CHASTE GANGES
{13}
‘She is Gayathri, my
daughter,’ introduced Shivani holding the hand of the cute 3-years old girl.
Krishna and Nihal were surprised at seeing the unexpected little visitor with
Shivani. They smiled and let them inside.
‘Thank you so much for
inviting me home,’ she said with gratitude twinkling in her eyes.
‘I am very sorry for what
happened, Shivani. By the way, meet Nihal, my partner and soulmate. It was his
idea to invite you for lunch,’ said Krishna beaming with pride.
Although Shivani was
taken aback by the introduction, she was gracious enough to not let it show.
Yet Krishna sensed her shock and smiled.
‘We are a gay couple. This society
doesn’t let us acknowledge it openly but inside this home, we have built our
own world. We are happy with each other.’
Krishna and Nihal held
hands and smiled at her. She nodded empathising with them. All three of them
belonged to that section of the society which was treated with unfair rules and
preconceived notions. Shivani was dressed in a cotton kurta and a pair of
jeans. Her hair was neatly tied back into to ponytail and the charming smile
never left her face. Although she clearly identified as a woman, her body was
that of a man. She had not undergone a sex reassignment surgery.
‘My parents began to
notice that I did not behave like other boys of my age when I was 11. One day,
my mother was horrified when she caught me secretly wearing her clothes and
that night my father thrashed me. They tried all possible means to make me
behave like a normal boy but none of it yielded any results. I was fighting my
own battle inside with conflicting identities of a boy and girl. At last, they
took to a psychiatrist who identified the root of the problem. I was made to
undergo a series of tests which declared me as transgender.’
Her face was grim while
she narrated her story. Gayathri had fallen asleep comfortably in her arms.
‘My parents were ashamed
of me and began to lock me up at home. I was removed from school while my younger
brother was given the best of schooling and paraded before the world as their
trophy son. To the world outside I was declared as mentally retarded and nobody
really cared for my existence. But I made up mind and gave my class 10 exam as
a private candidate. I scored a distinction and the only person happy about it
was Sharda aunty who worked as a maid at my home for several years. With her
help I escaped home and joined an orphanage. The care-taker of that orphanage
gave me the moral strength and encouraged me to lead a life on my terms. Nobody
searched for me from my home and I never looked back. I completed B.Com in
correspondence with a hope of getting a job to sustain myself and my daughter.’
Nihal and Krishna
exchanged glances. It was one thing to read such heart-wrenching stories and totally
different to meet someone who has indeed lived it. Pain, determination and
pride twinkled in Shivani’s eyes.
‘Shivani, have you ever
been frustrated for being born this way?’ asked Krishna apprehensively.
She gave a wry smile and
nodded.
‘Initially I used fight
with God for giving me this birth. Later I accepted the truth of my life and I
am proud to belong to the third gender. Lord Shiva was Ardhanarishvara and I am
blessed to be born special. I never wanted a sex change because that was going
against the creation of nature. I am happy to have a woman’s heart in a man’s
body. Why would I want to change something that makes me a part of less than
0.5% of the world’s population?’
Gayathri stirred in her
lap and Shivani slowly patted her back to sleep.
‘What about Gayathri?’
asked Nihal.
A smile lit up her face
and she lovingly caressed the little girl’s head.
‘She was born an unwanted
child who was abandoned in the hospital. Ever since she was brought to our orphanage,
I took it up on myself to nurture her. I am her mother whom this world will
never know. Gayathri will grow up to live her dreams and I will give her the
best I can.’
The promise in her words
was loud and clear. After some time they all sat down for lunch. Gayathri was
seated on the dining table and Shivani fed her small morsels of food. Krishna
watched them with a quiet satisfaction. He kissed Nihal’s cheek and whispered a
‘Thank you’.
‘You are an amazing cook
Nihal,’ complimented Shivani oblivious to their quiet conversation.
‘Thank you, Shivani. We
are glad that you agreed to honour our invitation. It indeed means a lot to us.
Please feel at home here and you are always welcome to visit us,’ he said
whole-heartedly.
‘Life is strange, isn’t
it? My own blood disowned me but here I am with a strong sense of belonging to
your home. By the way, do you live-in together?’
Krishna laughed lightly
and shook his head.
‘We would love to, but as
of now he only manages to stay with me for a couple of days in the week. Nihal
is staying with his family and my parents live in Lucknow.’
For a few moments Shivani
remained silent and made Gaythri drink some water. The child then began to play
with the wooden toys which Shivani had brought along with her.
‘I know that his is too
early to ask. Yet I cannot stop myself. Would you mind if I ask you a personal
question?’
‘Not at all. Please ask.’
‘What have decided about
your future? Gay marriage is still illegal in India. How long can you keep this
truth hidden from your families?’
They both were
speechless. At last Nihal put his arm around Krishna’s shoulder and locked eyes
with him for a moment.
‘We don’t know.’
***
‘What are you doing
inside? It’s been over 15 minutes since you went!’ said Ronav pacing in front
of the bathroom door. For the third time his abdomen let out a rumbling noise.
‘Damn Nithya! If you
don’t come out in the next 5 seconds, I am will dirty the floor and I mean it!’
he barked. He could hear the water being flushed and the comforting noise of
the sliding latch. Nithyayuvani coolly walked out holding a copy of the
newspaper. He shoved her aside and barged into the bathroom. Without even
bothering to close the door he attended to nature’s call.
‘Shameless idiot! At
least close the door, Ron,’ she said closing the door. When he walked out,
relieved to a great extent, she was drinking her morning cup of tea. His coffee
was hot on the dining table and he blissfully took a long sip.
‘Eww! Won’t you brush
your teeth?’ she asked frowning at him.
‘No.’
He shrugged and moved
towards her.
‘Who drinks coffee
without even brushing his teeth? Its basic hygiene.’
‘Oh really? Didn’t anyone
tell you that reading newspaper in the toilet
is unhygienic for the paper?’ he asked mocking her. She could not help laughing
at his words. He went and slid his arms around her waist from behind.
‘I still cannot believe that
I am living with you,’ she said closing her eyes and pressing her back against
his chest. He gently kissed her shoulder.
‘Well, I really could not
have asked for more from life.’
They stood that way for a
couple of minutes. Later she freed herself from his embrace and walked into the
kitchen.
‘I have kept some onions
and tomatoes on the shelf, Ron. Chop them while I have a bath,’ she said
walking towards the bathroom without waiting for his response. He just shook
his head and prepared himself for the duties and responsibilities that
accompanied the perks of a live-in relationship.
At 8.10, they both were
in the kitchen preparing their first breakfast together. Nithyayuvani prepared
rotis while Ronav stirred the tomato chutney.
‘What time will you leave
office today?’ he asked chewing his food.
‘Around 6.30. I should
make a quick visit to the market to buy some fruits and groceries.’
‘I will pick you up and
we can go together.’
She looked up at him and
raised her eyebrow in question.
‘Really? I thought you
hated shopping,’ she said with a mischievous smile.
‘Yes, I do. But I don’t
mind shopping with you. Anyway, it’s time I learn to run the house with you. If
you can do it, why shouldn’t I?’
She fed him a morsel of
food and blew a kiss.
‘By the way, we should
visit the bank tomorrow and open the joint account. We will have to deposit the
money for our monthly expenses,’ she reminded him. He let out a sigh.
‘I told you that you don’t
have to do it. I can handle the rent and the bills with my salary. But you are
so adamant about splitting the expenses equally.’
‘Ron, I believe that we
both have to equally contribute to this relationship. I don’t want to confine
us to the stereotypical roles of a man and woman! The love and respect between
us should always be mutual without any sort of complex. This is possible only
if we share everything between us.’
Ronav gazed into her eyes
and a slow smile entered his face.
‘Did I ever tell you that
I fall in love with you every single day?’ he asked intensely.
‘No,’ she said surprised
by his revelation.
He leaned forward and
kissed her deeply.
‘Well, now you know.’
To be continued...
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