Kanchi

Kanchi ,a 16 year old girl was playing with her friends when Sita, her sister came in the ground to call her. It was kanchi’s turn to play the rope this time and so she wasn’t willing to go with her elder sister. ‘Hurry up! Granddad is looking for you; he wants you to reach come within a second, ‘told Sita .Kanchi, favorite to her granddad always obeyed him. She left the game and rushed toward home leaving Sita behind.

She went directly to her Granddad’s room but didn’t see him. She then rushed to guest room. She had heard his voice when she was on stairs. With her eyes full open, she was surprised to see new people in her house. Two men, probably of her dad’s age and a young boy looked like her cousin brother. She asked the boy,’who are you?’.’ kanchi! Kanchi…! Come upstairs to the kitchen,’her mother shouted. Kanchi left the room without getting replied from the boy and went upstairs to the kitchen and asked her mother, ’momma! Who are they in the guest room?’You will know yourself but first serve this tea to them .And listen carefully, please pretend to be shy in front of them and serve them gently’ .replied her mother. Kanchi with lots of question in her mind, went down to the guest room and serve them tea and biscuits.

Later on she was told by her mother that the guest came there to present the proposal of marriage. Kanchi got married within few weeks. On the day of her marriage she saw the boy with whom she was going to get married.’ What is your name?’ she asked that boy while they were in mandap for performing rituals. Kanchi’s mother, who was sitting aside her pinched Kanchi and whispered her to remain silent and pretend to be shy. ’Lord Krishna! Why in this earth, am I forced to be shy always?’ she started to talk herself.’krishna is my name’ replied that boy at the mean time. Kanchi then looked down. She was naturally shy this time.

‘Kanchi!Kanchi…!!!’Someone was knocking at the door .Kannchi woke up from her deep sleep. She looked at the watch .It was just 4’oclock in the morning and moon was still smiling in the sky. ’Kanchi...!’Again someone called .She woke up quickly and went to open the door. It was her mother in law. She handed over her a broom. ’Kanchi! Women are supposed to wake up early in the morning before the sun shines.’ Her mother in law started her first day in her husband house with a long speech.

Kanchi woke up early in the morning before anybody in the house .She started her morning with a broom in her hand .She had a great exercise early in the morning sweeping all the rooms and stairs of the two storied house. A well was situated near by her house. She went there to take water for offering puja. Her daily routine ended when she would finish washing huge mountain of utensils and dishes .This was all her daily routine .At the weekend she would wash clothes while everybody of her family would rest .Her sister in-law was treated as a princess and was not suppose to do any household works.

Kanchi had no complain against her family and would perform all her duties with a pure heart. Her day started for her family and ended for her family. She respected her in-laws and hoped that they love her too. Her mother in law pretended that she cared her. Her mother-in law looked after the kitchen when it was time to serve dinner. One night when she was serving food Kanchi noticed her rice served differently than others. Her mother-in-law  put the stale rice. But in the case of others, they were given warm rice.

Kanchi’s husband and father-in-law both used to work as a laborer who made houses. They would also take kanchi with them when they had to do lots of works. At home, she also helped her mother-in-law knitting clothes. She worked so hard day and night for the family. But in return she would not get a penny .Even if she had to buy something she had o beg it from her father-in-law but  she was not given a single drop of money to smell.

Kanchi’s sister in law started to complain her mother for simple mistakes she made showcasing it as a great issue. Her mother-in-law would scold her and beat her often when she used to do things unfavorable to her. Kanchi was heartbroken with behavior that her in-laws were doing. She had lots of tears hidden in her eyes that couldn’t fall down and so it was pinching her heart deep inside. The harsh word that her sister-in-law said her would crunch her heart and the tortures that she was suffering through were so high but she couldn’t tell anyone, not even her husband.

‘My poor friend Radha she looked so depressed today. But why wouldn’t she get so? The thing that happened to her was so bad .God is so cruel that took her child before it took birth in this earth.’ Kanchi couldn’t sleep that night and various sorts of thought born in her mind. She changed her sleeping side and her thinking process began. ’Oh my dear lord krsihna! Why should I have to blame you?.It was all her mother-in-laws fault. She made her to carry heavy fodders and water pots. She fell down because of her and so she lost her child in her womb. ‘I hope my mother-in-law is a kind of villain but in a real world we women are dominated by the women like our mother-in-laws.’ Kanchi fell asleep at around 2’oclock.

Early in the morning, furious women came in her room and started to beat her with a bamboo stick. Suddenly kanchi woke up because of her bad dream. She took the broom and looked at her watch. It was already 5’oclock.This day Kanchi couldn’t prepare breakfast on time and so she was punished by her mother-in-law. Her mother-in-law poured hot tea toward kanchi’s face blaming that there was no enough sugar in the tea.

Kanchi was injured very badly even though she didn’t speak a word. ’My mother had told me to be silent but I am sorry momma I can’t keep your words any longer. I can’t remain silent any more. I will speak against the violence and fight for my rights. I would fight for every woman who is tortured and suffering from violence. I would stand in front to fight for my right and for the right of my friend Radha and all women who had to be prays of the violence.’ Her inner soul which was hidden behind her silence burst out when she went to the police station to complain about her in-laws behavior toward her. The female police officer went to Kanchi’s house .They fully supported Kanchi and were about to arrest her mother-in-law in front of the village. But kanchi insisted not to take her to jail as her mother in law was begging for excuses and seemed like that she realized her mistake.’

These days Kanchi is seen working as a woman right activist in her village. With her leadership she formed a woman social organization that works for women rights and violence against woman.