‘Marriages are made in Heaven’ the famous axiom goes like this.But it seems that some marriages are made in hell. That is why several marriages end in total flop. Especially in India, nowadays failed marriages are in the increase as seen from the number of divorce cases filed in family courts. Definitely when the masculinity of husband is in jeopardy, wife is put into un-told sufferings. Hence the question arises, “Is masculinity or virility test needed for men before marriage?”. The answer is obviously seen in this story, which is partly based on a real life incident which took place in early seventies of last century, when communication services were not much developed.
It is in the form of a narration a young lady rather her conscience.
NARRATION OF SUMATHI’S CONSCIENCE:.
I agreed to marry Navneet, a computer engineer at the behest of my parents whom they chose among dozens of offer to marry me.
Navneet!
A young man of 25 years. A very attractive person. I was informed that he was such an intelligent person that his works were recognised worldwide. He was a fine drama artist too. In college dramas, he used to take challenging roles from epics like Ramayana, Mahabharatha and some of the plays of Shakespeare.
My parents very sincerely followed all the procedures associated with a South Indian traditional marriage.
Marriage was arranged at short notice. That was at the instance of bridegroom’s parents. They told that they were not ready to wait for a long time. The system is that the bridegroom’s side would be giving orders and the bride’s side should meekly obey. So, we obeyed.
Navneet tied Mangal Sutra (the Holy thread around the neck) among chanting of Mantras, in the presence of holy Agni (fire) and from that moment onward I became his wife.
The ‘NIGHT’ came after an anxious wait by me. A night any person, men or women would anxiously wait to meet. I also entered the nuptial room with hopes.
“Sumathi, do you like me… ?” He whispered into my ears. I nodded in approval.
“Did you marry me out of your liking for me or just because your parents chose me… ?”
I did not reply.
“Please reply… ” he insisted.
“For both the reasons… ” I quipped.
It seemed he enjoyed the quip and had a laugh. Then he added… “Okay Sumathi. Sorry for putting inconvenient questions. We shall do one thing”.
I anxiously waited for his instructions.
“Sumathi, you will be very tired after a week of festivities. I shall not disturb you tonight. Let us take full rest. Let us talk tomorrow.”
Yes, in fact I was very tired. In spite of it, my anxiety was more. But I had to obey my husband. Without waiting for my reply, Navneet was fast asleep. I also decided to take rest. I switched off the lamps. The traditional songs of married and elderly woman from outside the nuptial room were going on and the songs helped me to have a fast sleep.
It was 8 A.M when I woke up next day. Navneet had already left. My friends gathered around me and enquired eagerly, “What happened?”
“Nothing happened”, I wished to reply. But kept quiet.
That day, in my husband’s house it seemed that I was asleep when my husband came to bed.
“I wished to have lot of things with you in ‘my’ house, but you slept… ” my husband said next morning. I was able to feel that I was flushing with shyness.
I was surprised that he got ready to go to his office as usual.
“What is this?” I asked in wonder.
“What can I do dear? I got only four days’ casual leave for my marriage. I have exhausted all the leave and I have to attend today”, so saying, he left in a hurry.
My first day in my in-law’s house was full of activity. A stream of visitors called on us.
Though I was mechanically talking with visitors, my eyes were fixed on the entrance door only. I was anxiously waiting for Navneet’s arrival. After all something is due from him.
It was 11 RM. when the sound of his car was heard. I wanted to give him a surprise.
I was hiding behind the doors when he entered the room. “Oh, Darling”,I jumped on him when he entered the room, hugged him and tried to kiss with full force.
“What nonsense is this?” he roared. He pushed vehemently and shouted, “Is it a house or brothel? Don’t misbehave like this”
I fell down on the floor in a fully confused mood. I didn’t understand what was wrong in a newly married girl hugging her husband and trying to kiss. It was only for that opportunity I was waiting for the past three days, nay, twenty five long years!
It took full ten minutes for him to recover. Then he tried to pacify me with soothing words,.”Sorry darling, please excuse me for the rude behaviour. I had some tension in office. I am sorry it reflected on you”
I thought that he would help me to get up from the floor. But he did not do it. He left the room in a hurry.
I consoled myself that I should not have been so dominant. I expected that Navneet would come back to console me. But he chose to remain outside.
Almost it became a daily affair. He avoided me totally, especially during nights.
There is a limit for patience. One night, I gathered enough courage to ask him the reason for his total boycott. First he was perturbed, then recovered and gave the reply: “Darling, I do not believe in physical contacts. It is only a temporary pleasure. I believe in the permanent pleasure ‘Paramananda’. It comes through not from physical contacts but through meeting of the souls. Yeah! Let us try to achieve it”
It was Greek and Latin for me.
He did not care whether I understood or not. He turned the other way and started sleeping as usual.
Next day after he left I was just going through the photo album containing early photographs. I was surprised to see a young girl in almost all the photographs. I took the album to my mother-in-law and asked her who that girl was. She became furious. She snatched the album from my hands and shouted, “who wanted you to look at that, you do not have right to have access to whatever you see in the house”
I calmly went back to our room. I wished to read some books at least for a change of my vexed mood. While going through the book shelf I found some college souvenirs. I took interest in seeing them, picked up a few and settled in the cot to comfortably look at them. There were several interesting articles, poems etc. about the college where Navneet studied.
Some photographs attracted my attention. I was able to recognise Navneet. He was in costumes of Portia of Merchant of Venice, Cleopatra, Sita, Draupadai etc. There was a Bharat Natyam pose also for a full page with his name mentioned below.
Suddenly a chill passed although my body.
People thought that Navneet was dressed like a woman. But the fact is that he was not dressed like a woman, but not at all a man. Neither man, nor woman.
Yes. Those people cheated me by marrying me to a Eunuch. That explained everything.
I did the greatest blunder next moment. Unable to control my temper I screamed ‘NO’ and fell down.
My parents in law rushed to my room with the query, “What happened?”
On seeing the open pages of the souvenir, my mother-in-law understood the situation. She sat quietly on the bed. She kept the books by her side and started talking in a soothing voice.
“Sumathi, I wished to tell later. But it is good you came to know yourselves. There is nothing wrong with him. I had a prayer to have a female child. But GOD gave me this boy. I went to a saint and asked him the reason. He told me that Gods took lot of sympathy on me. So they sent a Goddess. That is the reason why he is feminine in appearance though he is a man. I consoled myself by dressing him like a girl and adoring him with ornaments. You also please try to adjust to the realities. You are very fortunate to be the wife of a Goddess. You should be thanking us for giving you this opportunity.”
That cock and bull story did not stop me from sobbing.
My mother-in-law waited for ten minutes. Finally she told, “look Sumathi, I have explained you everything. Be happy with whatever you have, the enormous wealth, respect in the society and what not. Sex is not the only thing in life. If you adjust yourself, you can live happily, Otherwise you have to suffer. Please remember this and behave properly”
I was sobbing for the whole day.
“What is this Sumathy? Why are you creating scenes?” It was my husband who asked. It seemed that my mother-in-law telephoned and called him back home.
“Sumathy, please note one thing. You have not lost anything. Everything is here except sex. Is it a must for life?” he asked innocently.
I didn’t try to control my temperament. I stood before him and asked him with convictions. “If sex is not a must, how were you born to your mother?”
He was dumbstruck. His face became pale. He started trembling and caught hold of the cot for support.
“Are you, are you… Abusing my mother… ?” he screamed.
On hearing it, his mother rushed to our room. She was visibly perturbed.
“What did you do to my son” she asked in dismay holding her son (!) by her hands.
“Don’t tell your ‘SON’.” I remarked sarcastically.
“Then what should I call him”?
“That is what I do not know. Better you decide yourself”, I replied.
Next morning I started packing my articles. Navneet who was watching sitting on the cot went to his mother and told her about my decision. She came to me and gave a furious look.
“What are you doing?”
I didn’t reply but started moving towards the door.
“Don’t you hear me, are you deaf?”
I silently walked towards the door. My mother-in-law stood obstructing the way.
“Where are you going?”
“Let me go to my parent’s house” I replied.
“Why?”
“Do you not know?” I asked.
“No”
“Well, I will tell you. I can’t live with a eunuch,” I replied in a determined voice.
My mother-in-law lost all her balance. In anger, she started trembling. It seemed trembling and screaming were their family assets.
“You bitch, Idiot. You are abusing the great Avatar. You crave for the physical body. You cannot move from this house”
She caught hold of my hair, dragged me and pushed inside and locked from outside.
My father-in-law and husband were watching silently.
For the next fifteen days I was kept in confinement. I refused to take food. They deputed a servant maid exclusively for me who consoled in pacifying words and tried to give some food to me regularly. When they failed to persuade me to take food, they started giving some injections which kept me alive but almost made me inactive.
Another fortnight passed. One night Navneet brought a robust man appearing like a villain in some third rate movie. I was annoyed. How dare a stranger enter my bed room?
But Navneet was not perturbed. He took his seat quietly and started saying,:
“Look Sumathi, You are very much depressed to realise that I am not having sexual intercourse with you. Don’t worry, that is why I have made an arrangement.”
I anticipated what was coming.
“Sumathi, I am making the extreme sacrifice which no husband on Earth will dare to think of,” Then he pointed out at the stranger and told, “He is Sanjeevi, my good friend”.
“Sanjeevi, sit down” he asked his companion. That fellow also took a seat conveniently much to my annoyance.
“Now you know him. He is a very interesting personality. You know his job is social service. Yes. Especially to helpless women. So many ladies who do not have proper male company contact him for companionship. He has clients from abroad also”, he told.
“You mean, a male prostitute” I sarcastically asked.
That fellow was annoyed and moved towards me. Navneet waved him to calm down.
“Well, if you wish to call him that way, I don’t have objection.Nor he. Isn’t it, Sanjeevi?”, then he continued.
“I have engaged him exclusively to have sex with you. You need not have the apprehension that you will be deprived of sexual pleasure for ever. He will give you full satisfaction. I give you full liberty. You can have sex in whatever manner you like using him. But there are some conditions.”
Without caring for my boiling emotions, he continued, “See, I will be watching the entire show. Because that is the only pleasure I can have. But I assure that I will not be a hindrance to you. You can have full liberty.
Secondly, you have to call him only with my permission. As husband, I shall not forego that right.
Thirdly, I shall be the father of the child born to you through him. You have to proclaim to the world only in that way. Do you understand?
Now you can proceed”, he was sitting comfortably as if he was getting ready to watch a dog show.
“You bloody fellow”, I screamed. Took the chair I was sitting and threw forcefully on him. It hit him right on the forehead causing a bleeding injury.
“Sanjeevi, Catch hold of her” he screamed.
What followed was nothing short of a third rate movie. I was chased and finally caught. They tried to undress me. The pity was that my mother-in-law also joined them in their endeavour.
I fought back with full strength. As a natural way of fighting I started shouting.
At a particular occasion, I was able to escape and ran towards the door. That fellow jumped and reached the door overtaking me. He caught hold of my hair. Then gave a blow with his fist. I started bleeding. “Help, help” I cried.
I was able to see my mother-in-law nodding her head in approval. Before actually knowing what was happening, an iron rod fell on my head forcefully. The last memory I had was, I fell down on the floor when all of them were smiling devilishly. My body was wet with fresh blood flowing out from my head. I plunged into total darkness.
PS: Next week, a young woman’s body was found from inside an abandoned well. The body belonged to a beautiful, young virgin girl. On public and media protest and complaint from her father, Police arrested her husband and parents-in-law.
They stated that the girl committed suicide because of her affair with ex-lover was exposed. Police also closed the case as a suicide.
“Bloody fellow, you made us poorer by 5 crores rupees by your stupid hurried act.” Navneet’s mother was shouting at him after the case was closed.