A short story of mine has been carried in a special print edition of "Writer's Ezine" released in mid-December 2015. The Rs.200-priced glossy issue has many poems, essays, short stories, interview-based articles and photos by contributors from all over the world. Here is my story:
Chasing a Dream Husband
Samyukta was a rebellious girl. A student of Standard XII in a co-educational
school known for its strict discipline, she was unhappy that her school
insisted on a monotonous uniform for its students. If she had her way, she would wear hot shorts
and trendy tops. She felt she was a
misfit there, but could not help it.
Fair, slim and attractive, she would
go to a beauty parlour every month for facials and eye-brow trimming. She spent her evenings chatting with friends
on her mobile and browsing the Facebook.
She loved taking selfies and sharing them online. “This is how I keep myself in touch with my new-age
feminist friends,” she would say. She
decried age-old practices and scorned at conservative people. She detested putting on bangles. Her reason: “I am casting off all traditional
symbols of women’s enslavement.”
After her final examinations, she
managed to get a seat in B.A. (Corporate Communications) in a college known for
its liberal ways. She liked the
institution and its atmosphere. Every
day she drove to the college on a purple-coloured motor bike. The ultramod dress she sported was the talk
of the campus every day.
She contested student elections and became
the secretary of the cultural association of the college. She promised her fellow students that she
would revolutionize its activities.
Samyukta organized an
inter-collegiate symposium on “Marriage and the Modern-day Youngsters.” A boy and a girl from every college in the
city came to participate. Newspaper reporters
and television channel crews were present in large numbers. She led the discussion. With bravado, she declared, “My life partner
should not be taller than me, nor more charming and more qualified. He should not object to my holding a job. At home we should both work like equal
partners. He should not toss harsh
words at me, even if I am wrong. In such
a case, I would use harsher words and silence him.”
Everyone heard her in rapt attention. She went on, “The parents of my would-be
husband should live away from us.” She added, “Don’t think these are my
platitudes for today’s debate. I swear they
are my real-life guidelines as well.”
These brash expressions upset the
faculty and the principal. They signalled
that she should moderate her words. However,
she paid no heed to them. “I would not
go for wedding right away. First it
would have to be a live-in relationship for at least two years.”
A lad from the audience shouted, “No
doubt, you will remain a spinster forever – an evergreen spinster!” Thunderous laughter reverberated in the hall. Samyukta refused to be cowed down. “Come to the dais, my dear friend. Let us debate it over here,” she
retorted. There was total silence.
The symposium went on with other
participants advocating the traditional practices or suggesting the western
ways. Some went to the extent of totally
rejecting the idea of marriage and permanently continuing with the live-in
system. The moderator, a retired family
court judge, concluded the programme remarking that over the ages the concept
of marriage had undergone changes and this process was bound to continue. At any rate, our youngsters should remember
that whatever they did should be in tune with the laws of the land.
After her B.A. she did M.A. in the
same subject and secured a job in an MNC as its Public Relations Officer. Her job involved interacting with clients,
advertising agencies, media units and government departments. She had opportunities to meet people of
different outlooks, attitudes and temperaments.
A year passed and Samyukta felt it
was time for her to look for her life-partner.
She recalled what all she had advocated during her college days. She cast her net wide. In the course of nine months she dated three
guys but none of them came up to her expectations.
In the block next to her office there
was a branch of a major bank. One day, its
new Customer Relations Officer Himalesh came to her office to make a courtesy call
on her General Manager. She had a short
conversation with him before conducting him to the office of her boss. In this brief time, she took a liking for
him.
She made discreet enquiries about him
independently. He was single, staying in
a studio type apartment near the bank.
He cooked his food himself. He
belonged to Udaipur, Rajasthan. Though,
nothing was known about his parents, he appeared to satisfy her
conditions. Was he made for her?
She had an account in the bank and every
month her salary was credited into that account. Whenever she went there to withdraw cash, she
made it a point to say ‘hi’ to him. This
developed into close friendship and appeared to blossom into love.
One evening she invited Himalesh to
dinner in a five-star hotel. He readily
responded. There she expressed her views
on relationships, marriage and family life.
He listened to her carefully. He
remained silent for a while. Then he
replied, “It is really astonishing that I too have similar views. I am open to trying out new ideas.” When the bill came, she did not allow him to
pay it. Though a hefty one, she settled
it using her platinum plus credit card.
This enabled her to prove that she stood by her views on equality of genders.
They moved one more step closer to each
other.
Soon Samyukta and Himalesh decided to
enter into a live-in relationship. They
took on rent a posh apartment close to their offices. Interestingly, she wore a traditional Mangalsutra round her neck so that there
would be no room for anybody to look at them with suspicion.
Samyukta informed her parents living
in a city down south over phone about the arrangement. They turned furious. “You have been a rebel. You have refused to marry the boy we
suggested. You have thrown to winds our
family traditions. We have long ago
given you up. Don’t get in touch with us
anymore for anything,” her father banged the phone.
Two years passed. Samyukta and Himalesh got along very well. They maintained excellent rapport with their
neighbours, who looked at the two as a truly ideal pair.
One day Samyukta raised with Himalesh
the subject of their formal wedding. He was
clear in his mind. “All the people around us are under the impression that we
are already married. You also wear a Mangalsutra. How can we bring up the subject of wedding
now? Is a formal marriage necessary at all?
Let us continue as at present.”
This was a bolt from the blue for
her. She remained silent. But she was determined that there should be a
formal marriage. Legal recognition was
necessary.
Samyukta kept nagging him on
this. Finally the two decided to get
married in a temple on traditional lines.
The wedding went off well, attended by a small group of their friends. There were no relatives. On the same day they got their marriage
registered. Samyukta was happy that she was
able to realize her dreams one by one.
“I did it,” she wrote in her diary.
After a few months she became
pregnant. Himalesh took good care of
her. He accompanied her to the doctor on
monthly check-ups. As the tentative delivery
date approached, strange fears started engulfing her. “Will it be easy? Whom can she go to for support, if necessary,
in the last minute?” she wondered. Her
husband assured her, “Don’t worry, you can rely on me for everything.”
The nursing home, where she was to
deliver, ran on modern lines. The
husband and wife were briefed on the process of child birth. It permitted one person to be with her at the
time of delivery. As her mother could
not be expected, Himalesh agreed to be there.
She liked the idea. He was a bit
nervous.
The delivery went off without any
hitch in the presence of her husband. He
was witness to the culmination of a profound process of creation. He saw with his own eyes the marvel of life
emerging out into the world. He was
thrilled. He and Samyukta were now the proud parents of
a cute baby girl. Their joy knew no
bounds.
Time passed fast. The baby completed six months, enjoying the
warmth and affection of the parents. “I
have done it again,” she wrote in her diary.
But an unexpected development rocked
her. One fine morning, when she got up from bed, she
found Himalesh missing. She saw a card pinned
to the door, on which he had written in bold letters “Bye, bye.” She could not make head or tail of it. An inexplicable fear gripped her. Tears swelled in her eyes. She enquired with his office and the response
she got was more intriguing -- “He has left our service.” She had no one to look to in that hour of crisis
and share her agony. Police complaint
would be detrimental to her career. She
felt miserable and helpless.
She kept going to her office. It was necessary for her to make a
living. She felt very sorry that she had
to leave the tender child in the care of a maid at a crèche. A thought crossed her mind -- “If only I had a
senior relative at home to look after the baby…” No, no, this was against her policy. She erased the idea immediately from her
mind.
Three more months rolled by. She found it extremely difficult to manage all
affairs single-handedly. She badly
needed her husband. There had been no
quarrel between them whatsoever. Why did
he leave her? Where was he now?
In a desperate move, she inserted an
advertisement in a national daily, which he normally read. It said:
“Dear Himalesh, I am on the brink of a disaster. Return home immediately. Samyukta.”
A day later, she received an SMS on
her mobile. It was from Himalesh. “Expect me there on upcoming Sunday morning. I will tell you everything in person. I am very busy now.” Tears ran down her cheeks.
Samyukta reviewed her life since
school days. She had traversed a long
way. She had been too rigid in her
attitude towards marriage and family matters.
There was no point in being so any more.
The problems she faced in the last nine months were terrific. It was time to make amends and relent. She should have elders with her. “I am chastened,” she wrote in her diary.
On Sunday at about 10:00 a.m. the calling
bell rang. She opened the door and there
he was – HER DEAR HUSBAND. Behind him there
was an elderly couple. She surged
forward and hugged Himalesh emotionally.
The two seniors had a strange grin.
Wonder of wonders, Samyukta was
wearing a tilak on her forehead, jasmine
flowers in her hair and diamond-encrusted golden bangles on her wrists. She appeared obviously mellowed down. Himalesh
remarked in a tone brimming with awe and admiration, “You look gorgeous. Meet my parents.” She greeted them with a smile and invited
them inside.
The two oldies carried the baby in
turns and cajoled it. The little one
also appeared to enjoy their company.
That night Himalesh narrated to her
what all happened in the recent past. “I
knew you are a nice girl but the problem with you was that you wanted to pursue
funny and impractical ideas. I accepted
you despite these eccentricities. I had
to play a trick on you to make you come round.
Resignation of my job was stage-managed.”
As he went on, the little one in the
crib gave out a shrill wail. Samyukta
jumped out of the bed, lifted the baby, handed it to her hubby and directed him,
“Change the diaper. The child has
already messed up the poop!”
(Ends)
