The Doll

As soon as Saniya saw Radha holding her daughter Alia’s doll, she snatched it away from Radha and said to her maid Pushpa,
“Arrey Pushpa, why do you bring your daughter along? She keeps dirtying Alia’s expensive dolls every day.”

Pushpa replied,
“What can I do, madam? I can’t leave her alone at home. She’s small. I tell her not to take the doll, but she still picks it up.”

Then, in anger, Pushpa slapped her daughter Radha and said,
“Radha, learn to stay within your limits. We are poor people. I’ll make you a doll out of cloth.”

Radha began to cry. Seeing her cry, Alia ran to her and gave her the doll. But Alia’s mother Saniya didn’t like this. She scolded Alia and snatched the doll back from Radha’s hands.

Saniya scolded Alia:
“Alia, how many times have I told you? Your toys are very expensive. Why do you give them to her? She makes them dirty!”

“But Mama, she is my friend.”

“Keep quiet, Alia. Go and put this doll inside.”

Hearing this, Alia got scared and went inside.

That day, while going home, Pushpa was very sad and angry. Saniya’s behavior kept reminding her of her poverty and Saniya’s arrogance. Still, she could do nothing. The salary was good, so she swallowed her pain silently. Pushpa couldn’t calm her anger quickly. If it weren’t for her compulsion, she would have quit the job. But she could at least take leave to avenge her insult.

The next day, saying “I am sick,” Pushpa took three days off. Saniya too became troubled by Pushpa’s absence. Pushpa worked very well and was honest, so Saniya couldn’t dismiss her. Pushpa was Saniya’s necessity, and Saniya’s money was Pushpa’s necessity.

On the fourth day, Pushpa returned to work with her daughter Radha. Seeing Radha, Alia became very happy, and both started playing together.

After a while, as soon as Saniya came there, she saw the doll in Radha’s hands. Her anger shot up to the skies. She couldn’t control herself. She scolded Radha and snatched the doll from her hands, saying,
“Radha, don’t you understand? How many times have I forbidden you? Why do you keep taking her doll again and again?”

Seeing Saniya’s behavior, Radha got scared and began crying loudly. Hearing her daughter’s cries, Pushpa rushed in. Witnessing Saniya’s mistreatment, she picked up her daughter and walked straight out of the house.

Seeing them leave, Saniya panicked and called out,
“Pushpa, stop!”

But Pushpa didn’t stop. As soon as they left, Alia said to her mother,
“Mama, why did you scold Radha today? Why did you snatch the doll?”

Saniya, still angry, said,
“Alia, that is your doll. We buy it for you, not for her. Understand?”

“But Mama, today that doll was Radha’s. Her mother had bought it for her. Then why did you snatch it? I was playing with her doll, but Pushpa aunty didn’t snatch it from me.”

✍️ Written by Ratna Pandey, Vadodara (Gujarat)