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Bhagya is neutral- it can be good or bad luck, earned or not.I wanted to showcase the different bhagyas of Mala. Leave a comment if you like it. Buddy me for PMs
BHAGYA
Saubhagya-lucky: When Mala got married to Dilsher Ranawat, the entire village celebrated her soubhagya. Even for a girl of her beauty, Mala knew she was indeed lucky to marry into the wealthy & well-respected Ranawat clan. Dilsher Ranawat was a handsome young officer in the BSD and the Ranawat haveli was the focus of every jealous eye. "Saubhagyavati Bhava" was the blessing she heard over and over again on that day and for many years to come.Durbhagya- ill-luck: The ambush at the border was deadly. Dilsher Ranawat should have been killed the village agreed. It was his bhaya, maybe that of his forefathers that he came out alive. While most of his wounds healed, he was left with an unsightly limp. The villagers always looking for the next tasty morsel to chew on made a meal of Mala. She was bad luck for him they whispered, hadn't he safely come back from many missions before her? It had to be her Durbhagya that tainted him they agreed.
Mala couldn't face the taunting eyes and thinly veiled whispers and become a home body. Gone was the vibrant vivacious girl, the life of every gathering, her place taken by a diffident woman who grew increasingly withdrawn and defensive.
Dilsher Ranawat could have helped his wife had he not been battling demons of his own. The once proud soldier was now reduced to a "three-legged creature" as his viper mouthed sister-in-law liked to call him. It was more than he could tolerate and he found his solace not in the arms of the woman he loved but in the distorting haze that drugs and alcohol provided.
Abhagya- accursed: As Dilsher Ranawat morphed into a creature vastly different from the man he had once been, he believed that Mala was his bad luck. It was because of her that he would suffer for life. The more her husband hated her, Mala found the more she was pitied by the villagers. Abhagyavati was what they called her, the accursed one, to be pitied and consoled. One to show to God and pray that "don't make my life like hers"!
With Dilsher becoming increasingly abusive even to his young son for protecting his mother, Mala decided it was time to leave. Maybe not seeing her everyday would help him heal or at least dull his pain. He loved their son and would care for him if Mala was out of their lives. Mala Ranawat left the Haveli, praying she was taking her Abhagya with her and leaving them at peace.
She made a life for herself as a Thakurain with the man who offered her his love and a second chance at life, only to be devastated again by his secret life.Her son abhorred her, her husband detested her and the man who she thought idolized her, didn't trust her. What was true? What was false? Was she always a gullible fool, a play thing for the whims & fancies of Gods?
Nirbhagya- without bhagya: Mala Ranawat now lived for nothing and no one. In all honesty her heart still missed a beat at the thought of her son but that was as much as she allowed herself to feel. Mala waited for the profound peaceful placidity that was Nirbhagya- a state with neither a high nor a low, not celebrated nor vilified, not good luck not bad. A state where she would not live but just exist, much like the sand dunes of her beloved Thar-here today and gone tomorrow with not a trace!
