Punishment!
She woke up hearing her daughter crying.
Radha, her 5 year old daughter, had another nightmare! She held her daughter closely wondering when will this even end. When her daughter stopped crying, she put her down and looked at the innocent face sadly, knowing things will never be fine for them!
She got up to get ready to go work. One glance at kitchen and she realized that the stock will get over in few days. How will they survive after that? No one will let them buy anything even if she is ready to pay.
Soon time was up to go to work. Work - Cleaning the old lady's house in the other corner of the village who felt pity on her and still employed her. But she knew that the old lady was counting her days and the day she dies, her own world will stop!
As she and her daughter were walking through the narrow path, people looked up and stared at them.
She felt their gazes piercing through them as if she was being stabbed. Men looked down as if she deserved to be ogled at. Women looked at her as if she was a bad omen.
Her daughter clutched her scared. She looked at her lovingly, knowing she could not do anything else.
Soon the gate came which she dreaded the most! Men sitting in the side wall would always comment.
She knew they spoke about her in their own cheap language.
As she completed her job and was about to leave she looked at the old lady. Something was not right. The old lady sat in the porch and looked at her with a sad smile. They did not speak a work but she realized what the lady was saying.
She called her daughter who had been quietly sitting near the door the whole time.
Instead of taking the normal route, she started walking towards the town well. She held her daughter closely, looked back at the village once, the village which had been her own from the day she was born! The village which was her only world. Her friends, family, school, inlays - everything was in this village but now she was an outsider. An outcast for no mistake of hers!
She didn't chose this life...
She still remembered the day vividly. Her husband had come home drunk as usual late night. Without eating, he slept off. After sometime, there were banging in door. Men barged in and started hitting him. Before she could even realize what was going on, police had come and took him to custody. Her parents and in laws came and started cursing her. No one told her what happened but were only scolding her. Her daughter had been crying incessantly.
And then everyone left her alone. She finally got up and went outside but no one spoke to her. The houses where she worked as maid shut their doors.
Finally she went to the Old Lady's house, who told her the truth! When she heard the news, she was aghast!
Her husband was behind the bars for Raping a woman!
She closed her eyes and prayed for that Woman!
Still she didn't chose this life -
The whole village, including women, think she deserved to be punished. If men ogled at her,touched her, say gross things, no one was there to question them. She could not go to Police Station also to comment! And they did not spare her daughter also!
It was the Man, whom she was married to, who made the mistake, not her or her daughter!
She didn't chose to marry him. It was the village who had decided. Now the same village was against her.
She didn't deserve to be assaulted for a Man's mistake! Then where was the justice for her? Who will put these Men behind the bars!
She was being punished! This World has always been unfair!
She thought of that Woman again and prayed for her.
Then she looked at her daughter, kissed her and apologized to her. Before her daughter could realize, she threw her daughter into the well and then jumped in herself!
P.S - This is purely a work of fiction based on my imagination and various things I read!
Radha, her 5 year old daughter, had another nightmare! She held her daughter closely wondering when will this even end. When her daughter stopped crying, she put her down and looked at the innocent face sadly, knowing things will never be fine for them!
She got up to get ready to go work. One glance at kitchen and she realized that the stock will get over in few days. How will they survive after that? No one will let them buy anything even if she is ready to pay.
Soon time was up to go to work. Work - Cleaning the old lady's house in the other corner of the village who felt pity on her and still employed her. But she knew that the old lady was counting her days and the day she dies, her own world will stop!
As she and her daughter were walking through the narrow path, people looked up and stared at them.
She felt their gazes piercing through them as if she was being stabbed. Men looked down as if she deserved to be ogled at. Women looked at her as if she was a bad omen.
Her daughter clutched her scared. She looked at her lovingly, knowing she could not do anything else.
Soon the gate came which she dreaded the most! Men sitting in the side wall would always comment.
She knew they spoke about her in their own cheap language.
As she completed her job and was about to leave she looked at the old lady. Something was not right. The old lady sat in the porch and looked at her with a sad smile. They did not speak a work but she realized what the lady was saying.
She called her daughter who had been quietly sitting near the door the whole time.
Instead of taking the normal route, she started walking towards the town well. She held her daughter closely, looked back at the village once, the village which had been her own from the day she was born! The village which was her only world. Her friends, family, school, inlays - everything was in this village but now she was an outsider. An outcast for no mistake of hers!
She didn't chose this life...
She still remembered the day vividly. Her husband had come home drunk as usual late night. Without eating, he slept off. After sometime, there were banging in door. Men barged in and started hitting him. Before she could even realize what was going on, police had come and took him to custody. Her parents and in laws came and started cursing her. No one told her what happened but were only scolding her. Her daughter had been crying incessantly.
And then everyone left her alone. She finally got up and went outside but no one spoke to her. The houses where she worked as maid shut their doors.
Finally she went to the Old Lady's house, who told her the truth! When she heard the news, she was aghast!
Her husband was behind the bars for Raping a woman!
She closed her eyes and prayed for that Woman!
Still she didn't chose this life -
The whole village, including women, think she deserved to be punished. If men ogled at her,touched her, say gross things, no one was there to question them. She could not go to Police Station also to comment! And they did not spare her daughter also!
It was the Man, whom she was married to, who made the mistake, not her or her daughter!
She didn't chose to marry him. It was the village who had decided. Now the same village was against her.
She didn't deserve to be assaulted for a Man's mistake! Then where was the justice for her? Who will put these Men behind the bars!
She was being punished! This World has always been unfair!
She thought of that Woman again and prayed for her.
Then she looked at her daughter, kissed her and apologized to her. Before her daughter could realize, she threw her daughter into the well and then jumped in herself!
P.S - This is purely a work of fiction based on my imagination and various things I read!
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