Pavithra had everything going well for her – she was a practicing Chartered Accountant, supportive parents, with all the freedom in the world and she was literally born with a silver spoon. Her dad had a leather unit in Madras and was the Vice President of a Leather Association while her mom was active in the local chapter of Rotary club.
The parents started to look for alliances for her and there was one horoscope her father was keen on. Mahesh was from IIT and IIM and was working for a MNC in New York. Soon pictures and horoscopes were exchanged and both the prospective groom and bride met at Park Sheraton.
Pavithra and Mahesh spoke to one another for three hours in private as the two families had a quiet dinner. Both conveyed their approval to the elders and from then things gathered momentum and inside of three months, they were married.
The new bride went to US full of excitement for Mahesh seemed so compassionate, sensitive and understanding. From the time they were engaged, they were at one another through emails, chats, and long distance calls.
In New York, Pavithra had a taste of what was come. Mahesh seemed too westernized and took her to parties and forced her to drink alcohol. He kept dancing with others much too passionately to her comfort. Brought up in a conservative Madras environment, she found it suffocating to accept a hubby who burnt cigarettes at home. She forced herself to accept these as a cultural shock and reconciled to the jet set lifestyle there.
Slowly and gradually, skeletons started to tumble from Mahesh’s cupboards. She learned that he had married a Mexican and was leading a double life. She discovered this while checking clothes for laundry and saw a woman’s social security card in his wallet. When she confronted, he dodged and evaded. She wanted to call back home and convey her disturbing thoughts and fears; but then her dad was a heart patient.
The next month, he started demanding more dowry. Till now, she did not realize that her dad had paid 10 lacs at the time of marriage and now the rascal wanted another 10 more. From that day, she was a marked creature and he started his volley of daily verbal assault and even physically abuse her.
She did not know whom to turn for help in a foreign country. Each day was nerve wrecking and completely losing faith in the marriage; all she wanted was to go back home and retain some sanity. This cunning idiot had taken her passport and she was at her wit’s end.
Her dad suggested that she meet a lawyer and even arranged a friend of his meet her in New York. A case was filed and cops investigated and her marriage was dissolved. Soon she was free to return to good old Madras.
It had taken just 6 months for the dreams of matrimony to turn to nightmares. The city now looked forlorn and it was a social embarrassment to go back to her old job. Her old friends commiserated and that only added to the gloom. She was fast sinking into a clinical depression and was treated by Dr. Mohan.
He advised her to do some physical activity instead of feeling sad or be hooked on to the television. She had to do something and can’t linger or wait for death to strike particularly when she was under 30.
Coaxed by her parents, she started on her walks in the Theosophical Society grounds. In the afternoon, she signed up for a violin class and in the evening frequented the British Library. Inside of a month, her face to started to brighten up with a smile and eyes had got some of its former sparkle back.
I caught up with Pavithra after a year and she was as optimistic as ever. In fact, she is engaged to be married with the psychiatrist, Dr. Mohan and everyone feels that it should be a perfect match.
As for as Dr. Mohan is concerned; he is upbeat and quite thrilled. He says, ”Pavithra is a remarkable woman to gone to hell and had the courage to fight her back. I am so proud of her and I can’t believe my luck”. (718 words)
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