28 June 1999
My mind is full of Gandhiji because I just stayed home and read a book. "My Experiment with Truth" written by Mahatma Gandhi Ji. These days people have formed a different approach toward him.
The respect he deserves is not what he is getting. It could be because of the intervention of different leaders and ideas. See all freedom fighters be they extremist or liberal deserve respect.
It is easy to sit in this independent and modern India and criticize them for their action in the past. Back then the situation was different, our leaders needed to take action in such a way that they survived as well as worked to get done which in my eyes was an uphill battle in colonial India.
When we were a colony of Britain, we didn't have any rights, we didn't have freedom and it was a piece of cake for Britishers to move any Indian from their house to prison or even to sentence death.
Honestly, I was not very fond of the moderates section in the early part of my life but now when I know how the government works, I realise their significance. If it was not for them then Congress might not have existed. Nonetheless, Gandhi ji was not what I had expected, but it requires guts to portray one's real self, to show the darkest side. It makes sense why my teacher used to say, "It is like one can criticize Gandhi, one can support Gandhi, but no one can ignore Gandhi." Now I am convinced that he was right.
Yours Vijaya
29 June 1999
One of my distinct cousins fled away with a boy, neither anyone knew about who she was with nor their whereabouts.
Currently, the only thing I want from God is that she should never be exposed to my family members. If that happened then I know for sure it would be the last day of her and that boy on the earth.
I was talking with my mother and she gave me this news. I don't know much about her family but the only thing I am sure of is that if she got caught now, she would be dead. No power in this world can save her, this is wrong morally, but still, this is how things work here.
It is pronounced that only one in millions will get permission to have a love marriage and if there is the issue of caste then I assume this figure goes to one in a billion, don't get shocked it is true in the context of rural India.
She did take a huge step and though I don't know her well. I only met her a couple of times yet I want that no one can ever find out where she is hiding otherwise, her life is wrapped up.
Perhaps I am wrong... I am saying this from the point of view of a person who never fell in love with anyone before Shrawan. If it was not an arranged marriage, if I had met him before and he asked me to elope from my house, I would have never done that. Possibly because I believe that no one can stay happy after hurting their family. My funda is simple, I would have never hurt my family because of a guy I fell in love with.
What if that boy was a fraud? What if he approached her with some wrong motive? Newspapers these days are filled with articles about how a girl ran and her boyfriend sold her to sex traffickers still girls do have the nerve to not just fall in love but also to elope with an unknown person. Maybe the outcomes could be rewarding, but I don't think that it could not be that convincing that one could risk the entire life.
Just a second why am I thinking about all these things... It has nothing to do with me. I just need to make sure that I give my children a good life lesson that they never think of taking such a huge step. How this could be done? Simple, by showing the love. This is the problem with parents that they do care but they never exhibit, parents need to take a few steps towards their children and if children do the same then I don't think there could be any issue, everyone could be happy.
I will try to raise my children in this way. I will try to not get angry at them, and if I get please smack some sense in me.
Yours Vijaya
30 June 1999
Sharwan is drowned in the work, he is working on the target of making hundreds of underground water tanks in just a few days, which in some eyes could be over-ambitious. Okay, it is but what can be done?
I am worried about his health. He is skipping his meals, what if he gets sick? It is clear that his work is important, many relied on him and he says, "If you want work to be done, you have to stand on the head of workers, otherwise they will take forever. I am slow and lazy, the contractors are 15 steps ahead of me and the laborers are 10 miles ahead of us in these fields."
He was talking about MGNREGA and said that at times he thinks that this policy has created a tendency to take work for granted. Absolutely some people need work and this act provides them that opportunity, but because of that when the landholder asks them to work, they deny it. It is important to consider that India works on the principle of universal development, and they say it is needed that even the last man on the row should be able to live a decent life which is ambitious. Still, it would be so nice if this happened in real. Imagine no one is going to bed hungry, this thought is too good to be true. Right?
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...
