The Interview
Trinity Rai is one of Sikkim’s most intrepid writers, especially…
Another fictional tale by Trinity Rai on the journey of Suchitra Agarwal, a fiercely independent young woman, as she navigates societal expectations, family pressures, and her own ambitions. From a rushed interview to an unexpected proposal, witness her determination to stay true to herself and her dreams.
She was late for the interview and was rushing home at full speed.
The day’s rush, the tiring seven hours at work, and the humidity made her sweat like a pig.
With a messed up hair and bad breath after having eaten garlic bread and cheese burst pizza with a friend whose treat it was today at Domino’s.
After the quick celebration, which she longed to overstay, she excused herself.
She threw a quick look at her best friend Karma, who knew about her appointment, and gave her a forced smile.
An oil-reddened face Suchitra Agarwal then huffed and puffed up, till she reached her house at Mg Marg.
Her mother opened the door, and she looked at her shocked, as if she had seen a ghost.
She was greeted with a volley of curse words from her mother… Mom said she knew Suchitra would definitely fail in the interview.
She had no time to prepare and was advised by her mom to settle her unruly hair that became worse with humidity.
With a tray of juice and her mother’s namkeens, she entered the drawing room.
She was told not to look up, not to utter a word unless asked to, and to look lost, basically.
She sat down beside the other candidate, who looked more nervous than her.
From the corners of her eyes, and like every woman is blessed to look at someone without letting them know you are observing them, Suchitra saw a dark, bespectacled fry of a man, trying hard not to shake his legs.
She felt disgusted in her mind but she had to put up an act, and a fine actress she was.
The family, who had come to see her for their son, looked the haughty upper-middle-class types.
She immediately felt their eyes and their minds judging her looks and appearance.
She learnt that the groom in question was just a BA pass, whereas she on the other hand had completed her Master’s in Sociology and had plans to go for further studies.
She wanted to pursue a doctorate degree and was religiously working in between her job as a local newspaper reporter.
The walls of her drawing room were full of her achievements be it in basketball, karate, or tennis, but the interviewers were more concerned about the faded paint on the walls.
She was a genius and had been the best girl athlete as well as the school captain at Deorali Senior Secondary School.
Now yet twenty-eight, she was a fiercely independent young woman who had a mind of her own, and that had been the reason why many suitors had turned her down, though it had been the other way round.
The elder brother of the groom asked her about her plans after marriage.
“I intend to work and study,” came the curt reply that raised many an eyebrow, including her now seeming to swoon, hysteric mother.
“So what’s your age?” asked the ‘almighty he’ and she answered it was past being her a minor but too small to discharge the responsibility of having a child.
“I don’t want to have a baby right away, it’s not possible for I am doing my thesis and this would be a huge responsibility,” she said and there was dead silence in the room.
The elder brother looked as if she had committed a deadly sin and had to be punished with an immediate death sentence.
Her mother turned white as if she had seen a ghost.
The groom’s elder brother declared that he didn’t approve of the match.
The potential groom seated next to Suchitra now looked mighty displeased.
Ravi was his name and he had seen Suchitra’s picture and had already fallen for her and he didn’t want his domineering brother to ruin his life.
Now he finally spoke with such a booming, loud voice that stunned his family more than it did Suchitra.
“She is free to do as she wants and I support her. Marriage isn’t only for the girls to adjust, we need to do so too,” spoke Ravi, and his mother nearly fainted.
“I will allow her to work and study,” he continued and with this line, he lost the little bit of admiration that Suchitra had felt for this pitiable character just a moment ago.
Suchitra felt sorry for him and told his obviously, shell-shocked mother, not to worry and that she could take her son away, for she wasn’t interested in him.
“I am not a doll to do as you’ll please and you don’t have the right to reject me for I reject you all. I see Ravi is a much better person than all of you combined, but he still needs to know what a woman really wants, as for this woman he isn’t the one for me,” Suchitra’s words silenced everyone.
The interviewers left and Suchitra was alone with her crest-fallen parents.
“I don’t want to hurt you both but this was necessary. I don’t want to be a burden on you even after marriage,” she said with tears in her eyes.
Her father hugged her and reminded her that she was never a burden and he added: “You’re a brave girl. What you did was absolutely right, I love you and will support you, but you are not a burden. You’re my daughter..”
The daughter hugged her father and thanked her lucky stars for having him as a father.
She knew many who weren’t blessed to have a father at all and to have one like her dad was a blessing indeed.
She knew not every daughter gets such support, and nor does every daughter get a chance to speak what’s in her mind.
Society is such that the daughters are taught to be meek and subservient.
She is taught to sit, eat, and talk with restrictions.
In fact, her entire life gets choreographed well, she is programmed to control her laughter, had learned the household chores, sacrifice for the greater good, and be silent when being talked to.
It’s time, that our daughters are raised to speak their minds, be fearless so as to speak the truth, and not be scared of displeasing anyone.
It’s time no female eyes should ever cry and even if she does, let it be tears of joy.
Let her make those choices, let her walk in confidence, let her shatter those chains that tie her for no matter how high she may fly, she’s grounded.
Today, Suchitra is one of the most adored lecturers at the Sikkim University; she’s respected in society and is the mother of a twelve-year-old gorgeous Lepcha girl, whom she fell in love with when she visited an orphanage last year.
She’s also dating a fellow lecturer who’s more broad-minded than her.
Today she’s meeting Milan’s parents and guess what, it was Milan who had prepared lunch for her.
The featured model is irrelevant to the plot.
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Trinity Rai is one of Sikkim’s most intrepid writers, especially of stark short stories, and has also taken to poetry. Currently, she is a teacher in Holy Cross School, Tadong, Gangtok