It is the time to call a day. Dusk starts spreading its dark roof on the village, Hamidpur. But today’s dusk seems to be somewhat different from its usual presence. It is not as animating and mirthful as it comes. It seems to be darker as if it is trying to cover some ominous thing in its dark and unfathomable womb. The presence of some evil thing in its dark womb makes it look somewhat gloomy and scaring as if it is strengthening the very popular saying ‘bad events cast their shadows before’. It seems that dusk is giving the bell of happening of something ominous in the town of Hamidpur. A candle light is seen struggling to survive in the storm of darkness in the hut like house in one of the corners of the town. The exteriors and interiors of the house indicate that it might be a house of a peasant as the air in the house carries in it the smell of cow dung which troubles the nostrils. A blue light coming from oval shaped origins show that some cattle are tied in one corner of the house. In the middle of the house there is an open space where a wooden cot is kept. In darkness, it seems that there is a noisy wooden cot as two little children are making commotion on it. Suddenly a woman doing something in the dark corner of the house in the light of a candle addresses one of the children.
“Shrujan, your father has not come yet.” Listening to his mother’s voice, he tries to support her saying that he might be busy somewhere and assures her that he would be back soon and there is nothing to worry. She tells Shrujan that she is growing worried about his father and unwillingly reveals the reason behind her fear. She tells him that previous night, some hooligans had been to their house and abused his papa for interfering in the matters of the local M.L.A popularly known as Politician Mr. Sampatrao and warned his Papa if he does not stop opposing the Politician, they will see him. This scares her a lot. Seeing his mother in great concern little Shrujan holds her hand and tells her that there is no matter of worry and makes her realize that her mind is unnecessarily acting like a coward and it thinks too much. Little Shrujan advises her to have patience and tries to kill her fear positively saying that nothing wrong will happen. Her little son’s words of advice give her some emotional relief and she goes back in the hut like house to finish the remaining work.
Mother’s words about the men of the Politician make a permanent abode in the innocent mind of Shurjan. Suddenly he becomes silent as if he is brooding over the words of the men of the Politician. Lakshmi, Shrujan’s little sister, disturbs his silent posture and questions him why is he silent? Shrujan says nothing and buries the fear of threat hidden in the words of the men of the Politician in deep corners of his mind and rejoins with his little sister, Lakshmi. Mother finishes her work and comes out closing her both the ears as if she is too much troubled by some cacophonous sound, to accompany the children lying on the wooden cot.
She tells little Shrujan that a bird has been hovering on their hut since long and his hovering is supposed to be bad omen. It troubles her a lot and enhances her fear. It is an ominous and more ominous when heard at this hour of eve. It is said and believed that the bird makes such sound when it anticipates about happening of some undesirable thing. Little Shrujan does not like her mother’s argument and he reminds her that she is unnecessarily linking the late entry of his father with cacophonous sound of the bird. Mother nodding head negatively tries to convince him that evil sound of the bird has been responsible for the ruin of so many lives in the town and it is regarded as a sheer truth. Unconsciously she mutters as it has done with others it will do………and comes back to her senses. Mother once again asks her little Shrujan that his father has not returned yet. Seeing his mother brooding over the issue of his father’s not coming home, he prefers not to answer her this time and pretends that he is asleep. Little Shrujan is not mature enough to understand the concern which a woman or mother feels when her husband is away and does not inform her of his coming.
While lying on the wooden cot, her eyes catch a falling star and her doubt gets further strengthened. They don’t understand the sleep overpowers them while waiting for the father. When their ears are disturbed by the crowing sound of the cock and twittering sounds of the birds around, they open their eyes to see that it is the time of morning and find that father has not returned home. Their concerns grow further.
A shepherd putting a black blanket on shoulders is going with his cattle to lush grooves on the bank of the river. While going, he finds that a body lying in the bushes on the bed of the river. He goes close and finds that it is of Shiripati fully drunk and unconscious. Instantly, the news gets spread in Hamidpur. A crowd rushes towards the spot and shifts the body of Shiripati to the civil hospital at Hamidpur. One of the gentlemen returns to intimate the family about the happening with Shiripati. The family too rushes to the civil hospital. Doctors make all possible efforts to save Shiripati but they fail. As the death is not natural and there are some doubtful conditions, the doctors perform the postmortem of Shiripati’s body and conclude that poisonous wine caused his death.
Mother’s doubt proves to be true. The bird, the gloomy dusk and the falling star predicted rightly. Mother goes back into past and remembers her husband Shripati who never touched wine.
Shiripati is an educated and successful farmer. He keeps good knowledge of Government schemes launched for the farmers, old people, orphans and widows. He introduces various government schemes which benefit a lot to the village. He makes the poor and illiterate rustics knowledgeable about the various government schemes such as subsidies for agriculture and monthly allowance of government for the women who are widows. In this way he serves his village and his work gives him good fame in the village. He has two acres of land beside the road located at the very entrance of Hamidpur. It is on this part of land, Mr. Sampatrao the fondly called ‘Politician’ casts his evil eyes. One day the Politician calls Shiripati puts the proposal for his land. He tells him that he wants to start a wine factory on this piece of land. Shiripati refuses the proposal saying that he does not want to contribute to the ruin of the families. On hearing this reply, the Politician gets irritated at him and threatens him of losing life. Shiripati tells whole thing to his wife, alerts all the villagers from the evil intentions of the Politician which further intensifies the anger of the Politician. Shiripati’s wife advises her husband to keep himself away from the Politician as it is not good for him and his family. But Shiripati pays not heed to this advice of his wife. One day when he is returning from his farm, the men of the Politician abduct and take to him to the bungalow of the Politician. He is kept foodless in a darkroom and late in the evening poisonous wine is poured into his mouth. At the early hours of the dawn, the body of Shiripati is thrown on the bed of river. Politician is a Politician.
Unexpected departure of Shiripati causes an irrevocable damage to the family. Survival in absence of the head of the family becomes a great challenge. Shrujan studying in the seventh standard is immature enough to lead a fatherless family. Shrujan’s mother spends her sweat on the farm to survive her family during the worst time. All sources of financial incomes get blocked which make Shrujan to leave his education in middle. Adversities of the family reach its climax when little Lakshmi gets affected by cholera and economically harassed family can do nothing but to see the death of their darling daughter with their open eyes. Poor rain fall is being recorded for last several years which enhances the adversities of Shrujan’s family. Endless worries bring flood of tears in the eyes of the family. Nothing comes out of the land. Shrujan’s mother does some household jobs in the village and with great difficulties manages two times food.
Innocent Shrujan sees and equally bears the sufferings which caused due to the sudden demise of his father. Years pass, Shrujan grows and becomes twenty years old. Every year of life has significance as it shows how much he and his family suffered at the hands of destiny. Shrujan grows enough and his shoulder becomes strong enough to support the family of an old mother whose life is nothing but a life of suffering. To give a relief to her suffering mother, he begins to work as waiter in a wine shop in the town. One day, Shrujan is serving to a group of drunkards who claim them to be the men of Politician. They are uncontrolled and unknowingly open the history of the death of Shiripati which they had caused some years ago. One of them unconsciously reveals that how Shiripati was abducted and kept in the darkroom and forcefully poured poisonous alcohol into his mouth. He does not forget to reveal that they had done it at the instruction of Politician, Mr Sampatrao. Shrujan gets shocked to hear this truth behind his father’s death.
Shrujan returns home, takes meal and lying on the wooden cot placed in the middle of the front yard thinks over the revelation of the drunkards in the bar. He becomes restless and determines that he would not leave the person who has made his family suffer a lot. He burns with anger and his soul flutters to take revenge on the Politician, Mr Sampatrao a man who caused the death of his father, who caused the death of his little sister Lakshmi, who caused unbearable suffering to his mother. Shrujan decides to give justice to his dead father and thinks that the Politician Mr. Sampatrao has no right to be happy. There is a huge bungalow of Sampatrao where he frequently comes. One day Shrujan dares to enter his bungalow with a dagger from the backside balcony. Unfortunately when he tries to enter the bedroom where Sampatrao is lying accidently something falls down and the sound of that fallen thing makes Sampatrao alert. Shrujan anyhow succeeds in escaping from that hazardous situation and determines not to do such foolish adventure hereafter. He realizes that it is not possible to kill Sampatrao face to face as he being most influential political figure always surrounded by a crowd of activists and supporters. Every evening, after having meal, he rests on the wooden cot and looking at the stars in the sky, he tries to find a way to take revenge on his father’s murderer. Suddenly an idea clicks to his mind “poison for poison’’
Meanwhile Shrujan gives up the job in bear bar and joins a pharmaceutical unit of a company. It is here he acquires good knowledge of various medicines and poisonous chemicals. Once he secretly brings a bottle of poisonous chemical confirming it can cause death. After working for a few days there, he leaves that job and joins private hospital as an assistant of a doctor. This doctor once meets him in the company and from then they become good friends. It is in this hospital, Shrujan acquires the skill of how to inject a syringe. Secretly he manages to have some injections and keeps them in his hut. While doing this job in the hospital, he manages the time to keep watch on activities on the bungalow of Politician. He keeps a serious watch on the coming and going of the Politician. During his watch, he observes that Mr. Sampatrao comes on every Sunday to stay at the bungalow in Hamidpur and rest of the days he spends in Mumbai. It is on every Sunday; Shrujan visits the canteen which is in front of the bungalow of the Politician spends some time taking tea. He observes that every Sunday the driver of Sampatrao goes to the market carrying a cloth bag.
One day he decides to chase the driver to see where the driver goes. He finds that the driver visits the shop of a woman who sells fish. He makes this observation number of times. Meanwhile, Shrujan visits that woman’s shop pretending to be a customer. One day he asks the woman about the driver. The woman unknowingly reveals him that he is the driver of Mr. Sampatrao and he comes to take fish for his master. She further adds that the driver comes on every Sunday. Frequent visits to the shop of the woman enable Shrujan to have good relation with her. He decides to exploit this relationship. Once he reveals her that he has no job and adds how his family is going through the adversities. The woman takes pity on him and offers him a job of bringing fish from the dealer. Shrujan happily accepts this job. Every day he goes to dealer to bring fish. After coming from there he uses the remaining time to help the woman in handling the customers. He anxiously waits for every Sunday because it is on every Sunday the driver comes there. Sincerity of Shrujan wins the trust of the fisherwoman. The day of revenge comes. Shrujan takes bottle of poison and syringes. He loads that syringe with poisonous chemical. As usual he goes to the dealer to bring fish. While coming, he stops at place and puts down the basket of fish. He takes out some large size fish and injects poisonous chemicals into them. When the driver of the Politician comes, the woman asks Shrujan for fresh fish of larger size. Shrujan very skillfully offers her the fish injected with poisonous chemicals. The woman takes fish and cuts them into smaller pieces. The driver as usual pays the bill takes the fish home. The next day, Shrujan happens to see the photograph of the Politician, Mr. Sampatrao and reads the news of sudden demise of the Politician.
Shrujan brings the news paper home and shows it to his suffering mother. After seeing the photograph and reading the matter written under, she smiles at Shrujan. After having meal with his mother Shrujan goes to bed and enjoys such sound and thoughtless slumber which he could never have previously.