Day 10. The fire of deisre

Ragini went against the family and society when she married Hem. She was a born rebel and never gave the charge of her life in else’s hand. This time also it was her choice. The madness of love had taken over her completely. She was blindfolded and enamoured with the love of Hem. Though the acceptance of her decision came eventually, Nalini, her mother was not quite convinced. Nalini never had a say in family matters. All her life she had been a mute observer, going by the decisions of her husband and bending to the desires of Ragini. Nalini maintained silence even when Ragini and Hem came home after marriage. She was seeing something unexplainable which terrified her. Ragini the fighter, the defiant, who made her own rules had started following ones of Hem. Over the years she saw Ragini giving up her choices, charisma and individuality instinctively. She saw Ragini walking on the flames of self esteem, which uncontrollably burned under the influence of peremptoriness of Hem. The smoke enveloped her tardily but Ragini was so blind and indifferent that she refused to acknowledge any. Hem had always liked women who were self-governing and free in their spirits but could not survive in the overpowering, purport existence of his wife, Ragini. Subconsciously, he always crushed her ego, whenever Ragini opinionated differently. He looked down upon her and made her feel feeble on ignorance of issues. Her existence bled day after day and she could not see it, but Nandini saw the doughtiness of her daughter getting crushed. The change was so subtle for Ragini that she did not come to terms with it until her own image mocked at her one day when Hem dumped her for another woman. Ragini’s beingness was shattered. She had retreated so gravely that she was left in a deplorable condition. Nandini could not see Ragini in such a dilapidated and lurched state. She forced Ragini to shift back to her. Nandini had been burning up in the societally inflicted male chauvinism all her life and she could not see a similar fate returning for her daughter. She impelled Ragini to break the ties of bondings and drew her from the feeling of scorn.

Love is blind indeed, but when it challenges one's existence, and engulfs in the smoke of disgrace, one cannot continue being unreasoned and unsighted. 

This short vignette is written for Magpie Tales. Mag 282.