Meera was on a vacation to Kerala with her family. It was a beautiful place with clean, smooth roads and lush green trees all around; something she wasn't used to see in Delhi. The air was fresh and the fifteen year old finally felt like she could breathe. Even though she preferred mountains to beaches, Meera liked it here. The cool and serene environment was an escape from school and the never ending exams. She really needed a break and Kerala had stood true to its reputation of being 'God's own country'.
They were in Thiruvananthpuram, the capital city of Kerala to visit the famous Padmanabhaswany Temple. It was a gigantic structure, with high walls and a 16th century Gopuram, offering an elegant look to the shrine. The temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu, was the wealthiest place of worship in the world with $22 billion worth of gold and jewels hidden away in underground vaults. Meera didn't like the fact that so much of money was left unused when more than half of the Indian population was living in poverty.
The sun had set when they had finally reached the temple site. The place was really crowded, making the family wait in long queues of eager worshippers. The kids were growing restless minute by minute. Meera had had enough too. She took to glancing around at the pillars with intricately designed statues and the fellow worshippers to keep her mind off the mosquitoes buzzing around her ear. A few people were looking at her as if she was an alien. She felt a little awkward but decided to pay them no heed.
It was finally their turn to enter the temple.
The long queues directed them into a courtyard like room with a high ceiling. It was however, very dark with no proper lights in place, and completely jam-packed. Meera almost felt that she'd die of stampede. People were shoving and elbowing each other to move forward, as if entering the temple first would make them His favourite devotee. Meera didn't do well in congested places.
All of a sudden, she felt a hand envelop her left breast. She stood frozen. Seconds ticked by, she felt another hand enclose over her crotch. She'd read articles about something like this happening with girls; she knew the drill- scream, shout, let people know, but nothing could prepare her for this. Her mind had gone blank and she was petrified. As reality hit her, she pinched the culprit's hand off her breast and shoved the other away from her private area.
They were almost out of the courtyard when she saw the guy's face. He was a short, plump middle aged man, with a scary moustache and a bald head, one of the persons staring at her in the queue. That face would not let her sleep for nights to come.
As the first ray of the lamps outside hit her, Meera entangled her hand in her family friend's Riya's hand. She wanted to be as close to her family as possible. However, she could feel his eyes on her, grilling into her head. She turned around, praying that he wasn't behind her anymore. It became hard for her to breathe when she saw him smirk at her. She was sure she would leave scars on Riya's hand as her grip tightened.
She wanted this to end, she wanted to go home. As the tour of the temple continued, she felt that he'd disappeared. That relieved her slightly. She wanted to go to the hotel and wash away his filthy touch off her body.
As the temple visit came to an end, the family went on to explore the street stalls adjacent to the temple. Meera was way too quiet, which was completely unlike her. She still hadn't left Riya's hand.
And then she saw his face. He was leaning against a scooter, looking directly at her. No, no, she couldn't do this again. She faced her family, trying to stand in the middle of the lively group, thinking that he would go away.
He didn't.
He was there, never moving his eyes off of her. Meera could feel him undress her with his evil eyes. She wanted to tell her dad, her mom, but it seemed like her mouth was stuck, her lips sealed. Her mind was numb, her heart crying. She prayed, chanting the mantra she'd been taught as a child repeatedly. She prayed for him to go away. She prayed for his death.
She never thought that something like this would ever happen to her in a temple, in front of God. She never thought something like this would happen to her at all.
Minutes felt like hours, when he got on his scooter and rode away, simply. He did not realise that he had just become a living nightmare for a teenage girl. He did not realise the trauma he had left her in.
Meera however, realised that if she wouldn't have been with her family, she would have been raped that night. And that scared her more than anything else did.
