जी का जंजाल

Summary

The story depicts the plight of an elderly mother living with her four sons on a rotating three-month schedule. Despite having raised her children with great care and sacrifice, she is treated as a burden in each household. Her daughters-in-law serve her unappealing food and speak to her disrespectfully. When she requests roti due to illness, she is given rice and eggplant, which she cannot eat. Her sons, once inseparable from her, now prioritize their wives and finances over her well-being. She recalls her late husband’s assurance that their large family would care for her, but the reality is starkly different. Her daughters wish to care for her, but their husbands object, fearing she might give them money meant for the sons. The sons have placed the money their father left for her in long-term fixed deposits, with themselves as nominees, leaving her only a small pension for personal expenses. She feels trapped by the traditional belief that a woman must be under her son’s care in old age. Her son Samata, upon hearing his wife’s complaints, confronts her angrily, suggesting she use her own money for special food. The mother laments that her children’s affection was based on need, and now that they have their own families, they have turned away. She finds solace only in prayer, yet her maternal love prevents her from becoming indifferent. The story highlights her emotional and physical suffering, the sons’ greed for her money, and the painful realization that her sacrifices have not been reciprocated.