The Priceless Rakhi

Kinjal was very happy today. From the early morning, she was busy making Rakhi. It is after three years that she was to tie a Rakhi to his brother Hitesh. Four years before Hitesh had left for study to another town, after getting the Rakhi tied by her sister. Kinjal used to send Rakhi to her brother with love. Today when he was returning back after getting a respectable job, tears came into the eyes of Kinjal hearing the news of his coming. She hurriedly finished her daily routine. She prepared food for in-laws and proceeded to her parental house to tie Rakhi to her brother Hitesh.

All along the journey, she was reminiscing her childhood days. How both the brother and sister spent their time talking, sitting under a mango tree in a garden. Being elder Kinjal took all care for Hitesh like an elder sister. One day the brother and sister were playing in the garden.

“Sister you always help me to climb the tree holding me on your shoulder. Today I will climb the tree after you”.

“No, No Hitu dear. If I climb first who will help you to climb. You are still too young and will not be able to climb by yourself”.

“No sister I have grown up. See how tall I am. I shall climb later. You better climb sister.”

"Ok, my dear brother… but take care while climbing.”

Kinjal was not interested to annoy her younger brother. She climbed the tree first. But just when Hitesh was climbing the tree, he slipped off and fell down badly. He got hit on his head and was bleeding profusely. Kinjal got scared. She got down hurriedly and took care of her brother. But how can Kinjal lift a six-year-old boy? She left him there and ran for help. Kinjal's father reached there and took Hitesh to the hospital. Hitesh had lost a lot of blood. The doctor told that to save him blood transfusion was required.Being sick, the father of Hitesh was not in a position to give blood. The blood of the mother was not matching with that of Hitesh. Seeing this Kinjal came forward and offered to give her blood to the brother. Kinjal was just eleven years old. But seeing the circumstances doctor transfused the blood of Kinjal to Hitesh. In a short while, all members of the family reached the hospital. When the grandmother of Hitesh saw the blood of Kinjal being transfused to Hitesh, she shouted in anger.

What was is the necessity for using the blood of the wretched girl for her loving grandchild. My grandson is in such a condition only because of her. Firstly it is not clear to which family she belonged since her mother shamelessly got married to my son and this wretched girl came to us as a dowry.

“Keep silent Amma. Is it a place to talk all these? After all, Kinjal is the sister of Hitesh”.

“ Not sister, step-sister. I don’t know at which time you got married to her. You did not even think that she was the mother of a daughter. You were impetuous so under the spell of a devil you had no hesitation even to marry a widow. My God, What effect will the blood have on my dear grandson?

That was the first day when Kinjal could know that she was the stepdaughter of her father and stepsister of Hitesh. Father of Hitesh married Kinjal’s widow mother even after knowing that she was the mother of a daughter. Then after the death of Kinjal’s mother, her stepfather got married again. Hitesh was his own son through this marriage.

After knowing the fact, the eleven-year-old Kinjal held herself responsible for the condition of Hitesh. By the time Hitesh got his senses, Kinjal had decided not to put her brother Hitesh in any more trouble from then on. .She wanted to be with him like his shadow all the time. Time passed by.

Kinjal’s father died of sickness. The condition of the house got worsened. Kinjal looked after Hitesh from the age of fifteen leaving her studies and taking up the work of tailoring. She worked hard to educate Hitesh and made him so responsible that along with his study he could earn by doing small jobs to assist her sister in her work. The journey of two hours fled away in the thoughts of their past childhood with mutual love. Kinjal had reached her brother Hitesh. Kinjal's eyes were filled with tears seeing Hitesh. There was a strange relationship which bonded them together even without blood relationship. Kinjal made her brother sit on a chair. On a plate of Rakhi, there was rice, vermilion, and the most delicious halwa which her brother liked made by herself. Seeing this Hitesh grandmother told,” What a cheap Rakhi of thread for my precious grandson?”

“Ok, Amma, before you say anything, let me say that I like this Rakhi very much. Even otherwise whatever my dear sister brings for me, everything is with pure love. For me, nothing is greater than her blessings, love, and oneness. This Rakhi made of thread is quite precious for me. Because the thread of Rakhi is neither cheap nor impure but always precious.

Hearing Hitesh talk with such emotion surprised Kinjal who kept looking at him and even tried to study him. Hitesh sat by the side of his sister’s legs and said,” Sister I do not want to hurt your feelings by these words. This word has remained in my mind from the time I was not knowing its meaning. The day when I fell from the tree and became unconscious I got my consciousness in the hospital when I heard those words for the first time. By my growing age, I could see the fear in you. I could not understand the reason for your fear. For my upbringing and education, you have sacrificed by working hard and remaining hungry. For the sake of my study, you had to marry a man who was no match for you as he asked for no dowry. You always sacrificed your wishes, status, and happiness. I would not have known this bitter fact had I not heard the talk between your husband and my mother on the day of your marriage...My mother arranged your marriage with an elderly man to save dowry... But however bitter the truth may be that we are stepbrother and sister still the truth is that we have the same blood. It is a matter of great concern for me to have in my veins the blood of my ideal sister. Even if I wash your feet for the whole lifetime and drink it, I may not be able to repay your debt. Sister, there is nothing more dear to me than the lovely and precious relationship".

THE END 

अनमोलराखी 

https://storymirror.com/read/story/hindi/1g2gn584/anmol-raakhii/detail

★★★★★ 

© Manpreet Makhija

 

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