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She never got a chance to create a bucket list! The struggle of surviving a divorce, a judgmental society and a not-so-supportive mother while raising two lives alone— took away her everything!
Growing up, she was never loved or cared for as she should have been, yet she had a love for everyone. She grew up to be one of the most caring and helpful people you’d meet.
She never had too much makeup on, yet she looked beautiful and had a captivating and contagious smile.
Her thick, long and wavy hair just added to her beauty. She was kind and selfless, too selfless for her good. She was seen as the “perfect” daughter by society. But nobody knew how she felt.
She was married off when 23. Nobody cared if she wanted to or not. Nobody cared about her choices. She had dreams she wanted to fulfil, they weren’t too much, but she was passionate about them, but who was asking?
They all wanted her to be married. She never cared about what others felt about her, but she cared about what her mother wanted. She could never hurt her mother. So when her mother wanted her to get married, she said yes.
After a few rejected grooms, they found one that they deemed perfect for her. A little older and bigger than her, but it was okay. Or so they thought.
A few days into the marriage, she realized she had been lied to. After another few days, she realized he was controlling. Within some time, she realized he was abusive as well.
What could she do? She had no support. She was told that her fate has been sealed, and she has to live with him. All her life.
Two years later, she gave birth to a beautiful, lovely boy. His eyes, his smile, and his heartbeat immediately stole her heart. Within a year, she was pregnant with another baby.
And the abuse continued through it all. She stayed strong through it all. But one day, when she realized he was a threat to her child’s life, she decided to leave him.
Again started the struggle of surviving a divorce, a judgmental society and a not-so-supportive mother while raising two lives alone— took away her every moment. She worked hard and did beyond her capabilities to make ends meet. All through this, she never forgot to be kind and keep smiling.
A few years later, she had two mischievous yet smart and loving teenage boys when she fell in love with another man. But alas! There too, her luck was not in her favour! She never married him, but she was bearing his child.
But the child was, unfortunately, a girl, and he refused to accept her. She decided to raise the child as her own.
Thus began another phase of her life which was filled with struggles, hardships and loneliness, but she stood strong! She never gave up. She did her best to give her kids the best life.
Unfortunately, though, in all this, her dreams were crushed, and her health kept deteriorating.
Today, she’s 58 and her boys have grown into hard-working and talented men, her baby girl has grown into a teenager. But her dreams and her bucket list remain incomplete.
And she sometimes thinks, would things be different had she taken a stand for herself.
Image source: Still from FilterCopy | Signs Romance Has No Age Limit | Ft. Lovleen Mishra & Ivan Rodrigues
Enigma is a teenager who has been born and brought up in Mumbai. A child who was naïve and timid has grown to be a strong, independent and determined woman. With a passion to read more...
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Being a writer, Nivedita Louis recognises the struggles of a first-time woman writer and helps many articulate their voice with development, content edits as a publisher.
“I usually write during night”, says author Nivedita Louis during our conversation. Chuckling she continues,” It’s easier then to focus solely on writing. Nivedita Louis is a writer, with varied interests and one of the founders of Her Stories, a feminist publishing house, based in Chennai.
In a candid conversation she shared her journey from small-town Tamil Nadu to becoming a history buff, an award-winning author and now a publisher.
Nivedita was born and raised in a small town in Tamil Nadu. It was for schooling that she first arrived in Chennai. Then known as Madras, she recalls being awed by the city. Her love-story with the city, its people and thus began which continues till date. She credits her perseverance and passion to make a difference to her days as a vocational student among the elite sections of Madras.
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