The Bitter Sugarcane

Ankita, have you completed writing the pilot episode? The Digital TV Network is asking for it asap. Shravan asked his teammate.

Ankita has given him a script and he started reading it.

        *** Pilot Script Draft***

Lakshmi, are you okay? If you want to leave let me know. Sandhya asked as she cares for her housemaid's health. 

Sandhya often observes the hard work done by Lakshmi as a housemaid in their apartment. Having a good housemaid in this Pune area is a great relief for couples who work. 

Lakshmi is in her thirties and works in Sandhya's home and in Mishra's home which is on the same floor.

She comes at 5 AM every day and starts washing dishes and preparing breakfast and lunch. After Sandhya and her husband leave for the office she cleans the hall and arranges everything for Sandhya's mother-in-law. 

After completing work in Sandhya's home She will work in the Mishra's house where the old age couple lives.

Lakshmi's husband drives auto in the busiest areas of Pune. Their children are studying in a school which is maintained by an NGO.

One Saturday afternoon Lakshmi accompanied Sandhya for grocery shopping. Weekends are so relaxing for Sandhya as there won't be office work.

After completing the grocery shopping both of them came to a roadside. Sandhya looks at the Sugarcane juice shop and goes there and Lakshmi follows her. She says to the owner to prepare two glasses of Sugarcane juice with nimbu and adhrak. Lakshmi refused to take the juice.

What happened? Accha hai. Sandhya drank some juice and signaled Lakshmi to drink. नहीं दीदी ये कड़वा लगता है Lakshmi said her concern.

Even though Sandhya is younger than her, Lakshmi always calls her an elder sister because of the caring she shows on Lakshmi.

As some months passed, Sandhya's Mother-in-law asked her something about Lakshmi.

Sandhya and Lakshmi went shopping and Sandhya said to comfort themselves in the park for a few minutes.

Lakshmi, Mummyji asked me to give you leave for three days every month. She doesn't like women working during periods.

Didi, जरूरत नहीं। मुझे ऐसा कोई दिक्कत नहीं। प्लीज दीदी. Lakshmi touched Sandhya's hands to express her concern.

Lakshmi's eyes get moist and she started saying her story. To avoid the wage cut in Sugarcane cutting work, most of the women in her community had gone through surgery to remove the uterus. After hysterectomy, they might face hormonal imbalance, calcium deficiency and constant body ache etc.

When Lakshmi got help through an NGO to get her children educated in a good school they left for Pune with the help of that organization.

Sandhya listened to her story and her eyes failed to hide tears. She understood why Lakshmi said sugarcane juice is bitter.

Didi, no periods. Only work. Lakshmi laughed sarcastically and cried heavily by remembering her past.

I am sorry, Sandhya hugged her and consoled.

The sunset looked like a removed uterus from the earth's womb to her eyes.

                . .***

After reading the script, Shravan took a deep breath to avoid crying.

Ankita, do you think the Network approves this pilot?

I mean it's so delicate issue to address in a fictional program. Shravan brought up the concern.

Let us try once. I have a steamy romance show as a backup. She convinced Shravan to prepare the dialogues for the pilot episode.

Shravan knows there is no backup script and he believed in Ankita's decision.