This idea is stupid. Arundhati thought for the nth time as she trudged through the muddied street. She clutched the bag she was holding tightly to her chest.

A gentle breeze blew past her, letting loose a single strand of her long black hair. She annoyingly tugged it behind her ear and came to a halt behind a bullock cart.

When she woke up this morning, she hadn't planned on being here.Before her loomed a massive building. Its stone walls seemed to dominate everyone below it.

This plan is turning out to be more stupid than I thought.

Whatever happens today, Madhav is to be blamed for instilling such absurd notions in her head. 

A group of children went running ahead of her. Their feet were splashing mud all around. She inhaled deeply and rubbed her palms on her skirt. Now that I am here, she thought. As well get done with it.

She walked towards the building as inconspicuously as she could manage with her anklets tinkling with every step she took. A group of boys standing beneath an Oak tree turned towards her. She bent her head and kept walking, each step expecting them to raise the alarm. She let out a long breath after passing them.

Finally entering the archway, she leaned against its cold surface. No one has spotted you this far, so that means there is a chance that no one will. Closing her eyes, she took two deep breaths and turned to her right, walking straight into someone.

"I am so sorry!" She blurted out as her bag went soaring through the air and landed on the floor with a loud thump. The victim of her clumsiness was standing in the middle of scattered papers. She hastily picked up her bag and bent to help the victim in picking up his stuff .

"That's alright, miss." He said, taking the papers from her hand and motioned for her to stand up. By now, a small crowd had gathered around them.

Arundhati felt like a complete idiot. The whole point of this silliness was to go unnoticed. And now, she had brought upon herself the attention of half the school. She started looking around herself for a quick escape—no point in continuing now.

"May I ask," the victim said while dusting his trousers, "What is such a young lady as yourself doing in this establishment?"

Holy crap!

Arundhati turned towards him. Her mind was frantically searching for a plausible explanation.

"I...I came here to meet someone." She blurted out. Anything better than the actual reason.

"May I ask whom?"

"My brother." She lied.

He nodded and started to go through his papers.

Arundhati thanked her stars and started tip-toeing backward through the corridor. Suddenly he looked up and gave her a confused look. She turned sharply and ran. Her long braid flying behind her.

No problem, she thought. There is still hope.  Drying her face with a cloth, she stopped in front of a staircase. That was a close call. If anyone had found out the real reason behind her being here, she shuddered by the thought.

Gathering every ounce of courage, she climbed up the stairs. The corridor ahead was forked. Trusting her luck, she turned to the right.

She walked past classrooms after classrooms, looking for a suitable environment. Finally, she entered one at the far end and settled down on the floor behind the most distant bench. Now began the excruciating wait. Biting her nails, she kept peeking at the entrance.

The bell rang, and she held her breath. Soon after, young boys started entering. She backed away into the shadow, making herself invisible. After everyone had settled down, a middle-aged man entered. He scanned the classroom, and Arundhati gasped as suddenly all the boys stood up in respect. She sat still, her heart beating in her mouth.

Don't look in my direction, she prayed.

The teacher nodded, and everyone sat down. He then turned towards the board and wrote something.

This is the moment of truth, Arundhati thought with satisfaction. She looked around and found herself relaxing. This felt normal. She was in the school, amidst the boys, trying to get education and the world was still working normally. She now knew that girls should also be allowed to be here. She still has to deal with her father, who believes that letting her learn would bring her widowhood. No, I will worry about it another time.

Then everything happened at once. The teacher asked a question; Arundhati started to open her bag, her bangles clinked loudly, the boy across her froze, and the whole class gaped at her.

"Who---" the teacher began, but Arundhati was faster. She knew when her cover was blown. Grabbing her bag, she jumped up and ran towards the door. The boys watched her with confusion and fear as she ran past the bewildered teacher. Once out of the classroom, she picked up her skirt and sprinted across the corridor, down the staircase, and out the main entrance.

Panting, she leaned against the same bullock cart from the morning. Once her lungs overcame the lack of oxygen, she turned to watch the looming building and smiled.

"Today, I did something you have never allowed me," she whispered to the building. "I came into your misogynist establishment, under your nose, and you couldn't do a thing."

Smiling triumphantly, she turned and walked back into the crowded street.