All Parents Are Not Parents - A Short Story

 All Parents Are Not Parents

                "She had bad future but her parents spoilt that", said Dayal sir. Saheli lived in Rashikpur village. It was a moderate village, not enough large not small. Every facility was available there in terms of communication, treatment, education, employment etc. Saheli's family consisted of her parents - Narin and Champa, her three brothers - Ritesh, Haren and subal. Her parents were farm labourers. 

                 From childhood Saheli was good in education, so she got the attention of the teachers and villagers. To support her family she started doing tuition from class VII. She used to teach up to her own class. The income from tuition helped her family a lot. But she had no value to parents. Her father was a rascal, drunkard. He only thought of his own comfort. Her mother was the worst kind of women the world ever produced. To her, girl child was a burden to the family and she preferred boys to girls. So, Saheli's brothers got every facility over her. But Saheli's good nature, brilliance and hard work defeated every hurdles. She did household work, took tuition and carried on education.

                  After Secondary Education, her parents stopped her study. Neither Saheli nor her school teachers could persuade her parents to allow her to study. But her brothers after completing their school education were allowed to study, yet they did not.

                   Years passed. Saheli became of 24 years, but her parents did not think of her marriage. Instead they married her brothers. Saheli did the household work and took tuition. When villagers often used to ask parents to marry Saheli, they thought of that. But instead of maring her to a suitable groom, they married her to a rascal as they were not willing to spend much for her marriage. If her parents had not taken Saheli's tuition earning, she alone could have spent much more. But when parents did not think of their child then who would think.

               Immediately after marriage, Saheli came to know the misdeeds of her husband and the uncertain future into which her parents had thrown her. Yet she started tuition to earn money, endured every pain to live in her in-law's house. But the scoundrel (i.e. her husband) ran away from home after they had three children. Saheli still tried to run the family. But her in-laws started torturing her in every possible way to drive her out. One day, they had badly beaten Saheli. So, taking her children Saheli returned her parents'home. 

             But bad luck followed her there also. Her parents did not show any compassion towards her. Even they did not allow her enter their house. So, Saheli went to her school teacher Dayal sir, who arranged for her a room and work. Dayal sir often helped Saheli with money. When the villagers came to know of Saheli's sad lot, they asked Dayal sir, "What happened to Saheli". Dayal sir only replied, " She had bright future but her parents spoilt that".

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