Sunday is essentially a holiday. The busyness increases even more on that day. It was about one o’clock while I was taking bath. Then he heard the sounds of his mother-in-law Mamta Devi and Samriddhi talking loudly. Surely today Samriddhi must have come back after fighting with her mother-in-law again. Samriddhi is his younger sister-in-law, whose in-laws house is in the same city. Whenever she has an argument with her in-laws on any issue, she comes to her parents’ house with a suitcase in her hand. Being the youngest child in the house and everyone’s favorite, even after fighting and coming back, instead of admonishing her for her irresponsible actions, Mamta Devi would go on to find many faults in Samriddhi’s in-laws and keep cursing them.
Then the 2nd chapter of the fight would begin. Samriddhi’s husband Rahul would be called the next day and he would be questioned for a long time on small things that happen normally in every house. The lifestyle in Rahul’s own home was much simpler than that of his modern in-laws, That’s why he was a little pressured by his in-laws and tolerated everything silently and took Samriddhi back with him.
After quickly taking bath, Sujata ran towards the kitchen, then Mamta Devi’s eyes fell on her. After narrating it to Sujata, she said in a loud voice, “Look, the queen’s royal bath of three hours has ended. I don’t know what kind of boil was being rubbed. That a storm may come in the house, but they are not conscious at all.” Although her mother-in-law knew very well that Sujata had to wash a lot of clothes accumulated over the week on Sundays, she was still taking out her daughter’s anger.
Anyway, it was quite late, so Sujata poured water to prepare rice and started taking out pulses from the box, when Sudhir’s harsh voice standing at the kitchen door startled her.
What does it matter to you whether someone lives or dies? You keep searching for your own happiness all the time.”
“It was getting close to 1 o’clock, so I thought I should serve rice first, because Ammaji has her dinner exactly at 1 o’clock, then I will talk to Samriddhi peacefully.” Sudhir started taunting Sujata on her reply, “It is very grateful to you that even on a holiday the food will be ready by 1 o’clock. There are only four people in the house, In which only mother takes care of the children, yet you will show that you keep working all day long.”
Sudhir left, grumbling as he had come. She also followed the rice and pulses on the stove and came to the drawing room, where Samriddhi was sitting on the sofa and shedding tears. Her mother-in-law, sitting next to her, was speaking bitterly about Samriddhi’s in-laws. As soon as his eyes fell on Sujata, a wicked smile appeared on his face.
“One is the daughter-in-law of our house, who sitting in this house is enjoying all the pleasures which she would never have imagined in her father’s house and the other is the daughter of our house, who is suffering the sins of who knows which birth. . No matter how much you do for your in-laws, His mouth remains full. How much did we give for our daughter’s marriage? We did not send her away waving like the daughter-in-law’s family, yet our daughter is unable to live in peace even for a day.”
To change the situation, Sujata asked Samriddhi, “Will you have tea? By the way, the food is also ready.” Sudhir interrupted, “You remembered tea so soon? Didn’t even think it was time to drink tea. It was very kind of me to ask. Now go, go and prepare food. For how long have we all been sitting hungry?”
Due to Sudhir’s words, all the love, all the services and all the humility of Sujata were washed away and she got up and went to the kitchen again.
Here his mother-in-law started crying, “Our luck is bad. If you get a daughter-in-law, she is also not of any kind, if you get a son-in-law, he is also like that. Always remains tied to his mother’s pallu.”
The selfishness of her husband and the unjust attitude of her mother-in-law were stinging Sujata, yet she absorbed all the contempt and sting and continued to work, trying to be normal.
Like every time, Rahul was called by phone, but this time Rahul clearly refused to come. He said that Samriddhi herself had left the house, so she should return on her own. Even after applying a lot of pressure, he was not ready to come and take Samriddhi at any cost. Sudhir used all the tactics and even threatened the police, but Samriddhi’s husband and in-laws remained adamant. Neither of the two sides was ready to bow down.
Sujata wanted to advise her mother-in-law and Sudhir to give up their stubbornness and reach a compromise, but she also knew very well that her words would have no effect on the family. His mother-in-law never allowed his father-in-law to live in that house, then what was his fate. Mamta Devi had been deciding every single thing.
The children too, following their mother’s footsteps, had become too rebellious and selfish. Like a mother in her in-laws house, Samriddhi always used to clash with her mother-in-law, sister-in-law and husband to control everything. She would consult her mother on phone even on small matters and try to run the house as per her instructions. Whenever she fell even slightly ill, she would immediately call her mother and her mother would quickly arrive and bring Samriddhi home with her. Due to Samriddhi’s behavior and mother’s interference in the house, Samriddhi’s house started falling apart.
Rahul would get extremely irritated by the actions of his mother-in-law and wife. She didn’t like her mother-in-law’s excessive interference. If he tried to convince Samriddhi, Samriddhi would reach her parents’ home carrying her suitcase. Every time a compromise would be reached in some way or the other. But this time both the families were determined to get their point across. This was the reason that the matter reached the point of divorce. There used to be a situation of tension in the house all the time regarding this matter. The increasing tension of the family members would rain on Sujata in the form of anger.
Sudhir’s behavior had also become a little more cruel and rude towards his wife. He used to torture and blame his wife for every small and big issue. He was already angry, but the increasing troubles had made him cruel and inhuman.
One day when the salt in the pulses got heated, Sudhir became so angry that he pushed Sujata so hard that she fell straight into the wall and got a deep injury on her head.
Sujata’s patience had broken today and she said in a very loud voice, “Sudhir, how dare you raise your hand on me? I have tolerated this enough, no more. I am so educated that I can I can take care of my children. Don’t think that if I am dependent on you, I will bear all your crimes throughout my life. Keep sitting in your mother’s lap. You two brothers and sisters have destroyed your sister’s house, sitting in your mother’s lap, now destroy your own house too. “I am going.”
Saying this Sujata went to her room with a sad heart. The blow to the mind was making him more restless than the blow to the head.
Today both Sudhir, Mamta Devi were surprised to see this form of Sujata, and Samriddhi was realizing today that due to her stubbornness, not only her house got broken, now her brother and sister-in-law’s house is on the verge of breaking. Sudhir and Mamta Devi were still intoxicated with their pride. Sudhir said loudly, “Yes yes go, you will know the price of flour and pulses in two days.”
Today Sujata was also not going to remain silent and she said, “Whatever happens, I will not come back to you, nor will I go to become a burden on the shoulders of my parents. Because I know that at this age she will face all this.” I won’t be able to handle it. I’ve had enough of your arrogance,” and Sujata started leaving the house with her things.
Sudhir and Mamta Devi had never imagined even in their dreams that Sujata would dare to leave the house like this.
Suddenly Samriddhi held Sujata’s hand and said, “No sister-in-law, do not break your house because of me. Today I am seeing each and every mistake of mine, and tell my brother Sudhir, brother, what is the pain of breaking the house. I understand. It is not Bhabhi and Rahul who are wrong, but me and our mother, who has been a domineering type from the beginning. He has exercised his dominance over the entire house, and made both of us the same. To save our relationship, both of us will have to take initiative ourselves. I don’t want your house to break along with me. Apologize to sister-in-law, brother. Just think, what have they not done for this house, and what have they got in return? Just insult. Stop your sister-in-law, brother, otherwise you will get nothing except regret for the rest of your life.”
Sujata’s eyes filled with sympathy. Sudhir also understood his mistake and came forward and apologized to Sujata and stopped her. But Mamta Devi was still intoxicated with her pride and was saying, “Do whatever you both brother and sister have to do, and wag your tails after your husband and wife. There will be no respect left for both of you now.”
Sujata said to Samriddhi, “Samriddhi, if you listen to me, forget all your pride and go back to your in-laws’ house. Just try to live in harmony with your in-laws with complete honesty and patience. Everything will be fine.”
The very next day, without telling anything to anyone, Samriddhi went to her in-laws’ house and called her mother and told that everything is fine here.
After a week, Samriddhi came to her parents’ house with her husband to meet everyone. Both were looking very happy. As soon as he arrived, Rahul apologized to his mother-in-law and Sudhir and both of them came straight to Sujata’s room. As soon as Samriddhi entered the room, she hugged Sujata.
“Sister-in-law…in what words should I thank you? You saved my house from demolition. Had you not been there, I don’t even know how much trouble I would have faced in life.”
At the dinner table, Samriddhi said to her mother, “Mother… from today you will not worry about me. I will run my house as per my own. If you have to worry about someone, then worry about your sister-in-law. Only then will true peace come to this house also. If your sister-in-law breaks down while enduring your cruel behavior, this house will be completely destroyed.
You expect my mother-in-law to consider your daughter as her own, to understand the rights of your daughter, then why do you deprive your sister-in-law of all these things?
There was silence at the dinner table for a while.
As soon as Samriddhi went to her in-laws house, Mamta Devi said to Sudhir, “Take your daughter-in-law and go somewhere today. Go and watch some movies etc. I will take care of the children and I will cook food myself today.”
Today, in true sense, the house of Mamta Devi’s son and daughter was settled, because Mamta Devi had changed herself.