Fenced Dreams

The last rays of sun rested on her cheeks. There she sat, counting the waves for the umpteenth time. Waves washed her anklets, whose funeral had to be done. The last clinking of her ‘Nupur’ was heard. The sound broke her thread of thought.

Daisy, the second child of a traditional Christian family in a small village in Kerala. Her family was the only Christian family in her village. Paddy fields, rivers, ponds, temples, Sarpa Kavu (traditional sacred space of snakes) etc. were the sights that nurtured her eyes. In particular, she was attracted to the rituals and the art of the Hindu Temples. The more she saw, the more was her desire to learn those arts. At the age of six, she started to learn Bharatanatyam, under the great Guru Sri Gopala Swami. Thus the world of dance opened before her. She was more interested to learn the stories of lords from Mahabharata, Ramayana etc.

The day had come. The day she awaited for so long. It was her Arangettam, the first time she performed, with all costumes in front of an audience, more over in front of Lord Shiva. She was just 10 years old and little daisy was overwhelmed with joy, to be heard as a dancer for the first time. When the mridangam, ghatam, violin… all started to shower the rain of sound. Her heart started pounding, but suddenly all her excitements washed away. While introducing her, they deliberately made her name ‘Krishna Veni’. Because it was a temple. And because she was a Christian. This made her heart heavy as lead. But it was her motivation to pursue her career as a dancer.

Daisy became a well-known dancer. Her anklet was her best companion. She became Lord Krishna, Lord Shiva, Saraswati, Lakshmi and what not. Dance makes you whatever you want to be. Once you have a glimpse of that world, your mind can never come back. But there is always someone to put a fence around a women’s dream.

Being in a traditional Christian family, nobody was there for her support. All she had was her parents. All her relatives made fun of over. Stamped her as an “aattakkari”, one who dances in street for living. But nothing daunted her ever till then.

Why can’t a woman have a life for herself? From birth to death, she has to live for someone else. She has to do the so-called ‘right things’ in a society. If not, her name is tarnished for ever. She has to live in fear for ever. She has to negotiate what is right for others, before doing anything. This was the society that surrounded Daisy. The day a knot was tied on her neck, all her dreams vanishes away. For Daisy, that day was today. There she sits, for the funeral of her anklet. She is getting married to a man who wants to take her to America. Rich family… Traditional Christians…. What else is needed for match making??

The ‘dream’ she could die for, is breathing its last breath…