The Unventured Passions

Lessons for Life

'You want to know the secret ingredients to true happiness, Bondita?'
Eighteen years old Anirudh had sat on the same large flower-clad bed as his hurled up nine years old bride. Her large clear eyes were staring at him with curiosity and wonder.

'Yes... I want to know... I want to cook happiness... true happiness!'

The attentive cheerfulness of his little bride had instantly cheered Anirudh up from battling stress of the day. Bondita's mother had left for Kashi with a promise of never returning back, leaving the child completely in his care. He had tried to reason with her, tried to convince her to stay with his family in Tulsipur, but all his arguments had proved to be futile to the age-old beliefs of the stubborn widow who believed it to be a sin to live in her daughter's household.
How can this little child be ever happy without a mother? The thought had pained him to the core until the night when the little girl had proactively asked him the meaning of true happiness.

"You put a little of your decisive optimism and mix it with personal responsibility...' He paused to smile at her,
'and there you go... Your perfect recipe of true happiness.'

'Responsibility? What is that Pati Babu?'

'Responsibility is simple. Whenever you are in trouble, in confusion, just accept the fact that you are the cause and the solution of the problem that you are in. That's it... That's responsibility.'

Bondita had clapped her hands cheerfully at his words.
'That's simple... So if I break a doll, I'll not cry... Because I'm the reason it's broken... Instead, I'll try to fix it... Isn't that right Pati Babu?'

Anirudh's eyes had teared up with happiness.
Just a day ago, this sweet intelligent child was about to face the wrath of the society with her life... all in the name of cruel baseless customs. And now, looking at this little porcelain doll sitting infront of him with her puffy red cheeks and bright smile, tore the last veil of doubt from his mind.
Bondita was his responsibility. He was the cause that this little child was sitting in this room, his room, in his bed, on their fulsojja!
Fulsojja!! The word, yet again, created a havoc of disgust in his mind and heart.

How can his Kaka expect him to accept this little child as his wife?

'Pati Babu? Why are you crying?'

Bondita had suddenly remarked as with her little hands, she tried to wipe the single strand of tear that had unknowingly escaped from his eyes.

'I'm not crying Bondita... My eyes are hurting.'

'But, I can see tears Pati Babu... you are crying... Is your stomach hurting? Did you eat too much tamarind?"

Anirudh couldn't help but let out a soft laughter at her innocent words
'Do you like to eat tamarind?' he asked gently as Bondita nodded her head.

'My stomach isn't hurting. You don't worry... Here, sleep now. I'll be there on that couch.'
Anirudh had pointed towards the couch with his index finger as Bondita promptly caught hold of his finger with her two tiny hands.

'No... Don't you leave me... My mother left me... Everybody leaves me Pati Babu... I don't want you to leave.'

Anirudh was about to say something but stopped at the realisation of the slight crack in her voice. Making her cry was that last thing he wished to do that night.

'I won't leave.' He smiled.
'Bondita, why did you want to know how to cook happiness?'

The expression on the little girl's face changed instantly.
'Because... KakaSasurji said, the only thing I need to do is to keep you happy', she replied thoughtfully. 'So I thought I should ask you how to cook happiness.'