Prejudices – Swasan OS by Shreya

Hey friends..! Shreya here.. You might be wondering when I jumped here from my fan fic. Well it’s an OS on Swasan. More than a love story, it carries a message on how the caste system is prevailing in our society. It has been a rigid part of the Indian customs since long and has spread like a fire over the ages.

My story is about a couple who had to suffer extreme indignities due to this biased and unfair system of caste politics. Hope you like it.
Happy Reading..!

PREJUDICES

Swara Rathore was a timid and a reserve girl, belonging to a traditional Marwari Rajput family. As a girl, she suffered a lot and her mother not being with her, made it more difficult. Her family was way too protective for her and her father was the only one whom she could trust. She was an introvert, or rather, she was forced to be one.

She was already 18 by the time she completed her school. Her grandfather, the head of the family and the ruler of everyone’s lives, wanted to marry her off as soon as possible. He was always against sending her to college.

‘What is the need for her to study? All that she has to do is to look after her household once she gets married. And considering our family reputation and property, I could get him even a Prince.’ His grandfather would always say.

But his father always wanted her to be educated. He wanted her to be independent. On his ample requests, she was allowed to go to college.
Her world was limited to college and the Haveli only. She was restricted to cross the boundaries alone. Her life was nothing less than miserable.

Swara’s POV ~
I was sitting in my college canteen, when the intercollegiate dance competition was announced. I loved dancing. But the sad part was that Dada Sa Hukam (grandfather) would never allow me to do all this. I somehow gulped my ambitions and turned around to bring myself coffee, when I bumped into someone mistakenly. A boy.

‘I .. I am so sorry.’ He said.
‘Its okay. It was my mistake as well.’ Saying so, I moved from there.

But bad luck struck me again. He was made to sir near me in the class and I was given the responsibility to teach him well as he had joined the college lately. The same guy whom I ran into. Sanskar Maheshwari. But how could I even talk to him? What if anyone from my family came to know about all this? They would bury me alive.

I decided not to tell anyone and continue teaching him in the college hours only. I do not know why I did this, but somehow my inner being didn’t allow me to refuse.

Soon we became friends. Best friends. We were sitting in the college garden when something happened that should have never happened.

‘Swara..’
‘Hmm..’
‘Swaraaa..’
‘What..?’ I was busy completing the manuals and he was literally disturbing me.

‘I love you..!

I was staring at him blankly and it seemed as if my eyes would pop out of the sockets any time soon. My world started revolving and my head spun at a fast pace.

‘Have you gone..’ I was blank. I sat there dull and motionless.
‘What? I said I love you. Come on, don’t you feel the need to answer me back? I think you should.’

I got up and walked out of that place.. Or rather ran away. But who knew that I was running from my own destiny.
The only thoughts in my mind, were of Sanskar. He didn’t understands what I am going through. He would never. His family, unlike mine, was quite friendly and they believed in complete freedom and equality, irrespective of the gender. And my family, they would shoot him if they came to know about his confession. I was in my bed, struggling with my thoughts and ended up being prey to the viral fever. For days, I was not sent to the college.
And it was during these days, that I realized my love for Sanskar. It was difficult for me to stay away from him even for a minute. Hours seemed years, and days seemed decades. I decided to confess my feelings and my love for him and so I did. I was now going to live my life as per my norms.

But my bad luck never ended. My family came to know about our relationship and everything ended there itself. They locked me inside the room and even beat up Sanskar.

‘See.. See with your own eyes, what your daughter has done to our family reputation. Go.. Go give her some more freedom. Make her independent. Go get her married to that boy.’ Dada Sa Hukam remarked sarcastically.

‘But Bapu Sa Hukam (dad), he is a nice guy and his family is also very good.’ My papa defended.

‘Shut up.. Its an evil. We cannot even think of getting our daughters married in any other caste. What will the society think of us? They will completely outcaste us. No no.. I can’t let this happen. No one should even get to know about all this.’

‘But..’

‘I will kill her. Right now. I cannot bear such insults for my family.’

‘Please don’t do that. She is my daughter and your only granddaughter. Please… I cannot live without her. I promise you, she’ll not even step out of that room.’

‘Don’t you dare show me those tears. I am not that weak. If your daughter can stoop so low and stand against our rules and regulations, she has no right to live..’

He banged the door of her room furiously with a gun in his hand but Swara was nowhere to be seen. She eloped with Sanskar, her life, her love.

~~

‘Sanskar.. I cannot even imagine my life without you. Why did this happen to us? Why the society has all the right to control our lives? I cannot bear it Sanskar. This is too much ..!’

‘I know that Swara, it is difficult for me to even think of being here without you. But, there’s nothing we can do. If this society doesn’t understand our love, let them be. That won’t alter my love for you, dear. I loved you and will continue to, up till infinity. Hope they will have no problem with we being together after death. I’ll meet you, my love, in my next life.. I surely will. And then we’ll become one forever. I love you Swara.. I love you..’

‘I love you too, Sanskar. And do not forget to smile. You know I like you that way.’

And with this they jumped off the Cliff, hand in hand and smiling at each other, hoping to complete their love story in the next life…

That day, the world lost two of its jewels. But their death left many of the people stunned. Swara’s dad was still paying for the loss of her beloved daughter. She was the sole reason of his living and after she has died, he was no less than a living corpse.
________________________________________

So guys this was it. Even after so much is done to curb the system, yet it remains a social taboo. And its we people, the youth, who have to stand together to fight this evil. It is the duty of we youngsters to make the elder generation realize that the rigid caste system is morbid and has a dark future ahead.

Friends, this is a real story of one of my friend Dia’s cousin who had to face death because her love was not acceptable in the society. And the credit for this story goes to Ananya, my sister, who gave me the brilliant idea to pen this down and to of course Dia, who narrated me the whole incident.
I was literally controlling my tears while typing this one.

Hope you liked it.
Thank you for reading..! And do not forget to leave your lovely feedback..
Love❤