AHALYA - (TALES OF INCLUSIVITY) #Blogchatter #WriteAPageADay

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Everybody loved her. For her sparkling eyes, her lustrous strands of hair that tumbled over her forehead and her tinkling laughter. The entire colony doted on her because where Minali was, there was joy and laughter.

Mrs. Nair never tired of singing the girl’s praises.

“Kumari, you should place a black dot behind Minali’s ear to ward off the evil eye!” she cautioned her.

Kumari smiled at the older lady,

“Sure, Mrs. Nair. I will do it before she goes to college tomorrow,” she would say with a smile. She knew Mrs. Nair meant well, and that she loved Minali dearly.

As college days began coming to an end, horoscopes began to make their way home. Photographs of boys lay on the dining table and every time Minali was down for a meal, she would have half a dozen photos alongside her plate.

“Amma, could we do this later. Some of these photos could easily ruin my appetite,” she would say with a twinkle in her eye.

“Hush, child, don’t be so flippant,” Kumari would caution her.  

Minali’s horoscope was a rather complicated one. Her parents were not overly worried, but her grandparents were determined to marry off their precious child only to a person whose horoscope matched perfectly. Once Minali chucked her grandmother under her chin saying, “Ammamma, what difference does it make, after all? I am marrying a boy, not an ancient piece of paper!” Her grandmother was horrified.

“Shiva, Shiva, you thoughtless child! Do not make fun of our customs. This is one way of ensuring that you have an idyllic marriage and that you will be happy always.”

Minali gave in with a good grace. Her eyes fell on a few photos lying around, but the moment she liked one of them, the hurdle of the horoscope would rise like a spectre and the photo would disappear. Two years went by, and the grandparents were frantic not to have found a good match.

By now, Minali had graduated and when she spoke of wanting to study further, there was an uproar. The verdict was clear. She could study once she was married… “If your husband lets you!” was the unspoken idea.

Finally, one photo landed up on the dining table, a photo which seemed favourable. As luck would have it, the horoscopes matched as well. The whole household was elated. She looked at the photo again more closely. He was a doctor, and his name was Pritam. Good looking, if a trifle grave, she thought. He had four brothers and he was the youngest of them all.

Minali felt a flutter in her heart. Maybe this was what was meant to be!

The wedding was well conducted and well attended too because both families were well known. It was a match made in heaven, said every third person, till finally, Minali felt she would scream if one more person made that statement. When the newly weds were about to leave, Minali’s mother pressed a little packet in her hand. It contained some sacred ash and a tiny gold idol of Lord Shiva.

“This is for you, my dearest child. May you be happy always!”

Life after marriage was vastly different from her earlier life. Minali, who had always been cheerful and exuberant, found her new family a serious lot. Pritam’s parents were good people, but they did not seem to have the sense of fun that Minali had looked forward to. Pritam’s brothers seemed to have no time at all to spend at home and their wives were ensconced in the kitchen, meandering from meal to meal. They looked at Minali as if she were a playful little kitten, even she strove to bring a smile on their lined faces.

 Minali hoped that Pritam would be different from the rest of his family. She looked forward to their honeymoon when they would be able to spend some time getting to know each other. Her hopes were scotched when Pritam combined an official trip with their honeymoon, and spent most of his day, giving lectures at one of the top universities. By the time they got back, Minali had learnt nothing new about her brand-new husband but the fact that he gave intensely intellectual lectures.

Not being the kind to give up, Minali tried to get her sisters-in-law to go out for shopping trips with her. Shalini, the sister-in-law who was nearest to her in age smiled kindly at the young girl.

“Minali, the elders in this family do not approve of us going shopping,” she said softly.

“What about buying clothes? And jewellery?” Minali asked.

“Well, when required the shopkeepers come over with bales of cloth and we choose what we need,” came the answer.

“Not what you want?” The pert retort took Shalini by surprise. She gave Minali a gentle hug.

“Child, there is a lot you need to learn about your new family. First of all, they do not believe in spending money unnecessarily. Secondly, we, the womenfolk, are not allowed to voice our desires.”

“I am sure Pritam is different,” said Minali, her voice trembling.

“Maybe, but don’t pin your hopes on that.”

The terse reply brought tears to Minali’s eyes. Was she going to have to conform like all the other women? How would she survive in a household that was devoid of joy, of smiles?

In his own way, Pritam did try to understand his young wife, but it took a real effort on his part. As the years went by, and the children came in, a boy and a girl, Minali realized that she was up against a stone wall. Her sense of joy and her enthusiasm slowly began getting doused. She, who had loved dressing up, now wore saris that were the same as those worn by everybody else. Initially, she had asked Pritam for a few things, but soon, even those demands died down.

In the comfort of her own room, she would rack her brains to think of the old songs that she used to sing as a child, so that she could teach them to her children. However, her brain had become rusty, and she found that the words would not come to her.

The children were soon teenagers. They, along with their cousins, followed the rules of their home. Outside, they had a wonderful time with their friends. The moment they got home, their demeanour would undergo a change and they would sober down. When Minali saw them, her heart broke, but by that time, she had lost her will to protest.

One day, as she was watching a programme on television along with the other women, a rarity because it was a Sunday, her eyes suddenly fell on a beautiful rocking chair which was being advertised. Her heart stopped for a second. She had always wanted a rocking chair and now that her legs ached very often, she longed to sit and rock herself to sleep.

Pritam nodded when she made her request. He was aware that she had not asked for anything in a long time. “Let me sound my father about it,” he assured her.

Minali sighed. If only the menfolk in the family would do things for themselves once in a while. As expected, her father-in-law shook his head.

“What is the use of a rocking chair? Aren’t there enough chairs in the house? Besides, why spend so much on one chair?”

Minali was close to tears. She knew that it was not as expensive as all that. If only she had money of her own… if only she did not have to depend on her husband… if only!

Her daughter, Sunaina, walked in and stopped, seeing her mother in tears. She had overheard the whole conversation and she sat down, next to her mother.

“Ma, don’t worry! When I start earning, the first thing I buy will be that rocking chair for you.”
For Minali, that was the final straw. She burst out crying, all her pent-up emotions that had accumulated over the years, coming out in an onrush. As she wept, she hugged her perceptive daughter fiercely.

Years meandered on…

Sunaina and her brother, Madhav, had started a little company of their own, which was doing well.

It was early evening as Sunaina came into the house. Pritam was sitting with his parents in the dining room.

“Well, beta, how come you are early today?” he asked.

“Papa, there is something I wanted to show Mama,” she replied. She walked into the bedroom.

“Mama, are you awake?”

Minali opened her eyes drowsily and smiled at her daughter.

“What is it, Sunaina?”

By then, the doorbell rang, and Pritam went to open it. His son, Madhav, stood there with a large package in his hands.

Minali’s eyes filled with tears as she gazed at the rocking chair that stood before her. It was even more beautiful than the one she had seen years ago.

“Mama, will you sit on it? Madhav and I will help you,” Sunaina said softly. The two of them came closer to the bed. Minali’s smile was radiant. She looked at the door where Pritam stood, a strange expression in his eyes.

“Thank you, my children!” she said brokenly as she put a tentative hand out to touch the polished wood. “I love it. Maybe I can sit on it tomorrow. I am too tired tonight.”

That moment never came. That night, Minali died peacefully in her sleep. She had been on palliative care for two years, and she had finally let go. As she lay still, there was an expression of intense happiness on her face.

Pritam sat on the rocking chair, his face lined with a sorrow that he knew he would never be able to forget. So many years had gone by, there were so many things he could have done for his beloved wife. As he rocked himself gently, the tears came unbidden for all those wasted moments, for the joyous young girl whom he had turned into stone.

 

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 Word Count: 1684