Ilaa: The RIGHT girl

The tale goes centuries back to the city of Paithan(modern day Maharashtra somewhere close to Aurangabad) . In a small village called Sauviragram, which lay along the banks of the great river Godavari, lived a woman named Ilaa. Her family was engaged in cotton farming. It was the harvest season, and cotton had to be picked from the plants. The wholesalers and traders from the city would be arriving in just a few weeks, carrying gold and goods for barter. The bales of cotton had to be ready in time! Work was at its peak!

But Ilaa was not to be found in the fields. She wasn't working. Instead, she was sitting by the banks of the great river Godavari.

'I am sick of this!' she grunted loudly. No ear was there to hear her grudge. But her absence was conspicuous to her mother.

‘Where is Ilaa?’ asked her mother to Utsa, one of Ilaa’s sisters.

‘Same answer Aaii, annoyed at someone’s behaviour, sitting at the banks of Godavari, with legs in water, dreaming of some beautiful world where all have equal rights.’

‘I wanted an answer not a description,’ said her mother with a frown and then ordered Utsa 'look, it may rain, go and call her.’ 

At the Godavari, Ilaa had already painted a virtual picture of the ancient world with a social scenario of equal rights for men and women into the steadily flowing water of Godavari through her imagination. As she imagined herself in the scenario ripples disturbed the continuity of water and smashed her dreams. She looked around to find the disturbing element but soon realized that it was rain.

‘Tai, come quick, it’s raining, we need to take the cotton into shade.’ shouted Utsa. Ilaa did not move. ‘Tai, Aaii has called you.’ Now Ilaa had to go. Aaii was one of them whom she respected by heart. They ran quickly to the farms, carried the cotton harvest to the shade. When they got into the room Aaii came holding a dry cloth to wipe Ilaa’s head. As she was wiping her head Ilaa’s siblings revolted.

 ‘You love her more than any of us, isn’t it?’ complained the little Amna, hardly 8 years old. Aaii laughed and said,’ No dear I am wiping her head because she is the first one who will leave us and go. ‘

‘Where?’ Utsa questioned.

‘To her in-laws. Hmmmm’ said Aaii laughingly.

‘I am not going anywhere.’ announced Ilaa.

Aaii smiled and asked Ilaa’s siblings, ’Do you want to know Ilaa’s childhood story?’

‘Yes definitely’ shouted Amna.

 ‘Ilaa was a year older than Amol. When your Amol Dada went to study Ilaa also wriggled at heart to join him. But girls should not study like boys. She had to stay at home. But there she was mischievous. One day, she wore Amol’s clothes, tied a turban and went to study.’

‘Tai, did you do that?’ asked Amna with surprise.

Ilaa nodded. Aaii exclaimed, ‘Yes! And you know what happened when she was caught?’ after a curiosity causing pause Aaii said, ‘she was caned heavily. It pained for about a week. Then she understood that she could not study like boys.’

At this Ilaa’s expression did not match her mother’s words. Ilaa knew her mother told Amna this story not just for entertainment but to frighten her against being equal to boys.

‘Aaii tell me more about Tai.’ requested Amna.

‘No its time to sleep, go and get into your bed’ said Aaii tickling Amna at her waist.

‘Oh Aha OK Aaii’ Amna went to her room holding Utsa’s hands.

There was silence in the room. Breaking the silence Aaii said, ‘Ilaa you should change now.’

‘Pardon’ said Ilaa frowning at mother.

‘I mean, you cannot pass whole of your life cursing the society.’ Aaii persuaded Ilaa.

‘Don’t worry Aaii I am not going to waste my life cursing the society; I will use it to change the society. I am going to make it same as it was long before. When women were respected…..

‘Ilaa just stop talking miraculous things’ interrupted Aaii, ’How do you know so much about the past?’

‘Sorry I can’t tell you that because you are a part of the same society that I have to change’ said Ilaa rudely.

‘Then don’t argue me as well. I just don’t know how to convince……

‘Ullupi’ by then her father had come in calling her mother, ‘Ullupi! What happened? Is everything alright?’ he asked.

‘Yes definitely’ answered her mother in a very humble and low voice.

‘Then come with some oil and get my hands massaged. The day was extremely tiring today.’ he said.

‘Just coming’ Aaii politely responded.

 When he went away Ilaa threw a tantrum, ‘Why will you massage him Aaii? You are equally tired as he? And Baba never helps you, relieves you even in your headache then why should you, Aaii?’

‘Shut up Ilaa, he is your father. You should not say such things about him. It is my duty to serve him. He is superior. That’s it. And one more thing-you will also have to serve your husband the way I do, without raising any question.’ Aaii taught her angrily.

‘Does it mean that I will have to drink a cup of poison if he says me to?’ asked Ilaa expecting a ‘No’ but before her question completed to her surprise her mother said, ‘Yes!’ and went out of the room.

Time passed, Ilaa lived her own way revolting every time against anti-female customs and rituals but with no effect. The only thing that she gained with it was criticism.

It was time for Ilaa to get married now. No one in the village accepted her as their daughter-in law, ‘Oh my God! That girl who argued the priest? Sorry Bhau, I can’t afford to endanger my family under the curses she would bring with her.’ said one, Ilaa’s father talked to for Ilaa’s marriage. Finally, her parents managed to find a groom for her out of Sauviragram in a village called Mangalagram.

After the marriage when she reached to her in- laws, obviously there was celebration. It would not have been strange if they would have been celebrating their marriage but it was strange because they were celebrating her husband’s victory. ‘Was it a matter of winning a wife?’ it strained Ilaa’s mind.

Ilaa’s in-laws were all very nice and good towards her but there was men-women inequality in their mind-set as well. Her husband was very sober and supportive. She was happy though not fully satisfied.

Time was passing like water in a choked drain pipe. One day, one of her brother-in-laws, Abhay, was telling a story to his siblings and students which Ilaa was overhearing standing behind a curtain, ‘It is said that Ila, the king who created our Paithan. Do you know? One day he strayed in a forest which was known to belong to Shiv. It was not right for him to wander there. So, Shiv cursed him to become a woman.’

At this Ilaa came out of the curtain ablaze and said, ‘Is being women a curse?’

Abhay looked at her surprised as if she had appeared from nowhere. But Ilaa continued, ‘Will you ever dare to call your mother a curse? It is such a shameful……’

‘Shut up Ilaa’ someone interrupted Ilaa. It was Ajay’ father, ‘how dare you talk like this to your husband’s brother? Don’t you know you are a woman and….’

‘Baba, is being a woman a sin?’ She asked him politely.

‘Oh my God! Just look at her she argues her father-in-law.’ said one of the neighbours.

‘Oh really! So shameless.’ the others joined.

‘Ilaa just go in’ said Ajay’s father.

 ‘What happened Baba? Ilaa, why are you standing here?’ Ajay had come.

‘Take her in’ she will not let me live in this village.

‘Get in Ilaa. Oh come on. Get in.’ said Ajay.

Ilaa told him everything. ‘It’s ok. It’s just a story’ he said.

‘But a story should not spread a wrong message’ she revolted again.

‘Alright I will try to do something’ saying this he came out and said to Abhay, ‘Please change your story’

‘Look now because of a woman no child will learn story of the one who created Paithan’ commented one of the elderly neighbour.

Ajay heard but ignored and continued to talk to Abhay, ‘I say not to stop teaching the story but to change the way you teach it.’

‘Ok Dada I shall try.’ replied Abhay.

Ilaa was a matter of shame for the dominating part of society but surprisingly the scenario was changing at the dominated part. The females had begun to support her, though in a hidden way, because they feared punishment. Even her mother-in-law supported her. One could clearly smell a phase of revolution in the village. And this was the reason why Ilaa was transforming into a matter of fear from a matter of criticism for the males in the society. The biggest problem of the society was that Ilaa got all support from her husband. Even her father-in-law said to the villagers, ‘God knows what black magic has she cast over Ajay.’

It became unbearable for the society when one day the villagers found some girls trying to read the shlokas beneath the tree where the boys took their classes. One of the villagers angrily asked a girl, ’Who allowed you to study?’

‘Ilaa Atya (means Aunt)’ the answer was predictable.

‘This is too much to be accepted’ said Shambhu, one of the villagers to Bhuwan, another villager.

‘We should definitely complain Ajay about it’ responded Bhuwan.

‘No use, he will rather give a lecture to us. Also he is not there in the village. He has gone to his sister’s house in Vijaygram’ said Shambhu.

‘Then what? What should we do?’ asked Bhuwan.

Shambhu replied, ‘There is just one way.’ and then with a long pause he said, ‘Finish her off.’

‘You mean to kill…..’ Bhuwan was curious.

‘Shhhh, quietly’ warned Shambhu.

‘To kill her?’ whispered Bhuwan.

‘Yes, there is no other way. We have to plan a conspiracy against Ilaa and finish her off this new moon night. There will be darkness all over and we shall put a black snake into the cow’s crib and when she will be adding fodder, the snake will… ’

‘bite her.’ completed Bhuwan.

‘Yeah! That’s it’ said Shambhu crookedly.

Shambhu and Bhuwan according to their plot went to Ajay’s house on the new moon night but to their disappointment found that the fodder had already been put. They added a trick to their plan. Putting the snake into the crib, they compelled the cow to bleat by hitting her, so that Ilaa will come out to see if the fodder is finished and will be bitten by snake. But to their surprise someone entered from the outer door and ascended towards them. They hid behind the cow.

‘Oh what happened? Did my Anu not get her fodder today?’ the voice was recognizable. Oh yes, it was Ajay. The two knew that if he caught them, they would be in trouble. So, they escaped. But till then Ajay had groped the crib for fodder and the snake had bitten him. He fell on the floor. Ilaa who was busy in her household chores came out to see the bleating Anu but in the light of lantern she saw something that was extremely furious. Her husband, lying on floor with lather in mouth and a black snake passing by. She wanted to shout but words did not come out. Finally, the pain tore off the curtains of fear and she shouted. Immediately people gathered there.

‘Oh my God! It’s Ajay’

‘Poor guy, he had gone to his sister’s home, Wish he could have stayed there a day more!’

The villagers were talking. Ilaa was as silent as an idol. She had lost the one who had always supported her. The females of the village were sad not only because Ajay had died but also because the only ray of hope of women rights will be lost today with Ilaa being sati in Ajay’s pyre.

Ilaa had no will to live, she sat on the pyre and was ready to end herself like a story but then she looked at the faces of the little girls, young women and aged mothers and she felt that if she is gone, all revolution will end and she stood up and whispered, ‘I am not going to be Sati.’

‘What? Are you mad’ the villagers’ eyes were all out ‘Can’t you sacrifice your life for the one who loved you the most?’ said one of the villagers.

‘I can and I definitely would have, but this sacrifice will end up all hopes of the women of gaining equal respect as men. I can’t bear that happen.’ Ilaa said.

‘Don’t talk rubbish Ilaa. History is witness. Women have never been equal to men’ screamed Shambhu.

‘Which history do you talk about? Have you heard names of Visvara, Apala, Ghosha and Indrani, the great women saints of long ago? Do you know Brahmavadinis the women who were allowed to remain unmarried and teach Vedas and perform rituals all their lives? Have you ever heard about the great women scholars Kathi, Kalapi and Bahvici? Do you know Bispala who fought wars? Your knowledge is incredibly narrow.’

‘How could you know so much without studying?’ asked a villager.

‘Has your father done the sin of teaching you?’ added another.

‘I know these because not all people are narrow minded like you. My brother, Amol Bhau has always shared his learning with me and so I am an educated woman.’

‘She is a criminal, punish her, burn her off’ all the villagers (not the females) shouted.

‘Why? What is her fault?’ said one girl. Everyone was stunned.

‘If you want to set her fire, burn us all’ said another girl.

To tackle the situation, Bhuwan said, ‘She should be burned because Ajay’s death was her fault, if she would have come early to see the bleating cow he would not have died checking the fodder.’

The crowd abruptly became quiet. 

‘Just a minute, how do you know our cow was bleating and Ajay checked the fodder? Even I don’t know this.’ Ajay’s father asked and with this question came out all the mystery of plotted murder by both Shambhu and Bhuwan. Now the scene was changed and Ilaa’s father-in-law took a drastic decision which changed the history of Manglagram. He said, ‘Ilaa get down of the pyre and the ones who will be burned are Shambhu and Bhuwan.  ‘

The revolution had taken place. People though not all but many had changed their minds about men women inequality. No one knows how long it worked or how far it went but Ilaa knew her effort worked.