The banyan tree then the tea stall and after that two ponds placed at both side of the road, I told my friend who was accompanying me to my house from college. She was enjoying the view of a rural area. I was walking a bit lost. Not that I came here after a very long time but still I was feeling very good to be back. Sharmeen.....
I heard a voice and looked at the person coming towards me. It took me 30 seconds to recognize her with a surprise and concerned voice I could just say Rekha! giggling and laughing she replied how are you ? It's been long but you look same in-fact you have became more slim aren't you eating at all ? Too many questions in too many notes. I was still staring just staring her and wasn't able to reply anything. Then her next question came you are coming from where ? That broke my thought and I replied yeah I am returning from Kolkata, how are you? You look very different. After one more round of laughter she said, "yes dear, I am, because I got married and also I am a mother." "Mother" that word just pierced my ears and I noticed a 3-4 year old boy is standing behind Rekha. I was just hoping that this boy is not Rekha's son but meanwhile she told the boy,"say hello to your aunty"! She asked me what I am doing now a days. I just said,"Still studying". She spoke about her husband and her son in brief and then saying its getting late she bade me and my friend good-bye. I saw Rekha holding her 3 year old son's hand walking away from me. I stared at them until they dissapeared at the turning. I was still standing there for another 10 seconds or so and then my friend said,"she was in your class!" I just took a deep breath and uttered nothing.
Yes, she was my classmate! We studied till boards together. Rekha was one of the cream-layer students. I remember how she used to fight with the teachers for deducting her marks in exams. I remember how she would study day and night before the exams also in the exam hall till the teacher came in. I remember how tough it was to beat her when it came to solving trigonometry! In the boards, Rekha scored 76% and was seeking admission in geography. She wanted to study geography and I gave her a list of all the school which offered courses in geography in 10+2 level.
The day I gave her the list was the last day I saw her before today! I went on to pursue science in another school and Rekha was left behind..out of touch...
Coming home I could not stay relaxed. Memories of the old days gone by lingered in-front of my eyes. I called another school-friend of mine and asked him about Rekha. He said Rekha took admission in geography but two months later she was married off. Her family found a good and well-to-do "bridegroom", so they did not want to miss this opportunity and sacrificed Rekha's education.
After the call I felt a cry down my throat. All this while when I passed my H.S with science, prepared for medical entrance, getting rejected there I chose a different stream, Rekha got married, gave birth to a son and was happily raising him!When I was trying hard to create an identity for myself, she gave up her right upon her own life and just kept serving as a mother, wife, daughter-in-law. A 20 year old ME whose eyes are full of dreams and life full of new things, and there is 20 year old Rekha who is a mother of a 3 year old son. How come our lives become so diverse in just a span of 4 years !
We started together almost with equally ability. Why she had to give up her dreams ? I asked myself why did she not stop her family ? Why did she not take a stand? Meeting me like this today, did she anywhere feel that she also should not have given up her studies? Her parents found a very good groom and therefore she chose to give up or even did she have any choices to make? This is 2018! when everything is becoming digital. Great step towards a change but when will India change their mentality about a girl-child? How long in-front of a good 'bride-groom' a talented girl will have to give up her education, dreams and identity?
Article by - Sharmeen kayal
Photography by - Subhrajit Barua
Comments
Post a Comment