Broken Relations

Why does a woman always have to sacrifice?

July 2008, 15 years earlier
Bhosale house
The morning sun shone brightly through the curtains of their room. It was 6:00 am. Everybody was sleeping, except for Isha and Shantanu. They both were in a dilemma. They looked at each other and then at their son who was sleeping peacefully, holding his mother’s hand. Suddenly Isha’s phone rang.

It was her father’s phone.
Nirendra (Isha father) : “Hello Isha…”
Hearing her father’s voice she immediately understood that there is bad news. O God, please don’t let it be what I think please?
Isha: Namaskar baba, kya hua? Kya kaha doctor ne? ( Hello father, what happened? What did the doctor say)
Nirendra: Beta woh….( Dear actually…..)
His voice cracked. Isha could feel that he was crying. She felt her eyes get wet. She knew what was coming.
Nirendra: woh doctor ne kaha ki tere aai ka operation 3 mahine ke ander hi karwana padega, warna cancer puri body mein phail jayegi. Operation pure 20 lakh ka hai beta..Mere paas sab samethkar sirf 5 lakh hi hai….( The doctor said that your mother need to be operated within the next 3 months, otherwise the cancer will spread in the whole body. The operation costs 2.000.000 Rupees. I have only 500.000 Rupees)

Hearing this Isha broke. Yes she had her own family now. She had a loving husband and son. She had her own little world in which she was the happiest person, in which she was herself. She was happy.

But she didn’t want to lose her mother. She knew she was the only support for her parents. What would she do now? Isha was a teacher for 8 years before she married Shantanu, but then she had to quit her job, because the women of the Bhosale family were not allowed to do a job outside. For the three years she worked she would put a little money out of her monthly salary on her bank account. Since she was married her parents lived with the money she had saved in her bank account. How much money was left in her bank account?

Isha: “Baba ek minute, main dekhti hoon ki mere bank account mein kitne paise bacche hai. Aur aap tension mat lijiye baba, mein aai ko kuch nahi hone doongi,aap strong rehye baba aur aai ka khayal rakhye, mein kuch karti hoon. ( One minute father, I will check how much money is left in my bank account. And don’t worry dad, I won’t let mom happen anything, stay strong and take care of mom, I’ll do something). She then cut the call.

All this while Shantanu listened to his wife. The woman he loves with the bottom of his heart. Oh, it broke him to see her so broken. He had promised to keep her happy, to stand by her side no matter what, to be there in laughter and tears. But was he able to keep all these promises? Could he really help her? Would he go against his big brother, who raised him like a father, for Isha?

He could not live without Isha, but he also could not go against his brother. Isha stood silently up, so that Ishan, their son, could sleep peacefully.

Not to disturb Ishan, Shantanu asked in a low voice: “What happened, Isha?” Isha stopped and looked at Shantanu. She knew Shantanu loved her, but wouldn’t go against her family for her. But she needed him. Couldn’t he feel that?

She pushed her thoughts away and said: “aai ke liye bohot zaroori hai ki operation 3 mahine ke andar hi ho, warna cancer puri body mein phail jayegi. Operation ka pura kharcha 20 lakh ka hai. Baba ke paas sirf 5 lakh hi hai. Main apne bank account check karne jaa rahi hoon. Aur haan Shantanu, I know you want to help me and you can help me, because you have the money, lekin woh mere aai baba hai. It doesn’t matter koi bimar hai yah nahi. Matter yeh karta hai ki aai baba ke Sahara mein hi hoon aur mein unke liye woh sab karungi joh mein karsakti hoon. Tumhare gharwale ko samajhna chahiye ki mere kaam karne mein koii problem nahi hai. Problem toh unki soch mein hai. Lekin I know tum mere liye nahi ladpaoge.”

( It’s important for mom to get operated within 3 months I am going to check my bank account. I don’t need your help, they are my parents. What matters is that I am the only support for my parents and I will do everything for them that I can. Your family needs to understand that there is absolutely no problem for a married woman to work outside,but I know you will not be able to fight for me).