She sat adoring her beautifully mehendi decorated hands in the mid of her suhag sage. She could hear the ladies giggling outside. She felt butterflies in her stomach as she looked at image of a bride in the center of the grandly decorated bed. The fragrance of the scented candles with the orchids filled her sense. She couldn't stop herself imagining melting in his arms.. & the thought they r married now!!! she shied, blushed with her on wild imagination of togetherness in the typical filmy style him lifting her veil. She tried to stop her wild thoughts.. she heard the giggles getting louder into howling. She was bit nervous but then she composed herself. Only to be swept by the cries of ladies few sympathizing & few cursing her .. !!! then suddenly everything around her began to spin.. darkness consumed her.
****
Next day she found herself still dressed in the full bridal attire sitting next to the huge portrait of her husband. Nothing made sense to the 22yrs old girl. Just a day before she was all set to start a new life after completing her post graduate studies in a good college away from her home town. From heart she was nave & traditional. She was brought up in a community where girls where taught from childhood to treat their husbands equivalent to God. Society where even today anything goes wrong, girls would have been blamed for. How ever educated or exposed she was, her constitution, her believes were so biased with the upbringing.
Hence she happily agreed to the alliance that was brought to her of a NRI guy. Some one she didn't even get to meet. All she knew, he was settled in US. His Daadi was from Delhi. The horoscopes were well matched. It seemed like jodi made in heaven & here she was sitting next to his portrait. It was their supposed to be start of their new life.. all she could see was end now!!!
Her mom couldn't stop crying at the fate of her daughter. The aged ladies dressed in white came forward & banged her hand on the floor making her winch in pain.. the colorful red bangles spread with the blood of her.. t tears that were still fighting to flow poured... she was still trying to accept that feel of a newly married women.. & she was forced to accept a face of life no girl at the age of 22 would think of. She was still a girl, a child with dreams, aspirations, feelings longing to be felt, emotions to be discovered.. everything vanished with him. She vaguely remembered holding his hand during the phera's. That togetherness is all she had for her to hold onto for rest of her life!!!!?
she was still not getting in terms with cruelty of their destiny..
the wows they took...
I am the sky,
you are the earth.
I am the music,
you are the melody.
I am the mind,
you are the speech.
Let us walk together through
the journey of life
keeping the peace and harmony
between us always.
Let us promise to be together
not only in this world,
but the one beyond.
But the one beyond!!!!... the words rang in her mind thats when she realized why she was getting dressed up like a suhagan again. She just fainted hearing the decision elders of the family had taken for her.
She was now sitting waiting for the fire to consume her. Yes she belived he was her god!! she tried to convince her!! yes her thai ji did the same thing last yr!! this wat they do in her family!!! this how u get to be a suhagan for ur life. U don't have to drape a white saree & live a burdened life. Yes this was rt! She tried to hold onto the body that was kept in her lap covered in white cloth. She was told the body was in bad condition after the accident. Her heart feared everything!!! she didn't dare to look down.
clinging to that lifeless face... this endless wait.. this painful death. How could she speak... no she didn't want to die.. she didn't want to .. she wanted to cry but that would only bring defame to her family!!! she held him closer.. & the strings that where holding the dead bodies parts gave way... almost giving a head lying lose in her lap.. she jumped in fear..thats when she felt her blood draining out feeling the burning sensation around her. She couldn't move away it was fire every where.. her screams were not heard... she felt her red heavy lehenga giving into the fire.. catching up to her skin. She tried to escape but there was nun...
she woke up screaming in anguish pain.. draped in white cloth. She was still in shock of fire almost consuming her. Daadi slowly caressed her shoulder.. sab teehk hojayega beta
ghabrane ki koi baat nahi. This is been her night mare she lived ever since Savithri Devi her husbands Daadi saved her from the brutal act. Daadi stopped the whole ritual with the help of some officers & social workers & saved her.
First person who let her speak
bolo Geet beta aap sati hona chathi hain
the poor girl was so terrified with wat she just faced.. she hugged Daadi & cried nahi '
& that one word that day changed her life.
Even today when she wakes up in this pain of loneliness & emptiness.. probably that would have been better a fearing thought blinds her. But she chose to live!!!
& she is living Geet Khurana widow of Maan Singh Khurana. Yes her husband indeed was her God!! he gave her rt to live. A reason of her existence today!
Daadi's health was deteriorating ever since the dismissal of her elder grandson. She managed to save Geet but her heart is not strong enough to bare the pain. Geet did every thing to take care of Daadi, thats all she was left with now.
well sweeties this was my first part of Sati!!
please give me lot of ur comments & likes
love
muskan
Edited by muskanp - 12 years ago
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