When Ramayya's Arrogance Begins to Shake
That night, Ramayya's house was unusually silent.
Jhansi was sitting in the bedroom, unable to sleep. Her mind was filled with thoughts about the following day. The entire village was angry with her husband, and the elders had decided to conduct a Panchayat meeting.
She kept thinking about Subhash's daughter.
A young girl who had been waiting happily for her engagement had suddenly lost everything because of one incident. Her engagement was cancelled in front of relatives and guests. What would happen to her future? How would she face her relatives and the people in the village?
Jhansi felt deeply disturbed.
She turned towards Ramayya, who was lying on the bed, looking at the ceiling.
"Are you still awake?" she asked quietly.
Ramayya did not respond immediately.
After a few seconds, he said, "What do you expect me to do? Everyone is blaming me. The whole village has turned against our family. Even my own children are not talking to me properly."
Jhansi looked at him.
"Ramayya, this is not about people talking against you. Think about that girl's situation. Her engagement was cancelled because of what happened yesterday."
Ramayya turned towards her.
"I only asked Subhash for my money. Did I go to his house without a reason? He borrowed money from me. He promised to repay it. Am I supposed to keep waiting forever?"
"Nobody is saying that you should forget your money. But couldn't you have spoken to him privately? Why did you have to create such a scene on his daughter's engagement day?"
Ramayya remained silent.
He wanted to argue, but he could not find an immediate answer.
For a moment, the image of Subhash's daughter crying in front of everyone came into his mind. He remembered how Subhash had begged him to leave the matter until the engagement was over.
Something inside him felt uncomfortable.
He turned away and closed his eyes.
"I didn't do anything wrong," he told himself. "Why should I be afraid of anyone?"
But that night, unlike other nights, he could not sleep peacefully.
He knew the village was waiting to question him. He also knew that his family was disappointed in him. Although he continued to defend his actions, a strange sadness had begun to trouble him.
The Entire Village Turns Against an Arrogant Money Lender
The next morning, Ramayya was still getting ready when someone knocked on the front door.
Jhansi opened it.
A senior village representative was standing outside.
"Is Ramayya at home? I need to speak with him," he asked.
Jhansi looked slightly worried.
"He is busy at the moment. Can you come later?"
The village representative did not leave.
"Please tell him I need to speak with him now. There is an important matter."
Jhansi hesitated.
"What is it about?"
The representative looked directly at her.
"Today, the village elders are planning to conduct a meeting regarding yesterday's incident. Does Ramayya understand the mistake he has made? Does he realise how badly Subhash's family has suffered?"
Before Jhansi could respond, Ramayya heard the conversation and came out of the house.
"What is all this? Why have you come here early in the morning?" he asked angrily.
The village representative turned towards him.
"Ramayya, I came here to inform you about today's village meeting."
Ramayya immediately raised his voice.
"What meeting? Why should I attend a meeting? I have my own work. If Subhash has a problem, let him come and talk to me. Why are you people getting involved in my personal matters?"
The representative remained calm.
"This is no longer just a personal matter. You publicly humiliated a family during their daughter's engagement. The groom's family left, and the engagement was cancelled. The entire village knows what happened."
Ramayya interrupted him.
"Listen, I don't need anyone to teach me how to collect my money. Subhash borrowed it. I asked him to repay it. What's wrong with that?"
The representative replied firmly,
"There is nothing wrong with asking someone to repay a loan. But there is something seriously wrong with the way you treated him. You could have handled the matter privately. Instead, you insulted him in front of everyone and ruined an important day for his daughter."
Ramayya became irritated.
"Enough! Everyone is blaming me without understanding my situation. Nobody is talking about the money he owes me!"
Jhansi stood quietly beside them, worried that the argument might become worse.
The village representative was about to respond when suddenly a young man came running towards them.
The News That Shook Everyone
"Sir! Sir!" the young man shouted, trying to catch his breath.
The village representative turned towards him.
"What happened? Why are you running?"
The young man struggled to speak.
"Sir... Subhash's daughter... she has been admitted to the hospital!"
Everyone was shocked.
Jhansi immediately stepped forward.
"What? What happened to the girl?"
The young man looked at them with a worried expression.
"She attempted suicide this morning. Her family found her in a serious condition and rushed her to the hospital."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Jhansi's face turned pale.
"Oh, God! What happened to that poor girl?" she said, placing her hand over her mouth.
The village representative looked furious and immediately turned towards Ramayya.
"Do you understand what is happening now? Yesterday, you destroyed that family's happiness. Today, the girl is fighting for her life!"
Ramayya stood still.
He tried to say something, but the words did not come out.
The representative continued in a firm voice.
"Listen carefully, Ramayya. We have tolerated your behaviour for a long time. But this has gone too far. If anything happens to that girl, we will not remain silent. You must answer for your actions."
He paused and pointed towards Ramayya.
"Tomorrow, the village meeting will take place. You must attend and explain yourself before the elders. Until then, stay within your limits. Don't create another problem."
Without waiting for a reply, the representative turned towards the young man.
"Come with me. We need to go to the hospital immediately."
Both of them rushed away.
For the First Time, Ramayya Begins to Fear
Jhansi stood near the doorway, completely shaken.
She looked at Ramayya, but he did not look back at her.
The news had reached him like a sudden blow.
A few minutes earlier, he had been arguing confidently that he had done nothing wrong. Now, he could not even defend himself.
He slowly walked towards a chair and sat down.
His hands were trembling.
"Did she really attempt suicide?" he asked himself.
The image of the girl crying at her engagement came back to his mind. He remembered Subhash begging him to give more time. He remembered the guests watching the argument and the bridegroom's family walking away.
For the first time, he began to wonder whether his actions had caused something far more serious than he had imagined.
Jhansi looked at him with tears in her eyes.
"Ramayya, what have you done? What if something happens to that girl?"
Ramayya remained silent.
He wanted to say that he was not responsible, that he had only demanded his money and that Subhash should have repaid him on time.
But this time, those arguments did not give him the confidence they usually did.
He looked towards the door through which the village representative had just left.
His mind was filled with questions.
What would happen to the girl? What would the village elders say tomorrow? Would the villagers file a case against him? Would the police become involved? How would he face everyone?
He had always believed that nobody could question him because of his wealth and influence.
But now, for the first time, he was afraid of what might happen next.
The man who had never feared anyone was now afraid of facing his own village.
Tomorrow's Panchayat meeting was no longer just a gathering of angry villagers. It was going to be a serious confrontation that could change Ramayya's life forever.
To be continued...