Excerpt from Winning Thriller Book of The LIT Fest 2021

“What engaged?! But you were still in your high secondary, isn’t it?” Anjali exclaimed in horror.

“Yes engaged, to a person whom I always considered as my brother, they were doing so to revamp the relation which was deteriorated.” The engagement was happening to bring sweetness in the relationship with the people whom they once considered as their foe. I was the one who was put at stake; they never once thought of asking about my opinion. I was inconsolable during the entire engagement ceremony, I cried, I shouted, I tried everything to remonstrate against the utterly unfair decision but no one heard my pleas or shrieks! It was as if they had collectively jammed cotton buds of honor in their ears which they never wanted to throw out.

The engagement ceremony was held in my village house. My parents lied that we are going there for attending a small family function. The small journey caused me a headache, Arghh! It was an intolerable one. When we reached there I saw the house filled with merriment; each member of the house was busy doing some work. The fragrance of marigold and roses together was rejuvenating the milieu, while relieving my headache too. Suddenly, I felt a slight push from behind. It was my elder cousin’s brother, Hassan, carrying a heavy mat. On the other side, Parvez bhaiya was instructing the light decorator, shouting at him in a loud voice. One portion of the house was turned into a cooking area. The confectioner was spinning ‘moong dal ka halwa’ with his slotted spoon in a huge karahi. From its aroma, I got the idea of halwa being nectareous. Haha, my sweet tooth made me stare at the sweet dish for a while.

 “Are you going to eat this halwa with your eyes, Ruhani? Let it get cooked first”, my favourite cousin Heena chortled as she approached me. My face sparkled looking at her. I embraced her and we both went into a room where no one could distract us from our long conversation. I initiated the topic to be discussed, but she seemed disinterested. Instead, she gave me a mischievous smile and started teasing me by taking the name of Imran, my second cousin. At first, her words puzzled me, but then I thought she must be joking, I laughed at her and also praised her efforts to frighten me. Suddenly some girls entered the room and asked me ‘what will be my attire for the engagement ceremony’ The reality started sinking my heart. Terrified, I quickly sensed the upcoming threat!

I rushed out of the room and ran to my mother for confirming the validity of what those girls were saying. She was quiet and looked at me helplessly; her reaction didn’t surprise me. Just then, one of my paternal aunts commanded me -“ Wear a nice pair of Shalwar-Kameez; your in-laws are on the way.” Shivering in fear I felt like a prey who was ensnared by those predators through deception.

 I became fidgety and restless when I was confronted with reality. I remember rushing towards the dunes to hide when the ceremony was about to start. My aunt and elder cousin brother followed me like bloodhounds! They clutched my wrists and hauled me back to the abode of the dead. Those ferocious beasts took me back at warp speed to that tophet. They made me sit on a small wooden platform. I was straining to unclasp my wrists from their mucky hands, but being weedy I didn’t have that much strength.

 I was howling in agony, but none of them was tender enough to feel the affliction I was suffering from. Everyone was involved in relishing the ceremony. That moment was too poignant for me. They covered my head with a red dupatta. One of the aunts of my so-called fiancé forcibly opened my mouth and crammed the jaggery into it. Later, she made me drink a teaspoon of ghee. I spat that stuff on her face out of anger. Her facial expression indicated that she wanted to slap me hard but her need to maintain her image, resisted her from doing so. The women present there were flabbergasted with my act and began whispering among themselves.  My mother, who was standing a few steps away, looked at me with contempt. This motivated the woman to behave aggressively. She gave me a grisly look and grabbed my hand to tie a sacred thread around my wrist. I struggled to remove her hand but she made her grip tighter, hurting me devilishly. The onlookers started singing – “Le Jayenge, le Jayenge Dilwale dulhaniya le Jayenge” Their hoarse voices were banging my ears. I wanted to shut them up and slap them so hard that their mouths get paralyzed, but the only thing I was able to do was groan over my vulnerable condition. After the accomplishment of the ceremony, I quietly stood up like a lifeless being. Every village girl of my age was congratulating me. Huh.. how could people congratulate me on my death?! I pushed everyone aside and walked straight into a room. Not a single person cared to share my torment or accompany me to mourn over the hardship I went through. I was flung alone with my grief-stricken condition. On that day I realized that those folks were dead inside. These putrid rituals persist because no one wants to ruin their image. Those people will readily destroy their lives but not their image. Following what their elders taught them -even if those things are exploitive- is their way of showing respect to elders. Some people don’t go against this norm because they consider it as their fate. Weeping over my pain I fell asleep and forgot everything when I woke up.

 Despite whatever happened, I made myself unswerving, saying ‘everything will be okay, don’t get influenced by these people.’ I remember, once my cousin told me that the person with whom I was engaged doesn’t consider me as his cousin sister anymore and wants to marry me. Those words had startled me. How could a boy change so much in just a few days, I wondered!

“Then? What happened?” asked Anjali. “Did you convince yourself that it was your fate?”

“No, never, not at all!” shouted Ruhani, “I would have rather died!”

 “Oh, you never felt like talking to your fiancée!?”

“What are you saying? Who fiancée?