Bairi Sanam: The hate of a lover

Chapter X: Apmaan

Tejasvin

Waking up next morning, I dressed myself in a white kurta pajama and draped a brown shawl over it. I headed downstairs and noticed dad, aunty and Smriti sitting at the breakfast table.
"I'm leaving for the panchayat dad," I declared, and he slammed his hand on the table making everyone shiver except me.

"How many times do I need to tell you Tejasvin don't get involved in all this. You are not meant to stay here," he spoke.

"I don't know if I'm meant to stay here or not but this is the right thing to do at this time." I left the house and soon reached the tree square where panchayat is held. Everyone was already present there waiting for dad's arrival and seeing me they all stood up from their places. I went and stood in front of them by the tree and gestured them to settle down. As they took their spots, I adjoined my hands.

"My dad won't be your sarpanch anymore due to his worsening health condition. From today onwards, I will be taking over his place," I said loudly to make myself audible to everyone. I heard few gasps, and they soon began to gossip amongst themselves. "I'm your Sarpanch from now." 

Hearing those words, they soon cheered up and began raising slogans in my praise.

"Chhote sarkaar ki jai," they all chanted out loud accepting me as their new leader. One of them brought a single sofa for me to sit on. He placed it in the centre, and I royally sat on it with both my hands on the armrest on either side.

"Sheher ki vakaalat aur gaaon ki panchayat mein bahut farak hota hai sahib," I heard a feminine voice coming from behind me.

(There's a difference between city's advocacy and a village's council sire.)

I recognized the voice and smirked listening to her words. She came and stood in front of me crossing her arms against her chest. I stood up from my place and her eyes followed me.

Oh do I smell a good challenge?

"There might be differences, but the goal is always to seek justice," I responded. My eyes moved behind her as people began gossiping again. She turned around to face the crowd and began talking in an attempt to convince them in her favour.

"How can anyone just come and accept the position of the sarpanch? Don't we all have the right to choose who our sarpanch should be?" She addressed the crowd. I was loving her confidence that she thinks she can convince them against me. I have lived amongst them for years; they would not dare go against me, not only because they feared me but also because of the love that they shared with me.

"Aye Ketaki, no one can be a better sarpanch than him," one of them spoke standing up from the crowd.

"Haan haan," all of them said together.

"We accept him as a sarpanch. Who are you to go against his decision?" Another one yelled from his place. She turned around to look at me and I could see rage in her eyes. A sinister smile came across my face, and I moved my hand in the direction of the crowd, signalling her to convince them if she can. She fisted her hands, realising that she may not win but I had to commend her courage.

"This is not right, I won't let this ha—," she began arguing again when someone cut her off.

"Aye Ketaki you are a disgrace just like your parents. No one's going to listen to you," a man spoke from the crowd, and everyone broke into laughter.

"She thinks she is better than our chhote sarkaar? Are you going to become the new sarpanch then if not him?" They laughed more as few more taunted her.

"No need to bring my parents into this," she said a little softly this time and her gaze lowered to the ground.

"Such a shame that you still live in this village," a woman spoke this time. She lifted her head up to look at me one last time before leaving from there. Her eyes had turned moist, and it made me furious for some reason the way they were disrespecting her. My smile vanished instantaneously looking at her tear-filled eyes. It bothered me more than it should have.

"ENOUGH," I shouted, and they all shivered at their places. "You all have no right to disrespect a woman like this."

"Sarkaar you don't know but she is just a disgrace to this village," a young man stood up daring to utter those words out of his dirty mouth in front of me.

I gestured him to come out and as soon as he neared me, I slapped him so hard that his face turned the other way. He placed his hand over his cheek feeling the intensity of my slap and everyone gasped out loud.

"Not a single word against her," I said pulling him upright from his shirt with just one hand. Moving my gaze up from his face, I scanned everyone sitting in front of me.

"I hope I was clear enough to you all. Was I?" I questioned and everyone bowed their heads feeling ashamed of their words.

"WAS I?" I shouted when no one answered and few of them shuddered listening to my loud voice.

"Ji sarkaar," they replied in unison.

(Yes sire.)

Ketaki

I found out more about him from Subhadra and Reva. They told me that he lived in the city for most of his life and has studied law there. No one wonder I had never seen him in the village before. I was going towards Reva's field when I overheard a familiar voice coming from the place where panchayat was being held.

"I'm your Sarpanch from now." 

I heard that haughty man's voice again, declaring himself as the sarpanch of the village. My mouth was left wide open at his words and my steps turned towards him without any prior thought.

"How could he just announce himself as the sarpanch? Such an arrogant man does not deserve to be our sarpanch. His father did enough damage, now I won't let him make it any worse," I talked to myself while angrily walking towards the panchayat.

"Sheher ki vakaalat aur gaaon ki panchayat mein bahut farak hota hai sahib," I said standing behind him while he was gracefully sitting on a sofa. As I moved in front him, he stood up from his place, frowning angrily at me.

He roams around with anger on his nose all the time.

Facing all the people who were sitting on a huge white tarpaulin on the ground, I began trying to convince them, but they turned against me instead.

"Aye Ketaki you are a disgrace just like your parents. No one's going to listen to you."

"Such a shame that you still live in this village."

They began to throw all those hurtful words towards me. I have become immune to hearing it over and over again but whenever someone mentions my parents, it still brings tears to my eyes. It was not like they haven't disrespected me before but today it was hurting me more. They continued with their harsh words and not having enough strength to listen to them anymore, I decided to leave from there. As I lifted my head up, my eyes moved to him impromptu, and I saw his winning smile fade away when he looked into my teary eyes.