Prejudice

PREJUDICE

Kshama sighed as she quietly had the tablet that Lata gave her. Terrible migraine , an effect of the continuous stream of tears flowing nonstop from yesterday.
The doorbell rang and she ran with all her might to fetch the paper , She almost snatched the paper from the hand of the person who had come to deliver it and he looked with astonished curiosity at her. She stood at the doorway and hurried through the pages to the obituary, As though confirming the news that was delivered by a kid from the neighborhood, She scanned the page . There he was looking so peaceful as always. Her eyes rested on the soft bespectacled eyes and could feel him looking at her . The same serene smile on his lips! She scanned the names down. Vrinda-Wife, Aanya- Daughter and Akshay-Son. No mention of her. Had she actually expected it.? She kept the paper beside her and closed her eyes. Oh!! Why did she still expect it. Who was she after all? Lata came with her tea for the umpteenth time and insisted she have it. She took the cup from her and smiled . Thank God for Lata, otherwise what would have happened? She was’nt just a maid but her caretaker too. She felt a great degree of comfort with Lata around. The rain began its out pour and she went near the window and looked out . The rain was furiously lashing at the ground , just like her state of mind right now. Why did this always happen to good souls? They have to leave us so soon. There’s still so much for them to give the world so why are they taken?
The rain............ This rain ……..and that ,……. that which witnessed her change of life, gave testimony to the cruel fate that captured her. That when Akshay had thrown her out of his home and life , that when she cried and asked for mercy , that when she felt the first kick of her unborn,(a kid that Akshay never wanted) ,telling her to be strong ,telling her not the ask for sympathy of this man, this hooligan who till now called himself her husband.
Akshay’s ever insatiable thirst for money and material had made her father bankrupt and the day her father passed away , with still a few of Akshay desires hanging in air ,Akshay royally dumped her like a ton of hot bricks. Akshay the adorable darling of his mom , who were partners in every crime , every wound that was inflicted on her.Akshay well known for his philandering ways and his disinterest in the sanctity of marriage. Who would say he was the son of Papaji?. Amidst rain as she looked at the window she so a sorry figure of Papaji watching her ,looking all helpless and futile. He had tried time and again to save her but all his attempts to bring his son into the right track seemed to go in vain. It looked as though he was hoping that she was going to be finally free of misery !
She left quietly with her unborn kid and went to Usha’s house. Usha, the young widow ,her best friend , the lady who had to bear the curse of life since her husband died in an accident. The lady who was confined to her house ,her work of making flowers, all artificial ,as artificial as life seemed to be for her, no fragrance, no scent just so plain and dead. The lady who could’nt speak to any man without eyebrows shooting to the sky , the lady who was’nt supposed to laugh , who stifled every human emotion and waited patiently to welcome the comfortable arms of death which was very welcome than this disgrace of life that she led.
Usha invited her into her small home and comforted her all night.The next morning there was a visitor , for Kshama , she sighed as she remembered that day.. Her father in law, her saviour.He knew that Kshama would be at Ushas place. He came on the pretext of his morning walk and then visited her and had been her striving force till the cruel hands of death snatched her only hope from.her .Papaji was a gentleman, had always tried to protect her , had always tried to make his wife and son see reason, had tried and tried but to no avail. He looked like Dasharath fighting with fate.
But he had discreetly taken care of her. Welcomed the arrival of Moksh into the world , had been a wonderful grandpa, ably answering his innocent questions ,playing with him, seeing him grow into a toddler,and had taken the burden of his son’s sins on his head.He encouraged Kshama to take up a job and had even recommended her to a friends firm. Kshama had considered him her Godsend messiah.
That evening a couple of days back , he had visited her in the evening. He looked sick and she had enquired about it, but he brushed it aside and spent a few moments, the last few moments as she knew now, with his grandchild. He had invested for Moksh’s future and had invested a little for them whatever was in his capacity and without the knowledge of the rest at his home . Before leaving her, he had asked her if she had kept all the papers safely. She answered in the affirmative and wondered why he asked and now she felt he probably knew , he must’ve felt his end near.
A fresh stream of tears bought her back to the present. He was a wonderful person . Completed his responsibilities. Done his Karma well! Taught her to be strong , Taught her to face the world, taught her to be independent. Moksha’s Grandpa, but what was he to her ,? What was the name to the relation.? What would the world call him? There had been a few annoying glances whenever he stepped into her home. His visits added fuel to a lot of gossips, It never bothered him , but she would often be very upset. Why did the world always perceive things wrong.? He must have not been her father in law, but he was the grandpa of Moksh and he loved her as a daughter , the world would never understand. He was the only unrelated relative she had .He had time and again asked her to settle down, suggested her to meet new people but she seems satisfied with her son and her small world. And now she would never meet him. He would never arrive at her door bringing with him the goodness of mankind. She would miss him terribly. Moksha would have to now survive without his Dadaji!.
Today Moksha lost his grandpa , who had she lost ?,Well she lost a wonderful person , a great human being,? Wasn’t that enough. ? Was it always important to give a name to the relation.? An Ex isn’t considered a relation is our world. An Ex indicates that it is over. But her relation with her Ex-Father – in- law, wasn’t over .It continued nameless! A father ,a friend, a philosospher, a guide. You could name it anything but it was a strong bloodless relation, but a relation not to feature in the obituary.

Dear Friends, A woman whose husband has left her is looked down upon as a downtrodden woman. A widow is looked upon as a bad omen. But none of this is applicable to men. A man who leaves his wife, or a man who is a widower doesn’t have to suffer the atrocities inflicted on them , verbally or non verbally? Why the Prejudice? Why the antipathy?
Why is a woman always to blame ?.I have seen the condition of a few widows in our society. They are treated as some kind of a disease. They are asked to stay away from religious functions , they aren’t invited anywhere for fear of invoking some bad omen. The same is with the divorcee , a lady is always questioned , maligned , her character considered loose . And the man is always sympathized. Why? For Gods sake Women are also human , they have emotions, they too feel hurt and pain, They have suffered enough, don’t inflict more wounds on their soul. The same however is not the case with a widower. He was and will be given the liberty to interact with the society as he has always been. No restrictions, no impositions. I personally salute the ladies who pick up their threads and start afresh in life at least in a male dominated society like ours. They are the toughest people , a personification of the strength of a woman. We keep claiming to have changed and the times are changing but we still have a long way to go , we still have a tiring journey to finally breathe us out of this PREJUDICE!!

Regards,
Devika

 

Dear Corallux,

Thankyou so much for appreciating my post.Yes i have personally witnessed the status of a few widows in our society. Specially if they are young. There are a lot of vultures that they need to tackle. Same is the case with divorcees. I salute the woman who come out of all this unscathed and make a mark for themselves.

Regards,
Devika

 

Dear Ansh,

Thanks for writing in yaar! Youre right there is a progress in technology but the mentality still remains more or less same. A long way to go.......

Regards,

Devika

 

Hey Aqua,

Good to see you here. I am glad you liked the post. Aqua I try to write posts which help us in understanding people better. I am glad you understand your friend better now.

Love,
Devika


quote=aquamarine;255873]Dear Devika,

A very fine post dear friend...I usually stay away from very high emotions as i cannot handle it and it affects me very deeply...most of your posts brings out the emotions in me.....I find myself feeling very sad and sorry for them.....You know this post of yours reminds me of a young friend whose daughter i used to home tutor...she was thrown out by her husband and her father in law came to her rescue she now runs a successful business in home products.....i think i now see the story from her view point....

great work...

warm wishes,

Aqua.[/quote]