'My Dearest Candy'

The golden yellow gas lamp kept on the study table flickered a bit. It was still stormy outside, although the menacing outrage of the nature had taken a more mellowed stature now, the wind only drawing patterns on the shadowed walls inside. Anirudh Roy Chowdhury exhaled sharply as his eyes passed from the frightened lamp to the written words.
He scratched it.

'Dear Candice,
Hope this letter finds you well and you find in your heart to forgive me. Things in India are worst than I had expected. The satanic practice of Child marriage had planted it's seeds in almost every household. They burn small girls in the name of rituals, alive... '

He stopped, the silver nib of his pen finding it's refuge inside the inkpot once again. Anirudh leaned back against his chair.

'God!!' he exhaled, brushing his fingers through his dampened hair.
He had just taken a bath, changed into his regular cotton nightsuit after the unexpected adventures of the day.

It was his fifth day in Tulsipur, after his supposedly brief return from London that he finally decided to submit his Barristry documents at the Alipore Judge Court in Calcutta for an internship evaluation.
He had practiced in London for a year, but some Indian experience would definately add weightage to his professional biodata before he returns back.
But, fate definitely had some life altering plans for him.
The abrupt breakdown of his Fiat car, accepting invitation at the village headman's house, visiting a local village wedding, it all started with simple incidents until he had realised it's destructive undertones.
The first nail was looking at the semiconscious little child sitting as a bride beside a moribund old man. And, the final was snatching her away from an angry mob and tainting her tiny hairline with the sacred vermillion.
The pyre had burnt, with a raging fume, infront of his eyes as he stood there clutching the little child to his chest with all his might.
How could he had let her burn?
It all felt like a daze, a dream... a nightmare perhaps.
And now, he was a married man... Atleast to the world.

Trilochan had underwent a series of emotions that night, seeing his beloved nephew cradling a nine year old in his arms, his clothes mudded, his eyes bloodshot, his heart tattered.
From being exasperated, to flabbergasted, Trilochan had finally reasoned that perhaps it was better for Anirudh to marry this little dough of clay than to marry a western educated woman, even worse, a Britisher. And the little cloud of doubt in his heart had cleared away once he had looked into the child's pristine face and large lotus eyes.

'Maa Lakshmi...!!' he had gasped.

With a broken heart and an ironed will, Anirudh had finally sat to write that letter when a soft jingle of anklets tore his chain of thoughts into a thousand pieces.

'May I come in?'
A soft sweet voice had broken the silence of the room, making Anirudh look up and sit upright.

'Yes, come inside.'
His hands had automatically crumpled the paper he was writing in, as if instinctively.
He spoke politely as in the golden flame of the lamp he saw the little cherub tiptoed inside the room.

'May I sit?' she has asked again, in the softest voice possible and Anirudh nodded his head pointing his hand towards the mahogany couch not very far from his chair.

'Why haven't you changed yet?'
He had turned his chair to face the girl.

'I... I... there is nothing to wear.'
She muttered.

Anirudh remembered how he had picked her up in an unconscious state and drove her to Tulsipur, without any of her belongings. He had just shoved his address in her mother's hand, as the widow cried a river on their way.

'Ohoo... I'll ask Koeli right away to give you something to wear.' he tried to get up as she promptly spoke again.

'Koeli didi is a widow, I can't wear her clothes.'

Anirudh's eyes had narrowed at her reply.
'Who told you that?'

'The old man.' she paused, 'Your father?'

'No. Uncle.'

'Oh', she sat quietly fidgeting with her bangles.

'What is your name?'
Anirudh had asked.

'Bondita.'

'Bondita what?'

The girl nodded her head.
'What is your surname?' She had asked politely.

'Roy Chowdhury... Why?'

'Then my full name is Bondita Roy Choudhury.'

Anirudh couldn't fathom an immediate response to her reply.
The faintest thought of sending her to a boarding school and getting her cleared of this falsified marriage that were brewing inside his head just felt obliterated.

'Do you know who I am?'
He asked her politely instead.

'My husband.'

Anirudh was about to respond, perhaps educating her a bit on how it wasn't really a marriage and how she shouldn't consider him to be a husband, but instead his thoughts were again barred by Bondita's soft words.

'May I have some food?' her voice was low and feeble.
'They didn't let me eat all day... I'm... I'm very hungry.'

Anirudh felt a sharp stinging wretch in his heart as his eyes fell on her quivering puffy lips that had uttered the words and a small drop of tear rolling down her crimson cheek.

His stood up immediately.
'Ofcouse, Bondita... Ofcourse... I'll get you food right away... I'm so sorry...' he didn't complete his sentence as his quick steps reached infront of the door shouting out loud.
'Behari Kaka... Koeli ... Bring something to eat... At once...Koeliii....'

'Maalik?'
Bihari had immediately appeared from nowhere with his hands folded infront of him.

'Bihari, why no one has given her anything to eat?' he had asked him, with clear displeasure written all over him.

'Maalik... Well... Actually... Boro Zamindar Babu told to do exactly what you say when it comes to, umm... Her.'
He pointed towards the little girl sitting inside the room.

'So? Would you have to wait for my permission to get her food even?' he asked him with indignance.

'Yes. He'll... Anirudh!'

Anirudh had looked up to find his uncle standing infront with this mounted golden walking stick in hand.
'Yes. She is your wife... Your responsibility. Whatever she would do, or not do, its all on you... You have chosen to marry her.'

Anirudh couldn't believe his ears for a moment. He closed his eye to let his anger settle in for the moment. Letting out a sharp sigh he opened his eyes.

'I know what you're trying to do. So, yes Kaka... Bondita is my wife, my responsibility. And yes, I'll take all decisions for her, as her guardian.' he turned towards Bihari.
'So, now you heard, get some food for her.'

'Oh... And yes. You might not want your little bride to walk around the haweli alone, we have masons working in the East wing.'

Anirudh swallowed at Trilochan's meaningful words, gauging the intent behind it.
He let out another sigh and stole a quick glance at the almost sleepy child.

'Fine, Bihari, get whatever food you have in my bedroom. I shall put her to sleep and then I shall sleep in my study tonight. Tomorrow I shall look for a more permanent solution.
He almost yelled the words at the two men and turned around to walk towards Bondita.

'Bondita... Here, come.' he stretched his arms towards her, as she strained her eyelids to look at him. Letting out a small yawn, she stood up on the couch and let herself fall into Anirudh's arms as he clutched her carefully in his arms.

'Lets go' he whispered as she rested her head on his shoulder, another small yawn escaping her tiny lips.

'Why do you shout so much?'

'What?' he furrowed his eyebrows, walking inside his bedroom.

'Yes. You've been shouting most of the time since I met you.' she stretched herself comfortably on his bed and stared at his face with half opened droopy eyes.
'My mother says people shout when they want to hide their mistakes... What mistake have you done?'

Anirudh had felt as if someone had shown him the mirror revealing the brutal reality that he'd been trying to escape. Her one simple innocent question made him realise the lifelong commitment that he had made and it's implications.
He had chosen this!
He had chosen her life... probably, at the cost of his own. But, now it would be so unfair to impose that cost on her.
What kind of a man would he be then? Letting this little child suffer the wrath of his decision, his broken dreams!
Anirudh stared back at Bondita's angelic face.
'You are right. I haven't done any mistake.' he sat beside her on his bed.
'And, I'm sorry that I've been shouting. I won't anymore.'
He tried to smile.

'Shotti?' her face had brightened immediately, spreading that contagious radiance in him as well.

'Shotti!' he smiled back.

'And now?'

'And now, let's start once again, from the beginning... Afresh. Shall we?' he raised his palm at her as she slammed her tiny palm into his.

'Yes!' she giggled with joy.
'And there, the food... And Rosogulla!!'
Her eyes had shone.

..................................................

"Bondita, uff... It has become almost impossible to talk to you these days."
Beenapani curled her lips in displeasure as Bondita turned towards her, smiling at the sweet remembrance of her first encounter with her husband.

"Sorry... Were you saying something?" She bit her tongue apologetically as Beenapani's eyes reflected enthusiasm of the conversation that she was trying to have.

"Did they check your bag at the University entrance as well?"

"Yes." Bondita smiled.

"I wonder why?"

"May be some routine check. I don't really know Beena." She sat upright and saw Nalini entering the classroom, brimming with excitement.

"What is she doing here now?" Bondita murmured softly.
"Isn't this supposed to be Women Studies lecture?"

"Uff... Bondita... You are so unmindful today. Didn't you hear what the Dean said early in the morning, about the guest lecture... Look around, we have a full house today."

Bondita widened her eyes, her trance had completed been broken as she turned to look around the gallaried classroom.
"Wow!" She gasped.

The crowd wasn't unknown to her, some acquaintances, some were just faces she remembered, infact most of them were from other departments, and majority were women.

"Oh... I see... Who is coming?"
She asked unenthusiastically.

"I don't know. Some big shot, insanely handsome man, I guess." She rolled her eyes.
"Don't you see our over-pouring female crowd!" She winked playfully making Bondita smile.

The suppressed excitement and abundance of positivity pouring in the classroom had made Bondita sink in to the energy of the ambience as Professor Prathamesh Ganguly briskly walked inside with his regular books in hand.

"My dear students, I teach you about women right... But today we have someone, who has and is still working on women rights and reforms on a ground level." He paused and smiled.
"We are lucky today that this real-life revolutionary has agreed to grace our classroom with his presence." He paused again for a dramatic effect.
"So, let me present to you...."

"You have been too kind with your words professor Ganguly." A deep husky voice emerged out from outside the door as the entire classroom fell silent.
The man entered inside and smiled brightly at the seated youths.

"Good afternoon everyone. I'm just an ordinary man, trying to make a difference. I'm a Barrister by profession. My name is Anirudh... Just Anirudh. No salutation, no last name, just so you remember I'm someone like you." He paused to search a face amidst the enthusiastic crowd.
"So, let's start from the beginning, shall we?" He remarked.

........................................