A Forbidden Nightingale

Saumya is the nightingale of her family. Her sweet voice and deep understanding of music are discovered by her parents very early. She is thus provided with the best training; and since the age of six, she has been winning prestigious singing competitions with her startling performances.

The surprise element is that in her family she is the only one who is gifted with such a talent. All are charted accountants and so, instead of practising musical notes, they're more interested in managing currency notes. 

Saumya is now a teenager. She is sure there must be someone in the past generations whose talent is transmitted to her. She decides to find the origin of her singing ability. Every year during Diwali she visits her hometown. In the ancestral house, extended families of both her parents gather together. This Diwali, she insists her paternal great grandmother show an old family album. 

She is ecstatic to travel past. All the historical moments are captured in black and white photos. Tradition, culture, and the fashion of an ancient India amaze her. She belongs to a rich zamindar family. In one family photograph, she notices a young girl who is later not seen in any of the pictures. She asks about her. Her great-grandmother narrates the tale of that girl Sujata.

Sujata was the only sister of her great-great-grandfather. She was extremely beautiful and could sing religious songs very melodiously. At the age of nine, she was married to an orthodox family where women were meant to stay at home to serve and rear children. She too was treated like other married women and by the age of fifteen became the mother of three children. 

After independence in one of the family functions, she sang a patriotic song that enthralled the audience. None knew how she got a chance to be a playback singer in Hindi movies. Her father-in-law was very strict and he denied the offer. After the incident, she was ordered never to sing any song. It was 1948. She rebelled and left the house. Her decision didn’t go in favour of her. She was disowned by her own parents and in-laws. There was no connection between the families. Her children were not sent to meet maternal grandparents. Her husband remarried and then she was not remembered by anyone.

She once visited her parent’s home when got the news that her father was at the death bed. She sat beside him. He held her hand and asked how she was doing. She didn’t answer because it was impossible for her to forget how he had slammed the door on her face when she was in need of his support. Even her mother denied any help. She cried and pleaded but none opened the door. One of their neighbours helped her secretly because she had done a sin. Leaving family and small children to pursue a dream by a lady was beyond imagination. 

Her father asked again. She replied, “I have learned to live alone happily, without any expectation from the people around me. I have found a goal in my life.” 

Her father didn’t bless her with a bright future. Instead, he expressed his last wish that she should return to her husband and children. He assured her that they would forgive her and give her the respect of a daughter-in-law. He died. After his death, there was a huge psychological pressure on her to honour her father’s last wish. She agreed and was ready to sacrifice her dreams. She tried to keep his last wish by talking to her husband who was there to attend the funeral of her father. He plainly rejected her existence as his wife and proclaimed she was dead for him. He threatened her not to interfere in his life as he had moved on. 

She realized it was of no worth as nobody in her in-laws’ house would give her respect and further, it was impossible to live with the second wife of her husband. She couldn’t destroy her life to fulfil the unrealistic and emotional desire of her late father. 

She then never looked back. She changed her name and sang songs as Sargam and became a very popular singer. She shifted to Mumbai, and earned a reputation, and money but was never welcomed by her family. Her life's chapter was closed at the age of thirty. She died of cancer. During her last days, she was alone without any love and care from family. She never married again. Her own children had faded memories of her because they were very small when she had left them. She was dead for them. Therefore, in her will, she donated her property to charitable organizations. Her apartment was turned into a museum by the government as none of her family came to claim her property. 

Saumya is so glad to get the source of her talent. She googles Sargam - an Indian singer. She leaps with joy when finds that she is a descendant of an achiever of the national film award for the best female singer. As Sujata is considered dead by both the families, her biggest achievement is also not known to anyone in her family. Saumya shows Sargam’s photographs to her grandparents and they recognize it is Sujata, the daughter of their family. Saumya with pride posts on her social media platforms about her connection with Sujata or Sargam. She is her great-granddaughter. 

Saumya’s parents are proud of their daughter as she has discovered the glorious unknown past of their family. What can be a better use of digital platforms than this? A courageous rebel Sujata is inspiring once again 21st-century women to follow their dreams and not to fear facing challenges. Saumya’s post gains a great response. Many people share stories of the veteran singer that they have heard from their grandparents. Some fans post news articles written on Sargam. Sujata or Sargam begins to trend again on social media. Her songs are being played on radio, FM, and television. Saumya is requested to sing Sargam’s songs at her live concerts.  

One fine morning, Saumya gets a message from an elderly person who introduces himself as a grandson of Sujata. He wishes to meet her. She informs her father and after fifty years, both the families reunite. He blesses Saumya for her incredible work. In memory of Sujata, they begin a singing talent competition. They visit Sujata’s apartment and place the latest photograph of the family to show the world Sujata is no more forbidden.