7 March 1999
Shrawan promptly had to come back to Devawas. I have read many articles in the newspaper before my marriage about a child falling in a well or trap in pipelines and I used to think that how the government and authorities are taking this much time just to rescue a little soul. Yesterday, at around 10 my mother-in-law told me to change into a simple yet elegant saree because we had to visit a place.
It was not only about visiting but we had to stay at that place till the child was rescued from the pipeline. My mother-in-law throughout the ride kept complaining about how the parents could allow their children to play somewhere near such a dangerous place.
I was hurted by the words that she had used. I could relate to that incident as my grandmother lost his son when he was playing near a well. It is not something that any parent wishes for their child, it's just sometimes fate is cruel and she does need to know that no one is doing that for fame.
Nonetheless, when we reached their police force was already there, even some of the firefighters were there. Cameras were put in the pipelines and various other gadgets were used to locate the child.
The child's mother flashed toward my mother-in-law and put her head on my mother-in-law's feet and continued to beg her to save her son's life. I could feel her pain, every tear she shredded was giving testimony of how much she was dying to see her son alive.
My mother-in-law hugged her and gave her condolences that she will leave no table unturned to save the child. At that moment, I didn’t apprehend what her true colors were.
At around 4PM, Shrawan came and after half an hour the child was rescued, everyone sighing in relief.
His parents thanked everyone from administration to my mother-in-law. You won’t believe that SDM of our area, Mr Bhanu, who is renowned for his slow action, arrived at the place before we came there and went after we came back, I mean my mother-in-law and I, as Shrawan was at that place, meeting the authorities there.
Before we came back, the child's parents were praising my in-laws for helping them out. I get that they were extremely happy, willy-nilly it was their responsibility as people chose them. Unfortunately, again my mother-in-law when we settled ourselves back in the car stated that she has to take a bath as she is feeling filthy. I still didn’t get why she was saying that, if she was feeling tired and the dust made her disgusted, or if it was because his mother hugged her.
She is an enigma for me, at one point I do respect her but she is kind of different…
She is my mother-in-law and I should stay affirmative, as she is the MLA's wife; she deals with these kinds of situations quite frequently, so it could be the reason. Perhaps, I am thinking too much. I should look at the broader picture and should be grateful that because of this family intervention the child was saved. One thing that is transparent, people do respect and love my in-laws and this unconditional love would not be possible without unconditional care from my in-laws.
Finally, Shrawan announced that he would bear all the cost of that child education till he completes his graduation. That man, I am telling you, always blows my mind. Sadly, he went back to Jaipur without even coming home. Somewhere I wanted him to come and stay for at least a day, but he loves his work and I should not sway him away because I want him to succeed in every sphere.
Yours Vijaya
8 March 1999
Oh Goodness Gracious. Being a public servant is a tough nut, one problem is solved and then others just pop out of nowhere. If my father-in-law or Shrawan were here then things would have been different, now my mother-in-law has to look into it and you already guessed it, I have to accompany her.
Never in my life have I thought that I have to pay special attention to my attire, before marriage I adhered that wearing saree would be needed, but I was so wrong. My mother-in-law said that clothes define people, it could break or make a deal; however, I agreed but not fully, what is the point of looking good if your heart is dark. I should make it clear that I am not being mean to my mother-in-law, she is brought up differently, she got everything at snap of a finger, whilst I have struggled for everything.
Now, when I reckon that we are on the same side, to a certain degree as I am part of this family now. Still, we are not on the same page, perhaps, it is due to our upbringing or maybe because she is more experienced in the political sphere. I am a freshman and I don’t know how this world works. Yet, I don’t like her when she looks down on people. I am barely controlling myself, consequently, I am disappointed in myself.
Literally, I grew up listening to ‘‘never judge a book by its cover’’ and God knows how she grew. She wants everything perfect, from clothes to shoes and even to makeup. I posit that nothing is impeccable in this word and it is a vague concept. Whereas, perfection is her buzzword beloved, and I have a hunch, one day her obsession will hinder her pathway.
I badly want to hear that Vijaya you are right, but let her be. She is elderly and elderly are reluctant to change themselves, as they lived their life in a certain way, so it is a stupidity to deem that they will change. Like every coin has two faces, so does she. It's fine as long as she is nice with you. You know most mother-in-laws are no less than a villain, so take a chill-pill and ignore her darkside. It is best for you.
Yours Vijaya
9 March 1999
Hello, just drop by to say that I am fine. In reality, I am losing my mind now and I don’t want anyone to talk with me.
Okay, now I don’t want to talk with you as well. I am frustrated without any reason.
I want to cry… Bye
10 March 1999
Past couple of days have been absolute blizzards for me because of that I am not in my sound mind. I met my mother, she came to meet me because my sister-in-law is pregnant, so they just came here for her medical checkup. Usually she is not a big fan of medicine and she looks for the way which involves home remedies.
When my mother said that the previous miscarriage of my sister-in-law was due to her negligence to household work, I became angry at her. Thankfully my sister-in-law was not with us at that time otherwise she would be devastated. She kept saying that, “This generation has no power, they just blindly follow the doctor. There is no need for bed rest, it just paved a path for surgical delivery and if a woman wants to give natural birth, she should wipe the floor regularly. I don’t get why your cousin always defends his wife. They are too naive to understand the fear that these doctors are creating in the minds of these youngsters, just for the sake of money. They think, as they got the institutional education they are way too superior to us, Vijaya they are not the only ones who are having kids, every woman bears it, but they are making it a big deal.”
I didn’t want to but I ended up opposing her and her detected look made me hopping mad. I didn’t raise my voice, just stated facts and it was hard for her to digest.
Customarily, she scolded me and gave me a lecture that I should rein my tongue, otherwise that day is no longer away when she will receive complaints from my in-laws about my upbringing.
I wanted to share my views on my mother-in-law's unusual behavior, but she kept talking about her problems and I got fed up so I zipped my mouth, afraiding that I might say something which would hurt her again.
Sometimes I think that I am a person who is a people pleaser. I am well aware that this is something which prevents me from engaging in conflict with others and on one hand it is a good thing but on the other hand, I am jaded, I sometimes think that I have no one by my side. No friends, no family members who see eye to eye with me.
Most of the people in my home are uneducated, so I can't expect them to understand what are the issues I am tackling, they don’t even believe in mental health. For them, this concept is gaining popularity because this is in vogue in the west and things like domestic violence are common for them; even if once in a blue moon, men hit his woman, a woman should lay low and not oppose him. It is wearisome for me to be part of such a society, where these evils are not only accepted but also embraced. I want to change it, but there is nothing I can do.
Yours Vijaya
YOU ARE READING
MLA's Daughter-in-law
ChickLitVijaya was born into an orthodox family in Rajasthan, India. She had an arranged marriage with Shrawan who is the only son of MLA Deendayal. After the wedding, the real image of MLA and his family got unveiled in front of her. She has two options, e...
