Devi's Love

In a small village of Rajasthan, there once lived a girl named Devi. As a kid, Devi loved just one thing: playing. She would play all day long; climbing the trees, running in the fields, singing in front of the scarecrows, stealing fruits from farms, and whatnot. Devi's parents said, "You are a girl, play with dolls and kitchen sets. Stop wandering in the village. What will people say? You have to go to your husband's house; learn to cook, clean, and do other household chores."

Devi grew up listening to her parent's idea of adulthood and soon she started believing that the ultimate goal of her life was to get married. When she turned 18, her parents fixed her marriage to a man named Magan. They said, "Devi, we have met Magan, he will shower you with all the love and happiness. Next month, on an auspicious day, you will marry him. Just remember that, from now, our honor is in your hands; if you behave well, your new family will appreciate us; otherwise, they will blame our upbringing."

Devi suddenly felt a huge burden of responsibility on her delicate shoulders. Her heart wanted to experience Magan's love but she didn't want to go to a new house or have new parents.

Nevertheless, Devi and Magan got married.

For the first few months, Devi tried building a connection with Magan. She cooked his favorite food, gifted him various things, and loved him more than anything. But Magan never reciprocated. He would just lash out at Devi saying, "Devi, stop behaving like a kid and gifting me these stupid things, instead, focus on household chores; yesterday's dinner was terrible, has your mother not taught you anything?" Initially, Devi thought Magan didn't love her because she was unable to keep up with his expectations. But later, she realized that even after doing everything perfectly, Magan always had something to nag about.

Slowly, Devi's dream of receiving Magan's love started fading. She told herself, "Love or no love. The truth is that I have to spend my entire life with Magan and his family. It's better if I keep my emotions aside and continue adjusting and compromising. Maybe this is how every married woman's life is."

And for years, Devi did just that. She buried all her emotions and kept working for Magan without expecting anything in return.

One day, Devi fell terribly sick. She used to fall sick occasionally but this time, she felt sick to the heart. Magan saw her shivering and said, "My god, you're sick again. I think you just want sympathy, no one falls sick this often. Stop this drama and cook something for me. I am starving."

Shaking and trembling, Devi got up and went to the kitchen while Magan watched the TV. With tears in her eyes, Devi thought, "It's fine if Magan doesn't love me but does he not have humanity? My body is crying in pain and all he cares about is food. I can't take this dishonor anymore. My sadness and helplessness is affecting my health. Only I can help myself." Wiping her tears, Devi told herself, "To hell with everyone else's love, because from this moment, I am going to follow my heart and shower myself with all the love in the world."

With that in mind, from the next day on, Devi started doing all the things she loved. Every morning she would go to the fields, sing for hours in front of the scarecrow, come home, cook her favorite food, eat before everyone else and enjoy every second of her life.

Devi's mental and physical health started getting better and a new Devi emerged. But one day, some people came to Magan's house and one by one they said, "Magan bhai, there is something wrong with Devi, yesterday, I saw her running in my fields", "Yes, she just sits on my farm and stares at the sky for hours", "Oh, that's nothing, two days back, I saw her talking to the scarecrow", "Magan Seth, we think Devi is possessed by some demon", "Yes, yes she is possessed, we suggest you call the Bhopas and get her demon removed."

Magan had also observed the change in Devi's behavior. She was always happy and hadn't even fallen sick in the last few weeks. This was unusual for him so he decided to get Bhopas' help.

The Bhopas and Bhopis are a group of priest-singers in Rajasthan who are invited by the villagers to perform songs during times of sickness and misfortune.

The next day, the group arrived at Magan's place, they sat in a circle surrounding Devi and started singing. Devi understood what was happening but she loved music. When the singing got intense, Devi got lost in one of the lady's Bhopi's voices. Her voice was so melodious that it could frighten away any illness. Devi started humming with Bhopi's voice. She hummed and in a while started singing along with her.

And, when Devi sang, everyone including, Magan, the villagers, and the Bhopa community stood up in silence. When Devi stopped, the Bhopa leader, with folded hands said, "I have never heard anyone sing this beautifully and perfectly in my life. Devi, you are not possessed but blessed. The very Devi Sarasvati resides in your throat. Everyone is a fool to have not recognized your talent."

Devi replied, "It's not their fault Bhopaji, in India women are called Devi just for the sake of it. We are not respected, valued, or loved because we don't respect, value, and love ourselves. First, we love our parents, then our husbands, and then the kids. We keep giving an ocean full of love to everyone and in return, we get just a glass full of love back. And when one woman in a hundred gives herself the ocean full of love that she deserves, society tags her as possessed, characterless or insane. Do you know Bhopaji, every morning, a group of old men play volleyball in the fields? I wonder why women of the same age sit inside the house and just gossip? Today, I want to tell every woman present here to play, relive her childhood, do the things she loves, and get immersed in her art. And to society, I just want to request to stop emotionally killing women under depressing traditions and beliefs. Let her talent and art bring you honor, instead of her sacrifices."

And, from that day on, everyone started knowing Devi for two things: her playful spirit and her singing. She gave singing lessons to little girls in the village, attended the most prestigious music and sports festivals of India, and above everything else, inspired the women of her village to love and prioritize themselves. 

Devi's Love for herself and her art was the only love she ever needed.