Scene 1
“Here in this land, there is no democracy and you woman, remember you are a woman, WOMAN!Your degrees don’t qualify you to express your opinion, you are voiceless, remember and I say that loud and clear.”
…………………………………………….
Scene 2
“Repeat after me, ‘I am sick’, repeat, REPEAT I say!
Now go home and take good rest.”
……………………………………….
Esther of the hills was forced by marriage to venture out in the rough sands of the desert. In every way the two places, that is, the land of her birth and the land of ‘his choice’ were stark opposites; one was a roaring space of howling winds and blinding sand while the other a haven of blue mountains and majestic pines. The freshness of the morning breeze, the mist, the snow and the serenity bred people of innocence and contentment. Her land was a refuge and his, a luring materialistic field, the root of all-evils.
Yet she took it in her stride to carve a niche on loose grains now that she had taken the vow to be by his side through thick and thin. First challenge was the over generous heat of the Sun which actually would have been a blessing in her homeland. Too much heat and too little natural flora and fauna suffocated the free bird spirit in her. She had to confine herself to the four walls and rely on ‘machines’ to be her solace and slowly began the transition from the natural to the artificial, a dangerous move. Without realization she had now begun to live on artificial air. Hopefully the inner spirits retained purity.
Life like in all cities was a race, a battle for time. Everyone was a victim without the slightest inkling on the sole purpose of it all. Money flowed in plenty and life was easy by modern standards yet there was something lacking- inner peace. The cutthroat policy that governs all metropolises reigned supreme in her present world. Trust was a word that had long become obsolete. However the hill born Esther defied such a transformation. Life style had changed but not her values, in her heart and principle she was the hill-bred girl simplistic, devoted, passionate and real. Alas, little did she know the lurking danger such values would bring. Her smile, emotion and words were true to its nature for hypocrisy or diplomacy was an art she hadn’t mastered.
Esther found contentment in what she was endowed with and even filled with gratitude. The grind and routine was interpreted in positive light and she strove to give her best in all. The sacrifice therefore brought forth rewards both in her personal and professional life. Today she had knowledge, exposure and experience of living life in a fast lane. She knew how to keep herself alive like the city that never slept. But her innocence got the better of her. The intrigues, politics, swindle and back stabs that she tried her best to keep away from finally gripped her.
On a pleasant spring morn when nature was at its best and Esther’s spirits high, she was called by the higher authorities and told plainly, ‘Ms. Esther, we consider you to be one among the best and value your dedication. However, we must inform you that we no longer want your services. No reasons as such but we just feel we don’t need you.”
And that was it, no explanation and no reason; no one felt any obligation to quench her inquisitive mind. Rationality, practicality, logicality are strange words!
Sunita Lama
