Photo credit: WWW(World Wide Web)
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It has been a year since me and my family had shifted to this new place. It was not easy to come out from the old condominium, as my family had lived there for 25 years which was quite an ample time to get attached to the place, environment and especially people in the building and locality. It was most difficult for my mother as she being a homemaker, had her group of friends and foes in the vicinity. Its uncanny, but true, we miss our fiendish neighbors as much as our genial neighbours, because we knew about them and were wary of their actions, which would take a little time here as still everybody is a stranger to us. Among those old known people, I happened to meet Tina( real name not revealed) during a visit to bank located near my old home. I am feeling ashamed mentioning that Tina was neither a foe nor a friend , but our ostracized locality neighbour, for a reason which I now find was not rational , in spite of being known about her circumstances when her family was boycotted.
I and Tina are of same age and lived in same complex. Everyone in locality was friendly to Tina’s family and like any other family it had its own imperfections, until the day when her father met with an accident and eventually succumbed to his injuries leaving the lives of the breathing members fraught with uncalled agonies . Thus, the family remained no more the usual one it was. Tina’s mother does not have parents and had lived in an orphanage from where her mother-in-law(an avid contributor to the orphanage) got her gaze upon her and chose her as ideal spouse for her son. So, they were married and bestowed by almighty with two daughters Tina and Nisha (Elder one). Post death of the father, relatives and friends, including local people known to them ,did help the family monetarily and morally. Yet, her mother had to find a way that stipulated regular earning required to buy bread and butter for her and for the kids. Being not so educated she resorted to work as a maid or cook at different houses. After all, she had to feed her daughters, leaving her with no other option. Though she started earning, but it was not enough considering school fees, bills and the lifestyle they had lived when the patriarch was with them. Misery did perturb the daughters too. Somehow, few years passed but soaring expenses of education and desires were not sufficed by mother’s earning. Moreover, friends and relatives were not helping anymore. Tina was in 9th standard now and school had asked for fee, else an exit would be provided to her. Tina, not ready to give up on her aspiration began to mull over various possibilities for her to revive their dilapidated condition. And finally the quick way she found out was to earn through the “Unreputed Job”, which has been acclaimed as vehement. Oh yes! she opted to become a prostitute over being impoverished. It did not take long for the ablazing news to reach the locality inflicting abject rebuke against Tina and her family. I really dont know how her mother and sister took this decision of her. Her character was obviously defiled and family faced austere ostracism as her act was against the puritanical society. A few ignored them and a few passed damnatory remarks. My family too considered them ignoble and abstained any further contact. Strict instructions were given to me too, which i was not able to comprehend as the reason was not told to me , that I came to know later from friends.
Certainly, the family received a lot of flack, but monetarily they got well. The not so affable decision taken by Tina did not let her or her sister to compromise with their education and career. The agitated ones eventually were not so concerned anymore. After, few years Tina graduated from Delhi University with degree in English honors and it could be seen that she now had a boyfriend or for some a customer of her loathsome business. And last year the customer turned into a legitimate husband. The frowned eyes were getting less skeptical now.
For me, she had turned to a stranger whom I never bothered about , until a recent racket in glamoured bollywood industry went viral , where a well known artist named Shweta Basu Prasad opted same as Tina due to her circumstances. The difference here was that many celebrities equipped with wisdom backed her. This turned out in favor of the actress who now can be seen working in a TV show “Chandra Nandini” on star plus.She had expressed her views vociferously and confirmed no loss of integrity. She did so to atone her family condition, and not by choice. This incident was an eyeopener for me and many living in our dogmatic society. Perhaps, we were wrong about Tina too. Her act seemed imperative and rational now, that once was abhorred. Still it may not be considered dignified by many, but for me a brave stance which was surely not an easy one, considering her chastity was on stake.
So, when I met Tina last week while on my errands and bank activity, I passed a smile to her. She reciprocated with a smile cum bewilderment as she was certainly not expecting this from a childhood acquaintance turned to a stranger. I felt coy about giving any explanation, yet my smile assured me getting educated.
It is easy to judge unknowingly. What eyes see is not always true. Creating images of others based upon old preached principles, rather than using your own cognitive approach to understand the situation, is a fool’s game. I am awakened. I wish same for you too. All the best 
🙂
Budding Visionary 