The Last Wound

Kallu, the blacksmith, sat beside his earthen furnace completing some orders of the village. The Pradhan had placed a big order, that would take days to complete, even on working till late night. An echo filled the atmosphere everytime he hit his heavy hammer on the iron piece. Tannnnnn. Tannnnnn. While the loud banging noise was disturbing almost everyone, Summiya was too stunned to even sense the sound. Sitting beside the handpump in her kuchcha house, Summiya washed the 4 inches long nail wound on her neck with water and threw some water on her face to wash away the adamant tears. She then put her hand upto the elbow into the bucket to sooth the burn on the forearm. She wiped her face and pressed the wound with the pallu held as a lump, to dry it. 

"Ah!" she sighed in pain and another isolated tear flowed through her cheek. She didn't wipe the burn though, the water was as relaxing as was the thought that she could successfully stop Manku from doing what he wanted. She went to the room, lit the candle again and then, looked at her kids, Usha and Umesh. The little siblings were by now asleep, clinging to each other. Summiya slowly pulled one corner of her pallu tucked in her waist and opened the knot to look with an emotional triumph at the money that she had successfully protected from Manku. She then quickly tied the knot back and tucked it, for the fear that Manku would come back. Manku had gone out in frustration, saying that he won't come back ever. Unlike several other times, today Summiya wasn't worried. She, for the first time, prayed to God, "May he really not come back. I can earn and feed my children square meal. If the purpose of me being married was sustenance, no use at all Oh God!" She was fed up of his thirst, lust and violence. She was fed up of waiting fearfully for him every evening, of having to smell liquor from his body, of violently being pulled to fulfill his cardinal desires against her will, of being hit by any utensil in his reach, of being abused, threatened and this time it was too much. As she lay in her bed, caressing her kids, she prayed again, wholeheartedly, "May he not return Oh God!"

The morning came with a bad news. Oh yes, he did not return. But that wasn't the bad news for Summiya. The bad news was that he was arrested for the rape of a minor. The girl was from the village itself. 

Summiya's mother-in-law sat at the door murmuring, "He can't do that. He has been trapped. He is innocent. My son can't do that."

"Kaki. Listen to me. Leave the village for some days. She was Harku's daughter and Kaki!! Harku and other villagers are extremely furious. It is dangerous for your family." Summiya could hear some women talking to her mother-in-law. Summiya was shivering from head to toe, hearing the news. She had not prayed for this at all. She sat in the kitchen curling around Usha and Umesh, fearing the consequences of a crime that she didn't even commit. Usha looked at the shivering Summiya in eyes and innocently asked, "What has Baba done Amma?"

Before the stunned Summiya could think of an answer, Umesh spoke, "Didi Baba daily hurted Amma, so Police has taken him."

Summiya was clueless. She was so immersed into the thoughts of uncertainty that she wasn't even shocked at her 6 year old son's answer. She had the constant fear of being killed by the mob. Even if they spared her, she had no clue how would she sustain a family of four. From the childhood she had been programmed to do households. Manku was a labourer and earned on an average six to seven hundred a month, of which much was drained into his thirst for liquor. Summiya could save some hundred or two in a month sometimes stealthily and sometimes through defiance. But now, no income at all. Also, she had no hope of an income after such a dirty accusation on the "Man of the house". Just then, Summiya heard a man talking to her mother in-law. She tried to peep out through the curtain of kitchen. It was the Pradhanpati, the husband of the Village Pradhan.

"Kaki. You do not have to worry for your sustenance. Shreemati ji wanted a helper for kitchen work. You just have to send Summiya everyday for preparing the lunch." He said.

Her mother in-law seemed to have got the answer to the question of future meals. "How can I thank you for this offer, Sahab ji?" she immediately replied.

Pradhanpati smiled. "Oh don't! It's my responsibility to keep my villagers happy. Summiya should not be punished for her husband's crime." he paused and then taking a sigh asked, "Okay then can you send her from tomorrow?" asked the Pradhanpati.

"Sure. Sure. You just order Sahab." her mother in-law gave the consent without even asking the one who had to actually toil for this contract. Pradhanpati was infamous for his obscene behaviour. However, when Summiya looked at the pale faces of Usha and Umesh and then at the empty cereal jars, she decided to take the risk. About the villagers, no matter what they thought of Manku at the moment, no one could dare to question Pradhanpati's decision.

Next day, when Summiya was to return from Pradhan's house, the Pradhanpati gave her four crispy notes of 50 rupees each and said, "This is your earning for today. The lunch was extremely delicious." 

That was something she took a month to save. That much in just a day. Her eyes were beaming with the thought of Usha and Umesh having sufficient food. With tears of happiness in her eyes she said, "You are God, Sahab ji. Thank you very much." She was too overwhelmed to see the demon inside the one she just called God.

She quickly went to the grocery shop, bought things in bulk and went home with a smile on her face, that she repeatedly tried to hide. Afterall, a woman, whose man was in police custody, wasn't expected to smile. Well, that evening, she fed her children well and slept with such a satisfaction, that wasn't in her destiny until now.

The next day, when she was on her way to the Pradhan's house, she heard two men talking, intentionally loud enough for her to hear.

"Brother! She almost bought the whole shop yesterday." said the first man, the grocer.

"Really? Where did she get so much money from?" asked the second in dramatic shock.

"Arey Bhai! Now she is serving the Pradhanpati. It is obvious for her to get heavy payment." taunted the grocer.

"But isn't she just a cook?" the second man expressed doubt.

"Oh come on. She can't be just a cook. Even, Shambhu's wife is a cook. She doesn't get such a payment. Who knows what job this woman does, that she gets such a heavy payment." Grocer's statement itself was like an assault over her when the second man added, "Haan bhai! That's true. Also, the husband is not there to keep a check on the woman. Now, she will do what she likes."

This was beyond her capacity to bear. She sped up to Pradhan's house, somehow ignoring or at least pretending to ignore the arrow like words.

Post lunch she went to the room, where Pradhanpati was cozily sitting on the sofa. As he took out some crispy notes, Summiya said, "Sahab ji. Please reduce my wages."

"What?" Pradhanpati showed surprise.

"Ji Sahab ji. I just cook your lunch. I want the wages equal to other cooks and helpers." she spoke still in the tone of request.

"You think this is too much for the work you do?" he asked.

"Ji" she said.

"Then do some additional job." he said.

She kept silent and a little worried.

"Will you?" he asked.

"What job?" she asked in a weak tone.

"Spend some time with me. Sit down here." He tried to hold her hand. She resisted, "No Sahab ji. No" He showed some aggression, she still resisted. 

"Sahab ji. No" her voice turned louder.

He became violent, got up, slapped her and pushed her into the sofa.

"Yesterday, when I gave you crispy notes, why did you not say then 'no sahab ji no'?" shouted the devil.

As he was to push himself on her, a loud voice came from behind, "Bhai sahab! Stop it. What the hell are you doing?" It was his younger brother shouting, "How dare you cheat my Bhabhi?" As Pradhanpati turned to look at him, Summiya escaped as quickly as she could. Her thin weak legs had to take all the responsibility. She ran to the nearby pond. Exhausted, she sat down beside it. The deep water was calling her in. There seemed to be a world of no worries in the depth below the ripples; no arrow like questions; no sword like doubts; no grocer; no Pradhanpati; no Manku.

She bent forward. She could see her face in the water. But she could also see peeping from behind her, Usha and Umesh. "Amma, food" she could hear Umesh saying. "Amma where are you going? We will also come?" She could hear Usha saying. She abruptly turned back. There was no one. But she could not turn towards the pond again.

She seemed to collapse on every step towards her house. Somehow, she reached home, with no money in hand. She cooked the food, fed the children and went to sleep. But she was restless. Her day of marriage was flashing before her eyes again and again. She got up, opened her iron box and pulled out her shadi ka joda, wore it and looked at herself in mirror. She could remember all the dreams that she had with a marraige- family, kids, husband's love and... and nothing else. That was all what she dreamt of. She had never even known that there can be dreams beyond this. The waves of thought kept taking turns, sometimes compelling her to miss her husband, sometimes to hate him and forget him forever. This went for about an hour. The second thought gained strength with the passing night. She thus took bath washing her sindoor off, she took out all her bangles and buried the bangles and her joda deep inside the earth and then slept. Though still there wasn't peace. She dreamt of Manku being stabbed repeatedly. She woke up with a jerk and couldn't sleep thereafter. Her nightmares didn't let her sleep.

The next dawn, a dead body was found in the field behind Summiya's house. Summiya was shivering as she saw it. It was Manku. There was blood all over him, but no weapon was found. Before the police could investigate, the Pradhanpati declared, "He ran from police custody. My men tried to catch him and he attacked them. In the fight that happened, Manku got killed. The police under influence of the Pradhanpati did not investigate and fabricated a report such that no one stands guilty. 

Summiya from that day wrapped herself so much into clothes that no one could see even her face properly. Perhaps, she was fearful of every single man in the village now. She didn't want any skin exposure to be a reason of doubt over her. But doubts are like forest fire- they need a reason to start but after that they spread by themselves, uncontrolled and disastrous.

 The same evening, came the news that the victim had died fighting her injuries in the hospital. Summiya went to her home like other women did. As soon as Harku saw Summiya, whom he recognized anyway, he shouted, "Why are YOU here? JUST GO AWAY." 

His wife, Kunniya tried to calm him down, "She is innocent. Don't yell at her. Calm down." 

Harku pushed Kunniya behind and picked up a stick lying nearby, "Why? She isn't innocent at all. How dare her MAN do this to a girl of OUR HOUSE!!!" And he was about to hit Summiya when the villagers held him back and irritatingly requested Summiya to leave. As Summiya was leaving, a man said to the other, "If his desires would have been fulfilled by his wife, why would he compel this little girl for the same." Summiya was by now too hard to be shattered by such statements. She walked back home with glassy eyes.

At home she found a woman in salwar suit sitting on the cot talking to her mother in-law. Her messy yet fashionable bun, the sidebar of her specs, the pen in her hand and the duppatta curled around her reminded Summiya of Sumitra Didi, a lady from the nearby town, working for public welfare. She often came with people sometimes to distribute blankets, utensils and sometimes to spread awareness about something or the other. Last time that she came was for Ujjwala scheme. 

As Summiya entered her house, she could sense the positive vibes. It was undoubtedly her.

"Suman. How are you?" Sumitra asked.

Summiya (henceforth Suman) realized once again that her real name was Suman. Sumitra Didi always stressed on real names, rather than distorted ones, because real names show dignity. But it was hard for the villagers to understand.

"I am fine.... I am..." And Suman began to cry. Sumitra at once got up and consoled her. Suman explained what had happened to her when she went to Harku's house.

"This had to happen. I asked you not to go." Her mother in-law lamented.

"But Amma. His daughter died because of my husband. I had to...." She tried to explain, still crying.

"Not because of your husband but because of you...." Her mother in-law shouted. Usha quickly held Umesh's hand and went to the kitchen and sat there curling around Umesh. She was well versed with this sort of situation. Mother in-law continued, "...and not only she, but your husband also died because of you. Had you given him what he desired that night, all this would not have happened."

"He desired for Usha that night." Suman's voice was low, but her words were explosive. Mother in-law was as speechless as an idol.

"Say Amma!! Speak now. Should I have given him what he desired. Would you have given if Babuji had....." Suman kept saying.

"Just shut up. Enough" Mother in-law shouted but this time not in anger but in unbearability. While mother-in-law sat on the cot with her forehead on her hand, Suman's tear began their journey again. Then, Sumitra said, "I have come here to take you to our workshop. We make several things and you will be trained in the field of your choice and you can earn too. Further, you can be permanently employed based on your performance. I know, you knit very well Suman."

Suman wiped her tears and was happy at this offer but her mother in-law mildly objected, "But you are already employed at Pradhan's...." 

"No Amma. I left that place. He tried to..." And she started crying again.

For the first time, her mother in-law took Suman in her arms and said, "Don't Summiya. You do as per your wish. I will always stand behind you. Don't think about anyone. Feed your children, send them to school and..." Looking towards Sumitra she said, "make Usha like her."

Suman cried heavily like a little kid with her head in her mother-in-law's lap, while her kids sat in the kitchen waiting for someone to call them. 

"Usa....Umes.... Did you greet Sumitra Didi?" Suman called while trying herself to come back to normal.

"Suman!! It's Usha not Usa and Umesh not Umes. I have told you even before." Sumitra scolded her lightly.

"Ok Didi. Uss...s..sh...sha....come." Suman somehow spoke.

"Better. Keep trying. So see you day after tomorrow." Said Sumitra, hugged her and left.

The next evening, Suman sat at the bank of the pond with her friend talking, "Did you take the knife with you?"

"No. Someone would have caught me red handed. We rushed from the site together you don't remember?" Said Kunniya (Kunti) Harku's wife.

Suman had never thought that a women, whose daughter was raped by her husband would not just befriend her but would also become her best secret keeper. It was all a case of destiny and situations.

When Manku ran from police custody that night, he went straight to take revenge. Harku was away at the hospital. Thus, Manku kidnapped Kunti, gaged her and brought her to the field behind his own house. It was the same night when Suman was feeling restless and wore her marriage dress. Suman could hear the sobbing sound of a woman and thus, rushed to the field. She was shattered to see her husband trying to tear apart the woman. She at once brought the knife from the house and ran behind Manku, who tried to take the woman far into the field. Once Suman reached him, both the women, violently pushed him away. They struggled and somehow gaged Manku but he attacked Suman with a stone which she managed to dodge, then with the knife, which too she somehow managed to bear. But then Suman, in a fit of extreme anger and hopelessness, repeatedly stabbed him. And then began to cry over his body. Kunti held her shoulder and quickly lifted her saying, "Sister. We should leave." It was then that she realised who the kidnapped woman was. 

"You will tell your husband?" Suman kept her palm on her head in disappointment and shivered with fear.

"No I won't. You saved my life. I will never put your life in danger. Now, come on. Run. Wash this blood off, bury these clothes. No one should know that you did it." she suggested.

And thus they rushed, forgetting the knife in the field itself. But the police next day did not find any weapon- the iron weapon; which could be melted and reshaped. By the way, Pradhan's order was completed and Kallu, the blacksmith now did not have to stay awake till late night for work. Pradhan had ordered many knives, one of them was made by the iron that she hadn't even paid for.

As the two women, sat beside the pond wondering where the knife went, a cold breeze, pushed the pallu away from Summiya's head and neck and revealed the wounds that Manku had given her. The last wounds he could give. The wounds to hide which, she draped herself all-over. The wounds that were deeper than a nail wound but pained less.

As per justice, yes it wasn't done. Summiya killed Manku but escaped law. But justice will be done only when a Harku would be angry because his daughter was raped, not because A GIRL OF HIS HOUSE was raped; only when a younger brother of Pradhanpati would stop his Bhai Sahab because forcing a woman is wrong, not just because it is a CHEATING WITH HIS WIFE; only when a grocer will humbly ask a woman about her job (if out of curiosity), not question a woman's character if she earns more than usual; only when public will question the police on fabricating a report, and not just swallow anything that fits their rage. Justice will not be complete unless it is accurate, omnipresent and timely. And to fulfill all three it will take time. Unfortunately.