Night Jasmine

Untitled Part 15

The wedded couple began their new life in the Agarwal home. Sanyukta was relieved that after the arrival of the new bahu her mother's attention had temporarily shifted to her instead, although the respite could well be because Sanyukta's exams were near. Prerana did test the waters by trying to bring Sameer into their dinner-table conversation, by mentioning how keen he was on Sanyukta but she in turn made it clear that she had no intention to settle down into domesticity before completing her education. After this the two became a little distant, the bhabhi having attributed Sanyukta's rejection of the proposal to her arrogance.

The cold vibes she started getting from her brother's wife made it apparent to Sanyukta that things were not going to smooth out between them. Prerana resented the fact that she had to steal around the house with her ghoongat in the presence of her father-in-law; it was customary for a new bride to veil herself as a mark of respect. Her best friend who had been married for nearly a year and lived with her husband in Delhi would not stop bragging about how they had the house to themselves and would enact the Kamasutra whenever they were in the mood, and had already done it in just about every corner of the home. While she was not bold enough to experiment as much Prerana felt frustrated at the complete lack of privacy at her in-laws', she longed to scream in ecstasy on reaching her peak with her husband in their darkened bedroom at night!

While Sanyukta was away at school Prerana made it a point to brainwash Anju into getting her daughter hitched as soon as possible. She warned her that they would never find a groom from a respectable family if news of her obstinacy got out. Actually the crafty Prerana knew that her father-in-law was considering the transfer of ownership of his business and the house to his only son Ankit and then moving back to Kolkata with his wife Anju to spend his retirement in their ancestral home. The only impediment remaining was Sanyukta, once she was married off and out of the way, the new couple could continue their honeymoon forever, with nobody else to share their roof with.

Both Sanyukta and Vidushi had already turned eighteen by the time their class twelve results were declared. It became obvious that their hard work had paid off, both passed with excellent grades. While Sanyukta had made up her mind about a hospitality management degree Vidushi was keen on pursuing fashion design. Both had managed to secure seats in premier institutions in the country for the respective courses, but Sanyukta had not yet disclosed this to her family for obvious reasons. The right to education was a fundamental right as per the Constitution but the orthodox mindset of traditional families make them deny their daughters this right. To take the problem head-on was certainly harder than to think of an out of the box solution.

While she was always suspicious about her mother's clandestine phone conversations in hushed tones and her inexplicable shopping trips, Sanyukta finally got confirmation about the conspiracy to get her married off to Sameer within a couple of weeks from their trusted maid. It was time she took a drastic step otherwise her wings would be clipped for life. She had a decent amount in savings bonds in her name, some personal jewellery, a little cash in hand and the rest of her money in her sole saving account. She quietly assembled a cache of her valuable pouch containing Randhir's gift, her passport, her certificate and testimonials file, some clothes and other essentials and her phone. She went to the backyard, filled a small bag with the mature seeds of her night jasmine, and gave her tree an emotional farewell. She left a sealed note for her mother with a heartfelt apology explaining her situation, the fact that she was going to be safe while studying in a reputable institution far away, and that someday she would make her family proud. Then she sneaked out of her home unseen to meet her only friend Vidushi.

Vidushi escorted her to the airport and booked her on the first flight out to Mumbai. Sanyukta withdrew some money at the ATM there. After a tearful goodbye and promise of a quick reunion, she asked Vidushi to instruct the Shekhawat gardener to look after her night jasmine as she proceeded to board the plane. She would be in Mumbai before her family discovered her absence.

It was possible that her father would discredit and disown her but what lay ahead mattered more. She was leaving her enslaved past and advancing toward a bold new future where she would be the master of her own fate.