Indira Mishra

Inspirational Tragedy

4.3  

Indira Mishra

Inspirational Tragedy

Undefeated Woman

Undefeated Woman

12 mins
406


Pratyusha Khuntia as usual is lying on the hospital bed. She has come for the gynaec checkup, every month she used to come for the regular checkup; she is under the supervision of expert gynecologists ‘Bidyadhara Panda’ and ‘Dr Prakash Tripathy’, Odisha’s famous doctors. Pratyusha has been fed up with the attitude of his husband Pratap khuntia. Pratap insisted to have a child at any rate, somehow Pratyusha has to deliver a child from her uterus, her own blood who will carry on her dynasty, as Pratap hates the word unfit father, who is unable to make her wife conceive in negative remark, not at any cost he will lose his dignity, he cannot tolerate such humiliation so he insisted her wife to be injected with other man’s sperm. If possible, he would like to go for the test tube baby somehow, he wants his ancestral symbol or carrier, in lieu of his own blood, but from the blood, uterus of his wife. Pratyusha has been tired of going for checkup and checkup but in vain, she has not conceived yet.


Suddenly the beautiful fair nurse reached there, she had worn very small skirt looking pretty and smart, exposing her white legs, she said, mockingly ‘sir that pregnant lady is shouting, she cannot bear the delivery pain, she is in labor room asking for the anesthesia for immediate relief of her labor pain, she wants to be released from delivery pain. She wants to deliver her baby quickly, wants to be relaxed, then she is shouting for the cesarean child, tell me, what should I do. Shall I give her anesthesia???’ Doctor panda shouted at that lady, he said, ‘why? Why do they think maternity home as cow shed? Whenever they want they will deliver the child. Strange women are coming for delivery non sense, so ridiculous never, never will we give injection dose, anesthesia, the women must bear with labor pain to deliver her child, no escape, no excuse, they are not doing family planning operation neither are following any precaution, ignorant people ,no idea about ‘cupper T’, condoms nor about oral pills, just delivering their children as dogs and cats deliver every year three times’, then both the doctors laughed loudly.


Doctor Tripathy got a chance to criticize too on pregnancy or family planning, he said, ‘yes while doing the sex they are not aware of the family planning consequences, these people must get a lesson they must suffer for their negligence and ignorance, they will bear with the delivery pain, will not be admitted to labor room, delivery room till the fetus turns his head down to come to the earth from his mother’s womb. She will undergo normal delivery without stitches, then only they will be alert of delivery pain or will never be happy to be pregnant next year, shameless parents are not aware of family planning’.


Beautiful smart nurse started laughing loudly ‘ha ha ha’ as if she is not a female, cannot know the misery, helplessness of a woman. Instead of helping that lady, she started enjoying her delivery, labor pain. Pratyusha ‘s mind also filled with sympathy for that woman, she also hated the rough and rude comments of the doctors, she cursed to god, ‘oh god see, who does not want a child you are giving her the boon, blessing to be the mother, many poor women are blessed with children whereas, I want child but for your curse, I cannot be blessed with a child, I want only one child, but not getting’. Doctors dragged the screen.


They assured pratyusha ‘madam, do not worry this time you will definitely be blessed with a child, we are hundred percent sure, we assure you. Just this is the last injection we want to inject in your body’.

They had hold so many instruments looked like, screw diver, clutters all type of instruments, the engineers use to repair the old engines or machines, similarly the body is the typical old engine which the doctors feel to repair or rectify, as Pratyusha felt.


Yes, Pratyusha was blessed with two sons; she gave birth to two children from her womb, so that Prabal Khuntia was proud of becoming the father of two sons. He got his identity as a father in the society. Prabal spent those days happily with Pratyusha and children for some days. Good time passed quickly like season of a year, but slowly good time turned into bad time. Prabal felt in secured inside. He started hating his children as they were not born from his own blood. He accused Pratyusha as a culprit as if she has committed a crime giving birth to her children, the children who have been born from some other man’s sperms not carrying his own genes, own blood he feels, though they are the protectors, carrier of his dynasty, hierarchy but he could not accept the false carrier, false relation any more.


He started hating his own life. He was so frustrated that he started scolding, beating to his children for any silly matter. He blamed his wife and children for anything without any reason, he used to return home late in the evening every day after drinking wine outside. Pratyusha was scared discovering all such truth as she had predicted the consequences before. She had anticipated all such abnormal behaviors, reactions of his husband before.

When he used the words ‘bastard child’, who is their true father no one knows’, Pratyusha feels very bad. He beats Pratyusha if she supports her children as claiming them as her own children as she has given them birth from her own womb. Prabal was so frustrated in his life that, he shifted his office, business office from Cuttack to Sambalpur, so he visited his home rarely. Though they were not divorced but started living like divorcee, Prabal came home for some nights to stay with Pratyusha so, her role was nothing more than a prostitute. She was not getting any right of a wife, but Pratyusha tolerated all for the sake of children only.


Pratyusha again faced all the hurdles of her life alone, she felt very miserable when her husband Pratap left her alone in the middle of her life with her children in miseries, it is not that her husband was not visiting her, he was visiting her very often, there was no relation except a physical attachment, no emotional attachment was there. She was just waiting to spend some nights with his husband, who exists in the name. It was no better than the life of a widow, but the society was so horrible so lustful that, the woman with her beauty, cannot live alone without a husband, who will not give any protection but, stand as the mental strength as for name sake, that was her tragic fate she had to accept it.


Pratyusha was getting humiliated while attending the family functions, ceremonies. She was feeling bad when going for school functions and parent’s teachers meet, and there all parents were inquiring the same question, ‘where is your children’s father? He never attend any meeting, any function why? Is there any problem in your family?’ Pratyusha felt badly humiliated, but slowly, slowly she learnt to cope up with all odd situations, her children were growing up in front of her eyes so quickly, she could not guess so, not that she has not suffered a lot. Sometimes, electric bill is not paid, the family stays without electricity for a long time, then sometimes school fees is paid so late, that children suffer a mental agony, Pratyusha gets scared, losing confidence, can she bring up her children properly or not, as she had to give care, love of both father and mother to their children. She had to earn money to carry on her family alone without the financial help of her husband.


Sometimes the neighbors behave so indifferently with her they feel, as if their husbands will enter in to Pratyusha ‘s life, romantic lonely life, off course she can capture them by her helplessness selfish love. It was a natural and unnatural reaction of her friends who never liked Pratyusha to be intimate with them for this suspicious hypothesis or ideas, one unnatural fear, they had developed for Pratyusha. So Pratyusha had to suffer a lot throughout her family life, job life.


Children grew up quickly to adults so fast, as time passed from day to night. Now Prabal was happy seeing his grown-up children establishing, getting position in society. Now he changed his mind he accepted the children as his own blood relation, he was proud of declaring them as his own children, again children father relationship was developed. Son was computer engineer and daughter were a doctor. Both were well settled in society. Children were overwhelmed with joy as they had got back their fatherly love. But Pratyusha was not feeling happy seeing all these sudden changes in her family, in her life. She was not ready to accept the changes of her life after a long time, how could she forget the miseries, struggle she had suffered in her life, how she had to bring up her children alone, all strife, ups and downs she had faced throughout her life.


Whenever she was expecting mental support, help from her husband she could not get it. She had been humiliated, offended in the schools, colleges and in social gatherings staying alone. One day she called her children and explained them, ‘see, do you know how much your mother has been suffering for your father? He never accepted both of you as his own children. He refused to declare you all, as his own ancestors. Why do you need his help now? When it was needed he never helped you, now you have learnt to be independent. Why are you crazy for his love and care? Is not it insulting, humiliating for me? How could you excuse him so easily, who never asked for forgiveness, never realized his fault, who never admitted his fault why did you pardon him? The injustice, cruelty he did to me, for such a devil shrewd person. I cannot tolerate any more.’


Pratyusha was shouting at the children. Children were also shocked, getting such type of interrogation from her mother. They shouted too on Pratyusha. They opposed strongly. They said in their protest, exclamation in explanation ‘mom just shut up, shut up, shouting at us, we are not small children we are grown up now. We have our own choices in adopting, continuing our relation, we have been deprived of our fatherly love, care from a long time back due to you, we do not know whose fault is it! Who is responsible, how far is responsible for each other’s fault relationship! Married relationship is based on the cooperation, mutual relation and understanding. Why did father suspect your character? That we do not know. What fault, betray, you have done to father, we do not know. Even if we do not want to know, the bitterness, suspicion, any conspiracy, envy or betrayal if you both did with each other, cheated each other faith, for that, why should we suffer. You might have done some wrong with him that is why he had developed such an aversion towards you. We are not responsible for your broken relation. Why should we suffer mama? What is our fault? We have been staying being separated from our father from a long time missing all his care, guidance, support, now we have got back all. Hence, we do not want to miss our father’s fatherly love and care. Please forgive us for our fault or crime whatever you consider it but, we cannot give up our father, break our relation’’


Pratyusha was just astonished getting such type of reply from her children which she never expected in her life. She had spent throughout her life in struggle and struggle, at last, what she got, the hat ration of her children. Pratyusha thought what explanation she would give to her children. Would she tell the truth of their birth? How was she injected with other man’s sperm to get her ovum fertilized? As their father wanted his own hereditary from his wife’s womb so, he insisted her to get her own fetus in her womb out of her own blood. What answer she would give her children. She was feeling tired in such a battle, a mental strife, cruel struggle of life. She had no more strength to face the harsh reality. Then Pratyusha felt insulted, humiliated by her children who asked her sacredness, proof of purity as they suspected her character badly. Why should she give?


She thought the life of Devi Sita was also badly suspected, humiliated by the people of Ayodhya. It was a better episode or period, the regards, respect Sita had got in her life during her stay in Srilanka in Ravan rule, though she was kidnapped by the demon Ravan but, was not raped, ill-treated by the giants of ‘Lanka’. Ravan rule is better than Rama swarajya. At least Devi Sita had not to stand in burning fire several time s to give the proof of her piousness as a ‘sati wife’. If Janaki would not be humiliated by the fortune so many times in Lord Rama’s rule, then she would never curse or blame the demons of Ravan’s lustful desire or the rules of ‘Srilanka’. If Devi Sita could not give her proof, could not satisfy Ayodhya people then, how can Pratyusha give her piousness, proof to her husband and to her children, being a common ordinary woman not a Devi.


Yes, as Pratyusha expected, children went to their job places, Prabal went back to his job place. Now Pratyusha is alone at home, feeling very lonely. After some days postman came to her house. He delivered an urgent speed post; her children had sent lot of money for her. They had credited money to her bank through debit card. They were feeling happy as if they had performed their duties paying money to their mother, but Pratyusha was more irritated and humiliated by receiving money. She was slowly, slowly swinging sitting on the rocking chair, thinking about the past, miseries and sufferings of her bygone days. Can it return the peace, happiness of her life what she lost, no? Again, she thought, if she accepts her defeat accepting Prabal once again in her life, but no, never, she cannot stay with Prabal under one roof, as his faults are not forgivable. If she forgives Prabal, accepts him, then can she accept her defeat, all humiliation disrespect, injustice towards women hood. No not at all, she will disrespect, humiliate the holy and divine powerful image of womanhood, a woman who can withstand and tolerate all. So, she refused the money order, proposal of prabal immediately by speed post, then now she can feel relaxed.


She thought, whatever she has earned throughout her life, it is enough for her, enough for a helpless widow woman more than the price of crores of money. She can live the rest of peaceful life alone without the help of her children and husband. She was getting the feeling of undefeated woman not as a defeated woman. The pleasure of success in living alone independently without asking for any favor of money or financial assistance like one Undefeated woman.



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