Sindoor!!

Kadambari held the small box of sindoor on her hands. She loved the colour. Crimson red!! Yes, that was what she loved seeing on people's forehead. It was unlike the dark brownish colour found in her part of the country. 

Kadambari stood looking at the small round red box, her eyes became moist. She remembered the day when the mother of a student gifted her a packet after she praised the colour of the 'Sindoor'. That evening she applied the vermilion after freshening up, and she looked bright and different. The red colour on the parting of her hair appeared immensely beautifully against the white Jasmine flowers, which she often ties to her long hair. Her husband Srijith praised her. She smiled remembering how crazy he was. Amma, 'Niru', Amma, 'Niru'. Her two year son Bivash who was playing nearby brought her back to her senses. She opened the water bottle and let the child have water.

As she was sitting in the mat below, everything appeared before her eyes in a flashback one after another. Kadambari and Srijith were married for four years now. They have a 2 year old son Bivash. Kadambari's life centred around her husband and her son, they were her Universe. 

Kadambari was hardly eighteen when she was married off. In her village Adivahalli, almost every girl got married by eighteen, that was the trend. 

For the men of the village who spent more than half of their life under the influence of alcohol, the women were the breadwinners. Kadambari's father Muruggan was no less, he was very active 'socially', her mother Sitamma was a flower seller, she made beautiful garlands for offerings to the deities or for the women to adorn their hair. 

Like teenagers of her age Kadambari too had her dreams and fantasies, but for how long? Soon, her dreams were jolted and brakes were applied, she coulnot complete her schooling as she had to take care of the household after her elder sisters marriage. She was otherwise brilliant, but just cleared her grade 9 exams. Education was not a priority, managing the household, cooking, cleaning was a priority for her parents as for them the girl must be apt in household chores to have a settled family life. Unhappily and reluctantly,  Kadambari accepted what was forced down upon her. Three years passed in that way, she stood out as one of the beautiful and docile girls in her village. 

Kadambari's face lit up as she remembered the day when the proposal for marriage was brought to her family. She wore a beautiful saree which she borrowed from her elder sister Pitambari and she looked ravishingly beautiful. 

 Srijith worked as a cleaner in the Krishna Swami hostel of the AB Institute, Bangalore. A few months into the marriage Kadambari joined him in the staff quarters. It was a small room with an attached kitchen and a common washroom and toilet which she shared with seven other families.

 Kadambari who grew up in open spaces of her village was now confined to the fourwalls of the house in the city. She waited patiently every day for Srijith to arrive from work. Initially, romance was in the air and Srijith took efforts to impress her with fresh flowers or hair buns, took her out to restaurants or visit the nearby places. Kadambari loved all the attention from her man. She loved him too but couldn't express. She started preparing elaborate meals for him, taking care of his likes and dislikes. 

A year passed by in a whiff, in between they visited their village during festivals. Though Kadambari longed to be in the village yet responsibility towards her husband bound her to the city. Soon, she conceived and the couple was happy and finally their son Bivash was born in a Government Hospital. With an addition in the family, the expenses too shot up and Srijith spent more time outside as he took up a part time job as a salesman in a grocery shop. However, the bond between the couple remained unaffected as both were very compatible and understanding. While Kadambari managed the house, taking care to cut down on expenses wherever possible, Srijith led a worry free life. 

It was around 7 pm on the night of 23rd May, 2020, the roads were deserted due to a Lock down, Sreejith was returning home from the grocery shop, he was walking fast as the curfew was to start in a few minutes, however he was thrown out of gears by two men who came in a bike. The men who seemed like robbers in a CCTV footage, held his hand and took away his mobile phone. and while leaving stabbed him several times on the stomach. 

With no one around, Sreejith lay bleeding on the road, he became unconscious. A police vehicle in rounds picked him up and took him to a hospital nearby but with COVID protocols on, the doctors didn't start the initial treatment until his COVID test results were out. Due to excessive blood loss, Sreejith died. 

Kadambari's life was shattered. She wanted to die, but the thought of Bivash made her survive. She started crying and decided that she would survive without the 'Sindoor'.