Married For Three Nights (Complete)

Part 4

"Die here? "Meghraj whistled."well it seems like your wish is going to be fulfilled soon."

"And I am leaving! "Meghraj wasted no more time in straddling his horse when Nair gasped. "He's coming our way! "
"Who?"
"Chitram! "
Pulling one of the twins towards him, he swapped up the light 16 years old in his arms and threw on the back of his horse before getting up himself.

"Meghraj! It was your fault and you could not possibly be such a coward to leave us now. "He glanced at his friend who's horse was already turning to leave.

With a roll of his eyes through, he came back, hawled up the other very protesting princess onto his horse and then charged forward.

***

"What are you muttering away? "Meghraj asked Maya who was sitting close to him on the horse, blabbering something continuously under her breath.
They were a good half mile away from the brute.

"I am praying. "She replied curtly and closed her eyes again.
"We are safe now, no need to worry for your life anymore. "He told her amused as their horse galloped through the hot sand of desert.
"I am not praying for my life, I am praying that God might just have mercy on me and that you might loose your balance, fall from the horse, break your neck and die on the spot. Nothing much really. "

He was barely able to grasp the meaning of all that when he heard the two other siblings chuckling away.
"Nair" He blared. "I had had enough of this insensible girl. The nerve of her to disrespect me! Don't blame me now if I just kick her down the horse and leave her there writhing. "

"Oh! Then you must also know the consequences of such an action because if my father hears that, he would have your head hanged on the wall of the large banquet hall among the ones of wild boar and doe. "

"NAIR! This woman here...."He started again only to be stopped by the bewitched princess.
"Be a man Meghraj...be a man...."she tusked. "And don't call for Nair....see this....Nair see that. Talk to me and talk straight to me!"

"Enough!" He kicked the horse to a stop before getting down. "That's it! I am not riding with her anymore!" He hissed. By that time Nair and  Mohini reached there and watched as the sence unfolded.
"Actually we can do that! Wait in this town, have something to eat and rest for a while until our folks joins us back." Nair spoke trying to diffuse the growing hostility between the two parties.

Not far from where they stood, little huts can be seen with the walls of clay and sheltered by hay- like little specks outlining what seemed like a large town within.

Knitting the reins of the two horses on the trunk of a old banyan tree, they Sat together under it's vast Shadow munching on the hot crisp snacks they just bought from a nearby shop.
The scorching hot afternoon morfed into a rather warm evening but there was yet no sign of their caravan.

"What's taking them so much time?"

"Now that there's no one watching over the lazy asses must be sleeping away for all we know!" Nair replied but his sisters didn't mind waiting here, now that they had got a new scapegoat for their much colorful ideas. Their was no harm in saying that they were enjoying themselves to the fullest, leaving no stone unturned to torment the poor
Prince.

Buying two glasses of fresh milk from a passing by milkman Nair handed one glass each to twins and tried to relieve his poor friend for a little time.

And it was then that their caravan was seen entering into the town, the moon already in the sky. It was decided then that they would halt here tonight and it took almost four hours for the tents to be set up, beddings being unrolled and dinner being prepared and served. After which both - the twins and Prince Meghraj retired for the night in their respective tents.

And he decided to take a nightly stroll nearby!

The nightly stroll that night though, was going to cost a lot to him.

A LOT!

But being unaware of the games that the fate had started to play with him, he walked bare footted through the grounds of their encampment, the wet grass relaxing him a lot when he decided to walk a little further.

Towards the outline of the village and the huts that he could see from here. But he had barely put a feet out from their encampment when he heard the ominous chant of people.

"Ram naam satya hai! Ram naam satya hai!"

'It was a funeral procession! '

Saying a quick prayer for the dead man's soul to rest in peace, he peeked through the numerous trees on the left hand side of the kuccha road. Where he supposed was the 'shamshan!'

The chants grew louder and louder as the procession reached the pyre.
A little further he moved and he could clearly see the thick logs of woods being arranged one over the other.

'The deceased was surely a very well known man.' Because even at this hour of the night, he could see thousands gathered and more approaching as the pyre was arranged.

A few minutes more and he saw a large limp body encased in a red silk was lowered down on the pyre that was as high as a tower.
He wondered why though the pyre was made in such a humongous manner as if they were going burn four instead of one!

And he got his answer the next moment. His senses jolting into a whirlwind as he saw the two men dragging a young woman mercilessly towards the pyre. She kept on protesting, crying, kicking, begging for her life to be spared but none listened!

The proud looking men, all stood there watching silently and enjoying the chase before the kill.

'They were going to burn her alive with the corpse of her husband! '

'They were going to perform sati dah!'

----

Now here are some little facts about sati dah that you may or may not know.

Around the time of colonial rule in India this 'Sati dah/sati pratha' came into existence.
The women of all over India were affected by it-under which the widow was burned alive with her dead husband's corpse!
They were generally drugged with opium and then pushed into the fire when they hardly had their consciousness.

This was not only a simple torture on women but a very well laid plan for the relatives (cousin brothers of the dead) to remove everyone from his path so that they could inherit the money of the deceased that otherwise would have gone to his wife.

And that's the reason most of the woman made sati were young and childless.
Thousands and more innocent girls young and old were murdered ruthlessly under the name of purity and rituals.
And it wasn't until many years later that a very learned intellect Raja Ram Mohon Roy from Bengal fought tooth and nail against this so called ritual and convinced the British government ruling over India to make a law against it.
It was him who started the widow remarriage in India joined hands with many a great people like Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar.