The Girl on the Street

I don't remember the last time when I shared a personal experience with you all but this time even though I am consoling myself that I shouldn't be sharing it's just happening.
I was returning from my cousin's place when while entering my house I saw a girl wearing a night dress sitting on the street and crying. I asked the driver to stop when he said, ' Didi, I think she fell off from the cycle.' Even my mind paced forward wondering that since I saw a cycle placed beside her. As the car turned to my surprise I noticed that she belonged to our neighborhood. I saw her many a times during cultural festivals and pujas. She was may be two years younger to me.

I called out my mother and I asked her about that girl. She mentioned that she knew nothing about it. I decided to go to her and my driver followed. My mother prohibited me several times not to go to her and that she was big enough to get up and go home but I doubted when I saw her brother peeping from between the walls.

I went towards her and saw a white fluid running down from her mouth. I instantly called her few times and she looked at me with keen eyes. I felt so weak when I gazed at her. I shouted for my mother and father and few people from the neighborhood came forward. By this time she lay flat on the road murmuring something. Did she have anything poisonous? I caught hold of her and asked her what happened but what she uttered were, ' Didi, they will not let me live alone. You are a girl right? You can understand it right? I just wanted to live alone. '

I couldn't understand a thing. I asked her brother to call someone from her family. When her father came out she stretched her hands and asked me to pull her up. I held her hands and that touch was so earthly and metallic. She wanted to convey something. My father asked her father what has happened to her but I was damn sure when he made up a story telling that while she was returning from school few boys made her eat something and after that she sometimes behaved normal and otherwise like this. When we did further enquiries we received no answer.

In normal cases if a girl is suffering like this and the family knowing visits a doctor, files a complaint and seeks help but here things were different entirely. If few boys tortured her there was supposed to be a police complain made. They were supposed to seek medication but the girl lay there helpless and I still couldn't do anything.
I pulled her up and crying she hugged me telling,' You are a woman Didi, you can understand my pain.'



There was something wrong with her father as whenever her father came towards her she pushed her away. I looked at him and he put his eyes down. That Time I realized that really a father can be a guidelight, a father can be a friend, a father can also be a rapist and a father can also be a torturer.
Her brother took her inside after much difficulty. The father followed inside. Her spit lay on the street and I choked. In spite of being a woman was I really able to understand that girl's inner thoughts, pains and silent demonstrations?

                            

                                     The Dance

It was summer time and Reeta sat near the window of her room. Her daughter's summer vacations would commence today. Her duty was to bring her home from school. She did not worry a bit. The sun rays reflected on her face and the bangles tinkled against her shadowy skin when she moved it in a grace. Yes, she loved to dance. She stood near the mirror and smiled at herself. 

'Reeta you need to bring Nikita from school. It's already time' her mother-in-law shouted from downstairs. 

She smiled at herself again and started to tap her feet to the tune of a raga. She moved around. The Anarkali she wore whirled in a whirlwind. Her hands outstretched on both directions and made different angles with her face with mingled mudras. 

She stopped to switch on the music player. She gave her heart to the dance. 'Tannan...nana...na...na na na re...Tanan na na re...' her heart melted in joy. 

'Reeta where are you???' she bellowed. 

The eyes above curled, the eyebrows danced to the tune and she felt everything to it's paramount. 

From childhood she wanted to dance Bharathanatiyam, a dream she dreamed! Girls of their age would dance...O my God! That was a sin for the family members to allow that. 

Reeta killed her passion each day in front of the decision of their parents. If she fell in love with anything then it was dance. Now time changed, her world changed. She went on stretching her hands on opposite directions to the tunes to swirl in a whirlpool. The tap of her feet and the hands on her hip was an ecstasy to watch. 

The day when Rakesh and family came to visit her was the worst thing which ever fell on her. Her mother-in-law loved her eyes. She mentioned it was just like the touch of an artist who went to paint Mas Durga's ogle. But she loved dance. Only and only dance.

When Rakesh and Reeta were sent to a room to give each other some space, Reeta spoke with a hope of love that he would allow her to open a dance school after marriage. He simply nodded. She understood what he meant. She forced a smile and agreed for the marriage only to make her parents happy. 

'Reeta what is this noise all about?' her mother-in-law seemed to come upstairs. 

She was engaged in her dream. Her dream of love, passion and desire. No one could ever stop her today. The wind blew through the windows and her hair waved in a sashay. Her lips imparted a cheer to her face. Her visage was clean of all worries and troubles. She was into an unknown world, the world of Nataraj!

Her mother-in-law suddenly entered her bedroom and spoke with anger and disgust after switching off the music player.  'You bitch, you whore, what do you think? You are again dancing.' She kept on dancing still, words pierced like an arrow into her heart to the core, it vibrated, tears rolled, however still she danced. It was her paradise. 

'You witch stop it.' Saying this she slapped her face hard and she fell on the floor, tears jamming her eyes. But surprisingly her hands still moved in a Grace!

 Can a passion, a love be killed so easily?

Book Review of 'Mine For Tonight' by Shivangi Ramsay. 

About the author: An assistant professor in English, Shivangi loves to write passionate stories for young adults. Being a fitness freak, she loves going for long walks. Watching daily soaps on Star Plus and ZeeTV is one guilty pleasure that she can't resist indulging in from time to time. A coffee addict and a die-hard chocoholic, she loves daydreaming about brownies and cupcakes. Mine for Tonight is her second romance novel after the best selling Passionate Love. You can get in touch with her at shivangiramsay88@gmail.com.

Description: A slim and touching memoir, Shivangi Ramsay tried to create a future with the help of the love story of Ramya and Sameer. It is a lonely task, and except for a couple of surprising confessions, she pulls it off with a certain amount of flair and elan.

Plot: There are lots of things which keeps you glued to this book. 'Mine for Tonight' is a lovely poignant love story of Ramya and Sameer when one day Ramya on the eve of Christmas walks down the supermarket arena and meets Sameer. To much disgust their love does not turn up on first sight but with slow time. When years later they get together they don't know what they should be doing. Will they be ashamed for that one night stand or will things change for the better?
Then there is the exceedingly glam side of Sameer and Ramya' s life— a cornucopia of boldface names and a beautiful setting like Shillong, The Scotland of the East.

Comments: In brief,"it is a passionate tormented love story that will last in Sammer and Ramya' s life throughout their  lifetime" .

Review: At a point love stories meant heartbreaks, proposals and a tragic end. This story by Ramsay is extremely different. There is a hapy ending when we find them married and shifted to London they have a twin boy and a girl.
The high life was both dizzying and dealt with various insecurities and infidelities and condescending attitude.

Characterization: Sameer's characteristics were a lot different from Ramya' s. He was an extreme warm fuzzing boy whereas Ramya was a coy type of girl with a glare of feminism. This combination was well described by Shivangi in a clear vivid portrayal.

Reader's point of view: There were unexpected combinations which will be well accepted by the readers and being an author myself I would love to comment that it is a romantic novel but far away from being romantic, rather a soft mingle of a woman' s world, desires and a man' s in this modern era. In one word it is a must read which will be well received by the teens and young adults.