Savita- The Ordinary Girl

'Savita, come home on time beta, the road from the farms are not safe at night.’

‘Yes Amma, I will be on time. Don’t worry. Please cook your best Aloo-bhaji today, it’s cloudy weather outside and I love to eat that with your masala chai.- Savita replied to her mother and walks out of the home.

‘I have to deliver the books to Ahmad Bhai’s shop, then I will leave for factory directly without wasting much time. Today I have to run fast and have to be on time otherwise Maalik will again shout on me. I don’t want him to cut my wage, as he warned me yesterday. I can’t afford to lose my half day’s wage, otherwise how will I save for bhai’s school fees?’- Savita speaks her mind while crossing the sunflower farm. She touches the flowers and smiles to the good fortune of her brother for which she’s working day and night and earning money for her family.

Savita is 17 years, thin, chiseled-faced ordinary girl. Her father passed away when she was of 8 years old. She doesn’t know the correct reason for his death but she had heard from the neighbors and her mother that he had some disease which was not be curable. She once asked her mother- ‘Amma, what disease baba had?’

Amma replied- ‘Beta I don’t know the name of the disease but there was no one who could cure that.’

‘Amma, Why do we have doctors, if they cannot cure any disease? Amma, I want to be a doctor then and you will see I will make the medicines for every disease. Then, no one will loose their baba like we did.’ – she quickly hugged her mother. Amma could not reply to her wish, only she could do is to kiss on her forehead and hug her tightly. She knew the dream Savita is watching is not only difficult but impossible to think of it's fulfillment.

By the time she made her mind to study hard and become a doctor, they were in a situation wherein even having daily meals is a big problem. One day while eating their daily daal-roti, Savita looked at the utensil; which was almost empty and she could not see any roti in any other utensils. She tore her one roti in half and taking a bowl pours the remaining daal from the utensil and serves her mother.

‘Amma, yesterday also you said you ate after we slept; but I haven’t seen any food left after we ate. Today also you are not eating with us?”- Savita questions her mother.

‘Savu, I ate beta. Today in factory, the Maalik ordered Samosas for everyone. It was big and fulfilling and I had one so, I am not hungry anymore. This is your meal, finish it.’ and she passes the plate to her.

‘Amma, you are lying. You only said, if any person says a lie, their nose twinkles and their ear enlarges. I can see your nose twinkling.’- Savita touches her mother’s nose with her tiny finger. She tore a small piece from her half roti, dip it in daal and feeds her mother. Amma could not say anything but eat from her small hand; tears rolled from her eyes and she smiles at small Savita.

One day Savita came home early from school, she saw her mother sitting on the floor at the corner of their small room and crying heavily. She tip-top to her and she can see her mother sitting tightly hugging her legs to her chest, clutched her off-whitesari between her teeth and tears rolling out of her eyes. Savita could not understand why her Amma is crying. She thought, because her masterji in school had sent her back, as they could not pay the school fees and Amma once said that mothers have “Special powers” through which they could know what is happening to their kids.

She quickly reached out to her, cupping her face she said- ‘Amma, I will not go to school now. Only bhai can study. Then you will not have to pay for my school fees and you don’t have to cry.’ she wipes her tears. Amma could not say anything, she pulls Savita to her chest and hugged her. Savita can feel her mother’s heart beats running fast and the moist in her sari. Reaching out of her arms, Savita says- ‘Amma your sari is too old now. See your blouse is also ripped from here." touching her bare shoulder, she points out. Quickly covering herself with her pallu, she wiped her tears and replied- ‘Yes beta, we will buy new clothes for everyone in this Diwali, till then I will save money from the new job.” and smiles at her.

‘Why new job? You have one already.’- Savita questions her.

‘No beta, the factory is going to close and we have to look for new job. I will look for good job with good pay and we will buy new clothes!’ she lied to her and tries to cheer her up.

‘Amma, aren’t there any job for me? What will I do at home, when bhai will be in school and you will be out? If I will also work then we will earn more and we can also have good food too!’- she’s happy as if she had cracked some tricky question and looked at her mother for appreciation as she used to do in her school. Amma could not say anything but just watching little Savita. How can she tell her that, this is her age of playing with other girls, dress in adorable clothes, studying in school and demand for new dolls like every normal kid of her age; rather than working in some factory or so and support her widow mother to run the house!

She pulled her face, kissed her forehead and hugged her. Tears rolled out her eyes and she says- ‘Meri samjhdar Savu’.

From then till now, Savita works in a factory at day time and after returning back, at night she helps her mother in completing the orders of binding books for schools, which was given by her Radha didi who works as head-mistress in their village. She never let go the dream of becoming a doctor, one day rather she passed it on to her brother and to accomplish that, everyday she saves bit by bit- either by not taking Rickshaw on her way to factory which is 6 km away from her home or by saving the money which Amma gives her on any occasion, to buy clothes or to eat something.

Everyday she opens her eyes and prays to god to give her more work so that she could earn more and ends her night with the dream of her bhai walking closer to Her dream.

Everyday she works for the day to see her brother in the white uniform of a doctor and curing every disease in the villages like their's; so that like her, not another ordinary Savita have to let-go her dream of become an EXTRA-ORDINARY one day!