Reality

The sun rises slowly in the sky, lighting it from black to gray and slowly to a grayish blue. In the distance a cock crows.

In her small and dark room, Radha sits and studies by the flickering light of a candle. The light softly illuminates her face as it creases in concentration.

Radha is 15 and she has her life ahead of her. A life that moreover is not chosen by her.

As the sky starts lightening she gazes around and with a soft sigh starts packing up her books. Its light and it is time for her to return to reality.

Reality. Reality is a multi-headed beast. Each head of it roars for three things: a girl should be a good daughter, a good wife and then a good mother. All of its heads say collectively that a girl has to be seen and not heard. A girl's opinions are best kept to herself.

She submits to this beast. What else can she do? Today is just one more sacrifice she makes for it.

Today is Radha's wedding. Her parents are jubilous, the relatives are impressed. They say the match is indeed a good one and that Radha is very lucky.

She is marrying a man twice her age.

And try as she might she can't see the luck in that.

For days her mother has been involved in wedding preparations. Mithai is being distributed to everyone. Her dad squeezed her cheek just the day before and told her proudly that she had brought prestige to the house.

Radha can't see the prestige in marrying a rich divorcee.

As she picks up her books she thinks with a sigh of all the dreams she had. She was going to be a teacher. She was going to go to college. She would meet prince charming and fall in love one day in the future when she became big.

She thinks again of the school in which she would have worked. The same school in her village, only she would have made it much better. She would have ensured that every child came to school. She would have taught them with love and care. They would have loved her.

The sounds of the house waking up snap her out of her reverie and she sternly tells herself not to dream. Dreams are for those who have their life in their hands.

Her upcoming marriage is illegal and yet her parents are undeterred. They say that a girl should be married young. It's in the girl's interest and will protect her honour and reputation.

This is how it has been done for centuries and how it will be done for centuries to come.

She wants to revolt but her attempts will only be quelled, she wants to flee but has no means, she wants to hide in a corner and stay there until the fuss doesn't die down, but it never will.

Once Radha is married she'll be committed to a life of housework, she'll clean, keep house and eventually bring up her children.

It's definitely a far cry from her dreams. Prince not-so Charming is there to pick her up and take her to a life she doesn't want as yet and definitely doesn't need.

But that's reality.

She's Radha, she's fifteen and she's married.