Face of Bhagwati was slowly fading away in memory of the villagers. It was more than two years since he went to war but did not return. Meanwhile telegrams of death of Sivakumar and another of his friend who went along with him to war had long arrived. There was a lot of distress in their families but a steady pension and war benefits managed to take care of the distress which was caused by untimely death of the young soldiers. My father was very scared and every passing day he harbored a fear that his elder brother may not come back. His mission however was to study hard and become an officer for whom he continued his studies the way his brother would have wanted.

It was a bad day for all. My grandfather totally disapproved of any further studies. His view was that he tolerated all his tantrums and stories of studies but this cannot happen any more. He will now have to work in fields and supervise the workers so that they can have better earnings from their fields. Hari too was upset and wanted my father to take charge of their bullock cart and earn money by taking loads of sugar canes to the sugar factories. My father tried to convince them the whole day but by the evening he could only cry in vain. He remembered his mother and Bhagwati more than any other day. What if his dreams would be grounded before take off? Such a thought itself was too heavy fro him to bear.

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