The Dark Truth

Anu was a fifty-six-year-old sturdy woman with a fair complexion, brown eyes, and shoulder-length grey hair that she never tied.

“Even if she wears Kota Doria, I never found a single crease on her saree,” commented a woman.

“I bet no woman in this town will look as elegant as her at this age,” said another woman raising her eyebrows.

“This is because her husband loves her dearly and lets her make major decisions in their house. I bet we all would look the same if our husbands made us feel the same way,” a woman complained sheepishly.

Marigold flowers, chandeliers, colourful clothes wrapped the house to set the stage for Anu’s only son’s marriage. All the neighbours and relatives were invited to the five days long function. It was the first day of the function called ‘Vyah-hath’, which marks the beginning of wedding rituals. It looked like the most beautiful house in Pushkar that day. A total of five old men entered the venue from the bride’s side. It was customary to discuss the gifts distributed by the bride’s side to the groom’s relatives at the wedding to ensure that nothing seemed inadequate.

“Bhaisaabh, you still believe in these customs. We are not taking any gifts from you. It was discussed before that we will share the expenses of marriage and now this,” Anu insisted.

“Bhabiji… this is a custom. If we don’t do it now, then our daughter will get taunted all her life, ‘What did your parents give us?’ I don’t want that.” A man in his late sixties intruded.

Anu kept staring at him and felt a sense of disgust. She found the man very distasteful with the kind of clothes he was wearing and how he looked around the house. However, Anu’s husband handled the matter, and the bride’s side had no say.

“Who is that mannerless man?” Anu asked Vijay after they were gone.

“He is Riya’s distant relative. He called himself Devi Prasad. He is from your village—” Looking at Anu’s expression, he could not complete his sentence.

Anu ceased to move and fainted. He took her to the room and called the family doctor.

“This is because of stress. She will be fine soon. She is awake, but I think she needs to rest at this age.” The doctor left the house, and Vijay sat by her side.

He could see the horror in her eyes and hear her deep breaths.

“Vijay, he is the same man. You remember I told you about that incident before marriage.” Anu was gasping.

21 April, 1980:

Sixteen-year-old Anu was fiddling with books at home when thirty-two-year-old Deviprasad entered her house.

“Where is Masterji?” He was anxiously looking for him all around.

Anu remembered her father talking to her mother about a man named Deviprasad, who was thirty-two years old and looking for a bride. Her mother warned her father to stay away from this man as he was not considered of good character. But Masterji always thought that each human being has the right to remain happy and should be given a chance to behave well.

“He has gone to haat bazaar in the nearby village.” She despised his presence.

Just as Anu was about to reach for the door to call her aunt working nearby, she was forced inside, and Deviprasad latched the door. The next moment, Deviprasad was pressing his one palm over her mouth, and Anu looked horrifically at the monstrous face. He pressed himself hard on her until Anu fainted in pain. When she woke up, she was bleeding. The pain in her lower abdomen was unbearable. She somehow got up to get herself clean and sat on the floor, looking at the patch of blood still on the floor. Meanwhile, her mother came and looked at the blood on the floor; she reached for Anu throwing the bags.

“Where did you get hurt, Gudiya?”

“Maa! Deviprasad!” She held her mother tight and began crying more in pain than in the sense of collecting what just happened.

“You are not going to say about this to anyone. Think that nothing happened.” Anu’s mother gave her medicines to ease her pain.

“Where have you been?” Anu’s mother questioned Masterji when he returned late at night.

“I went to talk about a girl for Deviprasad.” Masterji answered wiping his wet hand on the towel.

“That bastard.” Her eyes were red in anger.

“He came here when Gudiya was alone.” She started crying and shivering, managing to sit on the cot.

Masterji sensed everything and left the village in two days, settling on the land he had inherited from his ancestors.

“There is nothing left here. If anyone comes to know about this, our reputation will be at stake. This country does not accept rape victims. Mathura rape case is still an outcry, and the rapist always goes unpunished by the law and society.” Masterji consoled his wife.

“I have some connection in Pushkar. We will stay at an acquaintance’s place till we get a house of our own. Then, I will apply for a job at a school there.” He assured his wife that he had planned everything.

Anu was nineteen when she was married to Vijay. No man could refuse the beauty of Anu, but Vijay was different. He liked Anu more for her innocence and desire to study more.

Present Day:

Anu’s son, Rajeev, asked if his mother was fine.

“Your mother won’t be attending marriage ceremonies. She is weak,” Vijay announced.

“But maa would not do that for anything in the world,” said Rajeev emotionally.

“Don’t worry! I will handle everything.” Vijay said, keeping his one hand on Rajeev’s shoulder.

“What is the matter, papa? I want to know the truth?” Rajeev asked his father holding his hands.

“One of the acquaintances who came in the morning misbehaved with your mother when she was sixteen. So she will not be able to stand his presence in the ceremonies.” Vijay left saying what he thought was best.

“Riya! Mom will not attend our marriage,” Rajeev called Riya with a heavy heart.

Riya was at his place with her mother in less than thirty minutes. Riya went straight to Rajeev, and her mother went to meet Anu.

“Why? What happened? Is it about me, or is it about how less we are giving?” Riya bombarded her questions.

“Because I was raped by Deviprasad when I was sixteen.” Anu came out of the room and burst out.

Rajeev, Riya, and her mother looked at Anu as if they had seen a ghost.

“Be quiet and let the ceremonies run smoothly.” Vijay rushed towards Anu and held her leading her to their room.

“Mom, I want you to do something. I am not getting married if that bastard is present.” Rajeev tried to calm Riya, who was pleading with her mother.

“Don’t worry, dear! He will not be present.” Riya’s mother assured her.

Riya’s mother went home, and Deviprasad was escorted out of the house with his luggage.

“Anu! He will neither attend your marriage nor ever come to our house.” Anu was relieved to hear this from Riya’s mother.

Riya took leave to get ready for the next ceremony, and Rajeev went to meet his mother for the first time after knowing the dark truth of her life. Vijay left the room for mother and son to talk. There was utter silence in the room for a few minutes, and no one dared to speak.

“I told you she is impulsive.” Anu broke the silence pointing out how she was right about Riya.

“But I love her,” Rajeev whispered.

“I know. And I love her too.” Anu hugged Rajeev.