She sat there in the corner, her head buried between her knees. Her feet twiddled as she tried to fight back the pain. But the mental wounds hurt her far worse than the physical wounds. She sensed a constant beeping sound in her left ear. She wondered if he had hit her that hard. She had been a victim of physical abuse, many times before, at the hands of her husband. Each time, it was the mental pain that hurt her more. She cried over her helplessness and the invading pain.Tears streamed and she threw her head back in a voiceless scream. She wondered what she had done to deserve this kind of treatment..
"Bhabhiji..Isn't that Mohan bhaiyya? Who is that woman with him?" the sabjiwala had asked her, pointing towards a faraway bench in the park where a couple sat intimately embracing each other. "No. That's not him. He's at home. You please hurry up.." she'd collected the sabjis and left from there. On the way home, she'd cried like a baby. She'd then gathered the courage to question him when he came home.. Yes, that was the crime she'd committed! She'd questioned him..
Thoughts came flooding to her mind. She'd done everything possible to build a good relationship with Mohan. She'd given up her blossoming career after marriage. She'd compromised on her dreams and on who she was, just to survive the marriage. Now, all she knew was looking after her family. Yes, that's all she knew! Many a times, she thought of walking out on her husband. She was well-educated and she could independently look after her kid and herself. But she was afraid. Afraid to face the society, afraid of the kind of questions people might ask. She felt devastated and drained. She shut her heavy eyes and tears rolled down, the salty water burning her sore cheek..
"Mamaa.." She stirred at the voice of her little one and hurriedly wiped her tears with the back of her hands. Munna tugged at her saree, "Mama.. You please don't cry. I am not going to eat any of them" he squeaked softly. She did not understand. He slowly unfisted his hands to reveal white peppermint balls. "Suri and I found a 2 Rs coin on the street and we bought peppermints with all the money. I know it's bad to eat so many chocolates. I won't do it again. I'm going to throw them right away Ma, look!" he stared at the chocolates for a long time before throwing them away. She marveled at the innocence of the little one. She gathered him up in a hug, still crying. She knew the kind of effect the incidents at home had on the tender mind. She was putting her little baby's well-being at stake, by being a coward.
She felt a strange sense of determination emerging in her. She thought she should not let people's opinions determine her self-worth. She was not ready to let the emotional burden, of being answerable to the society, ruin the happiness of the innocent heart she held in her arms. She promised herself that she would protect him!
"We'll be fine, baby" she whispered to him as they set on the journey towards a better life.
"There are millions of women in our country who are well educated and hold good jobs. Once they are married, they have one problem or the other and they suffer throughout their lives. If providing education is empowerment, then why are so many women still crying? If economic independence is real independence then why are they still suffering?
As a teacher, I feel that apart from academics, it is very important to teach students basic code of life. Education means more than scoring good marks in exams or receiving certificates. Life is an exam where the syllabus is unknown and question papers are not set. Nor are there model answers. There are various types of questions that can come from any direction, but one shouldn't run away. Education and financial independence are tools that can help us face difficulties, but confidence must be developed throughout life."
-Dr. Sudha Murthy in 'Wise and Otherwise'
