Fiction & Nonfiction

Rescue

Rescue


Eight on a Monday morning was a bit of a rush hour at the college. Streams of boys and girls flowed into the campus. Chatting, joking, and greeting an occasional teacher that passed by, their youthful faces bore no traces of worry. 


Vidya stood looking on the incoming youngsters from the first floor balcony attached to the staff room and a long lecture hall with a gallery for the audience. The college buildings were designed after Georgian style architecture. They had high-roofed rooms with semicircular fanlights, and wide wraparound porches with intermittent flowerbeds displaying seasonal flowers. Vidya loved the color of history associated with the college.


True to her deep interest in the subject, Vidya taught history. She counted herself lucky to find her vocation and hobby fused agreeably.


Is it already ten years I’ve been working here? She wondered, looking at the wide blue beautiful Bay of Bengal in its entire splendor. The grand overview at all hours of the day, was one of the reasons why she stayed put in the job, she knew. Besides that, the young company kept her ever enthusiastic. She spotted a variety of sea craft, skiffs, trawlers and huge tankers and bulk carriers moving in and out of the harbor. Beyond the sea, her eyes drank in the beauty of sun kissed emerald hills, the linear Eastern Ghats that stood sentinel encircling the other three sides of the natural harbor of that coastal town. 


In a few months’ time, the students and staff were to celebrate the hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the inception of the college that took place during the British rule in India.  She was kept busy as a key member of one of the committees that supervised student competitions in various cultural events.


“Ma’am, Ma’am!” a voice broke through her thoughts.
Vidya saw Seema, a Second Year undergraduate student looking up.

“What’s the matter Seema?”  She enquired.

“Sorry for the disturbance, Ma’am. Can I come up for a moment?”

“Sure. Come on up.” 

Seema climbed up a spiral staircase and came in through the wide corridor into the staff room.

“Good morning Ma’am.”

“Good morning Seema. Why don’t you sit down?”
Perching on the edge of the seat, Seema burst out as if her words were waiting to be unleashed.

“Saira’s parents have stopped her from going to college Ma’am. When I went to her house this morning, her brother told me she won’t be attending classes anymore.”

Vidya frowned. It was the first time in her ten-year-long career that something of this kind had happened.

“Ma’am, when I went to pick her up this morning, I found Saira crying in her room. When she was about to tell me the reason, her brother rushed in. He told me not to come to their house anymore as Saira would no longer attend college,” continued Seema, still quite upset by the unexpected events.

Vidya felt her anger rising. This is the limit of foolishness. Will they ever grow up?

“Could you take me to Saira’s house right away?”  asked Vidya, making an instant decision.
“Yes Ma’am, certainly. She lives close to college,” gushed Seema, standing up abruptly. Vidya’s question took her by surprise. A teacher to go visiting a student at her home? Unbelievable!

I should tackle this immediately pondered Vidya, as she collected her bag to leave with Seema. The sooner, the better. How can this happen to one of my best students? Her chin lifted in defense of an absent Saira. She wrote a quick note to the Principal asking for an hour’s permission to leave the premises. On her way out, she gave it to him in person.

She had no idea of what she was going to say to Saira’s family, particularly to her brother.

In the small pub under the huge Banyan, some men were chatting and drinking tea. They gazed curiously at the tall slim woman in her thirties, and a tender sixteen-year-old girl, walking down the lane rather briskly.

In a few minutes, Seema led the way into an alley. Seema pressed the bell at a modest house, and they waited for a couple of minutes before a middle-aged woman opened the door. She moved aside to let them in, simultaneously pursing her lips into a thin line in recognition of Seema. Without being put off, Seema performed the introductions at the first chance.

“Aunt Salima, this is our teacher, Miss. Vidya.” The woman gave Vidya an overall, her expression cold.
“Ma’am, this is Saira’s mother.”
Vidya greeted her with her hands folded, “Namaste.”(Indian way of greeting)
Salima muttered her reluctant welcome, with her eyes however, saying, “go.”

They were ushered into a semi-dark front room. Vidya noticed barred windows. Sunlight struggled through the gaps in the boards, seen crisscrossed on the smooth cement floor. The interior was better ventilated due to the open door at the back entrance. Vidya noticed three more rooms built around what appeared to be dining parlor. The teak table held empty cups and breakfast dishes. Low male voices could be heard from one of the adjoining rooms.

Sensing visitors, Saira came out of a small room. Looking pale and weepy, Saira was shocked see her dear teacher. She started sobbing, her tears falling unchecked, pitiful, and desolate. Vidya put a consoling hand on her shoulder.

“Saira, what happened?” more tears and sobs from the girl.
“Ma’am, I’ll tell you what happened,” a deep male voice was heard from behind. Vidya looked over her shoulder and saw a tall intelligent looking young man in late twenties, accompanied by an old man, walking to her.

“Please be seated. My name is Akbar. Saira is my only sister. My father here,” he pointed to the elderly man by his side, “has retired last year, and the family is now my responsibility.”

The young man continued. “ Let me come to the point without wasting your time. Ours is the first family in our community to send a girl to college. We thought she would bring honor to the family. But our hopes are dashed. Instead of getting education, she has been wasting her time in male company. We decided to put a full stop to her college education before the undesirable takes place. I shudder to think of our loss of respect if word spreads regarding her debasing behavior.”

Vidya took the bull by the horns.
“Have you talked to her?” She asked looking at both men.
Akbar turned his head from one side to another, and said with resentment, “Talk to her? What for? She will only defend herself with some blind reasoning. We came to know of her behavior through a reliable source. We do not need further proof.”

“Akbar, if you seal her fate now without checking facts, you may repent your actions later. Saira is sensible enough to understand things.Your fear may be unfounded,” said Vidya, refusing to be put down by his hostile tone.

Men and women of the house started shouting and talking furiously.
“What does she know about our principles?”
“Let her get out.”
“Saira is our girl; we know what is good for her.”
“With all our respect for your concern, we should ask you to leave now. It is our personal problem, and we know how to deal with it,” said the elderly gentleman.

“In a minute, Sir. Please listen to me as Saira’s teacher. Don’t let your fear ruin her life. What do you expect? Put an iron wall between boys and girls? Ban them from talking to each other? As a captain of our debating team, she needs to interact with her team-mates. Soon they will be going for national competitions.”

Akbar’s face registered surprise at this news. Vidya could discern a flash of something else, pleasure? Pride?

Forging her argument further, Vidya said, “Saira could be an asset to your community. By barring her from education, you will not only destroy her bright future but also set a bad example for others in the community. Why not give yourself and the families a changed course, like your namesake Emperor Akbar did for a feud ridden medieval India? History tells us of his 'darkness to light' policies.”

She left the house in a wave of submerging silence.

Vidya returned to college in time for her class. For a while, she thought of taking the issue to the Principal. But that might not solve the problem agreeably, she analyzed. Perhaps Saira is destined to stagnate behind closed doors like others of her family. Vidya felt certain that she would not see Saira again in her class.

On the next day, after a restive night, she walked listlessly up the college path. The bus was crowded too. In the staff room at her desk, dodging her worries and gloom aside, she started reading.

“May we come in Ma’am?”
Vidya looked up from the book. Surprised beyond words, she nodded her welcome to the visitors.

“Oh, come in Saira, Akbar.” Vidya smiled. “Do sit down please.” 
They took the seats facing her.

“Sorry for behaving like a moron, Miss Vidya. After you left, I'd made the enquiry you suggested, and to my utter shame, I found things were wrongly reported by my jealous cousin. I don’t want to go into the sordid reasons but it was sufficient to convince me of my sister’s innocence. Thank you and sorry again for our rude manners,” said a shamefaced Akbar.

Vidya smiled, her face cleared of tension lines. She slowly uncrossed her fingers reveling in relief. 


Word Count:1606.