The child of Diya was not normal. When her elder brother and sister-in-law took her to the doctor, the doctor said that the child was severely stuck in the intestines, and delivery could not be done without surgery. At the same time, Diya had no strength left in her body. She had become like a lifeless tree that could not withstand even a strong gust of wind. As she was being taken to the operating theatre, she prayed that she would not come out alive, but God had other plans.
When her blood pressure kept dropping repeatedly, the doctors became worried. Her operation was finally completed after a lot of difficulty. She cried out in such excruciating pain all night as if the thread of her breath would break at any moment, but even death seemed displeased. Her husband had also taunted her a lot, saying that she had deliberately undergone the operation. Now, she would only give birth to two children, and if both turned out to be girls, who would carry on my lineage?
Whenever he saw Diya's family, he would start acting. In front of them, he would talk to Diya lovingly and pretend to care for her deeply. Diya would just suffer in silence. Her once flower-like body had withered and become thorny. Seeing her health, her parents were worried, but according to relatives and society, she had to stay with her husband at any cost, even if he was tearing her apart; this was considered a matter of respect and honour for her.
Someone even told her that if she wanted to die, she should do it there but not come back to her parents' house. The feeling of unseen wounds is not realized by anyone until blood flows from them, but the heart's wounds keep increasing, and the blood flows out as tears. However, when the blood turns white, people start adding their colours to it. Some say it's all an act, while others claim she is just showing tears to gain sympathy.
If Diya's parents cared about her, the relatives would say not to get trapped in a web of tears; if you don't pay attention, she would stop all this drama on her own.
After listening to thousands of taunts, Diya decides to stay at her husband's house for the sake of her child. She has fully made up her mind to spend the rest of her life as a slave, but she also knows that she cannot live like this for long and will soon die.
She called her parents and brother at home and apologized, saying, "I am sorry for all the trouble you have had to endure for my sake and for all the disgrace you had to bear. Please forgive me from the heart because I can no longer say how long I will live."
Her family was hurt by her clear apology, and they fell into deep thought.
She had decided to stay, but now her mental state was deteriorating. Sometimes she would start laughing, only to start crying the next moment. She would go outside to pick leaves. She would mistake the dry bamboo twigs in her hair for clips.
When Diya's brother talked to the doctor about this condition, the doctor also said that if this continued, she would completely lose her mind.
On one hand, she was in this condition, and on the other hand, her husband was busy looking for a girl for himself. However, no one wanted to marry their daughter to a man who already had a first wife, so he was getting rejected everywhere. In response to this, her husband kept telling her that he couldn't find a girl because she was there, and it would be better if she went back to her father's house.
Seeing Diya's condition, her parents could no longer ignore it, and one day, against the wishes of the entire family and relatives, they went to her in-laws' house, got her a divorce, and brought her back home. It had only been one year and seven months since the marriage, and so much had happened that it became a terrifying past connected to Diya's life. While returning from her in-laws' house with her child, Diya's mind was filled with thousands and millions of thoughts.
She remembered when she was leaving for her wedding, her father had said, "The light of my house has gone." That lamp has now returned, but not as a light, but rather as a dark stain, which means she will have to hear taunts about being divorced for the rest of her life. She felt a lot of relief when she heard her brother say, "Now we are not two, but three brothers!"
This thought had largely healed the wound in her heart and mind. She was on medication so that she could recover soon. If a wrong person enters a girl's life, her life becomes hell. Living such a life feels much worse than dying. But if she finds the right partner, she is happier with him than with her parents.
Diya also felt that she would build a good home, but not everyone gets what they want in life. Happiness and respect are matters of fate. Diya had now developed a hatred for every man. Diya couldn't say anything to anyone, but she always complained to God in solitude, asking, "Why me? What was my fault? What harm did I do to anyone? Why did I receive such punishment?"
But only God knows His intentions behind putting someone in trouble. We don't know what is right or wrong for us, but He knows everything. After returning to her parental home, all the women of the village came to see her and asked ridiculous questions. Diya now understood that someone was right when they said, "Women are the enemies of other women."
Thousands of false rumours were spread about her, and she became famous in the surrounding villages as well. These rumours claimed that she had ghosts and spirits, which is why she didn't like her husband; that she was a Kinner, and that's why her husband left her; that she must have been having an affair with someone before marriage; that she didn't do any work in her in-laws' house; and that she told her husband to marry someone else, which is why he left her.
She heard such rumours that were unbearable, but still, she was better than before because she had turned back to her books. Three months after returning to her parental home, the first computer centre was opened in Gyanpur, where students who had passed the twelfth grade would be taught computer skills and basic soft skills. Operating a computer had been a dream for many children in the village. One of those children was Diya. She was only nineteen years old. In that centre, she met some of her classmates who are studying together in the Madrasa.
To be continued......
