"Daughter oh daughter make others happy".

Sakhi,  today I am telling you the story of a daughter.

The daughter that I am going to talk about to you, is  one with very unfortunate fate. She had all the happiness and love and care in the family. A small girl then kept very cheerful. Life was moving ahead smoothly. She could complete her education up to graduation. And was appropriately married off to a city boy.

A mother of two children, she could see that a lot of wrong things had been set in motion by her own people. It all started when she was just 10 years of age. Though her father's deeds looked very harsh and objectionable, overall life was not disturbed. She basked in childhood innocence like other girls of her age. Her father  was a mute dictator. Manipulative and selfish. No one could question him. Mother could barely prevent him from giving away the daughter. She was given in adoption against her mother’s wish. The unshakable  trust that a daughter can have in her father hid all the seriousness about the incident.

Father told mother that life sometimes created  unimaginable circumstances and that the current decision would not bring misfortune to their daughter.

 See the progressiveness of the backward mind. Daughters are rarely adopted anywhere in India. But the father showed interest and a lonely landlady was convinced and ultimately lawfully adoption procedures were completed too. The girl stayed with her original parents. Occasionally she was taken to the adopted mother. Fortunately or unfortunately the adopted mother died soon. Daughter completed  18 years of age and became the sole authority over her land. Her father and brother had somehow landed in grate financial losses and this girl was made to sell off her fields one by one to pay for the debt. Marrige to Brahmin girl is not easy because of high expectations of educated grooms. The girl got married and the in-laws were told that the girl inherited huge agricultural land since she was given in adoption. The in-laws who had pinned their hopes on the daughter-in-law’s property  started giving her harsh treatment once they realised that her property was not for their benefits. Somehow the husband did not desert her but also did not take measures to prevent his parents from harassing her. “It happens to all the girls in India. You are making a mountain of a mole. After marriage one has to adjust to people. They are my parents what can I tell them? You ignore their attitude and stay happy. Happiness stems from one’s outlook. You must change yourself.”He told her.

The father continued to enjoy the same respect and affection from the daughter. She turned to him when the in_laws tortured. And what option even she had? The In_laws were ready to throw her out. Her husbad was a meak, selfish onlooker. She did not want the status of an abandoned wife. With no means to fend for herself she questioned her father once,“tell me why are you selling my land? You only wished that I remain happy in life. How can I be happy when you are exploiting me? You can not force me to sell land. Do you realise father you have sold most of my land to pay for your son's daughters' marraiges.”She told her father. She was a little less firm. Conditioned to obey the father. She could have very well refused to sign the sales deal. She was too weak. She did not want to hurt father. Since he was her moral support as nothing was good in her in_laws house. They found fault with everything that she did. Husband brought her the “married woman” status. So he was the most important person in her life.

Father told her “Be happy. Leave everything to God. Your nices are always there to help you in your house hold core. They are much younger  than you.You call them and atleast one of them will be at your service. You have obliged them.They are happy because of you.If I ask you to sign the papers you should sign. I have my blessings to you. My love will make you rich. Life shows high and low tide bla bla bla….” What could the daughter say? Now a mother of two grown up highly educated children she is unable to forget the agony. They earn fat salaries and are settled abroad.

Parents are dead by now. Duties have to be fulfilled in life. She takes care of the in-laws who often looked down up on her. Husband’s siblings refuse to look after the parents. The father-in –law is very old now and is not keeping any hygiene. He sometimes passes excreta in the clothes itself and soaks the same dhoti in a bucket where in  other family member’s clothes are soaked.She struggles to prevent this. He does not want to be humiliated by keeping his clothes separate. He  does not want to give her a chance to avoid washing his clothes. She must serve him till death. She gets wild. Gets fits of anger. Daughter has untold miseries. She has rose to the position of a mother_ in_ law. Is trying to be on good terms with daughters in_law. She has  developed an eccentric and wild temperament over the past several years. Nothing will change now.
 According to her only death can bring some peace.