Wednesday 22 July 2015

Time to Move On

“Everything will be fine like before dear. Time is very powerful. It has the capacity to heal every wound. It’s been 2 years now. Everyone has moved on… You should too”. She didn’t utter a word. Nothing. Not even a ‘Thank You’.  She simply rose from the chair and headed towards the door with the words echoing in her mind-“everyone has moved on”. Yes. Everybody moved on in their lives. The only  one who stopped completely is ME. If everybody has moved on, then why not me? As she walked past the door, Dr. Verma just hoped the best for her life.
“See you soon, guys! Had a wonderful day! Bye!” Dressed in a turquoise blue churidaar, she waved her friends goodbye. Her black eyes sparkled like a black gemstone, complimenting her black curls. “Bye Sana. Take good care of yourself”. Sana. Yes. That’s her name. S-A-N-A. A cheerful, sweet, pretty, vivacious, ambitious young girl. That’s what she was. Life seemed like a bed of roses for her. A loving family comprising of loving parents and an elder brother. She had a decent job at a bank, a caring fiancé and great friends. Everything seemed perfect. She had everything she desired. Until one dreadful day…
“Help! Somebody please help! Aahh! It’s burning! It’s burning like hell! Somebody please, please help me! PLEASE!” It was 5:30 p.m. when Sana bid her friends goodbye. She was waiting for her bus at the bus stand. The very next day was her birthday. She was excited. But, her world turned upside down within a few moments. Her face was burning from the acid that was splashed on her face by a masked man on a motorbike. She yelled. She screamed. She cried miserably for help. But nobody turned up. Nobody. The bus stand was a busy one. Lots of people were waiting for their respective buses. But still, nobody helped her. They just kept looking at her, pitying her, but NOBODY HELPED HER!
The next day she woke up in the hospital. “Would you like something?”, the nurse asked. “Just a mirror. Nothing else”. replied Sana. As she looked at herself in the mirror, her whole body went numb. Completely numb. Her beautiful face was completely burnt. Burnt in a way that it couldn’t be looked at even for a minute or two. The acid ate up her face. When the reality struck her, she started crying vigorously. Today was her birthday. Her 26th birthday. “Sana! Please don’t. Don’t  cry like this. Mumma & Dad won’t be able to bear it. Control yourself. Everything will be alright. We are there for you. With you”. Her brother consoled her. But nobody was there with her. Nobody. She was all alone. No. She was left all alone. Alone to suffer.
After her visit to the psychiatrist Dr. Verma, Sana came back to her house. 2 years had passed by. But the wounds still seemed fresh for her. She was secluded by the society. Her engagement broke off. Her fiancé didn’t want to marry someone with a burnt face. As soon as her engagement was called off, her parents passed away of grief. Her brother disowned her. Her friends distanced themselves from her. The day she woke up in the hospital with a burnt face, she couldn’t recognize herself. But now she was familiar with this burnt-face. It was now her identity. The society is afraid of her face, she thought, but she isn’t. not now at least.
Dr. Verma was right. Everybody has moved on. Even that attacker. He couldn’t be traced. He must be living a normal life. He, being the ACCUSED must be living a normal life. Then why can’t she? She didn’t do anything then why should she suffer. That too ALONE! Sana wanted to confront everybody who left her alone to suffer. Everybody. Her brother. Her fiancé. Her friends. And yes this damned society. But what was the use! She tried that before. 2 years ago. The society was scared of her burnt-face. Her neighbors didn’t want to keep any relation with her or her family. Even her family did the same thing, though indirectly. Her parents didn’t show but yes, they too thought of her as a burden after that incident. Her own brother, the brother who loved her the most, disowned her. How could she move on with such wounds that still remain fresh in her hearts?

4 comments:

  1. A sensitive issue getting voice !
    Great going, Priya. :*
    Your representation of a story always stands out.

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  2. Nice story jii...based on a real incident... wonderful presentation...:)

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  3. Thank you so much Ravinder. I'll always try to keep it up. :D

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  4. Thank you Navdeep Singh ji. :)

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