THE DARK SIDE OF INNER BEAUTY

The streets of Dilshuknagar were busy, with markets lining the roads and people crowded everywhere. One fine day, around 7 PM in the evening, a group of three friends was passing through the busy roads of Dilshuknagar. Among them, one girl noticed something very strange.

There was a girl on the road, wearing tight skinny jeans and a form-fitting shirt, with dark red lipstick applied. She was roaming around, seemingly in search of something. Suddenly, among the three friends, one girl kept noticing this girl who was wandering aimlessly. The girl seemed only 16 years old and appeared very young. The more she observed, the more intrigued she became by this mysterious girl.

I noticed something very strange. A young girl was interacting with every man who passed by her, but what was even more unusual was that she seemed to be explaining something through gestures with her hands.

Then there was another girl, named Ritika, who was observing this scene in complete shock. Our story begins with Ritika, who was watching the mysterious girl. But who could she be?

What was the girl doing all alone, standing and roaming on the roads? What could be the reason for her wandering around?

I had many questions swirling in my mind, but I was trying hard to figure out who she was. Just then, my two friends patted me on the back and said, "What's wrong with you?"

Finally, we all relaxed and took a moment to process everything that had happened. As we sat there, we began to criticize the girl, mainly because of her profession, and started using harsh words to scold her. Meanwhile, Ankit quietly observed everything without saying a word.

After we had finished discussing the girl, Ankit continued to watch us, but he remained silent. We were both surprised because, usually, when we discussed something or even argued, Ankit would always interrupt or say something. But this time, he didn’t speak at all.

We both decided to ask Ankit why he was so quiet and why he seemed so pale after our conversation.

Then I said, "I was looking at the girl who was roaming around." One of my friends, Ankit, grabbed my hand and made me leave the place. I was shocked by his actions. My other friend, Anushka, kept asking Ankit, "What's wrong with you? Why were you holding Ritika's hand?" So, we moved away from that spot.

Ankit didn’t answer immediately, but after some time, he explained who the girl was and why she was roaming around alone.

After hearing the answer, Anushka and I were both shocked and a bit scared. However, after some time, we realized we owed him our gratitude for what he did in that moment.

After we talked everything over, Ankit remained very calm and silent. He told us to wait for five minutes, saying he would explain everything. We held our breath and waited, and after five minutes, Ankit finally spoke.

"Do you have any idea, guys? Do you know what he said to us?"

Finally…

Ankit looked at us angrily, and we didn't understand at first. Then, Ankit said, "What's wrong with you guys? Why were you talking such nonsense about that girl?"

We replied, "Because she deserves to be treated like that and nothing less."

Ankit became even angrier and snapped, "Just shut up!"

We were shocked by his reaction, as we had never seen this side of Ankit's behavior before.

Ankit asked them, "Are you educated or not?"

We looked at each other, smiled, and replied, "Yes, of course. That’s a stupid question, Ankit."

"Oh!" Ankit reacted, then composed himself, became calm and quiet, and said, "I’m going to tell you a bitter truth. Listen to me very carefully."

He continued, "The girl you were just scolding—do you even know the real reason why she chose that profession?"

We both replied, "Whatever the reason, it’s still wrong." But Ankit insisted we listen to him. We smirked and said, "Okay."

"Before judging someone, try to understand the pain behind their actions. Never condemn someone without knowing their story," Ankit advised. "Always remember that when we don't know anything.

“Family situations, being trapped, cheated, lack of money, blackmailing, and many more reasons…” Ankit said. “No girl or woman willingly chooses this profession—everyone has a dark story that forced them into it.”

Anushka replied, “But once they realize that this work isn’t right, why don’t they just quit?”

Ankit answered, “Yes, they might have a chance to quit, but the things they've done in the past could haunt them, ruining both their present and their future. The guilt and shame often drive some to end their lives through suicide.”

Then Ankit asked us, “Now tell me, do you think what you were discussing was correct?”

We both remained silent, finally realizing our mistakes and beginning to understand and respect their struggles.

"More than 16 million people, mostly girls, have knowingly or unknowingly fallen into this trap," Ankit continued. "In the top five southern states, 16 to 18 million girls and women are involved in this profession, and nearly 5 to 7% are facing issues related to HIV and unintended pregnancies."

He then mentioned, "In Nat Purwa village, the main profession is prostitution. Now, tell me, what could have led this village to rely solely9 on this profession?"

We were in a dilemma, struck by Ankit's words.

Ankit went on, "It’s due to a lack of societal awareness, poor access to education, poverty, poor health conditions, and a lack of safety and support."

Moral: No matter the work or profession, always try to respect it.

Intro note: This story has been also published on *prathilipi*