What had started as a bright had become a nightmare for Sahithi as she sat through the post lunch classes. The word had already spread about her rebellious attitude and the teachers seemed determined to snuff it out as soon as they could. Her bottom bore the marks of discipline meted out to her for outrageously silly reasons. As she listened to the lectures her mind drifted to her experience in the previous school.
“Varna system was explained by Sri Krishna in the Bhagavadgita very clearly dispelling the doubts of Arjuna that are unfortunately the doubts of most of the people today.” Her Sanskrit teacher had said. As can be seen in the slokas 1.39 through 1.44, Arjuna talks of caste purity, a fear of inter-varna marriages, change of one’s varna, etc. He appears to be afraid that the society will be spoiled if people change the varna of their birth and appears to be advocating a varna based on birth.”
The chapters eleven and twelve must not be taken as an attempt to defame any country or religion. Since the main lead is brought up in Bharat, the thought process, values, mores followed by the main lead will reflect the same. The idea is to show the contrast in thinking, teaching and the conditions she has to go through in this school when compared to her previous experiences. Since I am not acquainted with Abrahamic religions, I am not touching them. Nor am I trying to show Sanatana Dharma in a bad light. The choice of names is coincidental and bear no ill will towards anyone.
Sahithi lost count of the time as she stared at the book, turning pages without really reading anything. She just wanted to get this over with.“Tell me,” the professor asked suddenly. “what the author says in the first page.” She was startled by the sudden question. “Do you think you can fool me by turning the pages?” he was far more perceptive than what she had given him credit for. “Read the pages aloud from the beginning.”She knew there was no escaping this time. As she read the words aloud her eyes grew wide in shock at the blatantly negative portrayal of the varna system. It was worse than what was given in textbooks prescribed by the board of education. “India is divided into four castes which are based on birth.” The book started. “It is a rigid system which cannot be changed. Lord .... was responsible for challenging this system and the Indians should be grateful that he removed o
“Where were you the whole night?” Amulya demanded as Sahithi walked in tired and hungry. She was fully dressed though only she knew how much she had suffered the previous night.“Don’t ask.” She said with a low voice. “It was a nightmare.”“Take my advice, never raise your voice or say anything against the teachers and you will be fine.” Sahithi’s eyes flared up in anger.“And stay a mute spectator to the atrocities of these horny, sadistic maniacs?”“Do you have a death wish?” they turned towards the door and saw the group leader looking very serious. “Not only did you not inform me about your detention, but you stay away from the hostel the whole night. I had to face the scoldings of the warden!”“So that is my fault? I thought you were all well informed about everything that happens around here.”“That doesn&rsqu
The Annual parade was a big event where all the staff and students were involved. This was the first cultural event in the year that aimed at bringing the best from everyone. Since Sahithi had decided to put her head down, she tried to gather some information about the mega event.“What is this parade the principal talked about?” she asked Amulya who was sitting beside her.“It is a mega event that kick starts the academic year.” She replied. “It is divided into two parts – outdoor event and indoor event.”“The outdoor event is done by the selected members from the staff and students.” piped in Betsy. “Since you are a transfer student, you will be in the indoor event.”“Selections are done based on how well the staff and students have performed in the previous year. This is usually done at the end of the academic year and the selected members get practice sessions before
The excitement of the Annual parade soon gave way to more serious school activities – activities that boring yet unavoidable. The academic schedule had already been given and the teachers started taking classes with full zeal. The schedule was so jam packed that the students didn’t have much time to think. The parade brought one change in Sahithi – she stopped contradicting the teachers and her punishments got reduced. The teachers also seemed to think that she had been broken enough to be brought in line with the others. That was far from the case.The whole campus had 10 classes – 8th class (grade) to final year post graduate class. All the students stayed in the campus. All the students were divided into four houses – Dasi, Sevaki, Kamini, Mohini. Sahithi was shocked when she saw the names of the houses. Since all the House Masters were male, she didn’t have to guess much about the choice of name
“And so what appeared to be a bilateral issue slowly mushroomed into a world war,” Sahithi barely stopped herself in time from speaking out her thoughts. She still had almost six years to complete before she got out of this institute for good. She shook her head at how tolerant she was becoming to everything. “I just wish I can remain the same when I get out here for good.” She mused. “That will happen only when you graduate.” She blushed, realising that she had spoken aloud. “That is exactly what I wish for, sir.” She replied. “To graduate.” “Yes, yes. That needs to be seen.” He remarked, resuming the lesson. “The league of nations failed miserably to stop the aggression of a nation against another. In short it was one of the reasons for the second world war.” He looked at Sahithi with an amused eye. “Sahithi has something to refute this I suppose?” “I agree that failure of the League of Nations to enforce peace was one of the reasons for the Second World War.” She started surpri
The next day Sahithi reached the ground where she saw 15 other girls. Pallavi, who was among them, waved her hand at her. Everyone was already changed into their House T-Shirts and matching Shorts. Sahithi quickly changed and joined them. The House Sports Captain rose to speak.“Now that the whole team is here, I have a few things to say.” He looked around. “We have had to make a few changes in our team for this practice match as ten team members moved to the next level and are no longer available. Now, the acting Captain will be Rajeswari and she will lead the team in the ground.” A 5 foot 8 inch girl stood up, nodded at the team and sat back.“We already filled eight of those ten places with the first reserve team.” He looked at everyone before continuing. “However, two players have been taken from their performances in the tryouts and net practice sessions. Pallavi and Sahithi have shown promise but they need t
Sahithi lay on her bed completely exhausted. She had never felt so demoralised in her life; winning and losing were part of the game but the way everyone behaved here shook her to the core. She recalled the meeting with the captains and shuddered.“WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING OUT THERE?” he had shouted at them furiously. “Do any of you even know what Kho-Kho is?” they had been too stunned and afraid to answer. He had glared at them for a few seconds and then she felt approaching footsteps. She could only hear the captain walking towards the team. When he sat beside her, her heart had jumped into her mouth.“What were you thinking?” he had asked in a soft tone, fondling her b*****s with his hands. “Were you playing for glory?”“I....I....” she had stammered unable to say anything.“Do you realise you are playing a team game?” his calloused, rough right hand strolled into her T-shirt feeling the bare skin, making her face go red in embarrassment.“Yes, but....”“But you wanted to be ce
When Sahithi woke up, she found her right leg in a cast, hanging in the air. She looked around and found her maternal cousin sitting on the attendant’s chair.“What are you doing here?” he gave her a bored look.“When you break your leg, your parents are supposed to be with you. In their absence, it is my job to take care of you.”“No need! I can manage.”“How? Do you realise you can’t move your leg for the next few days?”“Who gave you permission to be here? I never asked you!”“I gave the permission.” She looked at the campus doctor who had just come in along with the male nurse. ‘Why is everyone here a male?’ she thought as the doctor examined her.“But.....”“How are you feeling now?”“I am fine doctor but...”“Do you feel any pain?” he asked holding her injured ankle.“No, but....”“Do you feel any dizziness?”“No, but...”“Take good care of her.” he said to her cousin who looked very attentive. “Call the nurse if you need anything.”“Yes doctor.” He replied and the doctor wrote
As the girls waited eagerly for the reason they had been summoned for this meeting, the boys looked angry but not nervous or afraid. The group leaders were nowhere to be seen but Sahithi didn't care. Infact she was happy that she had taught them a lesson. The friendly match had been the last nail in the coffin and she had decided to resist come what may! The other girls were a bit nervous, trying their level best to stay calm. They had been used to the system; some had been rebellious in the beginning, some had even complained but the management had been too strict and brutal in suppressing all discontent. The girls were sure they would be punished; there was no escaping it. But they wanted to see what kind of punishments would be doled out to them. One thing was certain - they would be very unpleasant and painful. The management was comprised of the Director, Principal, Vice Principal, Chief Warden, Discipline Officer, Chief Security Officer and Administrative Officer. Everyone kne
“Who the hell do they think they are?” Sahithi burst out in the dormitory. There was no sign of the Group Leader for once. “Just wait! I am going to have my revenge.” “How?” “I intend to get them arrested.” “You are dreaming.” “I am not. I know what I can do.” “They are too strong!” “SO WHAT?” Sahithi shouted in anger. “WE KEEP LETTING THEM STAMP ALL OVER US AND THEY WILL BE STRONG!’ she paced to and fro in frustration. “HOW LONG WILL YOU BE SILENT? HOW MUCH MORE HUMILIATION DO YOU NEED BEFORE YOU EVEN THINK OF PROTESTING?” “Please don’t make a scene, Sahi. We will all be in trouble.” “TROUBLE? IS GETTING STRIPPED IN FRONT OF EVERYONE NOT TROUBLE? IS GETTING GROPED OPENLY IN A FRIENDLY MATCH NOT TROUBLE? IS WALKING ALL THE WAY FROM THE OTHER END OF THE CAMPUS TO THE HOSTEL COMPLETELY NAKED NOT TROUBLE? WHAT MORE TROUBLE DO YOU NEED?” The other girls were frightened by Sahithi’s anger. However, her shouting had brought the rest of the girls and the Group Leaders to their room.
Sahithi shook her head as her troubles seemed far from over. Her mind drifted back to the time when she was living a nerve-wracking life before she had gone unknowingly to this hell hole. She had spent the entire week looking over her shoulder and ensuring that no one could barge in unannounced. But, despite her efforts her bava would always find a way to be present whenever she came out of the bathroom after having her bath. “Why did you remove the handles?” she had asked him once. “To protect you.” “Rubbish! You are invading my privacy!” “You are my fiancée and there is no such thing as privacy between us.” “I am not marrying a pervert who treats me so shabbily in my own house.” He simply chuckled as if he was amused by her. “You are so adorable and cute!” “GET OUT!” “After you get dressed.” That made her look at herself and she screamed. She had only a towel on her body. “GET OUT YOU MORON!” he had simply pulled the towel off with a smile mortifying her. He then had literal
This was only the second time in six months that she had visited “The Sanctuary”. True to its name this building housed one of the most capable, experienced, honest and dependable persons in the world. Senior Advocate Prativadi Bhayankar Chakravarthy or PBC as he was known was one of the fiercest advocates of truth and justice. He stood by the real victims getting them justice. He was also a close friend of Sahithi’s grandfather Mr. Jagannatham which was why she had come to here. As their family lawyer, he held answers to many questions. Sahithi rang the bell and waited for someone to open the door. “Raju!” she exclaimed. “Why are you here?” he motioned for her to come in, stepping aside and holding the door open. He shut it when she entered and signalled her to follow him. She suppressed her curiosity knowing that he couldn’t speak and would have to hold in her questions till the right moment. He took her to PBC’s chamber and left her there. The room was empty except for two women –
As Sahithi leaned her head back in the cab she had booked, her mind brought up memories that had made her childhood so memorable. She, Janu and Harshi had always been together, sharing a strong bond, but everyone knew that she and Janu were inseparable. They played many games together; just the three of them with Janu leading the trio. Janu had been the tomboy of the group. “Eyy Janu! I am tired of those detective games. Let’s play something else.” She had said one day. “Okay!” Janu had responded. “What shall we play?” she had turned towards Harshitha. “Harshi! You are the brains of the group. Suggest something.” Harshi’s response had been to stare dramatically into space as if in deep thought. “Oi!” Janu had waved her hand before Harshi’s eyes after a minute. “I asked you for a theme to play, not to think out a novel!” “It’s not easy to think of a new game!” “Oh! Don’t be a drama queen rey! Spit it out!” “We can play many games...” Harshi had started. “Like Princess in distress
Sahithi recovered quickly; after all she was resourceful. She couldn’t afford to fail, so she glanced at what she had written so far – she had attempted the maximum number of questions. It was not difficult to pass; in fact it might be difficult to fail her. But she hid her true feelings and stopped writing. It was just the beginning of a long session of exams that left her emotionally drained. For the next fortnight she was fighting hard to juggle several devastating emotions at once: focus on preparing for the next exam while being made fun of, focusing on finishing the exam while she was groped by the invigilator, enduring the ignominy of having to walk to the exam department completely naked and fetch her dress – it was not something she had bargained for, yet, it was not possible for her to avoid it. “What good is a good future, if your present is being destroyed systematically?” she asked herself one day as she handed over her answer booklet to the invigilator. “Why can’t I simp
When Sahithi returned to the girls wing, she had fifteen days to prepare for the mid-term exams. Any other girl in her place would have panicked, but Sahithi was calm. She knew her sharp grasping power would come to her rescue. However, alarm bells started ringing in her mind when she saw how much syllabus had been covered in her absence. She was supposed to catch up on 60 days classes she had missed and prepare for the exams; all in the span of 15 days!She was truly anxious when she saw the amount of work the teachers were dumping on her.“This is crazy!” she blurted out one day in frustration as she stared at the mountain of work before her. “How am I supposed to complete all this?”“Well, you should have thought of that before skipping the Loser’s Lap!” Sahithi stared at the girl who had accused her.“I was injured!” she spluttered. “I was in the medical wing for fifteen days!”“Fifteen days of enjoyment with your betrothed!”“What!” Sahithi’s face turned red in anger. “What are y
Sahithi stood there fully exposed to all the four males in the room and the small crowd of excited onlookers outside.“Why me? What did I do to deserve this?”“Because you are a loser!” she blushed as she realised she had spoken out aloud. She shifted her injured leg, feeling a slight pain start to build in the ankle. It had not fully healed yet.“Still not cured?”“No. The doctor said I should not walk too much or put too much pressure on it.”“Alright, no problem. We will give you easier tasks.”‘I wonder what those tasks are.” She thought. ‘They will not be easy for me.’“Bring the chair.” There was a sound of shuffling feet and a chair was brought into the room. Sahithi glanced at it from the corner of her eye. It was a peculiar chair – instead of a normal seat it had a single rod right in the middle of where the seat should have been.“Sit!”“What! How?” she was flustered when she saw that the rod was shaped like a penis.“Like this!” two men caught hold of her while a third lowe
When Sahithi woke up, she found her right leg in a cast, hanging in the air. She looked around and found her maternal cousin sitting on the attendant’s chair.“What are you doing here?” he gave her a bored look.“When you break your leg, your parents are supposed to be with you. In their absence, it is my job to take care of you.”“No need! I can manage.”“How? Do you realise you can’t move your leg for the next few days?”“Who gave you permission to be here? I never asked you!”“I gave the permission.” She looked at the campus doctor who had just come in along with the male nurse. ‘Why is everyone here a male?’ she thought as the doctor examined her.“But.....”“How are you feeling now?”“I am fine doctor but...”“Do you feel any pain?” he asked holding her injured ankle.“No, but....”“Do you feel any dizziness?”“No, but...”“Take good care of her.” he said to her cousin who looked very attentive. “Call the nurse if you need anything.”“Yes doctor.” He replied and the doctor wrote