Victory of Justice- HER

“Finally, finally we’re free and independent, ma.”

Neha spread her arms as she looked up at the bright sky with a bright sunshine smile of her own. Coming out from the justice court, she held hand-in-hand with her mother who also had a beautiful smile adorning her middle age features.

At the end of the staircase, Neha immediately hugged her fiance, Sarthak who was a lawyer as well. As they both held tightly onto each other, Neha’s mother couldn’t help but wipe away some stray tears of joy. She was happy, truly happy after about twenty five years of non stop torment. And she thanked her younger self who always had true faith on her daughter.

Neha’s mother, Kavita had always been a beauty with brains. A knowledgeable noble woman with a quirky attitude, she was the apple of everyone’s eye since her early days. But all of that bright light dimmed when her beloved father passed away and her brother became the head of the family. Unlike her father, Kavita’s brother was a conservative, narrow minded and misogynist man who didn’t believe that women should work outside and be independent.

And hence, with such a mentality, he married his own ambitious sister to a random strange village man who didn’t have even half the same knowledge, nobility and beauty as Kavita.

Her life was getting hopeless and there seemed to be no escape from it. After marriage, her husband did get a good government job but the behaviour she had to experience never got better. Yes, she was abused, she was cursed at, she was physically and mentally tormented, all because she was a woman and as per the norms and principles of the society, she should endure her husband’s tantrums.

How badly she wanted to run away from these shackles and get away from him? How badly she wanted to simply just report him to the police?

But then… who would support her in this narrow-minded, misogynist and patriarchal society? Who would support her for a little while until she’s independent?

No one. Not her side of family and obviously not the society. Her life was pushed into darkness.

But then a little ray of hope shone above her head. Along with that hope, she was shouldered another responsibility- the responsibility of motherhood. A new yet such a beautiful chapter of her life started as she was blessed with a daughter ho mirrored herself. A new responsibility gave her a whole new power and determination to hold on for just a while longer because this darkness wouldn’t last long.

Years passed by and yes the daughter aka Neha also experienced visual torments. Torments of her father being a deadly beast to her mother. She saw it all- how her mother was tormented and badly abused, how she herself was abused when she tried to protect her mother from the torment. She was covered with scars of her family issues. Her scars were visible to only herself as she didn't even knew how long she would have to lick them to help them heal faster. It just seemed like these scars would keep her company for the whole life.

Kavita was covered with scars and wounds of torment, abuse and all the curses thrown at her. Her physical wounds didn’t hurt as much as the scars that deepened inside her heart and ached her heart every now and then. Kavita could see her daughter break. She could hear silent sobs of her only ray of hope in the middle of the night. But she knew she had to keep themselves strong. She knew she had to keep Neha strong.

She told Neha about her life and all she had experienced in brief every now and then and let her be a strong witness of what her father did to her mother.

Neha was breaking inside but somehow she persisted. She had to. She had to persist for herself and for her mother. She had to be the key to break the shackles that kept her beloved mother bound to them. Kavita kept holding her daughter’s hand despite the darkness that surrounded them. That hopelessness that kept eating them somehow swept away when they held onto each other for support and kept each other sane. They were each other’s sliver of hope.

And when finally, the evil pot of karma overfilled and overflowed with all the bad deeds of their culprits. They were thoroughly punished. All that incessant torment they had endured physically, mentally and emotionally, all that childhood that Neha had lost and the love and care she missed out on- all was paid off finally.

Finally after twenty five years, Kavita's life bloomed with happiness as she hugged Sarthak and Neha whole-heartedly with tears brimming at the corners of her eyes.

This was a moment of joy and celebration and it knew no bounds.

Yes, it was the victory of justice. Kavita’s incessant persistence and never ending determination finally paid off as it bore the sweetest fruit of happiness and life long independence and joy, she had craved for because she NEVER GAVE UP.