1st book in the series "Ray Barir Bouma"
"She is over twelve years of age Young Master! Her body reeks of sin and only by marrying Brahmin will she be forgiven!" The Pandit(priest) spat.
"Fine then! A Brahmin is needed right?" Madhav steps in front...
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"So you were proclaimed Ekghora after being kidnapped by a dacoit and now these same people, who had banished you from society, have come to your family with a marriage proposal?"
Kotta repeated everything I explained, his eyes wide with...disbelieve I think?
This is how society works, why is he so surprised he should know about this better than me given his status.
"And then they approached my father and brother when I was on the..." I pause and glance at him as I recount our encounter , "...On the river bank. That's where you saw me." I say with the last line turning into whispers as I feel embarrassed for some reason.
I didn't realise this at first but I met Kotta in the worst possible time ever. My family was falling apart, I was falling apart in fact my world was falling apart and...and yet he helped me.
He helped us.
He didn't judge us, look down on us due to our different status. This is the first time I am seeing someone treating us with kindness and compassion. Almost as if ...my existence matters. I matter.
Oh god what kind of thoughts am i getting. Of course I matter but not more than the people above me in status.
"And then why did they..." He hesitated for a moment but I understood what he wanted to say.
"My brother rejected the proposal."
"That's it?"
I look up at him in confusion. What does he mean by "that's it?"? Of course they would be angry, my brother dared to go against their wishes. Burning of my house was the consequence of our resistance.
" Mohini, it's not okay for them to order or force you to marry someone. Neither is it okay to banish someone from society. Few things are morally wrong regardless of who they are. They were trying to manipulate you. Please understand that." He calmly tried to explain almost as if he understood what was going on in my mind. I gulped as I nodded, tears slowly forming in my eyes as I started having this warm feeling in my heart.
To be honest, I never thought that what was happening to me was right. I never wanted to accept these atrocities as my reality but over time, I had no other choice.
My heart is overwhelmed with emotions. Sadness, despair, helplessness and so many more emotions that I can't quite pinpoint. They are clashing against each other with the rigour of ocean waves amidst a stormy night, washing over my heart with feelings I am not aware of and with each crashing wave a new stream of pain and-and something , a warm feeling , is building up in my eyes.
I look up at Kotta, my eyes glitter with fresh tears on the verge of falling but I refuse to let them out. Absolutely not! I bite my lower lips as I try to calm myself.
All I have been doing from the time I met Kotta is cry. My eyes just won't stop its waterfall display and all Kotta has ever been is patient. He wipes my tears, consoles me with kind words and smiles at me ever so gently that warms my heart.
