Skintone

"Aurat jaat ki sundarta uski rang main hoti hain." (The beauty of a woman is judged just by her skintone) said Ram Avtar - the village head of Mukundpur even as Ramla and Mukesh were crying and seeking help.

Ramla was weeping and amidst sobs muttered, "Uski kya galti thi?" "Daswi pass hain meri beti." "Kya hua agar sawli hain toh?" "Woh ladka toh teesri class tak padha."

Yesterday was the most important day in Saroj's life- that's what pot-bellied Mukesh and his malnourished wife Ramla felt. 

Ramla's brothers Kanu and Amritlal and their wives had made all the arrangements. They decorated the courtyard with mango leaves and flowers. A beautiful Rangoli was made at the centre and chairs were set under the shamiyana (a tent like structure). Aroma of delicacies prepared in the backyard could be smelt from as far as five houses in each direction.

Vimla kaki(aunt) had applied mehendi on Saroj's hands and feet. She looked beautiful and happy during the haldi ceremony too. It was a joyous atmosphere as Saroj was to be married off to Anuj Majhi, a thirty two year old man of the same village. 

Well, Saroj is the unmarried nineteen year old daughter of Ramla and Mukesh of Mukundpur- a remote village in the Charpokhri circle of Bhojpur district in Bihar. While most of the girls in that village were married off as they approached teenage years. The passing age of Saroj was a headache of sorts for not only her parents but other family members and the neighbours. They brought in a couple of matches from several families but everytime Saroj went in front of them she was outrightly rejected for her dark skin tone. If they agreed to the match then they demanded a huge amount of dowry which her parents were not in a position to pay. After all they had a small plot of land and barely survived hand to foot.

So, when Ram Bilas brought in the proposal of Saroj getting married to Anuj- a widower and father of three kids, her family readily agreed. Though Saroj protested saying, "He is much older than me, a widower and has three kids. I can't marry him." Ramla her mother thrashed her up and warned, "If you don't marry him, you must get out of the house." "I have two other daughters to marry off." "I have wasted enough time and energy searching for a suitable groom." "None accepted you for your dark skin tone." "Either you marry or you die." These words pinched Saroj so much that she finally relented. 

For Saroj's parents Anuj was a very good match as he had a Government job and earned enough to lead a good life. So, what if Anuj worked as a cleaner in a hospital in Bihar Sharif and earned seven thousand rupees every month. For everyone Saroj was the woman who could provide the warmth of love and affection to his seven year old son, five year old daughter and the month-old son as his wife Mohini died during childbirth. 

Saroj was mentally prepared to shoulder the role of not only a wife but also a mother. She was dressed in her bridal fineries and looked beautiful, never did the thought of her skintone cross her mind. She waited patiently for Anuj to arrive at her place. It was dead night, almost everyone left after feasting, only the groom didn't arrive. The wait continued for several hours when news trickled in that Anuj eloped with another girl of the village. He left a letter that he didn't want to marry a dark skin toned girl. 

The volley of curses continued for Saroj. No, she didn't have the courage to listen to the taunts any further. Saroj decided, "I will leave the village." "I will go to a place where education is valued not someone's skin tone."

As her parents Ramla and Mukesh decided to approach the village headman and the Panchayat to complain against Anuj for ditching their daughter after promising marriage. Saroj packed her bag and silently walked out of the village never to return again.