Women and Chastity

Women's life and chastity is like living on a knife edge. Many times women live in rural India with fear and anxiety. It is a paradox in the life of women that she is the one who brought the man to world and the same man is against her chastity. The wolf in sheep skin is present in every aspect of life & relation including in her own close relation.

The story revolves round such a situation.

Divya a village belle sixteen year old passed school and working in a tobacco factory to compensate her father meager earnings. She has three elder sisters and a younger brother. Two of her elder sisters are married and one more elder is still to get married. Younger brother is very small still in school. Her father a small time hawker selling commodities in local market and whatever he earns buys daily requirements to meet family living. Divya from her younger age saw and realized her family difficulties and wanted to give a helping hand to her father. Her mother is a simple rural household woman, who from dawn to dusk busy in household chores.

Her house is a small thatched hut with two small living rooms and a small kitchen. Divya and her elder sister who sleeps in one room while in the other her parents and brother sleep. But when her relatives or elder sisters and brother-in-law arrive then, they have to adjust along with her parents in one room and give the other to her sisters.

Divya village
Divya's village was a small roadside village adjacent to a big town. Her tobacco factory was just few kilometer away from her village. She used to complete daily chores and help her mother in bringing water from lake which was two kilometers away. Have her bath and wash her clothes in the lake. The lake was covered by thick growth of vegetations. One side of the lake was having heavy growth of bushes and other side has dense growth of banana plantation. The way to her house was through the banana plantation. In the morning time this was quite crowded, but in the afternoon and evening time it was totally deserted.

The village folks were mostly agricultural labours or hawkers who sell local products in the town market for their livelihood.

Divya after helping her mother in daily chores get ready by foot to her place of work which was few kilometers away from her village in a deserted area. Since Divya was a young girl always she was-eyed and watched by men folk and some time she was passed very bad comments by the village youth. Her factory employed twenty to thirty women and young girls from near by villages. There too some times girls are tormented by factory owners and their relatives. Sexually harassed, but these women have no other option, but continue their job in this hardship of global recession.
Divya was always careful while traveling from her village to factory and back. She never went alone to her factory owners and took any chance, but guarded herself from being exploited.

One day her house was visited by her sisters and brothers-in-law and on the advise of her mother she took leave from her factory to assist her mother. It so happened that her mother wanted some fresh water from lake in the afternoon time. No one was to assist her mother Divya was forced to go to lake to fetch water. She took the earthen pot and proceeds to the lake with innocence, singing some local songs. It was clouded afternoon and some birds were chirping and few vultures were gliding high up in the sky. The banana plantation was totally deserted and cold with gentle breeze. Only sound of dry leaves rubbing against each other and the gentle chirping of birds hopping from one tree to another.

Divya not aware of the peril lurking on went in the plantation, kicking dry leaves hopping, singing enjoying the beauty of the environment watching the distance vultures in the sky. Suddenly she was stopped by her younger brother-in-law. Her elder sister was married a year ago and was expecting to have baby in a short period. Her brother-in-law was a plumber in the town, earning decently in her village standards. Her parents and sister were very happy with the marriage. They had high regard towards her brother-in-law. He was clever soft spoken tall man and sister had all praises for her husband. Being the youngest son-in-law he was pampered by her parents and sisters.

So, seeing him in the plantation, Divya was too surprised. She enquired why he was in the plantation. Like a hawk which watches its pray from high up and only comes down to pick up its pray, like clever and cunning fox which waits for its victim and pounces on it at the last moment so that it cannot escape. Similarly her brother-in-law came in sheep's skin and tried to lure her with new bangles and sweets and chocolates brought from the town. He slowly made her to sit next to him, by his clever talk tried to impress her and slowly by surly made her to forget about the lake. He was very impressive in his talk and by showing sympathy started rubbing her arms, face. She was innocent couldn't understand the motive of her brother-in-law & kept listening to his talk.

Her brother-in-law when tried to touch her bossom it was for the first time she felt bit awaked and wanted to leave the place. But he was clever and engrossed her in some family matters. He tried to get sympathy by saying that he was very much worried about her sister and upcoming baby and how much he appreciates her hard work. And all of sudden he tried to kiss her and touch her private parts. She understood his motive and tried to escape and run from the place. But he was no match to her; he caught hold of her and tried to disrobe her. He tightly caught hold of both the hands and gagged her and pinned her to the ground with his legs, while he undressed and pushed his cock into her. She was helpless, tried to beat and scratch with her nails, but he was mightier. He forced and raped her. It went on for half an hour or so and she was left raped and threaten her by saying that if she discloses this incident, he will leave his sister.
With pain, bruised, agony, shame with torn clothes she was left in the dark of plantation. She was helpless and she cried and was angry that she could not protect her chastity. She had no idea what to do next, somehow she regrouped herself took the earthen pot went to the lake and took the water and returned home. Seeing her conditions her mother too attacked her by saying that how the new clothes were torn and what on earth she took so long to fetch water. Everybody in the house where busy and chit chating with each other. She went to a corner sat on the floor by bringing both leg legs towards her chest and buried her face.

See the agony of women she cannot tell her pains nor she can expose her brother-in-law's dirty action. See cannot cry nor have anybody's sympathy for her. She kept herself in the dark corner and shed tears silently. She lost the great jewel of any woman that is her chastity. She did not have any food could not sleep, her whole body was in pain and she was bleeding from her private parts.

Next day early in the morning her mother woke her up and requested her to go to the lake and bring fresh water as the day was a festival day. She cannot wakeup her elder sisters as they are married and are with their husbands. Her father who wasn't well and younger brother was too young to fetch the water. Before, others woke up she carried the same earth pot on her head and some of the clothes that her mother advised her to clean in the lake. She went with the pain in between her legs after the fateful incident. She took her bath in the lake, filled the earthen pot with water. Washed all the clothes her mother gave and put the pot on her head and wet clothes on her shoulder and returned home silently. To her agony no one watched her silence including her mother who gave birth to her. Her sisters were busy with their husbands and mother as usual in the kitchen preparing food for the entire family. Brother playing with the village boys in a game of marbles.

She was asked by her mother to get some advance from her employer as new clothes were to be given to sisters and their family. She had no other option, but proceed to the factory with heavy heart. Still bleeding and pain she went to her employer for advance who were relenting, gave advance very hesitatingly since she took some advance a few weeks ago for her ailing father.

Somehow now the festival passed and all the guests left to their homes. She was once more reminded by her brother-in-law not to disclose about the incident or face grave consequences. She was left to cry lonely, on her fate.

The ill fate did not leave her, after one month or so, she found that her monthly cycle is missed. She did not know how to consult a doctor since she was an unmarried girl. One more month passed she found that her worst nightmare came true. She was pregnant and did not know what to do?

Now the question is whom she should blame? The society in rural India is very cruel towards unwedded mother. Can she go to her brother-in-law without breaking her sister's marriage in India where getting married is the most difficult thing? Will she commit suicide? What the girl or woman can do?