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Tara is a bold and intelligent girl who never hesitates to speak her mind and raise her voice for the things she believes are right.
Neel, the golden boy of the school, is smart, athletic and charming; qualities that make him an...
A woman’s scream woke me up from my sleep. I had dozed off in a rather uncomfortable position in the carriage on our way back to the palace. Rubbing my sore neck, I leaned out to see what the matter was. By the looks of it, we still had a long way to go.
I frowned as I heard another muffled cry. I craned my neck to get a better view of what was happening. A huge crowd had gathered in the area from where the screams were coming.
I turned to Sanghamitra and asked in a worried tone, “How are you so calm? What’s happening there?”
She opened her mouth as if to say something but no words came out. She clamped her lips shut and shook her head. I turned to Neel for support. The idiot was sleeping like a log as usual. I tried to shake him awake. Another scream and Neel was awake too.
I had to know what was going on. I stopped the carriage and jumped out, dragging Neel along with me. Sanghamitra followed us out of compulsion, trying hard to get us to stop.
Now that Neel was completely awake he too had his mind set on finding out what was going on. He pushed his way to the centre of the crowd, with me following close behind him.
It turned out to be a funeral procession. A shrouded body was being carried to the cremation ground, with the deceased person’s family following, all dressed in the mournful colour of white. A young lady was the source of all the screams. Her family members were pushing her along, her eyes filled with terror.
“Don’t do this. I beg you!” she pleaded. But to no avail. Some men manhandled her and forced her to continue walking, as she begged profusely.
I clutched Neel’s arm tightly and squeezed it. This scene was scaring me.
“They’re forcing her to perform sati.” He muttered under his breath at last.
“What!” I said. I had meant to say it angrily but instead it came out as a hoarse whisper.
“Tara, you’re supposed to be smart. That’s her husband’s dead body. We learnt about sati in history. It’s a social custom, remember?” he said, the sadness evident in his voice.
Sometimes I tend to forget how smart Neel is. I realized he was right.
But this was extremely horrifying. You can’t just burn a woman on her husband’s funeral pyre just like that. That was a gross violation of human rights!
I turned to Sanghamitra for help but all I got was a mournful look. She was pleading with her eyes to turn back. Anger coursed through my veins. Before I knew it, I was walking towards the lady, my fingers curling into a tight fist.
“Stop!” I screamed as loudly as I could.
For a moment a moment no one seemed to care but one by one everyone turned towards me. I stood dauntlessly between the lady and the man who had mercilessly shoving her along.
“Get out of the way, missy.” He said, grinding his teeth.
The young girl hid behind me, she cowered behind me when he sent her a deadly glare.
“You cannot force her to do anything” I asserted, “Do you have any idea how meaningless this custom is?”
“Now that her husband is dead, this wretched creature is of no use to us. She’s going to be a burden on the family- an extra mouth to feed. We are doing her a favour by sending to heaven where she shan’t have to face the evils of society.” He shot back.
I was taken aback by his words. He treated her like she was subhuman. No wonder the poor girl was so terrified.
“You have no right to take away someone’s life when you do not have the power to restore it, you oaf. Would you do the same if your wife died?” I said, my nostrils flaring with anger.
Having no answer to what I had just asked him, the man raised his hand to hit me. My breath hitched at his reaction and I braced myself for the blow.
But it never came. Neel caught his wrist in a steely grip.
“For someone who seems so keen on following social customs, you sure are ignorant.” Neel shouted, “Didn’t you ever learn not to raise your hand on a woman, you utter numbskull?!”
I gave Neel a weak smile and he nodded slightly in acknowledgement. The anger was evident in his eyes, and it scared me to look at him like this. By now all the male relatives of the young lady had gathered to help the man.
I glanced at Sanghamitra, a fervent prayer in my eyes. If there was anyone who could stop this right now, it was her. Why was she so afraid to fight against what was wrong?! It was plainly visible that she herself did not support sati.
It was as though time slowed down in pace, as everyone became aware of their princess’ presence in their midst. The people stared at her intently to see her reaction. They needed to know whose side she was on in the current situation. Sanghamitra was trying to mask her emotions but it looked like she would crumble under the pressure any moment.
Sanghamitra took a deep breath; she raised her hand and said, “Leave them alone! They are royal guests and I’m sure you don’t want to ruin the funeral of your beloved relative by being sent to prison. What my friends said is true. It is a heinous crime to force someone to perform sati. If according to you she will be considered nothing but a burden on your family, I shall have her brought to the royal palace and she shall be employed there.”
Sanghamitra’s stance oozed confidence and demanded respect. Gone was the cowering little girl who was scared to speak up against what was wrong, in her place stood a confident princess who was capable of exercising her authority for the well being of her subjects.
I was so proud of her at the moment that I could have enveloped her in a bear hug but I figured it would look out of place in the current situation and would ruin her moment of glory, so held back.
GO GIRL!
The lady fell to Sanghamitra’s feet and couldn’t seem to thank her enough. Even Neel looked at our amazing friend with pride and affection. Sanghamitra blushed when she saw Neel’s impressed look.
Aw! Her crush on Neel was so adorable!
The lady’s family very reluctantly let her go and it was arranged to send her to the palace after her husband’s last rites were performed.
With a content smile on our faces we headed back to the palace looking forward to some rest after a long day.
