Between Mothers' Day And Fathers' Day Poem by Bashyam Narayanan

I am the second daughter in my family
We belong to a remote village
In Sothern India

We are still on a continous struggle to come over the impacts
Of blind faiths imparted onto us

My elder sister was ten
And I was five
When our mother died eleven years ago

Our father managed alone the show
Of attending to us and his agricultural business
For sometime

He later decided to marry
And our step mother came in our family fold
Ten years back

All went fine
Out step-mother was kind to us
And met all our needs
Proved an emotional support
Whenever we needed that

Last year my sister was given in marriage
To a person, whose alliance was proposed to us
From a relative of our step-mother
My sister is happy with her husband
And the couple are awaiting their first child

I just finished my twelfth standard examination
And secured reasonably good marks
With an average of ninety
My parents were so pleased with this performance
As this is the first time
A student in the village scored such a high average

I felt like visiting my sister
And one Monday afternoon I left for her village
About forty five kilometers from our place
My father accompanied me and left me there
Her family members too were happy to see me
And all praised my performance in the examination

We, sisters, spent quite some time discussing
How should I continue my academic career
It was my plan to be with my sister for at least ten days

Wednesday afternoon my father appeared there and
Said that I was required in our place
As he was planning to organize a prayer for the village diety
For my prosperity and gainful future
My sister said she would also go with us
But dad declined her accompanying me

By that evening we were in our village
As we reached our house
I saw it locked from outside
I immediately asked dad about our step mother
Is she not there

He did not answer me
Opened the door
And hurriedly got in to bolt it from inside

I saw my step mother
And a number of male members
In traditional saffron dress
Apparently priests from
Probably not from our village to perform prayer

Our house is not big
But definitely not small from our village standard
A fifteen feet broad layout running about forty five feet
With partitions for a bed room in the front
And for a kitchen in the back
A circular brick walled well and small garden
Are in the backyard of the house
A small enclosure at the rear end for bath and toiler

As I entered the house
I could sense the fragrance of incense sticks
Signaling the preparation for an offer to our Gods
But, what was that pit in the middle of the hall
Dug to a depth of four feet, six feet long and two feet wide
I asked dad about that
Our step-mother came in to say
That this was a special prayer
And the offerings would fill the pit
And all for my prosperity and that of my sister

I was asked to take bath and come clean

As I was preparing for a bath
In the bath-toilet partition
I heard a whisper of a female from outside the compound wall
They will kill you

I was shocked and wondering as to whom this whisper was
I am telling you the voice continued mentioning my name
Just listen to what I say
It is all for your step-mother
Being blessed with a son
You life will be offered to our village God
And in return your step mother will conceive her first son
Through your father
I overheard this yesterday
When the priests, who are inside your house now,
Were discussing
Your house is kept closed since you left day before yesterday
And these preparations are for that purpose only
If you choose to escape run towards the banyan tree
On the left of your house
We are waiting for you

I could not make out who talked to me
But I felt something odd about the arrangements
I decided to pose as if I did not know anything
And I would participate in the prayer initially
Will react at the time appropriate

But I should do before the night set in
I was counting on those in the village
Who can help me if I opt to move out of my house

I was recalling happenings at home
Everything was normal
My step-mother did not behave like a step-mother at all
She was kind to both of us
She took enthusiastic part in my sister's marriage
She was indeed responsible
For my fairing well in the final examination

I was wondering how people can change
And it is a mystery how my dad also agreed
To perform a sacrificial prayer
And to take away my life for the sake of
An unborn or to-be-borne son

I delayed enough it looked
My step-mother was outside the enclosure
And was suggesting I should get ready earliest
So that the offering would be in time
I came out in a new dress, which
My dad had bought me for the occasion

I was scheming as to escape
If what I heard were true
I entered the hall and made note of things and equipment
Procured for the prayer
As I have seen similar sacrifices in the temple
I could make out what I heard could be true
The very looks of the priests were frightening
I have not seen any of them numbering four

Priests from outside
Pit in the middle of the house
Preparations sembling those for animal sacrifice in the temple
Made me believe that it was all for sacrificing me

I feigned dizziness and gently fell on the ground
In small un-hurting harmless slides
And in a posture that would facilitate me
To quickly get up and run towards the exit door

She might be tired of travel
One of the priests suggested
That she be given to drink an aerated drink or soda

I was watching my dad getting near the door
To unbolt it
I was preparing for a dash and run away
He just did that
In a flash I got up and ran towards the door
The advantage I had was that the door is so hinged
That it will open towards outside

Before my dad could come out of the house
I was in the street
And ran towards the banyan tree
I did not look back

Yes, the whole village folks were standing and waiting for me

I am not for narrating what happened further
As I am safe now
I am staying with my sister
And waiting to join an engineering college
My brother-in-law promised me
To help study further

I left home for my sister's place
After Mothers' Day
I was back to her place
Before Fathers' Day