Joy!
That one word could
partially describe what Asha felt, reading the email that had just popped in from
the Newspaper Office. It had read
Dear Ms. Asha Menon,
It is my pleasure to extend the following
offer of employment to you on behalf of Bharat
Jagaran, further to the interview and discussions you have had with us. You
are expected to join duty on May 10, 2013.
You are appointed to the position of Junior
Correspondent and in this capacity, you will report directly to Senior Editor,
Omi Joshi. As Junior Correspondent, your starting monthly remuneration will be
_______________________
She didn’t need to read the rest, not that she did not, but
she was not bothered. Her dream had just come true, she had just landed the
coveted job, the one which she had dreamt of ever since she started
understanding what news and newspaper were. Hindi was not a language people
assumed she would pick; but Asha, as always had went over and above people’s
expectations and had not only become very fluent, she had also won accolades
for her prose and versification at various literary contests organized by her
college and by her university too.
Asha could now smirk at all those people who said she would
never make it to Bharat Jagaran, that
too at her first attempt. She had not conveyed the good news to her parents
yet; how would they react? They were aware of Asha’s dreams and had never
attempted to tie her down, probably because they knew if they tried to contain
her in any manner, she would resort to rebellion; and there was no way Asha
wouldn’t win against her parents. Obviously they will be happy for me, thought
Asha.
She didn’t have a reason, but she was suddenly reminded of
all the trouble her mother had gone through when her in laws had opposed her for
being employed, that too at a much better level than her dad. Through those testing
times, it was Asha’s dad who had stood by her mom and had been the wind beneath
her wings. Though they were living in separate cities for a very long time,
Asha knew her parents were still very much in love with each other, and that was
the very fact that pained and consoled Asha, because she believed that a
married couple should always live under the same roof, or else the marriage was
not complete.
Strange, ever since the guy and his parents came into her
life, she was thinking more and more about marriage and family life. God! I
have a career to focus on, Asha chastised herself.
*********************************************************************************
Girls in India are caught in the drift when they reach a particular age. They suddenly face a dilemma as to what to focus on in their life, whether to make a career and ensure a living or to get married and secure their life. Girls who remain single after the so called marriageable age are frowned upon by the society and are considered a burden for their families.
Throughout the month of April, thanks to the AtoZ Challenge, I am trying to portray the life of Asha, a common Indian girl with dreams and aspirations. Everyday we focus on one alphabet starting from A on April 1st till Z on April 30th. Stick with me till the end of the journey and do tell me what you think of my writing and my Asha.
A - An Arranged Marriage
B - Bridal Dreams
C - Cherubs From Heaven
D - Rusty Dusty Delhi
E - Ernakulam
F - Fretting Over F.R.I.E.N.D.S & Fiancé
G - Gratifying Rendezvous
H - Hospitality Crash Course
I - I Love You??!!
J - Journalism's Joy
K - Krishna
L - Love, Longing & Life
M - Milan - A Meeting
N- Noodles, Nimbu Paani & A Nice Guy
O - Online?
P - Phone Number
Q - Questions!
R - Risks
S - Some Soul Searching
T - Timeless Tableau, A Twist in The Tale
U - Union
Could just feel the happiness :)
ReplyDeleteI know.. I hope you too find this joy in life, I know it is your dream too :)
DeleteEnjoyed this thoroughly.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the A to Z challenge.
http://yenforblue.blogspot.com/
Thank you Archana.
DeleteGood luck to you too :)
Now, I'm just waiting for the twist in the tale when she goes to meet the guy!
ReplyDeleteI am waiting for the right alphabet.. Lol!!
DeleteSounds very interesting. waiting for the next part!
ReplyDeleteThank you Suzy :)
DeleteThat's an interesting tale! The joy of a dream coming true!! :)
ReplyDeleteYeah.. She's one lucky girl :)
DeletePlease don't it on a sad note .. let her continue with her Lovely job !
ReplyDeleteI really hope I don't have to :)
DeleteInteresting! That is nice dream to come true.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your visit Nandana :)
DeleteI hope your dreams come true too
Like the others, I am also waiting for the meeting and the fireworks to begin :) Lovely tale...
ReplyDeleteLooks like it is time for her to meet him ;)
DeleteThanks for your visit
hmmm ! Ur Asha series is quite intriguing !!
ReplyDeleteThese lines made me think a lottttt
the last lines as I WAS IN THE SAME BOAT !
I wud love to see Asha work
Keep them cmng
I really wish for Asha to live a life of her dreams :)
DeleteThanks for coming by
Sheer Joy! I am waiting for same kind of joy too. But it's eluding me
ReplyDeletewaiting for the next episode.
I really hope your joy comes searching for you...
DeleteLoving this story! Is this a story that you have published or will do? Because it is great!
ReplyDeleteThis is an idea I developed for the A to Z challenge. Thank you loads for liking it :)
DeleteNice story.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Hope to see you around more often
DeleteSounds like something a lot of women struggle with! Great story!
ReplyDeleteA lot of the women in my life can relate to Asha in some way or the other :)
DeleteAnother tale told with that all familiar suspense of yours at the end ..cannot wait to read the rest :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Sri. Right now I am at my wits end thinking of how to take the story forward.
DeleteA dream coming true...and then a twist ! :) The joy in the initial part of the post was superb :D
ReplyDeleteyou have now left us with suspense !!!!
Thank you.. please do come back to read the remaining of the story if you like :)
DeleteYou captured the pull of excitement vs. anxiety very well, but I do suspect her anxiety is warranted given the lecture her mother just gave her.
ReplyDelete