In the name of HONOUR (Final Part)

(A follow up from Part-1)

Kamla looked stone-faced, staring into nothingness. 

Khemraaj broke the grave silence, "Sister, why are you saying so? What curse are you talking about?" 

But Rahul didn't gave Kamla a chance to reply. He, himself, angrily, jumped into conversation, "Now, this was the only idiotic thing left in this matter. A curse...What a joke. In 21st century, these people still believe in these stupid things. Curse...my foot. These people are illiterate and this is the only curse, I can comprehend. Khemraaj, pack your bags. We will leave today evening. I now have enough matter for reporting."

Rahul pulled out a cigarette in disgust and desperately, rolled down the switch of his lighter. To add to his agony, the lighter didn't work.

Khemraaj helped him lit his cigarette with his match-box and said, "Rahul sir, lets listen to her. May be she will tell us something worthwhile."  

Kamla didn't wait for Rahul's approval and started speaking, "This deadly situation is all because of the cruelties inflicted on Tejas and his family by  Sarpanch Joginder Singh. Infact, all the panchs including my husband and other influential people of this village were involved in this."

Rahul interrupted in between, "Khemraaj, this is not a time for listening to bed-side stories. Let's go." 

Khemraaj looked in despair with a little anger towards Rahul but his position in the company forced him to change his expressions to helplessness. 

He made a final attempt, "Sir, may be, what we are going to hear is all rubbish. But lets give it a try. This woman has come out from her home, to tell us something that she strongly feels we should know. We are unknown to her but she has a hope that we will listen to her and may provide some kind of help for something. Its not an easy step for a woman, in this village, to come out and talk to strangers in this manner. In their entire lifetimes, very few people are able to speak their minds. Let us, at least, respect her courage."

 

Rahul was dumb-struck. He had never anticipated that Khemraaj can be so mature. Atleast, he was, till now, unaware of his own immaturity as a journalist. Khemraaj seemed to be in-charge now.

Kamla continued, "Tejas was the son of Jairaaj, a farmer with a small piece of land. He was a  hard-working young boy who toiled his land with his father from early morning to afternoon. In the evening, he worked in our home looking after our cattle. He was an ever smiling boy and the whole village was full of his praise. I don't know, how he came in contact with Gauri, who was the daughter of our village's Sarpanch Joginder Singh. I, still can't understand, how Tejas dared to even think that he can marry Gauri. Love should always be backed with  possible consequences, atleast for the poor and weak. But this was not the case here. They started meeting each other in a mango-yard, near the main village well. Some people say that Gauri had plans of eloping with Tejas to a nearby village, to his relatives' place. But before they could do such a thing, their relation went public in the village. It was a matter of great dishonour for Joginderji. Then, followed a string of very gruesome and unfortunate events."

Kamla's eyes turned red, perhaps by the fury of the past. She struggled to control her tears and said, "Joginder Singh, along with my husband and some other rich villagers, burnt the home and crops of Tejas. His parents were burnt alive in front him. They tied Tejas along with their cattle and didn't give him anything to eat for 3 days. They constantly beat him for 3 days and on the night of the 3rd day, they brought Gauri to see him. Then, in front of Gauri, they cut his fingers one by one, abusing him and at their height of cruelity, they crushed Tejas into a wheat grinder. All the remains of his flesh were thrown for crows and vultures to eat. Sahab, Tejas died an extremely painful death.

Rahul and Khemraaj were shocked to listen to these gory details. Rahul, with a much softened voice now, spoke," What about police? Law? How can somebody do this to anybody?"

"There is no law here, sahab. Panchs are the law-makers and the law-breakers. Nobody opened their mouths or else they would have met the same fate"

"But why did they kill Tejas and his parents? And in such brutal way. They could have easily made sure that Gauri is not able to elope. They could have asked Tejas and his parents to leave the village. They could have married Gauri to someone else. There could have have been so many other possibilities. Why did they murder them so horrifically?"

"For their honour.....false honour" Kamla burst into tears.

"But what happened to Gauri? Is she alive?" - Khemraaj asked hurriedly, as though, fearing that everybody seemed to forget her.

"That's what is this curse all about, Sahab. People say that Gauri lost her consciousness watching the wickedness of his father. When she came to her senses, she had gone mad.One unfateful night, she came out to the main village well, where she and Tejas, used to meet. For hours, she kept weeping  and  grieving for her love. At night, she cut her hairs and fingers and threw them into the well, cursing the village for her situation. People say, she died on the edge of the well, and all her blood kept dripping into the well."

"Believe me, it is Gauri's curse which has brought the village into this situation. People say that her spirit still haunts near the well and in the near by mango-yard."

Kamla wiped her tears and said, "Call us illiterate, sahab but I challenge you to try all the methods your government plans to solve the water problem of this village. You can give any reason for this situation but I and all the villagers know the real cause of it. If you can, try to bring out the real cause in your magazine". She left for her home, may be to fled from the village soon.

Rahul was shaken. His education, his logic and his very being were defying the 'curse' part of the whole story, out rightly. But an inner voice was almost making him deaf and blind. He wanted to believe in this superstition.

While going back to Train Station, he went to the village well. The entire surrounding was engulfed into an eeriness. He looked into the well, not knowing, whether he wanted to see water or the blood. Nothing was there. He was in dilemna whether to report the scarcity of water or the scarcity of humanity!

(End Note: More than 1000 people get killed in India every year due to some form of Honour Killing. Visit this: http://www.honourkilling.in  This country, which boasts of exponential GDP growth, rapid development and world leadership, still needs some strong legislation to deal with such heinous crime)