Sunday, June 1, 2003		Life Ties

Vrinda’s was an arranged match. She was still in college when her parents fixed her alliance with Kabir. As a gentle and caring husband, he was always there prodding her to actualise her talents, complete her education, protect her from his shrewish mother, telling her he couldn’t have asked for more, when they were blessed with a daughter and sharing his dreams of a happier future. Vrinda could see how she had grown in the six years of her marriage. From an awkward girl, she had matured into a fine young woman who could articulate her thoughts, convert her wisdom into achievable goals and think for her entire family.

Vrinda was completely ill-equipped to deal with the situation which confronted them after a late-night film. Kabir got involved in an unpleasant altercation when he saw a bunch of drunken hoodlums teasing a young couple outside the movie hall in a deserted lane. Within seconds, the scene turned horrific and before Vrinda and Vani knew what was happening, they saw Kabir collapse as the crowd dispersed, leaving him in the middle of the road. By the time she emerged from the car and reached the spot, he had succumbed to the multiple khukri-stabs.

Shocked, she became a pawn in the hands of her in-laws and extended family who while expressing support and sympathy got her to sign on various documents which relinquished her right to make any claim on Kabir’s life insurance policy and provident fund. Once that was accomplished, they began traumatising her emotionally. While the mourning period was still on, they insisted she shave off her head and clad herself in only whites. Her brother, Sunil, happened to be present at the time and in a flash summed up the situation. Anticipating what lay ahead for his sister and niece, on the pretext of taking them out for a while, he bundled her up in a bus and took her to his home in Indore. He was clear that he did not want anything from her in-laws and since it suited them, Vrinda’s link with her marital home was permanently severed.

Sunil gave his sister six months to recover and find her bearing. Meanwhile, he took charge of little Vani’s schooling, homework and hobbies. An ideal son and brother, his home was comfortable and there was place for everyone be it his parents, wife, children and now sister and niece. Being in the advertising world he knew that media was an upcoming field where Vrinda could find a niche for herself. After much deliberations, the family persuaded Vrinda go in for a postgraduate course in media studies from a premier institute in Hyderabad. They assured her that Vani would be well looked after. Getting back to studying was a novel experience and the two years flew by in a jiffy. On her return to Indore, she joined the sub-office of an upcoming television channel. The next three years were spent in training, travelling and picking up the ropes of an exciting fast-growing career. With a marvellous support system in place, she was left free to explore and grow. At the same time, her bonding with family and most of all with her daughter acquired so many new dimensions and shades that she often wondered how God had been so kind to her. The vacuum which her husband’s tragic death had created was irreplaceable but she had learnt to put it behind her and allow his memory to only bring back visions of happy moments.

Her parents and brother were concerned about her future and much to her embarrassment had broached the subject of remarriage a few times. She gave her consent not so much because she wanted a companion but because Vani needed a father. Somewhere, she was conscious of the pressure her responsibility created in her maternal home. While some of the boys she met seemed companionable, she was put off by their request of leaving Vani with her parents. Vrinda was not prepared to comply with this precondition. After much thinking, she voiced her opinion to Sunil that she was actually not keen on a marriage. Over the years, she had come to value her freedom and uncomplicated lifestyle. There was intimacy in her bonding with the teenage Vani and both mother and daughter were comfortable with the way things were.

Once the family understood her viewpoint, Vrinda felt relieved. She was not averse to marriage but was also not actively seeking a man besides was she unwilling to give up her daughter.

When the offer of a job in Singapore came up, she decided to take it up. It meant being thrown into an alien environment, more so since she was a small-town girl bought up on a diet of middle-class values. That she was single with a female child to support, made her feel slightly insecure. Having lived for eight years under the protective and loving umbrella of her brother had given her strength and confidence which she was not sure she could muster on an assignment which meant being thrown into an unfamiliar environment with no one to turn to.

Again, it was Sunil who made her weigh the pros and cons. He presented facts in such a manner that she took the decision of going on her own. He accompanied her and helped her settle down. He dug into all his social and official contact lists to put her through to a few Indian families where she could visit. More than anything, he had faith in his kid sister. He knew life had been tough on her. Yet, he knew that she had it in her to strike it on her own. The foreign job would give her the financial security which no job in India would have. Her old age would be comfortable and the way his niece was shaping up he could see that with or without a man in their lives, they were a happy contented twosome. Besides, he was always a phone call away.