The Curious Case of Shanti Priya: The Weak and the Deserted

The Curious Case of Shanti Priya: The Weak and the Deserted

A news paper article by Ms Gita Rai, the noted feminist and the founder member of ‘BULDOZE’ the NGO working for empowerment of the women, is given below:

She was one of the many thousands of women, women who are deserted by their husband, disowned by parents, left alone to suffer and most likely to die on the streets. Shanti Priya has been through it and much more. But she has emerged like a phoenix, a source of inspiration and strength for all those facing injustice.

Shanti, as she is known to her near and dear, was deserted by her husband one chilly rainy night. It was supposed to be the happiest moment of her life, it was the day she found out she was pregnant with her first child. But it was not to be; she was dragged out by her husband and dumped in front of her parents’ house. Parents sheltered her for the night in a moment of pity, but soon made it clear that she could not stay there for long.

And so, on the second night in a row, Shanti found herself searching for a shelter. Luckily for her, a journalist friend of hers gave her not only the shelter but a platform to fight against the injustice. Her friend along with the editor of a small news paper where the friend worked, printed an interview which shook the city. That article made a heroine out of Shanti.

Today, a very pregnant Shanti is sitting in front of us, a day before her appearance in the court asking for divorce against a monster of a husband. She has difficulty standing up, yet there is a smile on her face, a sad smile. She hopes that the Judge will give a favorable judgment which will enable her to take care of the children (yes she is expecting twins).

Below we print an excerpt of Shanti’s interview, the interview which is endearing yet emanating the strength.

“We were classmates, Shantanu and me, during our graduation. (Smiles) Those were beautiful days, we connected almost immediately. We soon became very good friends, but both of us did not think much about the next step. It was only in our final year, that we took the friendship to the next level, after a lot of thought. Except for two of us, this was a logical conclusion which all our friends were expecting. We got married after 4 years of courtship. Life seemed idyllic then.’

‘The first year breezed past. We used to like each other very much and the marriage did not change things. We still loved each other. But then his job profile changed. In the new job, he had to travel a lot, for short durations but very frequently. It was then that Shantanu changed little by little, he started getting suspicious. He used to call me everyday and demand the day’s account, for every minute. If I was at a party, he used to ask who I was with, what I would do after the party. It was all ok in the beginning, but then it started getting on my nerves. Yet I used to calmly tell him everything. But the more I told him, the more he expected from me.’

‘Our first major fight was 2 weeks before he threw me out of the house. I was at a gathering at a friend’s house, and I came home late, around 1 AM I think. Shantanu was sitting on the steps waiting for me. He was not expected to return on that day from his business trip. And he had forgotten to take the house keys along. He was furious and demanded me to know why my mobile was switched off. The simple reason of lack of battery charge did not satisfy him. He was raring for a fight that day. He then demanded who had dropped me. ‘Wasn’t it one of the Kapoor’s (name changed)? I could make out the aquiline nose and cunning grey eyes even in the dark. You know how I feel about them.’ I agreed that the Kapoor’s (name changed) were known womanizers, atleast most of them. But Rajat Kapoor who had dropped me was nice man. I tried to justify, but finally gave up realizing that the argument was only making him angrier.’

‘Oh, that day is etched in my memory. It was happiest day of my life. I had suspected that I was pregnant for quite some time, but I got it confirmed only that afternoon. I was so happy, I was singing, dancing in the house, waiting for Shantanu to return from office. I was eager to give him the news.’

‘No I had kept the suspicions to myself, did not even let Shantanu get a hint. The anger in him had not cooled off even 2 weeks after the fight over Kapoor’s, we were hardly on speaking terms. I have hoped earnestly that my pregnancy and the future as a family will normalize our relations. But I had hoped too much.’

‘He pushed me away; he threw me on the bed instead of hugging me. Never in the history of human kind, would this have happened. A wife revealing about the motherhood and getting back angry beatings in return. He was questioning my character; he was questioning whether he was the father of the unborn children. He had not forgotten for two weeks. I started crying. I could not speak. He prowled around the house like a tiger building up his anger while I was silently crying in the room. Then suddenly he walked into the bedroom, dragged me into the car and dumped on the steps of parent’s house. We did not exchange a word in the car, we haven’t spoken till today.’

‘My father is an ex-serviceman. He is a man of discipline. And that turned out to be his undoing. On my mother’s insistence, I was allowed to sleep in the house that night. But next day it was made clear that I should look for alternative arrangement. I walked out of the house without knowing where I would sleep. Luckily for me a friend, Shivani, lived near by. She is a journalist working for a small newspaper. She gave me the emotional support I was desperate for. I was without a house, without money, without a job and pregnant. But this was the worst, things turned for better soon.

Shivani, with the support from the Editor Mr. Bhalerao, ran a small piece in the newspaper. The piece worked miracles; it was later selected as the Best Article of the Year by the Woman’s council for Independent Reporting (WCIR). But in short term, the plight of a single helpless woman was noticed. My father took me in, although reluctantly. I got a job in the government via the local MLA. The judge decided in my favor to give priority to this case. All of this happened due to the news paper article. I am grateful for the news paper and its editor.

‘Yes. I have applied with the Judge to keep my children away from the court. I do not want them to be affected by my personal mistakes or that of their father, Shantanu. I want them to have a normal childhood. Judge has kindly agreed stating that their wont be a need for the children to be produced in the court.’

‘I request all the readers to keep posted on this case. This is not only my personal case, but the case for all those women who are at the receiving end of atrocities. I wish all those women enough strength to fight against the society, fight for justice.’

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Although the case was in ‘fast-forward’ the court procedure took 6 months time. The twins were born in the mean time, yet nobody was allowed near them. Not even a photograph was allowed to be taken, as ruled by the Judge, “The children are not party to the divorce proceedings and should be protected against any violation of privacy.’

Shanti Priya in the mean time was fighting a huge battle but she was not alone. She was supported by thousands of supporters from all over India. Many Women’s organizations had offered her support, both monetary and moral.

Shantanu had not tried to defend himself in the court of the public. He had maintained a dignified silence all along, refusing to speak to any journalist, even his friends. In the court he still maintained that paternity tests should be conducted. A move opposed by Shanti on the grounds that the case was one of ‘Cruelty towards the spouse’, one proved by his dumping a pregnant lady shelter-less out of the house.

On the final day of hearing, Shatanu’s lawyer requested to produce in front of the court an evidence. Shanti did not care. She knew that whatever the lawyer produced today, the judge would rule in her favor. The public outcry otherwise will be so much that no judge will take the risk of a ruling pro-Shantanu. She was baying for the house and 75% of any future income of Shantanu.

It took a moment for Shanti to realize the evidence being produced. The next moment she had fainted. On the screen was a photograph of Shanti holding the twins, cute little boys yet to be named. Staring towards the camera were two sets of deep set gray eyes along with the unmistakable aquiline nose.

The judge ordered for the paternity test.