Life Is More Precious

Rita waited for her husband's return home from work, with his favourite food ready to be served. Her seven years old daughter was asleep while her two years old bubbly daughter was still awake. Rita was cheerful after days because her husband Krishna promised her the other day that he will give up drinking, that too swearing on his daughters.

The bell rang, Rita opened the door and found Krishna drunk. She could not believe what she saw. She could not believe that the father of her daughters did not keep his words even after vouching on their daughters. They had a heated argument. It was a daily phenomenon in their life. As usual Krishna went to sleep without having his food.

Rita was furious and crying unconsolably. Whenever they had a fight, Rita used to threaten to end her life someday, so, thinking it to be a regular thing Krishna did not pay heed to her. But that day, she, in a fit of rage drenched with kerosene and set herself on fire. When the fire caught she did not move nor did she scream. She wanted her husband to see her burn. But he was so much drunk that he did not even noticed what was happening.

After twenty minutes Krishna awoke hearing the cry of their two years old daughter and found his love of life ablaze. He couldn't believe that Rita actually tried to kill herself. He took her to the nearest hospital but the doctor's seemed helpless before the 90% burned Rita. She succumbed to her injuries just after giving the statement to the police that - nobody was responsible for her burns. She before dying told Krishna that she loved him very much and wanted to lead a peaceful life with him and that she didn't want to kill herself. She just wanted to scare him and teach him a lesson. 

Krishna's life got shattered. His two years old is still in a state of shock and lost her voice. She cannot speak. There was nobody to look after his little daughters. He now drank more. Since there was no one to look after the children, Rita's mother brought Rita's uncle of about 58 years from the village. This uncle is a bachelor and unemployed. So, it was possible for him to come and stay with Krishna and his daughters. 

Few months went smoothly. This uncle took good care of the children, cook food, clean the house, took the elder daughter to school. He did everything what Rita used to do. Krishna also now worked with a free mind. 

But as it is said that peace does not stay for long. That day Krishna returned home from work early and found the door locked from inside. He peeped inside the room through the window. He could not believe what he saw. He screamed his heart out and broke open the door and went inside. He found the old man, whom he gave the place of his daughters' grandfather was raping his seven years old daughter. The child told his father sobbingly after much interrogation that her grandfather was doing the act from quite few days and that he had threatened to kill her if she told anybody. 

The neighbourhood boys had caught hold of the old man and after a  good thrashing handing him to the police. 

This incident is so scary. It made me think hard whom to believe and whom not to. 

This is not a fictional story. It really happened to a watchman in our locality. Do not know where our society is heading to. How can a mind be so dirty? How can anybody ever think of doing such an act to a child of seven years. Also, I do not understand what honey does alcohol have. It does no good to anybody. It only ruin houses. But still it seem that the craze for this cursed thing is growing day by day. 

Is a bottle of alcohol more precious then the life of loved ones? Can Krishna get back whatever he lost because of his craze for the bottle of poison? This is the story of only one Krishna. But there might be so many other Krishnas whose lives are getting ruined.