo r a suiu1blc
Babu; she decided to entrust him with the job . But b efore she pl ot wh e re I want to be bu ri ed . An d before m u ..,a y anyt hin g,
could talk to h im , fat e intervened and an opportunity pres ented lee m e add ch at I d o n o t wi s h to be buned amung the rid icu lo us
it self to her in the p er son of a man from a neighbouring village stone m o nu m ent s o f che big cem etery. I need Li place \.\ he re Lh crc

who was the son o f her late husband' s friend . The friend himself w ill b e n o th in g bm beauti ful t rees O\' Cr m \ gra \'c . .Su, te ll me

was dead and t h e son , named Khalong, had been awa y at the time n o\\' \\'i ll r o u sell \'O Ur land to me: · K.hJl u n~
' I I ._
\\ J:.. com 1nccd th at

of h er husb an d ' s death . When he heard about it he came to pay L entin a m ea n t bu si ne ss and u [( ercLl J 1·c:cbl c ·ye, ·. Bu t t h e

his condo lences . Lentina noticed a certain dejection in Khalong' s \\' Oman \\'as n ot d o n e vec: ~he co nCLnucd ,n the ~am c -. erio u:.. to ne,
1

d emeano ur an d when s h e pressed for a reason h e blurt ed out ' L is t en , I \\'ill bu r the land on!\ u n o ne cu nd iu un: vuu are LO tell

how bad hi s fi n ancial si tuation had become as a result of che n o b od y ab o u t th e cransa cri u1~ ~-e r. no L u en } o u r wife . If you

fat h er ' 5 prol onged ill n ess and m any ho spitali za tions out s id e the ag ree tO ( h I. S C0nL1·L[U.Hl · , [C- II tllL, h·" v n
' ' rnu L-h /,·o u w;i nc and come

t o n1 o rrO\\' \\'I· ( h t h C LlKll

:{ , - · - 1 1 we will 1·io alize che deal. '
tll L!ll:S •1t LI
st are. He sigh ed , 'I f on JY I cou Jd se II o ur Iand ! Bu t unfo rt un ately
no w t h at th e cemeter 1 Kh aln n g by rh c u nexp ected rn~·n fo rtune
Y ias expan d e d , peop le only lau g h at me
\\ ' ;t:- :-,) l )\.L' L"CL) m c of

1 be , )ll d his ex pecta t 10 n . He was

when I tal k of sell in g o u ] d d . . . . -· r l1:11 h e :- L1t cu a n a m o u n t 1<- •
r an a J0111111g 1t. 1 h ey even jo ke about
IO
· I er say 'Ok come tomorrow at eleven.'
even more shoe ked to I1eal 1 , ' ' .
. . f~ . y formal dismissal after she gave her
He did not wait ot an .
. I .1. · out of the house in a da ze , st ill wo ndering
instructrnn s, 1m ymg . out somethi ng whi ch c;;he overhea rd dttrt.ng her h us ban d' s funera1
ranspired was actually real. Lent ma knew
whet l1er aII t 11at I1a d t '
that had she bargained a bit, th e price would h;ive bee n redu ced
but she felt that heaven's gifts should be ;iccepted without any
murmur, and simply proceeded to put together th e amount needed
for the next day 's transaction . Once again she enlisted the help of
Babu who was to be a witness to the deal. When Babu re minded
her about the negotiation with the Town Committee and that
he would h ave to explain the abrupt halt to his son - in - law,
Lentina smiled and told him , 'Let him think that it was a wild
scheme t hought up by someone going senile.'
· As instructed by Lentina , Khalong came with the thumb -print
of a relative on a paper where the Agreement was inscribed. The
deal was accomplished without a hitch and Lentin a became the
proud owner of a plot of land right next to the south wall of
the old cemetery. Lentina ordered Babu to engage some labourers
to erect a temporary boundary fence . It was only when the fence
was almost complete that her sons came to know about their
mother 's 'crazy ' plan. They remonstrated with her, they sulked
at having been left out of the deliberations and even threatened
to move out of the compound if their mother treated them like
rank outsiders; they were up set that a mere driver had u surped
their rightful plac e m
· h er sc h emes . But even then , they were not
·
aware of the full extent of he r d esigns . cror t h e n ew cemetery.
She tried to pa 'f h b .
ci Y t em y say ing t hat she did n ot wa nt to
burden them with tasks wl11. h h
c s e and Babu were perfectly ab le to
handle. The sons ke t . b l News :ibnttr Lc11 ri n:1 ·~ ac9uisicion o( the plot of lan d adjacent
· P quiet ut t 1.e el d er daug hter- in -law wanted
to assert hersel f and be
gan to accuse Lent in;i of putting too
11
mu ch trust . in a ·servant
' ,and th ·ts . s he sat•d , amounted to insulting
them . Lent1n:1 , c;;m;:irring from the unfairness of the charge, blurted
and had decided to keep it a secrer . It was an argument between
th e two dau ghtcrs-i n-l;iw ;'lhout who was to pay for the funera l
exp rns es. The eld er one had c;;;:iid 'It is nor lair that we alo ne should
bea r the costs , you and yo ur huc;;b;ind c;;hou ld pa~, ha lf of it .' To
thi <; the yo un ge r one had repli ed ' How c;in I s;iy an yt hin g? Tell
that hu shand of min e, ir yo u !eel like it . P>ut I am nnr goi ng ro give
a rup ee tow;i rd s this unn eces,;;:iry ,;how.' Eve ryo ne knew rhat the
yo un ge r d;iug hte r- in - la w h;:id mone~· of her own and rhat gave her
an edge over the ot her. S he continued , A nd ii you think chat we
are going to w;:iste mon ey o n c; om e grandi o,;,e he;idslO nc fo r the
o ld man , think ag;iin . ~u ch pret ensio nc; chic; i"a mil y has '. '
Lent in;i h;id kept chic; kno wledge rn herc;cl( and had res olved
that she wo uld neve r di vulge chi~ to am o ne . Bur , be ing goaded
in to speech 6.v interfere nce from her fami h nn a ma[[Cr she Lhought
did not direcd y inv o lve them , . , he dec ,Jtd tn sp c;ik out. She
addressed the two ladies , 'Wh .v are : ou all \\o rkcd up about .<,uch a
tri\·ial mauer ? After all. 1 have no t ..,pcn l an~·one else 's mon ey.
And another thing: you need no t \\O rn :1 bouc an_r hca d:-conc for
me. 1 want none .' The rwo iad1e.., \\ ere .::omplcrc lr rakc n r1back ;
th e\' had assu med char che v \\ere al o ne in the roo m when th e
:11 t erca ri o n had ta ken place . r he defi: :1nd era fry m;inipulation
of her know ledge helpcJ Lenr ina put an enJ w r1 ll oppos iti on .
When the husb:-in ds le,1rnt hO\\ rhe ir mot her 'roo k care ' of th eir
wiv es , rh e\' mereh· ch uckled and muttered , ' Thar 's mother for
yo u . H ope ~•nu 've lc:-irnr _\·our lesson .'
lO l hr cr mcrcrv soon became pub lic know ledge, and she knew
12
13
. I would b e visited by m emb ers o f the
that sooner than late1 s 1e . ' Id b .
· . u e a bout 'ownership wou e raised , o wecl t he ho no ured visit . T he Chair ma n looked at his colleagues
.-: Committee and t I1e iss
iown
J
. h
• to be only 111 t e custo y o
d f en. I1er ;ind laun c hed int o h is rehe;irsed sp eec h about owne rship of sac red
because all such grounos wet e . . .
g round s an d w hat th e Tow n'<; ;:idmin ist ra tors had to say abottt it.
. . . .
the church or ot I1e1 te 11g10u 5 organi z ations , with due perm1ss1on
Gen tl y b u r firml y, Lenti na in terrupted h im ,in d said , ' T hank yo u
. _ . A n t I'cipating their m ove , s h e h ad ;i]ready
from the Comm1ttee
,\ 1r C h ;i irm a n , I want to a<.<; urc yo u ch;1t I am aware or your
d rawn up a legal document · with the help. of. h er nephew who
res p o n s ibi li t y rega rdi ng the maltcr and I h,n c ta ken rhc initi ative
·
I1a d JUSt stat·red practising law in the District Co urt . Jn t h e
to see k your coo perat io n b:' drawing up Lh is legal document for
d ocument s I1e I1a d d ec l ared chat s he would don ate the piece vo ur co nsideration . Kind lvI di<:.cu<;<. th1, wir h rn ur coll eagues and
I ..
of land to the Tow n Com mittee , and not to the C hu rc h , if,
let me kno w ,1:-; soo n ;i s possible it' t he term<; arc acct·pta blr t() :·ou.'
and onl y if, they gave a w r itte n undertaking that it would be fh e ( :hai1·m;in g:we her a s ha rp look but re!'r;iincd l'ru rn saying
managed according to her term s: :rn y thin g , tho u gh it was clea r to al! [h::u ht: n.:c;cnccd bctng cur off
in ch e mi ddle o l· hi:, speec h . He t urn ed tll an el derl y Mc:m bc r ,1nd
1. The new plot of land could be dedicated as the new cemetery
as ked , ' \,,Yh;it do yo u s.-iy, brmh er ) ~hall \h: di -,cus, ch i~ here or
and would be available to all on fulfilling the condition that
ca ke it b;ick w ith u, a nd discu _._., it in the: nff1.::,.Y fhc o ther rc;id
onl y f1owering trees and not headstones would be erected
th e do cument and '>aid in .1 voic e mo re Jutho ri r.1t1\C ch,1 n that of
o n the gravesites .
ch e Chairm an . · we can Jo ic here : H -,c:em-, the te rm., .ire 9uilc
2 . Lemina , as the Donor, s hould be the first to choose a
s imp le. I <,ee no harm in acce p cing chem bt.:cJ u-,, the· rown j_.,
pl o t for herself
getting a sub<,canual p lot of land , t he ncc:d tnr \\h1ch has long
3- Plots would b e designated by Numbers only and records of
been Celt. The kind !adv ha:, inde ed .:: o mL: t,) o ur rocuc, :, he
names against Plot Num bers would be maintained in the
m u st be congramlared .' ~ft:er chi:, emp h.1t1c c:nJor:,cmc.:nL by an
C omm ittee Register.
imp orram \l ember. there 1A a:, no nt.:c:d to r lurch er di~cu . . .. ion o (
4 . T h e terms were to be wide ly publici ze d and the T ow n
r h e te rm:,. Thro u g h anot her L.) t'L,j J rJ \\ n u p a f C\~ dar.
, -. la.[c r, _
the
Committee would ensure chat they were adhered to strictl y. . 1. t:, unu:,uJ I , [lpu
_· IJtion-, '-·arne ,ncu the pos:,c:,sJOn
n e11· cemererv \.vnh '

As ex p ected, the members came one day and we re ushered into of the Town' C ommHtt:t: . , , . ,,
un ch,'-- JJ .\. lhc: legal (u rm ,1lilie:-i were
.
. L • , l her \ o n:. an d rheir wives,
th e big dra wing roo m where they seated themselves wit h obvio u s co n clu de d , chis tim e 111 rnc..
' p re \ enu: 0

- h h -8~ Lhe way

Lenr in ::i said . al 111 0 ::-. c l I kc ·111 •11 Len o ug [, ' ' '
ca n 1 choose
. .
cerem o n y, stress ing the ir eminent status in society. Lentina greet ed
them amiably an d ex p ressed sur pri se at their ' officia l' visit. The mr plot 11 0 \\' ? [L ,' \ ' Cl'\ l)OL, 11 i the roo m \\J::-, ~Lruck by th e mgenmt .
y
- u l >ll::-. rcq uc::-,L . le wa : -, ,b i( s he were askrng
C h ai rman clea red l11·s cl 1· d 6 f· b · I ol· L hi s seem i n~l.\ l l )l)l)L
j 6
· 1 o at an egan ·1rst y expres s111 g r 1e
. I . ,I, ' re ~he wo uld even tual y e
Com mittee ' s colle c· J j- I ·1 ror ,l cand v, .l tlli I H ll ilH' J p ,l.L l' \\ . L . . b'd
_ c 1ve s y m p at 1y o r t 1e b ere a ve d (;1011 Y· , . , 1 ~ somew h at m or 1
Lemma replied in a bef1cc· d · · j ht1r icd . 1·11c .
L' tHI L' l'
LJ' ;t !l ::-, ,1 ( [! 0 11 \ \ ,1:, l1 ,
mg manne r an in q u ired to wh.1r s 1c
 14
15
e sti ng out of it by what she ad ded next ,
natu re but sI1e coo k t I1 brief visi ts , it was Rab u who stood gua rd out side the door to
la nt so m eth ing th ere.' No o n e co uld say
'Yo u see I wan t t o P ' . see that the v did not c;ta v too lo S . L .
, , ng .. omct1m es ent1 na would
· I· d a - t he vis ito rs departed , t he fai nt vo ice of
anyt I1111g to t 11s an ~ , . . Pretend to be sleeping whe n no,· s~· an d no sv relati·ve s came to
·
t he Cl1airman cou Id be heard
' , Afrer all , she be111 g t h e Do nor, rt
vis it ; Rabu t hen had the per lect exc tic;e t h ' h · kl
. o s oo t cm our 9u1c y.
\ is only right that she should be given t he first cho ice .' Durin g the da y Babu would dic;;i, ppe~" r 1r 0 r '>ome tr· mc :-in d wh en
Lentina and Bab u mad e frequ en t vis it s to t he n ew g ro un d . he rrturned , he wo uld make c;rr;iight · · s room . H e
, rcor Lent111;1
Then one day Babu drove up wit h t he gard ener c;:1rryi n g labu rnum
saplings whic h he pl an ted o n t h e prep ared gro und . Len ti n a
wo u ld tiptoe in ;:i nd she wo uld turn her e,·e -; tow:-i rds the door
and ac; their eyes mer he would give a f;:iint n~d .ind wirh dr:-iw. This I '/,.✓-
I -
discontinued her vi sits to t he cemet ery becau se sh e was beginning w:is ;i me sc;age th;:it he h;:id ju st \'i.,,iccd rhe rrecc; :-ind rh:n they I
to fee l a fatigue th at co mes afte r a sust ain ed effort and ac hi evi ng a we re d o in g we ll . Th is see med ro pro vid e he r with rhe wil l tn live
long-cheris h ed d rea m . H ow that plot of land cam e into her where food and med icines c;ee rn ed t0 ha ve failed.
possession was still a mys t ery to her when all she had craved for To eve ry o ne'c; :isconis hm ent , Len ti na c;u rvived rhc fie rce win ter
was a spot to be bur ied wh ere a laburnum t ree wo uld bl oo m and o ne cle:u February morni ng she r:-ing he r bell pe remptorily.
e,·ery May. Ah , t he laburnum tree! Would the sapl in gs su rvive chis Th e maid we nt in to fin d her c; earching fo r he r gow n ;ind bedroo m
time, she speculated? Would th ey really bloom an d would she live slipp ers. Sh e offe red co bring her ce;:i en cht: roo m hm Lcnrin:i
long enough to actuall y see the trees wi th fl ower? Before one o rdered her to rake her to the dra wing roo m ½he ">:lt bv chc Ii reside
knew it, another May wit~ laburnum bl osso m s everywhere had where her tea was brought and c;he ~i pped che hot brew ;ic; rhough
come and gone. A small coi1solati on for the frail woman was t hat she we re tas t ing it for the first tim e. Fro m th;ic d;iv o n, c; he began
her plants out 'there' were doing fin e. Babu, the ever-faithfu l friend, to m ove abo ut che house and resume he r old rouci nc of supervising
for this is how she thought of him now, brought n ews about ma ny th e accivicies in it. When her daughc e,-,- m- Lm \' i<, it cd , <. he was
things including chat of her treas ured plants. warm and amia ble wi th t hem : occa:-1 onal l\· -, he \\t)Uld eve n give
Once in a while she would tell Babu t hat she wanted to see them pieces of jewell erv : a ri ng , ear cop -, .rnJ necklace . , _T he sons
t hem herself to which he wo uld say, 'Soon m ad am , but n o t tod ay.' mo , sensing a new spir it in th eir mot her. began to a<. k for her
Her days were now th reatenrng · t o bl u r 111to
• d us k . So m eti m es advice o n bu siness and f.imilv m,u cer-, . -, o mething which had
they would find her r · · h d never happened dur ing rhe !'arher ·, lifet im e. The~• were pleasantly
oamrng rn t e gar en barefoot and wit h out a
shawl. T hat winter Lenci h b d surpri sed ro find ho\\' sharp her min d still was. T hey also di scovered
. na caug t a a co ld an d fell serio u sly
11
, . Every one thought t ha t she ld I how uncannilv like rhci r for her sh e .;;ound ed so meti mes! (T here was
d wou not ast the winter. Even her , ' \.. .
occor, usually a jolly person b . ;i \'isibl e casing 0 ( rension ,1111ong rhem and n became app arent _
ev . . · ' egan to show sign s of strain after
ery v1sn to her room O 11 I B b rhar nor on!)' Lenrin:.i , but rhc entire !'am il y, was head ing towar~s
·
d uring · Y a u remained calm and stea dfa st
the crisis Wh _] . ;1 hea ling rhar \\':IS mo re rhan ph ys ical.
. . en re atives 'a11 d cIose f·ri.en d s were allowe d
 16
.· :.i's recovery, so meth ing happened 17
T har )'ear ch e year o( Lentm. . I k
' . I Babu saw; he kept t 1e nowledgc to th ough she had treated Babu wit h c·1 ,·1 · . d k. d
1 1
t) an in ncss . she had
in che new cemetery chat on Y , . ' '

always m;iint ai ned a discreet di'>tance b , (· ·

. trees pl anted on Lentrna s pl ot, one
h. elf O( che cwo Ia burn um .
ims . d d ' d B . che survivi ng one had fl ouri shed and ,
la nguis hed an ie · ut . . .·
·oduced a tin y spri g bea 1m g a Few yell ow
d
wonder of won ers, even pt
t see chi s from t he roa d bec;:1usc t he plant
blossoms.) 0 ne cou ld no
1 t he protoco l dem;.1 nded by th eir po<; 1ti on<; ·v~
. 11 d ti e n wers spa rse. Bu t Bab u frequ entl y vi sited
was set 11 sma an 1 ll 0
the site and discovered the shy show in g o ne fin e M ay morn ing.
ed to tell Lentin a bu t deci ded agai nst it because
H e was temp t
the exci t ement might have bee n t oo much fo r h er. And , if
the pl ant did not develop as hop ed for, the di sapp o intment
miaht
O
have a devastat ina0 effect on his mistress , weaken ed by her
recent illness. He was bod, happy and afraid: happy because the
long-cheri shed desi re of hi s mistress to see a laburnum bloom
had been fulfi lled; afrai d, because he instinctively knew that as
soon as Lencina laid eyes on the blossoms next M ay, she wo uld
conclude that the right moment to leave the world had arrived.
Nor that she would do anything drastic like taking her own life,
but she would let everything slide and simply bow out of life,
with a contented sigh.
But , for all his apprehensions about the future, Babu knew that
he could not hold back the fo rce of natu re that had accompl is hed
the small miracle of the firs t showing that M ay. By n ext year, the
bush would be taller and the fl owers m ore plenti ful ; it would
become visible t o all who passed by that lonely road to t he new
as e ttctng a master-servant
relat io nsh ip. Bu t she gradu;:ill
. _ ,
v broke dow h b· · b h ·
n t e arri crs y s owrng
her depe nde nce on h, m. t1rst bv, onl v, ex rr •a·t· '- 1ng 'dli t!·1·u I service
· ·:
the n imperce pt ibly ;:is ;i fr iend ; and fi n.:il ly a conl°id,rn t. Om.vardl y,
, .. ~- ne\.er brc,1chel:I or
altered , but it soo n bec;i me appucnt to eve rvbodv how much
Lenti n;:i re lied o n the old driver for thi ngs "he w,,nr ~d done . And
sur pri sin gly, th is was acce pt ed by her <;on, ;ind their wi\'c ~ it
reli eved them lrom the onerous dut y o( hcin g nn c.ill ror th eir ,,
,fl.
(r;i il ;i nd aged moth er. A strong-willed \o\.O m.:in and he r !°;:iichful o, .,':,_,,
se rvan t we re thu s dr;iwn in Lo ;in unu -;ual bond l,i- common
hum ani ty, based on trust and loy;ilty.
By t he ti me th e new ye ar C.\me , Len ri na -..h o\o\.cd <.1 gn~ of
fatigu e bro ught o n by old age . H er fomil y ,, arch ed her kee nl y all
thro ugh t he winter month s and she was ne\. er lc: fr aln nc. \,Vhc n
March came and rh e weat her beca me warm er. ~he ,~an ted to be
taken out in the ca r. H er wis h was at tirst 1ust ign ored but when
she refused to eat unl ess she was taken out fo r a ride, th l'. f:imily
dec ided to accede . And so a ro utine was establi shcJ: rn 1cc: a week,
wea th er permitting, Lenrina wo uld go out 1n th e car acco mp:inicd
by her maid . Lenrina did not object co chi~ arrangem ent :ind cam e
bac k From these outings a much happ ier per::,on. Sh e ate wel l and
so me colour returned to her pale face. Bue ~:uring these ja un t ~. she
sat qui etl y, witho ut uttering a wo rd . ,ind C\ Cn whe n Babu or the

cemetery. He had to tell his mistress about thi s, but when ? H e maid commented on something ne\\ or ~tr.ingl: they had see n in

t~ought abo ut it for many nights and finally d ecided t hat t he best rhe to wn , she di d not respond . On ret urn . she wo uld head
time would be the next s ' fl .
· eason s · owerrng and hoped t hat she woul
d straight to he r roo m ;1nd re main there until dinn ert im e.
be ali ve to hear the good r
f . .
f h' .
,ews rom 1m. If Lentrna now t hought
And ch en ;rn o r her 1\ Iar \\':\S upo n chem and eve ry o ne noticed a
o him as her frien d B 6 I · ' blC C I1a n gc 111
V! S I
· LCll l. 1n
· a ; ::,•h C, \\,·1nted
•
co go out more fre quently.
.
I . . ' a u was a so beginning to re-assess his
re at1onsh1p with her. Ti ll I . g 111 1 he doct m pu r his 1·oo t dow n and the twi ce-a-week routme
t i e time o f h er hu s ba n d ' s deat h,
18
19
. . . rt,bu approached her door one
. d Seeing her agitation , ,
conunue · . . ak He assured her that he was and Babu
. kn ew .wha t this
. • •t-·1ed . O nee t hey reac hed
phenomena n s1gn1
da , and sought perm1 ss1on to spe, . _. th e sir e, Lent 111 ;i wit hd rew into a more somb re moo d , as d 1' d
) I I I ns and that he wa s confident that
k .n :l close watc 1 on t ,e p a, . , B;i bu; on ly t he m;i id excb imed ,;i.r th e sight th e luxunant
. bl ossoms
eepi g · I. He still did not tell her about • 0 1c
loom t 1,s se:ison .
t hey w Ould b · d · o n so sm::i ll ;i t ree . Le ntin;i g,1' zed
,
;it
,
. - 1~or. a 1o ng time
th e 1Ll O\\er~ · an d
. ,· ous ye:ir. He promise to grve her
what had happene d t I1e pre, 1 . . sighin g deep lv. to ld R;ibu t0 d rive to the Pa rk 1oc:itc d ab out 1~our
1 , •
as forced to sta y 111do ors . Eut durrng the
reports on t I1e d :i ys s h e w. . kilomet res fro m t he town ;ind w;ic; the highest p~)in t fro m where
. the first thing she wanted wa s to drrv e by th e new
outings now, · . . t he ent ire tow n co ul d be seen . It w,1-; ;i popul:ir picnic spot and was
·f the Ltburnum tre es were showing sign s of
cemetery, to see 1 ' . . fu ll of peop le at we eke nd<. . Whe n t hey reached rhe peak th ey
·
pro d uc1ng fl owers · ,S11 e l1rtd
· seen other
· trees 111 town . wrth . their found th::it not man y peopl e were ~round bec;iusc it w;is ;i weekd ay.
gorgeous display of cascading yellow flowers . Her d1 sappomt'ment Choosing ;i 9u iet co rner, Lentin:i ;ind the m:iid -;ar d0wn ro rest .
was acute and after a few times , she refused to go out at all. Th e m;iid h;id p;i cked some bi srnicc; ;rnd ;i na._k or· tea . which rh e
And then one dr1y, late into the month, on his daily excursion three o f- them s hared . Arrer :ibnut h;i l!' ;in hou r they drove
ro the cemetery Babu discovered the miracle that they had been b;i ck ho me . J\c:, , he ent ered her rn0 m Le ntin.1 lltrned ro her
pray ing for : the little laburnum tree was awash with buttery- m;iid and R;i hu ;rnd ,hoo k their hand <. murmuring . ' Thank
yellow blossoms ! The unflappable driver gave a shout of joy and yo u ;ind (i od bl ec:,s yo u.'
darted away, heading to his mistress with the wonderful news . On Lentin;i '>t aye d in her room r·or moc;c o( che week. She rnrncd
his way, he rehearsed how he was going to break the n ews to her. d ow n c:, u ggec:,t io n 'i o r· ;i n y ru n her () U[lng ;ind busi ed herse l f"
He cautioned himself that he should do it gentl y, so that his with tid ying up her room even refu-,i ng ht:lp fro m ch e maid . O n
dear mis tress would not get too excited. When he reached the t he fifrh da v or chi c; 'ielf-i mp o<;ed !'iOlarion -.he call ed rhe m::iid
house, he walked slowly to the lady's room and knoc ked gently. ;:ind asked he r to he lp her with her bath .ind rn dre-.,<; he r in her
To his surpri se, he heard a sharp command, 'Come in Babu , I've favourite ou tfi t . H av ing do ne th at. -,he ordered the m;iid to bring
been waiting for you .' He entered and started to speak but she her some foo d as c;he wa nted an earl \' dinner. I he m;ii d d id ::is
cut him off, 'I kno~ _what you are going to tell m e; I felt it in she was mid and bade her miscre:,-, in e;i rl\' good nig ht before
my bones.' He saw that Lentina was dress ed as if for a grand retiring to her ow n quarters .
occasion and standing by her side was the maid , also dressed . The Th e next momino whe n :,he knocked on Lem ina' :- dnor with
b

old lady fumbled for her walking stick and said impatientl y, ' Let 's the morning tea , the re wa s no an:, \\ er. She knoc ked ,1g:1i n bu t only
go , what are you waiting for ?' silence greeted her. S he- rncercd che roo m ;ind Co un d Lenti na

The bewildered dri ver and the slightly dazed maid follow ed the st ret ched o n the bed : she se-emcd co be slee pin g soundly. Putt ing
old lad y who sudde I d l th e t r:1y on t he bed -side cable. rhe maid '>Jid gc ndy, 'M adam , I've
n Y seeme to 1ave a sp r ing in her walk , and
proceeded on t hei r app arently routine out1·.11g. B I L . b ro ught ce;i .' She \\ fllt and drew rhe cu rtai ns as usual but when
ut o n y enema
 20

h . d a certain stiffness in the body

h e near the bedi s e nouce
s e cam h ld lady' 5 face . D istinctly alarmed,
and an unusual palour on t e o . .
I lled the others, the sons, their wives
she went out an d urgent Y ca
and all the servants . T h ey all came rushing, except Babu, who
· l'k
stood near a post, crying 1 e a baby. They entered the room and
.
the elder son b ent c1oser t o determine if his mother was breathing.
· h tene d up Wl·t h a sharply drawn breath and shook his
He stra1g
head. When t he doctor came, he pronounced that Lentina, the
mistress of the house, had died in her sleep.
So ends t he story of the un-d ran1atic life of an ordinary woman
who cherished one single pass ion ate wish t h at a humble laburnum
tree should blo o1n on ce a year on her cro wn.
And every May, this extraordinary wis h is fulfilled when the
laburnum tree, pl anted on her gravesite in the new cemetery of the
sleepy little to wn , bu rsts forth in all it s glory of but tery-yellow
splendour. And if you can tea r your eyes away from this display
and survey the rest of the gro un d , yo u will notice that in the entire
expanse, there is not a si ngl e stone m onumen t . Instead , flo werip.g __.
bus hes t ake root, blooming in their own seasons o n the little
mo unds dotting the landscape. H ibiscus , gardenia, bottle-brusp,
camellia, oleander and croton bushes of all hues comp rise the
variety of fl owering pl ants , and at one o r two spots you can see
some jacaranda trees t ryi ng to keep up with t h e o t h ers . A l_one
banyan and a few ashoka trees standing o n the far ed ges also seem
to be doing quite well. And if you observe carefully, you will be
amazed to see that · tl1 · · h · 1
in e entire t errain , t ere 1s so far, on y one
laburnum t ree bed k d · · 11
. ec e 1n its seasonal glory, stan din g tall over a
1
the other plant s fl · h' .
. . ' ouris in g 1n p erfect co -existenc_e, in an
environment liberated f 11 h ·1·
.,. rom a uman pretensions to immorta iry.
So every May h'
' somet ing extraordinary.