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Showing posts from March, 2014

Pearl

They adopted her. Found her on the roadside, shivering, cold and neglected. Her birth had caused her mother's death and she had no clue who or where her dad was. She had big, beautiful brown eyes and was a meek little thing. People often shot dirty looks at her when she pursued them in hope of some way to soothe the gnawing feeling at the sides of her tiny tummy and she often slept alone on the footpath. The playfulness and happiness she saw others who looked so much like her radiate often made her pine for more from her life. It was at the signal she inhabited that the Dsouzas saw her, and they took pity on her and took her home, as they were kind people. They named her Pearl. Over the next few weeks, she was thrown into a completely new and unfamiliar environment. She basked in the spotlight, as the mama, papa, the twenties-something son (John) and teenage daughter (Mary) showered her with curious yet kind attention. Gradually, she learned much from them and improved in appe

A disturbed sleep

This Women's Day let's talk about a serious issue, they all said. Lets celebrate feminism, they all said. She was there, seeing them, taking it all in, walking faster. This was like the window to a life she couldn't have, a life she didn't believe she deserved. Her job had never been more ensnaring, yet never less satisfactory. How could she be satisfied, bound as she was under a thousand threads of the same color and seeing the smile and satisfaction it brought to people's faces, knowing she could never have that joy? Swarna was just finishing up a day's work when the owner came to her, and told her to come early the next day. Two new customers there were. She agreed. Up the next day, swept up at the crack of dawn, she went ahead to complete her chores and got Lily ready to school. Then, draped the same old olive green   saree , said hello to   Durga Ma   in the temple, from the outside, and set off to do her duty. Braced herself to see more of loud, g