Posted:
Hi all... New to this forum, and just thought of penning something down that came to me... I realize this may not be a popular opinion on here, but I wanted to play with the idea of redeeming a truly "evil" character. I realize this is completely ooc, but that was sort of the point. Any and all feedback is welcome. Do let me know if any of you would be interested in reading this if I develop it into a full blown ff. if not, then the OS tag stands.
The redemption of Shyam Manohar Jha.
He looks at the tiny bundle encased in his arms, and wonders how he even imagined putting this child or her mother in harm's way. Guilt and shame burn through him like a slow poison, and Shyam Manohar Jha tightens his hold around the infant, relishing in the warmth and protectiveness he feels for his daughter and by proxy, his daughter's mother. He knows that no amount of repentance, no atonement can help him salvage the mess that he created. The past year has been a personal hell for this man, spent dealing with his demons so that he can even think of moving forward in life. He wants to be a good father, a good husband, a good man. He knows he's asking for a cold day in hell, but there are moments, like this one where he holds his child to his chest, or those rare instances when Anjali looks at him without hate or spite in her eyes, that make him double his efforts. Cynically, he scoffs at this very thought. He remembers a time when it was his very persistence, this absolute resolve which had turned him into a monster—into a being that he did not recognize anymore.
He rocks his daughter gently as he awaits her arrival. It is now become their nightly game. She attempts to wait it out until he falls asleep—he refuses to give into slumber until he sees her comfortably tucked in. He reminisces about times before the Khushi fiasco, when there were moments of joy, of love, of something other than that period of resentment he felt for his wife, and it keeps him up. He remembers when he first met her. It was her shy, gentle demeanor which drew him to her. There was a strange vulnerability in her which invoked a primal need in him. He realized it was that very helplessness in her which turned from empathy to affection to frustration and finally, to resentment.
But she had changed.
The Anjali he had married and the Anjali who lived with him currently were as different as night and day. The old Anjali had been weak-willed, too used to playing the victim and being treated as a glass doll. She needed to be protected, reassured, loved and cherished. The new Anjali…the mother of his child…Shyam did not have the words to describe her. The first time he'd seen her after the true extent of his evil doings had been exposed to everybody was after the birth of their daughter. He had just completed his rehabilitation program under the strict parole guidelines of his reduced sentence. He had shown up at the Raizada house, intent on following through with the promises he'd made to himself—a changed man. Both of Anjali's brother stepped in, determined to cause him great bodily harm when she'd stepped in, child on one hip, and a steely edge to her voice that even gave Arnav pause.
"He's not worth it."
That's all she'd said, and stared him down until he slowly backed out of the house. He was proud of her that day—proud and a little afraid. And he'd determined one thing, he would win her back if it was the last thing Shyam Manohar Jha did. She was his absolution.
The redemption of Shyam Manohar Jha.
He looks at the tiny bundle encased in his arms, and wonders how he even imagined putting this child or her mother in harm's way. Guilt and shame burn through him like a slow poison, and Shyam Manohar Jha tightens his hold around the infant, relishing in the warmth and protectiveness he feels for his daughter and by proxy, his daughter's mother. He knows that no amount of repentance, no atonement can help him salvage the mess that he created. The past year has been a personal hell for this man, spent dealing with his demons so that he can even think of moving forward in life. He wants to be a good father, a good husband, a good man. He knows he's asking for a cold day in hell, but there are moments, like this one where he holds his child to his chest, or those rare instances when Anjali looks at him without hate or spite in her eyes, that make him double his efforts. Cynically, he scoffs at this very thought. He remembers a time when it was his very persistence, this absolute resolve which had turned him into a monster—into a being that he did not recognize anymore.
He rocks his daughter gently as he awaits her arrival. It is now become their nightly game. She attempts to wait it out until he falls asleep—he refuses to give into slumber until he sees her comfortably tucked in. He reminisces about times before the Khushi fiasco, when there were moments of joy, of love, of something other than that period of resentment he felt for his wife, and it keeps him up. He remembers when he first met her. It was her shy, gentle demeanor which drew him to her. There was a strange vulnerability in her which invoked a primal need in him. He realized it was that very helplessness in her which turned from empathy to affection to frustration and finally, to resentment.
But she had changed.
The Anjali he had married and the Anjali who lived with him currently were as different as night and day. The old Anjali had been weak-willed, too used to playing the victim and being treated as a glass doll. She needed to be protected, reassured, loved and cherished. The new Anjali…the mother of his child…Shyam did not have the words to describe her. The first time he'd seen her after the true extent of his evil doings had been exposed to everybody was after the birth of their daughter. He had just completed his rehabilitation program under the strict parole guidelines of his reduced sentence. He had shown up at the Raizada house, intent on following through with the promises he'd made to himself—a changed man. Both of Anjali's brother stepped in, determined to cause him great bodily harm when she'd stepped in, child on one hip, and a steely edge to her voice that even gave Arnav pause.
"He's not worth it."
That's all she'd said, and stared him down until he slowly backed out of the house. He was proud of her that day—proud and a little afraid. And he'd determined one thing, he would win her back if it was the last thing Shyam Manohar Jha did. She was his absolution.
Bade Achhe Lagte Hain
Anupamaa
CID
Kabhi Neem Neem Kabhi Shahad Shahad
Fan Fictions
