Story Of A Brave Girl

Neetu is a very lively and cheerful girl. Laughing seems to be part of her nature since childhood. In every situation she finds a reason to smile or make a joke. Making others laugh has almost become her habit. That is why people in the office call her “Smiling Neetu.”

From the sweeper and gardener to the senior officers in the office—whenever Neetu enters the workplace, she greets everyone with a big smile. In return, everyone smiles back warmly. If Neetu is on leave, the office feels strangely silent and joyless. Everyone continues working, but nobody laughs. It is as if everyone waits for Neetu’s smiling face to appear.

She is loved by everyone. Many employees in the office treat Neetu with even more affection than their own sisters. During the festival of Raksha Bandhan, Neetu ties Rakhi on the wrists of many colleagues.

However, some girls in the department feel jealous of her. Behind her back they criticize her. They say, “She jumps around too much, laughing everywhere as if nobody understands. We know very well where and how much she laughs.”

At home, Neetu is the eldest child, followed by her younger brother Nihar, who studies in the ninth grade. It has been about two years since Neetu started her professional career. She passed her B.Com with first class. Her career also started with a first-class achievement as she got a good job. She thought she would continue her studies along with the job and started preparing for the CA examination.

Neetu is a very talented girl.

Her father runs a small snack stall near the bus stand in their village. After getting the job, Neetu once told her father:

"Papa, now you don’t need to worry. I will save money from my salary. Very soon you will open a big hotel."

Her father thought silently in his heart:

"This girl has truly been born as a blessing for me."

Smiling, he replied:

"You have just started your job. Take care of yourself. I don’t need your money. Live happily and enjoy life. My small stall is good enough for me."

---

Everything was going well…

But for the past few months, Neetu had begun to look very busy and disturbed. She felt suffocated and heavy thinking about her situation. Fear had slowly begun to creep into her mind.

She started feeling that Mr. Atharv had begun looking at her in a strange way.

At first, she didn’t understand it. Earlier, Atharv sir used to casually give a friendly high-five while joking around. But now he started coming out of his cabin again and again and wandering around Neetu’s cubicle.

Atharv sir was Neetu’s manager.

He liked Neetu very much—or rather, he had started liking her too much.

Neetu never tried to interpret it that way because she was extremely hardworking. Whatever task Atharv sir assigned, she completed it even before the deadline.

But for some time now, Atharv sir had started sending late-night WhatsApp messages to Neetu.

The messages were written in a joking tone but lacked decency. At first Neetu read them and replied politely. But gradually the number of messages and videos started increasing.

Neetu wanted to stop it, but she could not do anything. Since he was her manager, she could not even block his number.

The next day Atharv sir would ask:

"How did you like the video?"

Neetu would ignore the question as if she had not heard it.

Slowly Neetu began to feel helpless. She did not know what to do.

Meanwhile, Atharv sir had invited Neetu several times to go out with him. Neetu refused each time with different excuses.

---

The Birthday Incident

On Neetu’s birthday in the office, while cutting the cake, Atharv sir suddenly smeared cake on her cheek.

Neetu did not like this at all. Her face turned red with anger and she walked away from there.

Seeing her anger, Atharv sir stayed away from her for a few days.

But a person cannot easily escape his own tendencies.

Last week, during lunch hour—

Most of the office staff had gone to the canteen for lunch. Neetu was so absorbed in work that she forgot to eat.

Atharv sir quietly came behind her, placed both his hands on her shoulders and said:

"Madam, how long will you keep working? Go and have your lunch."

---

Neetu’s Courage

Now Neetu’s patience broke.

Her blood started boiling. She jumped up from her chair and shouted loudly:

"Please sir! Stay away from such cheap behavior. Do you think I don’t understand anything? Do you think I am a small child? Who gave you the permission to touch my body?"

She continued shouting.

"Sir, you have a wife and an eight-year-old daughter at home. If in your absence a stranger comes and places his hands on your wife’s shoulders from behind, would you allow that?"

"I wanted to stop you for a long time, but not anymore. Your behavior towards me at the workplace is a violation of a woman’s fundamental rights."

"You are an educated person. You must know about the PoSH Act."

"Right now I will go to our company’s PoSH Committee and file a complaint against you."

"I have tolerated enough. I will not allow this pain to grow inside me anymore."

---

Fear and Realization

Atharv sir was terrified.

Out of fear and shame, he fell at Neetu’s feet.

Crying, he said:

"Please Neetu, don’t do this. My respect and reputation will be destroyed. Once I become an accused person, no company will give me a job. My wife and children will end up begging on the streets."

"Please Neetu… my eyes are opened now. In a wrong moment of impulse I kept doing all this. I have made a huge mistake and it is not even worthy of forgiveness."

"Please don’t file a complaint. I am begging you."

"Tomorrow itself I will resign from this company voluntarily. I will never be able to face you if I continue working here."

"Please…"

---

That day there was no smile on the face of Smiling Neetu.

Seeing Neetu’s fierce anger, Atharv sir was completely shaken.

Neetu had only one reply:

"Just get away from me… otherwise whatever little respect you still have will also be lost."

No one else in the office ever came to know what exactly happened between Neetu and Atharv sir that day.

Within a week, Atharv sir resigned from the company, saying he had found a job in another organization, and left.

Because of Neetu’s small act of compassion, one family was saved from being destroyed.

But are all those men who behave this way with their subordinate or colleague women employees at the workplace not a stigma on society?

The decision is yours…

© Balaram Barik