And She Has Saved- VI

“Do you enjoy your dance class, Mauli”?Madhavi asked. “Yes, very much, Thank You, Mummy for allowing me to join dance along with my colony-friends.“

Six-year old Mauli is returning from ‘Kajal Dance Class’, where ten to twelve children of her age are learning classical form of dance from Kajal mam. Madhavi allowed Mauli to go to Kajal's home for two reasons. First her home is just ten meters far from her home in the same colony and secondly she considers dance as the best exercise to remain fit and flexible. And most importantly, Madhavi is acquainted very well with Kajal since she shifted in this colony three years back. Kajal lives here with her husband, two small kids and her sixty- eight-year old father-in-law, who is a retired banker and stays at home almost the whole day. For security purpose, Madhavi is satisfied with her decision to let her daughter to join Kajal Dance Class.

Kajal has been a national level classical dance performer. Besides, she has been awarded with many prizes before her marriage. She is a mother of two children. So she can’t go out for the job leaving them at home. To sustain her talent (dance) live and productive, she decided to run dance class at own home under the guardianship of her father-in-law She teaches the children at evening time in the hall, the central part of her home on the first floor. Her father-in-law’s room is just adjacent to the hall on the same floor.

Whenever Mauli comes back home from dance class, she immediately begins to practice the recent taught dance steps on loud music. She also calls her mother to see her steps and appreciate too. Madhavi grins while clapping and then gets engaged in dinner preparation.

Today, Madhavi noticed that there is no loud music but Mauli is busy to do practice something unusual. “Oh my child, what type of dance step you are trying to learn here.” “ Oh Mummy, you are so innocent. You even don’t know to differentiate between dance and yoga.

“But…Yoga?” Madhavi was really surprised to listen this. Then reading puzzled face of mother, Mauli made clear that after dance class, our white uncle (children calls Kajal’s father-in-law as white uncle due to his white hair) teaches us yoga postures in his room. Kajal mam says that yoga helps us to shape, support and strengthen our body, that is must for a perfect dance.” “Oh! I see.” MAdhavi got assured.

After some days Mauli shared with her mother with pride that she has been the most deserving child among other children to learn yoga according to white uncle so that he now teaches only to her after daily dance class in his own room. That time, Kajal goes upstairs to take rest as she knows after learning yoga Mauli would return home by herself.

Since the last week, Mauli kept telling her mother that sometimes she feels pains, sometimes irritation and sometimes uneasiness while being taught yoga by white uncle. Madhavi persuaded her softly that yoga is a hard kind of physical exercise. This is your beginning phase. For you might be feeling uncomfortable. Don’t worry. He is a senior yoga trainer and after all, he is like your grandfather. If you persevere yoga from childhood, you will be a physically strong and swift girl once you grow up.” Surprisingly, Mauli kept silent and did no argument.

Today is gazetted holiday. Madhavi is sitting at ease and watching Television. Mauli went for dance class and special yoga session. So she would be late. There is a  live show on ‘women’s security’. Various experts’ from diverse sectors are suggesting safety measures to protect our daughters in the prevailing social system.

‘Good touch and bad touch ‘ must be told to all small girls who are innocent towards the dirty mindset of the society . Especially this is the duty of a mother who makes aware to their daughters with lascivious smile, hug, kiss, caress, squeeze, rub, lick like touching acts.

Listening to all these Madhavi, out of sudden, shocked and recalled Mauli’s description regarding his while uncle’ touching techniques.

She quickly glanced at the wall clock and literally rushed to Kajal’s home. Thinking all negative thoughts and praying to God, she reached there. She pressed door bell repeatedly, no response came. She is now highly strung. Then Madhavi phoned her husband, police and Kajal. All reached there within thirty minutes. Police forcefully opened the door. They found that the retired old man was trying to open the bathroom door. Mauli was in bathroom and she was screaming behind the door, ”please don’t touch me uncle. Please let me go. I will tell my mummy-papa and definitely they will punish you. You are very bad uncle.”

Madhavi immediately opened bathroom door and hugged her child tightly, who was badly perspired and bemoan fully explained how uncle used to touch her in the name of yoga. Today he wanted to do more than touch (bad) that seemed very horrible and terrible to her. When he was coming closer to her she became badly frightened and then she ran to the bathroom and locked her behind the door.

In the meantime, police caught red-handed that retired banker and surprisingly captured many pornography videos, books and magazines from his room.

Now Madhavi is crying and thinking how she can leave her beloved child to any stranger male, how she can listen to her innocent child so casually and carelessly and how she can assume that every surrounding person would be as affectionate as a parent. But any way Mauli has been saved.