SHUDRACHI

Chapter-1

The day was bright and hot.

Sweat poured from the face of a thirteen-year-old girl as she helped her mother in the fields. Her father was sitting under a shed, eating the food, her mother brought for him.

They were a poor family living in a small town in Kerala and their main source of income was this small piece of land that her father inherited from his forefathers before everything went downhill.

This piece of land was enough for their survival and livelihood but that was before the Englishmen came to rule them. And now they have to pay taxes, nearly double of what they earn in a year, and grow crops that they want them to grow, mostly it was opium and sugarcane.

Their condition worsened over the years as the British established more and more devastating laws for poor farmers like them.

And now they struggle for single meals in a day.

When her father finished his meals, which were just onion and roti, he joined his daughter. The duo worked on the crops until it was evening, eventually, they decided to head home, tired and blistered from the heat.

Mavya was a very smart girl for her age. And sometimes her intellect troubled her father. Her Questions were wise and bothersome.

Why she can't go to school when her brother does? Why some caste is more superior to theirs, why they aren't the same? Why marriage is necessary? Why do women have to leave their parent's homes?

He never really replied to her except that, 'this is what happens, the society functions this way. Men and women have been assigned roles by society and we must follow them.'

But even if he wants to give her a world, he couldn't, he was hopeless.

They silently made their way towards the home.

On their way home, they reached the only market in their village. This market was for the elite class and shudra was not allowed to buy things from this market. Though they were one step above the untouchables as Nair caste, for Brahmin and privileged class, the lines were almost blurred.

Mavya never approved of untouchability. She had always seen it as a demise of humanity and the worst of human behavior towards their fellow beings. But money and power can bring the ugliest side of the man to the front. Often she was called Shudrachi as 'untouchable', but she never denied being one, because, in the end, they were all the same.

Mavya was never really interested in things but books had always caught her eyes and she had to clench her fists in her dress to stop herself from reaching from them. Here, not only her caste restricted her but also her gender. Girls don't study, they don't educate, they don't work as doctors, engineers, and lawyers, etc. They learn house chores and take care of kids. At least, that was what they say. But she never believed them. She was aware of her capabilities and she was waiting for her opportunity.

As they were passing from the market, Mavya was silently staring at the books in the stall. But her eyes were caught by Mr. Vijaypathi  Nambudiri, who was a high-class brahmin, he walked up to her and started yelling at her. Unfortunately, Mr. Nambiduri was aware of her fondness for books and he didn't approve of it.

"Aey Shudrachi, Are you planning to steal the books?" He rudely accused her.

"Is it a crime to even look now, Panditji?" Her tone was sharp and she was directly looking into the eyes of her accuser.

"When you came for admission in school. Haven't I explained to you, that education is only and only for boys?" And yes, Mr. Nambiduri was head of the only school in their village.