THIS IS THE STORY OF A FAMILY. DADA, AAI, SIX SONS AND TWO DAUGHTERS. DADA CALLED HIS WIFE ‘FAUZDAR’ AS SHE WAS A VERY STRICT AND CURD LADY. ONCE SHE STARTED SHOUTING, NO ONE WOULD BE ABLE TO STOP HER. BUT THE HOUSE WHICH HAD PROVIDED SHELTER TO ALL, BURNT ONE DAY. DADA LOST ALL HIS STRENGTH, HE SURRENDERED TO THE CRUEL HANDS OF DEATH AND THAT LEFT AAI SPEECHLESS, LITERALLY. NOW SHE WAS PULLING ON BUT SHE WAS NOWHERE INTO ANY OF THE ACTIVITIES. SHE NOW HAD TO TACKLE EIGHT PROBLEMS IN THE FORM OF HER EIGHT CHILDREN. LIFE HAD LEFT HER ALONE TO DEAL WITH THESE EIGHT PUZZLES, THE ‘ASHTAK’ FULL OF PITY AND COMPASSION. EACH MOTHER HAS TO FACE THIS PUZZLE; FULL OF PITY AND COMPASSION. SINCE THE ANCIENT AGE, EACH WOMAN IS DESTINED TO CARRY BURDEN, ONE OR THE OTHER…SINCE THEN SHE HAS TO BEAR THE FRUITS THAT HER FEMININITY HAS BESTOWED UPON HER… HER CHILDREN…A BURDEN, IT SEEMS
ही आहे एक कुटुंबकहाणी... दादा, आई, सहा मुलं आणि दोन मुली यांची. आईचा कडक स्वभाव आणि फाडफाड बोलणं यामुळे दादा तिला म्हणायचे ‘फौजदार’. पण सगळ्या कुटुंबाला सावली देणारं घर जळलं; दादा खचले, वारले आणि आई अबोल झाली. स्वत:च्या संसारात अलिप्तासारखी वागू लागली. मुलं मोठी होत होती. या मुलांच्या रूपानं आईपुढे आठ समस्या उभ्या राहिल्या. जणू ही आठ मुलं म्हणजे नियतीनं आईला घालून ठेवलेली आठ कोडी. हेच तिचं करुणाष्टक. खरं म्हणजे कोणत्याही आईचं. कारण, वाट चालताना ओझं वागवणं हे स्त्रीच्या भाळी अगदी इतिहासपूर्व काळापासून आलेलं आहे. तेव्हापासून आपल्या स्त्रीत्वाला आलेलं फळ–मूल हे सुद्धा आईला ओझंच होऊन राहिलं असलं पाहिजे.