Shammi's unfortunate fate

Why did Shammi hang herself ....
and her two children too?

When Shammi married her beloved husband according to her own wishes, she had not even reached the suitable age for marriage. In the year 2003 she got married to Madusha even without the notice of her parents. This couple who had lived in Madusha's house in Aarawaththa, Kapugaha though burdened with financial difficulties, nevertheless lived a happy life.

The couple who built up a house in the small portion of land which they got from the mahagedera land of Madhusha was later blessed with two children as time passed by. Shammi knew that earnings from the money that Madhusha got by driving a three-wheeler belonging to another was not at all sufficient to build a house which they could call their own. However, she did not build castles in the air either.

After Madhusha's mother who had gone abroad on a job returned to the island, she kept her promise of building a house for her son's family. By that time Madhusha had brought a three-wheeler had bought a three-wheeler for himself.

June 15th happened to be Madhusha's birthday. That day though he stepped into his mother's house, there was no smile seen on his face as was on other days. Madhusha who had a blank look on his face left the house ... leaving a question-mark. From that day upto now Madhusha was not found. It was after that that Madusha's mother and Shammi lodged an entry at the Gandara police station. However, straightaway there was no news to locate him. Later it came to be known that he had left his wife and children and had once again got married. Shammi was unable to bear the sudden change in her husband's behaviour.

Shammi found it difficult to live alone in the house without Madhusha. Three days after Madhusha had left, she came to her mother's house at Kajugaha junction in Gandara together with her two children. From that day onwards it was Shammi's mother and her brother who looked after Shammi and the two children. Shammi who was faced with this unanticipated happening could not get over the shock. Though she felt life a huge burden, her own mother took over her burden.

Shammi's mother was engaged in work at a coir-mill and worked there under the scorching sun. She even began to work harder than before with the motive of looking after Shammi's two little children.

One day Shammi's mother set out to work at the coir-mill as usual early morning leaving behind her daughter and Shammi's two children. Shammi's elder brother of course left to Devinuwara for fishing purposes even without heeding weather warnings.

Shammi who was spending a lonely life in the house with the two children began to feel the difficulties and bitterness of life; but she tried to be patient as much as possible. With thoughts of the past of how her small nest was shattered reverberating in her mind, Shammi began to weep bitterly. However she began to make up her mind thinking that her tormenting problem would come to an end and that she would be soon be able to look forward to a better future. Not that she did not have a revenge about her husband who had broken all bindings and left her in the lurch. She of course cared for her children who now was devoid of a father.

On the morning at 7.30 on December 15th Shammi's mother left for the coir-mill as usual. It was not once or twice that Shammi felt sad thinking of the efforts exerted by her mother to keep them alive. She sometimes used to ponder about the sufferings she, her own mother and the children were undergoing for no wrong committed by them. She thought a thousand times of the father who did not feel the pangs of hunger of her two children.

The house now gave an abandoned, lonely look. It was exactly 6 months since the day Madhusha had left the children and vanished. Dusk was slowly creeping into the house and the dawn of darkness began to further increase the loneliness in Shammi's heart.  She then came to a strong and serious decision.

"I left home at about 7.30 in the morning on the 15th to the coir-mill. The two children and my daughter were quite alright then. When I finished work and came home it was around 5.30 in the evening. I bought rice and vegetables to give the children to eat. When I came ... the door was closed. I went to the neighbours and asked where my daughter was. What everybody said was that she was there in the evening but did not tell them that she was going anywhere. I then came back home and searched for the key in the place where it is normally kept. The key of course was there in its place. I then opened the door and went to the room and looked inside.

On going inside what I saw was that all three of them hanging. I hugged punchi putha and cried and yelled. The child's whole body was drenched with urine. I shouted ... and that was all that I could remember and I had fainted. Later when I opened my eyes the police officers had come". That was what Shammi's mother Ranjani Alahakoon said with tears in her eyes.

A mother who turned blood into milk and suckled Shammi who at one time was smiling and crying on the mother's lap and was brought up that way ... how could she bear it up. But even a mother cannot prevent the death of a child. The mother however would never have thought that such a tragedy would take place. She was striving to keep them alive with the sweat of her brow which she shed morning and afternoon. Though Shammi's inhuman husband who could not feel for the children had the guts to leave them ... Shammi's mother could never do so. Shammi had left the world forever with the two children .. leaving tears in her mother's eyes.

Small children are not expected to pay for a conflict that occurs between the parents. Lust, revenge .... these qualities set fire to a human life. In such cases they discard all traditional bonds and set themselves free from all responsibilities and bring tragedy upon children who are born from their own blood. How much have we heard of inhuman fathers who are senseless of their own children who suffer in pain and hunger like this?

How many mothers have we seen left destitute with their offspring! Some mothers who think that there are no other alternatives -- drown themselves in rivers, oceans or else jump in front of moving trains. Women should not arrive at such conclusions because of men who bring disgrace upon humanity.

One'sown valuable life and that of innocent children being sacrificed on behalf of senseless men who think that the death of the mother of his children is a consolation can in no way be approved. What must be done is to exist.

Narration -- Subhadra Deshapriya
Background story -- Jayasiri Peduruaarachchi