The golden light of dusk cast a warm hue across the village. Birds chirped as they returned to their nests.
Ved was walking back home from the panchayat. His kurta slightly dusted from the long meeting, mind still full of the villager's heated arguments.
He wanted to observe every place of village on his way so he left his car and walked through the streets.
As he neared the well, a soft but rising commotion caught his attention.
A group of girls were giggling nastily. At the center of the group stood a girl trying to fill her matka (earthen pot) with water.
Her lehenga-choli was slightly faded but her presence made her stand out like a lotus in murky water.
Girl 1 (mocking tone)- “Shaapit hai ye... pata nahi kis janam ka paap hai.”
(“She's cursed… don't know which sin from her past life.”)
Girl 2 (snickering)-“Jo bhi ho, log toh iske saath dikhna bhi pasand nahi karte.”
(“Whatever, people don't even like to be seen with her”)
Vedita paused , her hand still on the rope of the pulley but her eyes didn’t show hurt but quiet fire.
Vedita (calm but sharp)- “Tum logon ka kaam bas bolna hai. Kya kabhi apna chehra dekha hai paani mein?”
(“Your work is just speaking. Have you ever seen your face in water?”)
Girl 3 (taunting)-“Ohho… dekho toh, badtameezi bhi seekh li!”
(“Look, she even learnt misbehaving.”)
Just then, one of the girls nudged Vedita harshly making her lose balance. Her pot slipped and cracked as it hit the ground.
Before Vedita could hit the ground too, two strong arms caught her.
There was a stunned silence.
Ved Pratap Thakur stood there, holding her carefully. His eyes locked with hers. His brows were slightly furrowed as if he'd just picked up something more precious than gold.
Vedita was startled and annoyed
“Chhodiye mujhe! Aap hote kaun hain aise pakadne wale?“
(“Leave me! Who do you think you are to catch me like this?”)
Ved replied calmly
"Wo tu mitti mein gir jaati, toh sab tujhe aur bhi ganda kehne lagte. Mujhe wo manzoor nahi hai."
(“If you'd fallen in the dirt, they would’ve called you worse things. I can't allow that.”)
Girl 1 (whispering to others)-
“Ye toh Ved Thakur hai… unhone usse chhoo liya!”
(“He's Ved Thakur... He touched her.”)
Girl 2-“ Toh kya hua? Yeh shaapit devi thodi ban jaayegi!”
(“So what ? It's not like, this cursed girl will turn into some goddess ”)
Ved roared and shut their mouth
“Bahut hua, ek aur shabd nahi, warna iss gaon mein dobara dikhogi nahi.”
(“Enough! If you uttered one more word then you won't be seen in this village again ”)
This scared the girls and they quickly ran away.
Vedita quickly straightened her lehenga frowning as she dusted her dupatta.
Vedita gritted her teeth, sarcastically
“Shukriya aapka… ab poora gaon mujhe aur aapko ek hi kahani mein daal dega.”
(Thanks a lot… now the whole village will write us into the same story.)
Ved said with a smirk
“Agar kahani likhni hi hai, toh kyu na kuch acchi si ho?”
(“If they’re going to write a story, why not make it a good one?”)
Vedita glared at him. Her cheeks slightly red—perhaps from embarrassment, perhaps something else.
As Ved walked away, the pot still cracked on the ground. Vedita looked down then back at him.
Ved turned around and looked into her beautiful eyes
“Waise naam kya hai Tera?”
(By the way, what's your name?”)
Vedita glared at him
“Main kyu batau aapko?”
(“Why would I tell you?”)
“Accha! Janti nahi ho kya hume, hum Thakur Ved Pratap Singh hai. Ab se iss gaon ka netritav hum karenge ”
(“Oh! Don't you know me? I'm Thakur Ved Pratap Singh. Now onwards I'll be handling this village ”)
Vedita looked at him with wide eyes making him chuckle at her cute expression
“Haan toh kya hua? Darti thodi hi main aapse.”
(“So what? I'm not afraid of you ”)
“Toh aisi baat hai ”
(“Oh, so it's like that”)
Saying that he started walking towards her.
Vedita was just stunned. He kept walking until her back hit the wall behind.
He trapped her between wall and himself.
Vedita was still in shock. No one has ever wanted to be around her. But this man here he's getting so closer to her.
“Ab bhi nahi bataogi”
(Won't tell now too?)
Vedita looked at him and squinted her eyes. Still he nodded her head negatively.
Ved smiled looking at her reluctant nature. She's such a brave girl.
He decided to tease her a little more. He started moving his face closer towards her.
“Bolo warna kaat lenge tujhe”
(Speak or I'll bite you)
Vedita looked at him with disbelief but then saw him moving his face closer.
She closed her eyes and screamed
“VEDITA! VEDITA TRIPATHI....”
Ved looked at her and raised his brow.
“Naam hai Mera, Vedita Tripathi ”
(My name is Vedita Tripathi)
“Accha woh masterji ki beti”
(Ohh...the teacher's daughter)
She just nodded.
“Ab main jau?”
(Can I go now?)
“Haan thik hai, dhyan se jana”
(“Yes, ok. Go carefully.”)
She just nodded innocently and walked away
Today Ved didn’t just hold a girl.
He held the beginning of his destiny.
--------
The sun had begun to dip behind the hills, painting the sky in orange and purple hues.
Vedita entered the courtyard with hesitant steps, brushing away the dust on her lehenga. Her face still held the confusion of what had happened earlier — the whispers, the mocking eyes and that stranger who suddenly pulled her into his arms.
Meena was cutting vegetables in the verandah. She looked up, surprised.
Meena (softly)-“Itni der kahan thi, Vedita? Sab theek to hai?”
(Where were you for so long, Vedita? Is everything okay?)
Vedita nervously gave her a smile
“Kuch nahi bhabhi… bas… kuen par gayi thi paani lene… par… waha pe.....”
(Nothing sister in law... It's just...I went to the well to fetch some water...but...there..)
Meena frowned slightly but didn’t press further. She patted the space beside her.
“Baitho… main kuch kehna chahti hoon tumse.”
(Sir down, I want to talk to you)
Vedita sat quietly, her eyes still distant.
Meena began lowering her voice
“Main jaanti hoon, tumhara mann dukhi rehta hai kabhi-kabhi… kuch baaton se, kuch wajah se. Lekin… main ek upaay jaanti hoon. Baba Prabhanand ke paas jao. Sab theek kar denge woh. Unki di dawai toh le hi rahi ho par unhone kaha tha jab 18 baras ki ho jaogi toh woh ek kriya karenge… jisse tum bhi baaki ladkiyon ki tarah ho jaogi”
(I know your heart aches sometimes due to some reasons. But I know a way. Go to baba Prabhanand. You're already taking medicines given by him but he said that when you turn 18, he'll perform an activity which is going to make you normal like other girls)
Vedita blinked at her with innocence
"Par… mujhe to koi bimari nahi bhabhi. Main to theek hoon, na? Pehle hi aap bhaiya se chupa ke woh kadwi dawai khilati ho mujhe ab aur nahi"
(But...I'm not sick bhabhi. I'm fine, right? Already you give me those bitter medicines hiding from my brother, now not anymore.)
Meena gently stroked her head
“Main teri bhalyi chahti hu, baccha. Haan, tu theek hai… par kuch baatein shareer ki hoti hain, jo tu nahi samjhegi abhi. Bas meri baat maan le… Baba sab theek kar denge. Aur dekh na, gaon ki aur ladkiyaan bhi jaati hain wahan. Woh pavitra ho jaati hain fir.”
(I want your welfare, child. Yes you're fine but there are some matters of body you won't understand now. Just trust me..Baba will fix everything. Even other girls of village also go there. They become pure after that.)
Vedita softly asked her looking down
"Pavitra...? Kya main apavitra hoon bhabhi?"
(Pure..? Am I impure bhabhi?)
Meena hesitated at first.Her voice broke just a little.
“Nahi… nahi beta… tu to sabse pyaari hai. Par duniya ko kya pata… .Bas ek baar Baba se mil le, main sab sambhaal loongi. Ye baat apne bhaiya ko mat batana, woh nahi maanega.”
(No... You're the sweetest. But the world doesn't understand.. Just once meet the baba, I'll handle everything.
Don't tell your brother, he won't agree)
Vedita nodded slowly, still not understanding everything but her bhabhi’s words made her feel… hopeful.
Maybe, just maybe, this was the way to live a "normal" life.
As night fell and stars quietly blinked above the village, a trap of blind faith had just closed in around an innocent heart.
---
On the other side
The village was quiet like usual. The rustle of the trees barely audible as Ved sat on the stone bench. His mind was heavy with the images of Vedita.
The girl he had seen near the well was still stuck in his thoughts. Her eyes which were full of confusion and the words “cursed” echoed in his mind like a haunting refrain.
He looked at Arjun, the closest person to him in the world. As an well-educated and pragmatic man he was someone Ved trusted with his deepest questions.
Ved sighed before breaking the silence
“Arjun, woh aaj ek ladki mili... Vedita Tripathi… kyun usse sab shaapit bol rahe the ? Kya usne kuch galat kiya hai?”
(Arjun, today I met a girl... Vedita Tripathi... why was everyone calling her cursed? Has she done something wrong?)
Arjun paused, looking at Ved with a serious expression. He knew his cousin’s mind was restless and now the questions had grown bigger than just a few whispers.
“Yeh shaapit hone ka jo label diya hai na usse... yeh bas ek kahani hai, ek hawa ka jhonka hai jo gaon ki kuch badkismat ladkiyon ke saath hota hai. Lekin Vedita ki kahani thodi alag hai.”
(The label of being cursed... it’s just a story, a passing breeze that happens to a few unfortunate village girls. But Vedita’s story is different.)
Ved’s brows furrowed. He leaned forward, eager for more details.
“Lekin kyon? Kya uske janm ko lekar ya koi galat kaam tha usne?”
(But why? Was it about her birth, or did she do something wrong?)
Arjun looked down, hesitating for a moment
“Uska janm waise bhi ek kismet ka khel tha. Jab woh paida hui thi, uski maa chali gayi... 8 baras ki hui toh pita chal base...Gaon ke log kehte hain, uska janm ek shraap ki wajah se hua tha, apne hi maa-baap ko kha gayi.”
(Her birth was a play of fate. When she was born, her mother passed away... When she turned 8 her father passed away.People say her birth was because of a curse. She ate her parents life.)
Ved’s face hardened. He was very angry.
“Yeh toh sirf baatein hain. Log bina samjhe kahan se aise faisle karte hain?”
(These are just rumors. How can people make such decisions without understanding?)
Arjun paused, his voice softening as he tried to explain the darker part of the village’s blind faith.
“Woh sab kuch sirf ek baba ki wajah se ho raha hai. Yahan ke sab log uski baat maante hai... Koi samajhta nahi ki woh kis tarah se un ladkiyon ka fayda uthata hai .”
(It’s all happening because of a baba. The whole village follows him blindly… No one understands how he uses those girls.)
Ved looked confused.
“Woh baba kya karta hai? Kis tarah se in ladkiyon ka fayda uthata hai ?”
(What does this baba do? How does he take advantage of these girls?)
Arjun’s face darkened, his voice laced with concern.
“Woh baba ek ‘treatment’ ke naam par ladkiyon ko kuch aise dawaiyan deta hai jo unki menstruation ko rok deti hain. Fir woh unhe impure, shaapit ya ‘paap ki bachi’ ke naam se bulaata hai. Aur yeh sab gaon waale uski baat maan lete hain. Phir jab ladki 18 ki ho jati hai toh woh kuch kriya ke naam pe pata nahi akele mein unke saath kya karta hai phir kuch dawai deta hai jisse unka menstruation cycle phir activate ho jata jisse logo ko lagta hai ki ladki normal ho gayi”
(That baba gives girls some medicine under the guise of treatment that stops their menstruation. Then he calls them impure, cursed or “child of sin.” And the whole village believes him. Then when the girl turns 18, then in the name of "Kriya", don't know what he does with them in alone then he gives them some more medicines which activates their menstrual cycle and people think that the girl became normal)
Ved’s hands clenched into fists.
Ved gritted his teeth in anger
“Yeh toh zinda insaan ki maut hai! Kaise log itni andh-vishwas ki wajah se apne aap ko nuksan pahuncha rahe hain? Iss baat ka andaza toh main laga sakta hu ki woh in ladkiyon ke saath kya karta hoga.”
(This is like a living death! How can people hurt themselves because of such blind faith? I can predict what he does with those girls alone.)
Arjun nodded with grim look on his face.
“Un ladkiyon ke saath bahut galat hota hai,Ved. Ek toh pehle hi bechari kismat ki maari hoti hai upar se yeh sab log uska jina muskil kar dete hai.
Babuji iss sab ko rokna chahte the lekin woh baba bahut chalak hai. Humne seher se ek medical team bhi bulayi thi uska parda faas karne ke liya lekin uske pehle hi saari dawai kuch jati butiyon se badal di.”
(Those girls suffer a lot, Ved. As it is, they're already victims of cruel fate, and on top of that, these people make their lives even harder.
Babuji wanted to stop all this, but that baba is very cunning. We had even called a medical team from the city to expose him, but before they arrived, all the medicines were secretly replaced with some local herbs.)
Ved sat back processing everything, the anger bubbling within him. He ran a hand through his hair, looking towards the horizon.
Ved spoke softly with determination
“Yeh sab kuch band hona chahiye, Arjun. Mera gaon, meri zindagi... main yeh nahi hone dunga.”
(This all needs to stop, Arjun. This village, my life... I won’t let this happen.)
Arjun looked at him, a slight smile forming.
“Tu jo chahe kar. Par yaad rakh, yeh ek lambi ladai hai. Tune kabhi yeh sab nahi dekha,yeh toh sirf shuruat hai.”
(Do whatever you want to. But remember, it's a long battle. You haven't seen all this before, it's just the beginning.)
Ved stood up. His posture more determined than ever.
“Main us baba ko sabak sikhaunga. Aur agar sabko uski sachai samajh nahi aayi... toh main yeh gaon, yeh soch badal dunga.”
(I’ll teach that baba a lesson. And if no one understands the truth… I’ll change this village, this mindset.)
Arjun stood too, slapping his ha
nd on Ved’s shoulder with a grin.
“Main tere saath hoon, Ved. Aaj se hum dono ke liye yeh ladai hai.”
(I’m with you, Ved. From today, this is our fight.)
----
Do you think Meena Bhabhi is doing the right thing by trying to help Vedita, or is her blind faith the real enemy?"
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