Once upon a time, in a summer day in Bangalore Deaddiction Center, one young man below 30s struggling to cope up with medicines administered and type of foods given to him. Suddenly an elderly man shouted at this patient., " how many times we told you that, you must stop drinking, because of you, not only you, but all of us are suffering....." Doctor came for rounds and explaining to elderly man and told , " your son's liver got damaged to some extent. If he don't stop drinking right now , we may loose him in just two to three months time ", pointing to patient in anguish and left. After some time , a young lady in advanced pregnancy, patient's wife, came with food , silently crying while tears dropping down from her face.
In the plains and delta areas of Andhrapradesh, a beautiful teenage girl , Ramya, came to her home with thundering joy and exclaimed to parents , I passed with 75% marks in 10th class and I will go to good college for my intermediate in Kakinada. And father said " I will definitely join in good college and in college hostel also on condition that, you must prepare , aim and should become an IAS Officer and thats my dream." Though, Ramya's father has done his post graduation and could not get any good job or done anything substantial in his life. Somehow, he managed to maintain a upper middle-class life style with the revenues generated by his ancestral properties.
She joined in college in June
1991 and went on to complete both intermediate and B.Sc with first class and planning to join in M.Sc in Vizag. Her father told her, you remember you must start preparing for IAS during this course and also in dedicated coaching center. She has done well in M.Sc and started procuring details of IAS exam pattern like Prelims, Mains and Interviews and What are the better coaching Centers in Andhrapradesh and New Delhi and thinking of going home for two weeks vacation before going for dedicated coaching.
Ramya is so jubilant of her future and thinking of taking a IAS coaching in Metro Cities and dreaming of becoming an IAS Officer or alternatively , can be settled as a Gazetted Officer in State Government service and she can enjoy all amenities, facilities and wonderful social status in the society. Suddenly rain started, when she is about to start her journey to city for a coaching center and it lasted for a week and parents advised her to stay one more week and then go to city.
During that time, Ramya's distant cousin is on her way to nearby town and dropped in their home. After exchanging pleasantries and lunch, she was pointing to Ramya's father and asked , " When are you planning to marry her as we have a good match in our relatives ". She started explaining that, the boy has completed graduation and currently doing pharmaceutical distribution in Vizag. His brothers also involved in other businesses and well settled and financially sound family with good social status. Ramya's father uttered, " we are not thinking of her marriage now". Then, Ramya's cousin with wrily face murmured, " Ramya is such a beautiful girl and she will definitely get a good match, nothing to worry " and left. Ramya's cousin is a graduate and aspired marry a high rank Government Officer and ended up marrying a 10th class dropout due to mishandling of her marriage matters and her husband is having fairly decent financial background and involved in chemicals business.
Ramya shouted in anguish at her cousin after she left pointing at Parents, " whether she is mad and why she is talking about my marriage, when I am planning for IAS coaching ". Destiny planned differently for Ramya and common relatives from boy's side approached Ramya's parents and even convinced them that, they are a very good family , financially sound and Ramya need not look back in life, if she marries this boy, even they said, Ramya can continue her IAS coaching after marriage. Though, Ramya resisted , but could not stop her marriage.
One fine morning , she got married and sent to to boy's house for continuing their married life. He talked nicely to Ramya, but used to maintain male chauvinism . As relatives explained, her father -in-law is good person , mother-in-law is foodie, other two brothers-in-laws are fairly settled with businesses and sister-in-law is adamant, but wont intervene in their lives. Days passed by and one fine evening after one month Ramya asked her husband, " I am planning for IAS Coaching " and husband's told her to wait some more time and let some days go and then, we can think of coaching.
They moved to Vizag after two months as per advice of Ramya's father-in-law and second day after settling in new home, Ramya's husband reached home fully drunk. Then , Ramya asked " Do you have the habit of drinking in surprise ", while fumbling he said yes, but once in a month or two , and made a comment, its common among businessmen. He started drinking once in a 15 days, then to once in a week, after four months, he started drinking everyday. Unable to control her anger and agony, she shouted " for how many years , you have this bloody habit ". Then, she also said " dont your education taught any culture and responsibilities of life". Fully drunk and lost control on the mind, he said , “ what education , you are talking about, " I am just a 10th class drop out and I have started my drinking from 14th year onwards , " and he uttered " This is my money, I will enjoy my life and who are you to ask me to stop drinking ".
For a few moments, Ramya , with pregnancy in early stage, frozen and started sobbing inconsolably and unable to take this betrayal like thing and cheating of her distant cousin and cursing her parents, for not enquiring his family background properly and started thinking of What a Irony of life, " Where I am, a Post Graduate with science aspiring for IAS and ended up marrying a drunkard 10th dropout, felt for the moment her life fallen apart in front her eyes, before it starts " and talking to her inner voice, “ what wrong she has done to face this kind of husband and miserable life like this..... ”.
Next day morning, she informed her mother and brothers. Everybody is angry for a moment none has dared to ask boy's parents for this cover up of their son’s character. All of Ramya’s parents and her relatives asked her to stay calm and her elder brother has been sent to Vizag to take care of the situation.
Her brother arrived and started requesting his brother-in-law to not to drink and pleading him to not to destroy her sister's life. In the meantime, Ramya's father- in -law also arrived and trying to cool down the situation. Ramya's husband does not listen to anyone except his father. Ramya's parents are worried, what will happen to her life . With shouting and stern messages from his father , Ramya's husband stopped drinking for a while.
After two months his visit to Vizag, Ramya's father-in-law got a call from Ramya, with pregnancy in advanced stage , informed him that your son has become very weak due to heavy drinking and improper eating and doctors are giving alarming messages and we need take him to deaddiction center in Bangalore.
After treatment in deaddiction center, his drinking has come down and some how Ramya's parents are convinced her to stay back with him and things will improve and settle down as they are more worried of their societal honor, as, if she may comes back and settle in their home. After a few months, she delivered a baby boy, and she forgot about her IAS coaching ,somehow, trying to settle in a new normal life, a few years passed by with same on and off drinking, she delivered baby girl this time.
After a few years, probably 12th year from Ramya's marriage, Ramya's brother, who is also settled Vizag after his marriage, received a call from Ramya, as his brother-in-law beaten her badly and when he rushed to spot, he found her in almost semi-unconscious state with blood on her forehead and on hands and he somehow managed to took her to parents home nearby Kakinada .
There are whispers after departure of doctor as one was voicing out ,
" Ramya is Ok and will be discharged today from hospital " and she recovered within a week after that last week incident. Ramya approached another relative, who is a lawyer, as she want to take a divorce and she is unable to cope up with this kind of life and her lawyer uncle advised, its a difficult to lead life with two kids without any steady flow of income and financial resources as her properties and money given as dowry during marriage are partially spent by her husband and rest is under husband's custody . Lawyer advised her to not go for divorce and its not good in long term particularly in our society. Her parents also declined long stay in their home and advised her to go back to her husband 's home.
With no hope in sight for possible decent career or better living, with no friends and relatives to bank on , she decided to end her life. One day, She decided to jump into the well. As she approaching the well, her inner voice echoed " Who will take care of your children and what will happen to them after your death and in your absence ......"
Ramya suddenly become double minded, waited for a moment.
With counselling from parents and brothers, Ramya again gone back to her husband's home and slowly moved to spirituality to find a peace in life. One day, a friend of her suggested that, There is a good Spiritual Guru in Hyderabad and conducting spiritual classes to attain the peace in life. After classes are over in a week period, she went to her college friend's house and got introduced to her friend's relative, who is Family Counselor, helps his friends and families once in a while , whoever requires some family advices to normalizes the life after family disturbances and disputes among spouses, as often seen in the society.
In despair, she started calling Counsellor for some advice and he advised her to not loose hope, filled the confidence in her mind with several life examples , how fallen people have rebuild their lives. He focused on positive side of life, coached her on how to manage family finances, saving money , spending less than earnings, investing some money in some different avenues and how important is financial independence in life and strongly advised her to get a job as she is Post Graduate and it will ensure steady flow of monthly income.
After a few months, Ramya picked up the confidence and some how she managed to get the job in an Education Institution as a Teacher and her social status and image started slowly improving along with the income. As her financial position started improving. Even, her husband also started thinking of , " his requirement of her is more than her requirement of him " and he too slowly reduced the drinking and her children are growing, she slowly started getting control on life and started building her life again as per her likes and desires .
One fine morning, Counselor relative called him and said,
" Do you know, Ramya is going abroad as a part of some cultural and employee exchange program to Singapore "
Then, Counselor felt so happy and started looking into the sky, thinking of What a .....!!! *
MM.Rao
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* Its a real story happened in someone's neighbourhood.
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