Gunasundari (Continued) You are forever changing, O’ world.⁴⁴ Gunasundari was still ritually impure and not allowed to touch anything in the house. In some other families it was permissible to touch dry utensils and clothes. But Dharmalaxmi made no such allowances. Hence, Gunasundari used this time in other pursuits. She tried to fathom the minds of her family members. She spent time in Manchatura’s room, talking to him about his childhood and life thereafter. She tried to understand what shortcomings the old patriarch saw in the house, what his wants and desires were. Gunasundari tried to assuage his anger towards other members of the family and assured him that she and her husband would fulfill all the wants that they were capable of fulfilling. She also gauged if he harboured any discontent or resentment towards her and Vidya Chatura and what he thought of them. She anticipated his anxieties and vexations and she took preventive measures. All this she did quite cleverly and unobtrusively. Gunasundari’s intelligence, her patience and affection had its desired effect. Over time, Manchatura came to trust her. His anger subsided; he appeared to be largely content. His volatile anger was one of the reasons for his illness. Gunasundari soothed his mind and body. Not only Manchatura but gradually other members of the family, too, came under her spell one by one. Gunasundari would sit with Dharmalaxmi when she performed her rituals, spend time with Dukhba in the kitchen patiently listening to her woes, talk to Chanchal in the afternoons and converse with Chandika as well. She would gather the children around her and tell them stories, sing for them, read out to them, listen to their troubles, counsel them and enjoy their company. Gunasundari was an elder among the elderly and a child among children. In this way, like Manchatura, everyone else in the family opened up to her. They shared with her their frustrations, they saw her as their confidante, grew affectionate towards her and genuinely sought to make her happy. They even took care not to hurt her feelings. Before too long, Gunasundari became the thread holding all the dissimilar beads together. This apparently happy and tranquil dream was not without its shadow, however, nor was it everlasting. One afternoon when Gunasundari was alone, she sat reminiscing about the history of her own family. Happy and sad memories of her childhood flooded her mind. As an adolescent, unable to understand her husband’s aspirations, Gunasundari had felt distanced from him. This had distressed her; but it was her husband who had come to her aid and eased her distress. Vidya Chatura was a school teacher. She had little to do in the house. There were no other family members then. She had every opportunity to enjoy her husband’s company and affection. The two had not a care in the world. They were in the bloom of youth and as the world of senses opened up before them, they took as much delight in the pleasures