I love narrating stories and this one is my favorite. This story is about a mischievous hyperactive girl who lived in a middle class South Indian family in India. Being youngest amongst all the siblings, she was the naughtiest yet pampered by all. She loved going to school everyday and was an expert in bunking hindi classes. With her eldest sister as class teacher, schooling was a bit awkward but who cares !
This particular day was interesting. Mansi’s eldest sister was not at home! She went somewhere…I have to find her at any cost said Mansi. She ran in almost all the streets shouting Siya ! Siya! People were skeptical. Whom is she searching ? Whose daughter is this ? Has she lost her mind? How can this little girls cross a heavy traffic main road all alone ? But concerned Mansi was unstoppable. She was determined to find her favorite sister …thinking how could she leave the house without informing me? Back at the house, everybody was worried. There is no way around said the father. It’s been 9 hours and Mansi is no where to be found. We should file a complaint at the nearby police station. Just then two noble men came down the road along with Mansi ! The wailing mother hugged her baby girl tightly enough to never let her go again. Phew…Mansi was back from her quest safely. Well, Siya happily came back from her shopping at the right time. Mansi’s neighborhood was a quiet one but yet safety was an issue anyways. The atmosphere frequently grew tensed during riots, men would run across the streets with swords and knives ! Curious Mansi would peep through small holes to witness the horrors unfolding in front of her innocent eyes . She saw men beheading each other ! Be it domestic violence or horrific riots, Mansi was a witness to all the horrors going around her unaware about the consequences she might have to face later !
Time flew by…Mansi was a grown up young woman taking tuitions along with her school. She still hated hindi but enjoyed teaching and looked after everyone at home. She went to college and was the first one to introduce Maggi to all her college mates ! She got a job as a teacher in the same school she studied in her childhood ! How cool is that ! She was not only an all rounder, but would single handedly manage administrative work of the school as well ! She was a beautiful, talented and independent woman.
It’s Mansi’s marriage !! Her husband was a charming, fair and handsome man. They looked great together ! She moved to her in laws house. Her father in law had just passed away. She lived with her husband and mother in law. A new beginning, a new neighborhood and a new house ! Lots of work to do said Mansi.
Mansi started her tuitions again and this time also she was filled with bright students who loved her as a teacher. She had a first born too. MIL never stopped her from pursuing her passion but would never miss a chance to taunt Mansi saying she taught everyone in the city except her own daughter ! Mansi was enraged !! This is a derogatory remark ! Why would I do that ? Obviously I would teach my child first…what made you think so ? The MIL justifies her accusation by stating the fact that our girl never gets a rank in finals ! Mansi was adamant that this time she will prove that her daughter is the best and will be first rank holder at any cost ! The little daughter had no clue…why is her mom being so rude ? why is everyone yelling at her for no reason ? Above all, the young girl was in second standard for God sake !! There came the final exams. Meanwhile Mansi had her second child. Now she had to juggle between her MIL , daughter, son and husband. It seems the young girl did some mistake of 2 marks even after repeated revisions. Bashed and yelled by her mother, the young girl cried out loud as in how was it a big deal ?? There it is… laughed out loud the MIL…enjoying the scene, laughing at the face of Mansi and proving her point ! However, results were out and Mansi’s daughter stood 1st in the class !
This was just tip of the iceberg for Mansi and her daughter who got into the tussle unknowingly. MIL would be jealous of the name and fame Mansi was gaining day by day in the neighborhood…she left no stone unturned to prove that Mansi was lagging behind when it comes to family. But Mansi kept on going… Without any support from her MIL and husband who doesn’t want to pay heed to the household tussle, Mansi ensured her daughter was a rank holder in school, looked after the baby boy, completed her household chores and continued her passion for teaching. She received a number of offers from various schools of the city but was never allowed to step out of the house! Mansi’s husband was control freek and suspicious . He would keep a strict vigilance over her and she gradually lost control over her own life.
Mansi accepted her fate. She would keep a smile on her face, lock herself up in the house along with her kids, carry her tuition, listen to her MILs innovative taunts, cope up with her control freek husband and would carry household chores…
It’s been 25 years now since Mansi bottled up every good and worst things inside her without anyone knowing a thing about her ordeal. She was almost invisible now. Nobody cared about her, nobody would ask if she had food or not, nobody would bother to know how was her day and how was she feeling today ? She has emotionally shutdown. She doesn’t even understand for whom did she do everything ? Why ? She was a perfect wife, mother and daughter in law ! Where did she go wrong ? Her entire life spun in front of her eyes and that too for nothing !
It was 2020, the year of pandemic. Her children came back from their cities to her home and all five of them were together like good old days. But nothing was like before. Why ? Because Mansi was ready to explode her ordeal-turned-venom that was bottled up for long long years. The whole house was in unrest, nobody could run away from the house because it was total lockdown !! Mansi’s husband nightmares were turning into reality because now he has to pay full attention to the tussle going on between the ladies. MIL was always a clever one ! Nobody could ever catch her red handed ! She would play her trick and escape smoothly with no questions asked. Mansi being the one being bearing her control freek husband and thankless MIL left no chance to remind them of every mental torture they subjected her to go through since the first day of her marriage ! This would lead to spats after spats, arguments lead to huge fights and house was turning into a black hole! The elder daughter had to intervene with no clue as she was away from the house for many years. They all lived in a 3 BHK with not enough privacy left for each and every individual. The MIL had no clue about the sudden outburst of her invisible DIL ! She being 85 years old now would use her old woman trump card every now and then to escape the questions posed by everyone. The husband being a devoted son, husband, father had no answers for his invisible wife’s questions. But for how long ? It was a year long lockdown !! A trap that time made for the entire family to realize together what is the importance of this invisible woman who is creating ruckus in the house ??
Mansi’s outburst made the deaf hear, made the blind see and the dumb speak….She is not invisible ! In a family, everybody must acknowledge each other’s efforts with true heart. She made it loud and clear ! She did every single thing for all the members of the family without any expectations but nobody ever bothered to reciprocate the love she deserves or make her feel special or ask her how was your day ? She was brought down to the level of a cook ,a maid ,a nurse.
We often forget how invisible yet essential Oxygen is. We cannot survive a minute without it, so without our Mothers. She is a living embodiment of love. She needs freedom, space, privacy, love and respect. She needs to learn new skills ,grow herself as a person, keep herself updated and stay relevant ! Every woman comes with a minimum expectation to her in-laws house. It is the duty of every in law to make her feel comfortable, love her and accept as one of their own. Also, childhood unresolved traumas can become fatal even after many years as it multiplies and unfolds at later stage. It should be addressed immediately before it leaves imprints in the human’s delicate mind and create havoc later !
Mansi is a strong, happy and independent woman now. She works in a school, runs marathon, has become a tech savy, has a huge friend circle, people adore her and her family supports her immensely in all her endeavors . ☺
