AN UNCONVENTIONAL LOVE

Meeta is the fifth child of a less privileged couple. In want of a son, her mother is impregnated again and again and two years after Meeta's birth, a son is born. In her lower-middle-class family, from the age of three, the girls are trained to be experts in household errands and learn the manners and good habits for being perfect homemakers. Their father, who is orthodox and rigid, believes that education till matriculation is enough for his daughters so that they can live life smoothly. 

The girls go to a government-granted girl’s school in the nearby locality. They know well that if any one of them fails, her schooling will be stopped. Meeta's elder sisters have never taken their studies seriously and so, are dropped from school before completing the matriculation. They get busy with domestic tasks because their mother is too weak to manage the house. Meeta is luckily intelligent and has enough time to study because she is never expected to do the household chores. So, she easily completes her secondary education.

By the completion of Meeta’s matriculation, her two elder sisters are married to families where people are not orthodox and live life happily. The new environment changes their perspective and they convince their father to continue Meeta's education. She joins a girl’s college where the professors are all females. In college, she exercises her freedom to act and express herself. She is chirpy, smart, humorous, and very attractive. Her tall, slim stature, beautiful cajoled eyes, and traditional outfits enhance her feminism. She soon becomes the star of the college. 

A month later, Monica, who hails from a metro city, joins the college. She is Meeta’s classmate. What a personality Monica has! She is ultra-modern. She carries an attitude. Her short hair and western attire suit her daring personality. Within a month, she becomes the class representative and a strong voice for the students’ rights. Through her social media accounts, she addresses the problems and provides solutions.

Outside the college premises, some local goons daily harass the new students. Their nuisance is ignored by the college administration for fear of getting declared unsafe for the students. The students are also scared to complain against them to the parents and the police for being misjudged. It is rightly said, nothing lasts for long. One morning, the rogues encircle Monica. They misbehave with her and pass lewd remarks. She keeps herself calm and enters the college quickly and safely. The rogues celebrate as if it is their victory. 

The next day, Monica is again targeted. However, within five minutes a police jeep appears and the miscreants are caught red-handed. Monica has lodged FIR against them by showing WhatsApp chats of the earlier victims and on the basis of those chats, the police decide to teach them a lesson. Nobody before has complained so the police also can’t take action against them. Two female constables are deployed permanently at the entrance of the college to protect the girls.  

Since the incident, Monica has become every girl’s role model, a heroic figure. Meeta comes from a family where the women need a constant presence of men to get protected. Monica has proved with her wit and courage that every wrongdoer can be given a befitting reply by anyone irrespective of gender. Women are self-reliant, self–progressed, and self- protectors. Meeta feels a strong pull toward Monica. Soon, she understands that she is romantically attracted to her role model. 

On Meeta’s birthday, along with other classmates, Monica is also invited to Meeta's home. She gladly interacts with Meeta’s sisters. She says, being the only child of her parents, she always misses sibling -love. She feels blessed that she is a girl. She cites numerous examples of renowned women achievers and declares that someday she will also be one among them.

Meeta’s parents are speechless. They have never met such a vibrant, brave, and goal-oriented girl. They are happy that Meeta has invited her to the home. For Meeta’s father, women always belong to a weaker section and so are meant to be subjugated. He congratulates Monica for being the decision-maker in her life. He says, “I want my daughters to be courageous and progressive-minded like you.” 

Meeta is glad that her father is no more rigid in accepting women's empowerment. That evening, she is confirmed that she has fallen madly in love with Monica. Knowing well that her one-sided first love for the same gender is destined to remain untold forever, she decides to cherish her unconventional love.