For his education and future planning Bal Gangadhar Tilak had stayed away from home for almost six years which he had spent living with Agarkar. Now before starting the school venture he decided to pay a visit to his home.
So, in 1879 one evening, Bal Gangadhar reached home and knocked at the door. In answer to his knock the door opened to reveal the figure of a young lady. The face looked vaguely familiar.
Then, sudden realisation dawned on him that the young lady was his wife Tapi. She had grown up into a beauty in his absence.
Bal Gangadhar dumbly stared at her and then opened his mouth to stammer, “Oh! You really!”
By now Tapi had also guessed who the visitor was. Her face turned red and legs felt like jelly. She could not stand the gaze of her husband who himself was tongue tied. She ran inside.
The aunt and the sisters appeared on the door.
The aunt was overjoyed to see Bal Gangadhar. The sisters quailed in delight. Bal moved forward and touched the feet of the aunt. With tears of joy in her eyes she blessed Bal Gangadhar.
Then, he hugged his sisters. The girls and aunt took Bal Gangadhar inside serenading him with happy chirping and giggling.
After getting Bal seated, the aunt called out, “Daughter-in-law! Come here and see who has come home!”
Tapi felt panicky.
Her hands were trembling. To gain time she put on an act of being busy in the kitchen. Her heart had never beat faster. Somehow she controlled herself and put the end of her saree pallu over her head in such a way that it screened most of her face like a veil. So armoured, she walked into the room where rest of the family members were sitting carrying a glass of water in a platter. After putting the glass on a side table she bent down to touch her husband’s feet.
Bal Gangadhar watched her greatly amused. He laughed at her veil to the utter embarrassment of Tapi.
Bal asked, “Aunt! Have you trained her in hiding her face behind that veil?”
“Oh no,” the aunt vehemently denied and spoke,
“We never used veils in this family. I never told her to do that. May be, she has done that feeling shy in your presence.”
The sisters giggled.
Tapi stood like an accused.
The aunt said to her, “Tapi, we don’t believe in orthodox practices like veils in our family. We always treated you as a daughter. Our Bal Gangadhar Tilak is an educated young man. Remove that veil and talk to him like a normal wife. He has come home after a long time.”
Tapi obediently sat beside Tilak after removing veil off her face. Aunt smiled at her approvingly and got up to retire to the kitchen on some excuse.
Left alone, the young folk started talking. Infact, the talk was being compered by the sisters.
One of them complained to Tilak, “Brother! You keep yourself away from home for such long periods forgetting about our poor sister-in-law. Tapi has been pining for you.”
Another sister added, She keeps chanting your name all 24 hours of the day, everyday like a sacred mantra.”
Bal Gangadhar laughed. Tapi nudged her husband’s sister in friendly protest.
Tilak said, “Look, you are very mistaken. I have never forgotten any of you ever. Now I will stay home for long periods as my college education is over. Don’t worry.”
The news pleased them all. Sisters and Tapi whispered into one another’s ears. Suddenly Tilak turned to Tapi and spoke, “Tapi! What happened to your promise of learning to read and write?”
Answer came from a sister, “Brother! She is always learning to read and write. Infact, now she writes letters to her parents. We were suspecting that she had been writing to you as well.”
Tapi hished the sister.
Tilak looked pleased. He wanted to make sure about it, “I hope that it is no joke. Is it true, Tapi, that you been learning?”
Tapi nodded her head shyly.
Tilak said, “Then, I am really proud of you. Look, my education in complete and I have decided what I am going to do with my life. I will dedicate my life to the society and the cause of the country. The spread of the education is my primary goal. I hope, Tapi, you will stand by me. Your effort to learn and write on your own proves that you will understand me.”
When the sisters found the talks taking a very serious and personal turn, they thought it prudent to leave the couple alone. They departed from there on some pretext.
Tapi now found tongue to say, “I will always stand by you in whatever is your venture. I am sorry that I could not properly get educated due to the situations you know. I am trying to make up for that.”
Tilak realised that his Tapi had become a mature young lady.
He revealed his plan, “I will be undertaking a mission to educate our people. Our people need it badly. Illiteracy and ignorance are the root causes of our problems. I shall start a school to begin with.”
“That will be good,” Tapi said.
Just then the aunt arrived with two glasses of milk for them. Tapi preferred to take her glass and go to the kitchen to drink it.
The aunt and Tilak talked about usual family things. She told in detail whatever had happened in his absence. Tilak hold her that the mate with whom he had lived was a wonderful cook and that kept him in good health. The aunt was relieved to know that because she had been worrying that Bal could be suffering the horrible hotel food.
