Knowing

Pooja had gone to meet her ailing uncle. Pooja who herself was in her 60s knew well that her uncle who was in his late 80s would not survive. She left from the hospital thinking that she soon might have to return for his funeral. Tears gathered in her eyes. She had lost her parents and most elders. He was one of the uncles who had still been alive.

While on her way out she met her cousin, Mangesh. They exchanged pleasantries and spoke a bit about what had been going on in their lives. Mangesh paused and then mentioned, "there is something I need to talk about. This is not the right time and place. Next week please come home and we will discuss at length. I have some papers and I want you to look at them". Pooja was puzzled with her cousin's demand, but she still agreed. What papers does he have? Why does he want me to see them? She thought but decided to leave these thoughts.

As promised, she met Mangesh at his residence. Mangesh dived into the topic, "your mother owned a lot of land at our native place. When she was alive, I had proposed her to sell her land to me so that I could proceed with the development. She had agreed but before we could start the procedure, the COVID lockdown began. She fell ill and..."

Just the thought of her mother brought tears to Pooja's eyes. She knew that her mother's family was one of the richest in the village, but her mother used to say that they had lost their property as per the laws of independent India, since the land deal was made in the British era. Her mother would never utter a single word about the properly. But now why this cousin is talking about it?

"I know what you are thinking. Your mother believed that the land was gone, but she still remains the owner. Encroachment does not give any rights. Now that she is no longer, it is appropriate for all of you siblings to transfer it on your names and then decide whether you wish to sell it or keep it", Mangesh handed over the papers to Pooja.

From there Pooja headed straight to her brother's home and called her sister too. This decision was to be taken by the entire family. She felt as if she had uncovered a family secret which had been buried for decades. The weight of this secret was heavy.

When they met, Pooja began with the discussion, "Magesh handed over these papers to me. They appear legit. Now it is upto us what we have to do. Let us be transparent and take a call. We should include Archana too. Let's get her opinion. ".

Pooja's elder sister Prarthana said, "you are right. All four of us should decide. Let me call her," she called their sister who stayed in the US. Pooja explained the background and asked opinion of all siblings.

"This sounds great. You should proceed with it. But do not add my name. It would create problems for me while filing taxes. Any documents you require from me, let me know I will send those", Archana mentioned.

"We will speak with the lawyer and let you know. This was to seek your opinion whether we should proceed or leave the whole matter," said Anil, Pooja's brother.

All 4 siblings decided to proceed with the transfer of property from their mother's name to their. It was the beginning of their journey. But what they did not know was that this journey would create a rift between the siblings.