Maryada Lives

Sunil R P Sethi
When Maryada was in hostel in Dehradoon she always missed home . During summer vacations also, she hardly had an opportunity to go back to home as her mother Vanita used to take her from hostel and then two of them used to be go  on long tours , sometimes within country but mostly out of the  country to exotic places for whole of vacations and then she used to go back to hostel . In between  she got opportunity to visit her home , a really palatial place and meet her family consisting of her father and long army of cousins and  uncles and aunts . Her interaction with her father Kumar was very cordial and full of care and love . Kumar used to visit her almost every month in the hostel . She lived a life of luxury but was always perplexed why she was alone  in hostel whereas all her cousins were staying at home. However, she had occasions and opportunities to visit the very best locations of the world . One thing which always disturbed her was the coldness and non responsiveness in relationship of her parents . She had never seen them happy together.
She was completing her higher school and her stay in Boarding would be finally over in about a month’s time . She was always immersed in thought of going back and living with her family and enjoying normal life , though she would miss freedom and liberty and her friends, particularly, Priya who had been her best friend since the day she entered Boarding school . They shared all their secrets and thoughts and were like one soul in two bodies .
Coming back home was a real shocker for her within first few days when she saw that her parents were not sharing bedroom and were in fact living separately under the same roof . She came to know that  her parents were not even on talking Terms and on enquiry she was told that things were like this for years . She was grown up girl of 18 years of age and could understand what was happening around . She got admission in local medical college in undergraduate course but decided not to stay in hostel to bridge gap between her parents as she loved both of them .
It’s difficult to hide truth with so many eyes and ears around . Her cousin Neeraj who was of her age revealed everything to her , about his father mercilessly beating her mother for trivial issues and non issues and her mother being given medical treatment on a number of occasions, about drinking habit of her father which was root cause of all problems , about company of bad people with  her father which had lot of influence on him .
She decided to rebuilt relationship of her parents brick by brick and her efforts did have some effect but only Kumar was in  senses . After evenings Kumar used to be entirely different personality having no regards or respect for anyone and least of them to Vanita whom he abused and blamed for everything which had gone wrong to him in life.
Maryada was a brilliant student in her Boarding school but her performance in medical college was below average because of constant torture and mental pressure she was undergoing . There was no Priya also who could share her Traumas and tensions . Life was a complete mess but her priority was her parents and studies was taking back seat as she had no time to regain her composer and calm .
It was chilly winter of January when she came home from her college library and heard noise even outside her residence . Taking long stride she rushed inside to find her cousins and other family members standing in open area while sounds of shouting and crying was coming from bedroom of her father . Nobody dared to enter his room . Her uncle Ravi who was Elder brother of her father told her to go in and save her mother as her father could only listen to her . She knew that her father loved her too much and would not dare say no to her . She rushed towards bedroom .
In the bedroom the scene was horrific . Kumar was dead drunk and was having his leather belt in his hands while Vanita was lying on the floor with her dress torn and bruises all over body with blood coming out of side of head . She fell on her mother and shouted at Kumar “Are you human or beast ” . Kumar was already seething with rage and anger and was heavily under influence of intoxicants . Word of hatred from Maryada pierced him deep inside . In fit of rage he threw the wooden Stool lying near him on the floor and left room shouting abuses .
Before Vanita could regroup herself she saw Stool thrown by Kumar hitting floor and then hitting Maryada on head . Then she remembered stream of blood coming from head of Maryada as she fell unconscious . She shouted loud ” Maryada is injured” . In next moment Kumar came running from the room and held Maryada in his arms . He was shocked to see that the  Stool he had thrown on floor to show his anger had actually hit Maryada on head . Even in his drunken stage he died multiple times looking at blood of his life Maryada .
Maryada was shifted to hospital immediately but was announced brought dead by doctors. When her dead body was handed over, Kumar fell at the feet of Vanita who was neither Concious nor unconscious, standing like a stone . All her last rites were performed by her parents together . She succeeded in her death what she couldn’t attain in life .
Kumar sold all her properties and opened school for orphans in the name of Maryada where he was now serving underprivileged students for charity . He also was now running a deaddiction centre Maryada so that no Maryada should die before her father could realise human relations and lessons of mutual respect. Vanita was working with him on both projects . Maryada Lives.
(The author is senior advocate)
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