3: Death as Reward of Love

 Kartavya: Duty with Dedication

Chapter -3: Death as Reward of Love

       This story is about a small remote village of Meghraj taluka in Aravalli district, bordering Rajasthan. One had to go to Meghraj to buy daily necessities. A resident of this hamlet, Mittal was a college student. One afternoon, she headed to Meghraj to get her documents photocopied and clothes stitched.

        At evening the family naturally got worried for their young daughter was out since afternoon and was yet to return. Their worries increased as they found her phone was switched off. The family contacted all her friends but all went in vain.

      After waiting for a while, they began to look for her. They searched everywhere but couldn’t track her down.  The search continued for the whole night until dawn, still her whereabouts were unknown. Her family fell into hardships due to the various doubts and suspicions.

      About the afternoon Shailesh, a young man, showed up with her news. He informed that he had seen two young men of nearby village abducting Mittal, after knocking her out, on a motorcycle and then driving towards the forest. On hearing that, her family felt as if the land beneath them vanished.

       Shailesh insisted on helping her family. He led everyone towards the forest. The scene they witnessed over there almost made everyone faint. Mittal’s corpse was hanging from the tree by her dupatta. It was very evidently a case of murder and not of suicide. The suspicion of it being a murder case became clearer as her corpse was touching the ground and her legs were bent. As Mittal was a bright girl in her life, she had her dreams. But someone had killed them also along with her.

       Her family immediately informed the police and lodged an F.I.R. against the culprits indicated by Shailesh. 

     That news spread rapidly everywhere. The family made a resolution about not to cremate their daughter’s dead body until the culprits were caught. Assessing the seriousness of the incident, the police immediately arrived at the spot. This case also was a challenge for the district police. The police chief Sanjay Kharat assured to nab the culprits at the earliest and dealt with her family with great tact and persuasion. 

      The investigation was handed over to LCB C.P. Vaghela and PST A.M. Desai. They formed different teams and entrusted the task to the informers.

      The culprits indicated by Shailesh were caught by police. They were probed. After intense interrogation the police concluded that the two youths, they had nabbed, were innocent and the real culprit was still to be discovered. The case was now getting more complicated. No other lead regarding the case was found. The police didn’t lose their patience.

      The constant presence of Shailesh at Mittal’s murder place was found to be dubious. Everyone was shocked after knowing this. Is this the same Shailesh who was providing her family and the police the first-hand information?

       The police cleverly captured Shailesh. When they interrogated him in their formidable style, like a smart dumbass he started chirping like a parrot. He confessed having committed the murder. According to him, he was in love with Mittal for almost one and half years and both used to meet frequently. Even on the day of murder both had met in the forest on the outskirts of the village. During that time, a message from another male friend of Mittal had got flashed on her mobile. A suspicion arose in Shailesh’s mind about Mittal having an affair with another man as well. He could not tolerate the fact of seeing some other man’s message flashing in her phone. His anger rose to the sky, and he had slapped her fiercely on her face. The impact of the slap was so strong that she had collapsed and fell unconscious.

        Her unconsciousness had frightened him. He had thought that she had died. To avoid getting trapped in her murder case he had tied her dupatta firmly around her neck and had hung her from the tree. He had invented the whole story so as not to get involved in the crime. He had falsely joined the family in search for Mittal but could not save himself from the smartness of the police. Her phone was also recovered from his house and finally a rogue killer was sent behind bars.

      It is only on the vine of trust and faith that the flower of love blossoms. This is an ideal example of a tragedy when mistrust and suspicion ruins sacred relationship of love. The Aravalli police has set an example by solving many such complicated cases, thereby instilling faith in the police.

Kartavya, a police dairy by Mr. Ishwar Prajapati in Gujarati

Issued on 12th February 2024, on 

https://ishvarprajapati.blogspot.com/2024/02/death-as-reward-of-love.html

©️Translated into English by Pallavi Gupta🌷

2: Dhaval, An unsolved Riddle

 Kartavya: Duty with Dedication

Chapter -2: Dhaval, An unsolved Riddle

                 

         This is one of the heart-wrenching incidents of the Aravalli region. One evening, Ramjibhai was frantically searching for his four-year-old grandson. His beloved and cherished grandson had been missing since afternoon. He searched the whole village but no one did not find him. Even though it was getting dark, there was no trace to be found of Dhaval anywhere. Later, on the whole village joined in search of Dhaval. The village was very small. So now the search was directed to the outskirts of the village. 

        The villagers began searching surrounding fields, ponds, and wells. The news rvillagerseceived of late was very shocking. Someone tried to kill him by tightening the noose of the rope around Dhaval’s neck on Ramjibhai’s farm. But Dhaval was still breathing. He was immediately taken to a nearby town hospital for treatment. Dhaval’s condition was turning out to be critical. Hence, he was shifted to a big city hospital. Dhaval breathed his last during the treatment at the hospital. Even after great effort, Dhaval couldn’t be saved. The crime of Dhaval’s murder was registered at the police station. And the police scrambled to find the murderer of the innocent child. 

        The question was, who would have committed this heinous and gruesome crime of killing an innocent child? Who must be the killer? Who would be that sinner? And what would be the motive behind the murder of this innocent child? This was one question which would start anyone contemplating it. The first question was why was Dhaval staying with his grandfather? Are the parents alive or not? And if the parents are alive, where are they? The name of Dhaval’s father was Sureshbhai. His first marriage was with the girl of his own community. The marriage barely lasted for one year. Suresh and his wife got divorced in one year. After getting divorced, Suresh fell in love with a girl who was a resident of a small village in the Aravalli district. And finally got married and started living together. Initially both passed a happy married life, and a son was born to them. The son was named Dhaval. As Dhaval’s age advanced, so did the marital discord between Suresh and his second wife kept on increasing. 

        The dissention/disagreement rose to such a level that the relation with his second wife was on the verge of breaking. Later the matter came to the point of divorce. Dhaval was three and half years old at that time. Suresh’s second wife handed over the custody of her son Dhaval to her in-laws and went to her parent’s home. Now Suresh also left home. Despite having parents, Dhaval became parentless. The responsibility of upbthe ringing/nurturing of Dhaval fell on the grandfather Mr. Ramjibhai. Suresh kept moving from one city to another in search of a job. Sometimes he used to get retail jobs in cities like Himmat Nagar, Ahmedabad or Surat. Meanwhile, a girl came into his contact and later turned into a love relationship. Suresh was now in a relationship with a third girl. He then came with the girl to his hometown. The girl’s family disapproved of this relationship at all cost. The girl's family took the girl back home. Now Suresh was all alone. He became irritable and suspicious by nature. He was not ready to talk in a decent manner with anyone.

         While Sures was in his hometown he received a phone call from his second wife. After conversing with his second wife, restlessness in Suresh intensified, His face was livid and turned red with anger. He was at a loss as to what to do next. In the afternoon he took his son Dhaval to a barber in nearby village. After returning from the adjoining village, he took his bag and left for work. After that, Dhaval having not returned until nightfall, the grandfather started the search and found Dhaval in an unconscious state with a rope around his neck in the field. And while the treatment was in progress in the hospital he breathed his last. The killing of the innocent child left the whole area in a state of deep shock. 

        The case was gaining momentum under the guidance of District Police Chief Sanjay Kharat. The district LCB was given the charge to lead the case and trace the accused. The investigation started in full swing. The LCB started working day and night to gather the evidence and when the truth came out it was astonishing for everyone. At the time when this incident took place, the presence of Dhaval, i.e. Dhaval’s father was noted around the spot/place. The needle of suspicion of the murder was pointing towards the child’s father, Suresh. 

        When police started searching for Suresh he was found working as a labourer in a city. He was nabbed from the spot. On his interrogation at the police station, he confessed that “ I have attempted to kill Dhaval because her mother only told me on a phone that Dhaval was not his child, but that of her lover/paramour. This fact was unbearable for me to accept that someone else’s son was being raised in my home. This very thought robbed me of my mental peace. And that day itself I took Dhaval under the pretext of hair cut with the intention of killing him. I took him to the field and put a noose tightly around his neck and came home and escaped saying that I am to leave for some job.” Suresh’s confession even stunned the police. How can a father kill his own innocent child? It's truly said, that there can be no remedy to doubt/suspicion. It is difficult to imagine how the doubt of a worm can make a person perpetuate the most heinous of an act. 

        Dhaval’s grandfather Ramjibhai was forced to spend his old age in a helpless state. One of the specialities of our judicial system is that a hundred criminals can be acquitted, but one innocent should not be punished. Suresh had confessed to having committed the crime at the police station, but no evidence or witnesses were there to prove it, hence the crime couldn’t be proved. Due to the need for proper evidence and witnesses, the honourable court acquitted Suresh.

Kartavya, a police dairy by Mr. Ishwar Prajapati in Gujarati

Issued on 14th December 2023, on https://ishvarprajapati.blogspot.com/2023/12/an-unsolved-riddle.html

©️Translated into English by Pallavi Gupta🌷

1: Two Mysterious Cadavers

 Kartavya: Duty with Dedication

Chapter -1, Two Mysterious Cadavers

        It was 23rd November of 2021. Two mysterious dead bodies of a woman and a child were found on the banks of a lake on the outskirts of a marginal village in Aravalli district. The villagers were shocked by the unprecedented incident in the village. They informed the police about the incident. The district police rushed to the spot immediately. There was commotion in the entire district. News in regards with the same made headlines in local newspapers the next day.

        The dead woman found was in her 40s and the child was about 12. They didn't belong to any nearby village. Their faces were unfamiliar and seemed to belong to some other area. So, how did these two corpses come here? The case started being widely discussed in the entire district. A dreadful atmosphere prevailed in the village. Superintendent of Police, Aravalli Sanjay Kharat was a promising officer. Having realized the severity of this double murder case, he immediately put wheels in motion to solve it. It was a challenging case for the district police as well. The district police started the investigation.

         Initial speculation suggested that they both were strangled to death and the bodies had been dumped in the hinterland to destroy the evidence.

        It was getting troublesome for the police to solve the case with no leads. Modasa LCB visited the incident site. No evidence was found at the scene, but a search of the surrounding area revealed a bag full of clothes nearby. The bag contained clothes of a woman and a child. Among the clothes, there was a new blouse with a name of a village along with 'Kaminiben' written on it. It was clear from the clothes that this bag belonged to the deceased. That was all the clue the police got. It was not easy to track down the killer based on just the name on the blouse, but the police handled the task patiently and tactfully.

              Based on the names written on the blouse, the police started to search for that particular village. Finally, they found it. It was a small village in Tapi district at Southern Gujarat. The police made their way there. Talking to the villagers they came to know it was Vinod’s family. The woman's name was Kamini and the child's name was Aakash. Vinod was deeply staggered when the police broke the news about his wife and child's bloodshed.

           The murder puzzle was getting more complicated. There was no rift between Vinod and his wife, but technical surveillance and confidants got information that his wife, Kamini was having an affair with a person named Mukesh from a village near Junagadh. Kamini had left for Junagadh with her 12-year-old son forever to live with her lover, Mukesh. She had also taken away a sum of Rs. 3,00,000/- from her husband's savings with her. She had left her happy family to start a new life of her dreams with her lover Mukesh. None had the idea about her leaving home. To know what had happened, it was necessary to contact Mukesh.

           This led to Junagadh. The Aravalli police set all the balls rolling to nab Mukesh. An information was received about Mukesh staying in Rajkot. The police reached there. Mukesh was on the verge of escaping from Rajkot to somewhere else. But due to the prudence of the police, he was arrested from Rajkot bus stand. The police brought him to Modasa and started interrogation. He confessed murdering Kamini and her son Akash during the interrogation.

           It was discovered through the interrogation that during those days a dam’s constructional work was going on near Junagadh. Meanwhile, Kamini had come to live with her husband at the damsite. They lived there for 18 months. Mukesh was over 45 years of age, and was still unmarried. He used to operate a three-wheeler taxi there. She used to frequently ride his taxi. That’s when Kamini and Mukesh fell in love with each other and started their love affair. They were meeting constantly for almost a year and had crossed all the limits.

           After completion of work at the damsite, she returned to her native village at South Gujarat with her family. However, Mukesh and Kamini had continued to remain in contact with each other through phone and chatted for hours. She used to call him frequently to meet. They both were enjoying intimacy. That continued about a year. Later on, she had started to dream of living with Mukesh forever.

           She began to plead him to live together with her son, but he never wanted to because she was just an instrument to satisfy his physical and sexual needs. Gradually, he started to feel about her and his son like a bone struck in his throat.

          He wanted to get rid of her, but she was not ready to leave him at any cost. He was very traumatized by her stubbornness of staying together that he wanted to eliminate Kamini and Aakash and clear his way forever. Finally, Mukesh along with his friend Raju conspired to eliminate Kamini and her son. Raju supported him throughout the whole plan. The conspiracy was devised with such an intelligence that nobody could ever suspect it to be an assassination. Kamini left home with Akash along with three lac rupees from her husband’s savings. As per telephonic conversation Mukesh and his friend Raju were waiting for them at Surat bus-station. She reached Surat with her son.

         Mukesh, Kamini, Aakash and Raju reached Dakor by bus from Surat instead of going to Junagadh with expectations of starting a new life. Kamini had a question in her mind that why Mukesh instead of going to Junagadh brought them there. Mukesh explained to them that some relatives of his friend, Raju dwelled in the fields over there. He added that they would stay in the fields along with them, so no one could ever find them. On hearing that she became very happy and excited. After arriving there, she started walking hurriedly.

          After consuming a lot of alcohol, both the friends started advanced towards the outskirts of the village. Seeing the desolate place, the devil in Mukesh aroused. He had brought a rope along with him. According to the plan both of the friends strangled Kamini and her son with the rope cold bloodedly. Kamini and Aakash shrieked, convulsed and finally both stopped breathing.

        In that deserted and remote area, there was no one to hear the shrieks of the mother and her child. Kamini, who had left her family and home for her lover, was at last deceived by the same lover. Mukesh and Raju after killing both of them threw their corpses in the bushes. Mukesh took away the three lac rupees she had brought with her and threw away the cloth bag there. No matter how clever a killer may be, they always leave evidence behind. The cloth bag thrown away by Mukesh turned out to be an essential lead to throw both the killers behind the bars.

        Both the culprits were arrested and locked up. Three lac rupees stolen from her bag was recovered too. The police showed their excellency in solving the complicated case in a short period of time. Police Inspector C. P. Vaghela, Lady PSI M. D. Gadhvi and their team performed their best to solve the case. The District Police Chief attributed the success to the team.

        Sanjay Kharat says, “The definition of love has changed in today’s era. Physical attraction is named as love and when it wears off, the relationship concludes with a tragic end like that of Kamini. Anyone who has lost his way in life needs to take lesson from her life.”

       Mukesh and Raju are languishing in jail.

Kartavya, a police dairy by Mr. Ishwar Prajapati in Gujarati

Issued on 30th January 2024, on https://ishvarprajapati.blogspot.com/2024/01/two-mysterious-cadavers_30.html

©️Translated into English by Pallavi Gupta🌷

New Moon: K.K. Shah (a biography)

 Long Live Life

New Moon: K. K. Shah

A Biography

An Article in Gujarati: Shri Ishwar Prajapati

Translation: Shri Pallavi Gupta

Mr. K. K. Shah was born in an ordinary family but held various dignified posts right from Cabinet Minister to Honourable Governorship.

Mr. K. K. Shah means Shri Kodarbhai Kalidas Shah

                 The present generation might not be much familiar about this invaluable gem that the land of Aravalli has gifted to this country. But Mr. K. K. Shah is that name whose leadership rendered a new direction to the country. He stood steady fast with Sardar in merger of local fiefdoms. He was a Union Minister and later the Governor of Tamil Naidu. Had the leadership of the region at that time grasped the talent of the person who had reached the pinnacle of power, the overall development of this area would have been more magnificent. Well, though decades have passed since the demise of Mr. K.K. Shah, the fragrance of his services still lingers.

           His hometown Gabbat, is a village situated at the remote village of Aravalli. He was born on 27th October,1908 in his maternal home at Goregaon in Maharashtra. Unfortunately, his father passed away in his childhood, but he was a brilliant student and hence was not a burden to his brother.

           He completed his primary education from Gabbat, his higher secondary education from Modasa and Ahmedabad and finished his college education from Pune. He later settled down in Mumbai to study law. He graduated in the year 1919 and received several scholarships during his student life. He passed with first rank and became a fellow the same year at Parsuram Bhau College, Pune. His favourite subject was Mathematics. He was fully desirous to master that subject. As circumstances not being favourable, he turned his attention to law.    

          Mr. K. K. Shah was nicknamed as ‘Motabhai’ (big brother) in his large circle as he viewed everyone with the magnanimity of brotherhood. His radiantly smiling face always gave solace and a golden ray of hope to depressed people. His bright eyes enticed everyone. His beautiful and eloquent speech would instil the feeling of brotherhood in all who came in his contact.

           In 1930, when a whirlwind swept across the country, he too jumped into the campaign of liberating Mother India from the shackle of the bondage and was jailed for it in 1932. In 1943, when there was a nationwide agitation for ‘Quit India’ movement, he was in the forefront and the tyrannical British government again jailed him.

In 1934, having received his Sanad he started his distinguished career as an MLA from that day itself. During this time, he started practicing law in Bombay High Court in 1934, when he came in contact with the famous MLA Babubhai T. Desai and Munshi Saheb, an eminent litterateur of Gujarat. In the year 1946, Mr K. K. Shah eloquently defended the accused of Chembur murder case and got them acquitted. He gained popularity in the everywhere among the realm of judiciary. In 1939, Sardar Patel assigned him a task of Nagina Masjid riot case to this able MLA and he accomplished the task beautifully well.

Mr K. K. Shah rendered unparalleled services as an advisor to the Maharaja of Vadodara. In the year 1948 he became the advisor of Maharaja of Vadodara.

When the time came for the merger of 600 kingdoms it was Mr K. K. Shah who helped Mr Sardar Patel by persuading Maharaja of Vadodara in doing so. The Secretary of Mr Sardar Patel, Mr V. P. Menon in his book ‘The Integration of States’ has highly appreciated him for this lofty task.

  When Mrs. Sitadevi divorced the Maharaja of Vadodara and went to Europe with jewellery worth crores of rupees, it was Mr. Saradar Patel who had sent Mr. Shah to recover the valuable wealth of the country. As the advisor of The Maharaja of Vadodara, Mr. Shah rendered unparallel services to the people of Vadodara.

             In the general election held in 1952, Mr. Shah was elected with vast majority in Mumbai Legislative Assembly. The contribution made in the field of education is highly invaluable. His career as a Senate and Syndicate member of Mumbai Vidyapith will always remain memorable. He also served for many years as a municipal member in Mumbai Nagar Palika. He held the post of President in many legal committees. As a member of Senate and Syndicate member of Mumbai Vidyapith he supported education and his acumen ship in election and helping in raising local help was instrumental in getting included as a confidante member of the Prime minister’s Council.

The work done by him as committee member of Central Relief Committee during Indo -Pak conflict was highly commendable and as a token of appreciation he was appointed as Minister by Indiraji. In 1967 he took the reins of Akashwani as minister and the work the wonderful work he did in short time is highly appreciable. He devised many schemes to promote, develop and make Akashwani self-sustainable, for example starting of commercial advertising etc. At that time the Pant Pradhan entrusted him with heavy responsibilities of nation building in areas like Housing Sector, Health and Family planning. Thus, due to his unique feelings for the betterment of common men and poor, he did a very commendable job. In place of thousands of uncountable shacks littering the Bay of Bandra, Mumbai he devised grand housing scheme and had it inaugurated at the hands of Mrs Indira Gandhi. He prepared good housing schemes throughout the country, so that numerous poor and middle-class people can benefit from it. He did commendable job as a Minister of Family Planning.

Elections got declared in 1970. There were repeated requests for Mr. Shah to contest elections in South Mumbai and Northwest areas of Mumbai. He had made ample preparations for contesting the election and had also organised the campaign for it. Thus, when Shri Shah was preparing to contest the election, suddenly a message came from Prime Minister Mrs. Gandhi. She requested Mr. Shah to head the Election campaign of ruling Congress party at national level. Seeing the way Mr. Shah handled the campaign previously, the Prime minister felt that this colossal task must be taken up by Mr. Shah in the interest of the party. In spite of his desperate urge to contest the elections, Mr. Shah heeded to the request of the Prime minister and immersed wholeheartedly in the election campaign. His held an unwavering and unique loyalty, both to his country and to the Prime minister. In his unique style he at times sarcastically jabbed at the congress leaders and often regaled the audience with rhymes (shayaries) and jokes.

In the general election held in 1952, Mr. Shah was elected with vast majority in Mumbai Legislative Assembly. The contribution made in the field of education is highly invaluable. His career as a Senate and Syndicate member of Mumbai Vidyapith will always remain memorable. He also served for many years as a municipal member in Mumbai municipality. He held the post of President in many legal committees. As a member of Senate and Syndicate member of Mumbai Vidyapith he supported education and his acumen ship in election and helping in raising local help was instrumental in getting included as a confidante member of the Prime minister’s Council. 

In June 1971, the post of Governor of Tamil Naidu felt vacant. It was a serious question arising in the mind of the Prime minister, to find a trusted person in whose hands the reigns in of such a big state with complex problems could be entrusted. Mrs. Indira Gandhi knew that Mr. Shah was the genius of successfully completing the task he undert00k. He has the ability of getting the work done from his colleagues. He was industrious, patient and tactful, and being loyal and hence, in the interest of the country he was asked to assume the headship of Tamil Naidu. 

             On taking the reins of Madras he addressed many questions of the reporters and said, “I have profound respect for Tamil Nādu for years. The people of this state have made important contribution to the culture and tradition of the country. I will try my level best as the governor of Tamil Naidu to enhance this culture and tradition.”  In order to be in close contact with the community and to address to many complex problems in the state, he learnt Tamil language and could also speak it very well. When the country is entangled in linguistic issues, he set a very good example before the whole country. There should not be any resentment or hatred toward any language. He opened the doors of Madras Governor house for commoners where even a small farmer could come and discuss his problems in Tamil and get solution to them. In reply to a question asked by a Gujarati journalist he replied, “I am always ready to relinquish any post or position and serve Gujarat eagerly, whenever they demand my services.”

         Mr. K. K. Shah, a great thinker of socialist society formation, has presented a beautiful example as a Governor and a guide to other Governors too. He was easily accessible to commonest of the common man. The Raj bhavan of Madras was made easily accessible to the general people of Madras. He accepted the least remuneration in comparison to other Governors. He downplayed the importance of false pretensions and gave supreme importance to public service, which was appreciated. Seeing increase in unrest and discontent in Tamil Nadu, the Centre gave him the power to dismiss Karunanidhi’s DMK government and soon the government under Karunanidhi’s helm was dismissed. Shri Shah with peace and tact did wonderful work in the progress of Tamil Nadu.

            Even though he held high positions, his love for his homeland was incredible. Today, Vatrak hospital serves hundreds of thousands of poor patients at nominal rate is a result of his foresight and love for his homeland. With the spirit of giving something back to homeland, he founded Vatrak hospital in 1965 to provide health facilities to the poor and the reprieved patients of Sabarkantha area. Today, the hospital equipped with advanced facilities is proving a boon for the poor of the area.

             Retiring from the post of Governor of Tamil Naidu, he joined the rural development work Gujarat and under the guidance of Shri Morarjibhai, he roamed from village to village along with his wife and continued the rural development activities. He spent a major time in Vadodara itself. He started good boys’ and girls’ hostel under the aegis of Sir Sayajirao Diamond Jubilee Trust. Both the husband and the wife without any expectations plunged into the service and teaching activities wholeheartedly. They quitted all political activities. The demand of his lectures on Yoga, Education and collective issues were in great demand in various cities of Gujarat and Mr K. K. Shah in the larger interest of the society started delivering series of lectures from village to village and different cities. 

He passed all of sudden away on 14-3-1986 due to cardiac arrest at Calcutta Raj Bhavan.

           Presently Mr. K. K. Shah is no more with us, but his son Prakashbhai Shah is spreading the fragrance of humanity in the footsteps of his father. He has moved and is presently settled in California in America. Although serving in high position in America, he has preserved the love for his motherland which he has inherited from his father. He frequently visits his hometown. Along the banks of Vatrak River, Mr. K. K. Shah charitable trust is working in the service of the poor. Jankiben, wife of Prakashbhai too is working shoulder to shoulder in service of the poor.

Issued on 16th December '23 on

https://ishvarprajapati.blogspot.com/2023/12/new-moon-k-k-shah.html

©️Pallavi Gupta🌷

अनुपूरक (निबंध)

अनुपूरक / निबंध

 

'अर्धांगिनी' यह संबोधन सुनने में जितना मधुर है एक विवाहित युगल के लिए उतना ही प्रभावशाली भी। जब पति अपनी विवाहिता को जीवन में दासी नहीं परंतु सखी का स्थान देता है तब वह पत्नी के अस्तित्व को खुद भी महसूस कर सकता है। वह अपनी पत्नी की प्रसन्नता एवं विडंबना के कारणों को समझ सकता है। उसकी इच्छाओं को, आकांक्षाओं को, अपेक्षा को, उसकी कमजोरियों को, अर्थात् अपनी पत्नी के स्वभाव के सभी पहलू को समझ सकता है। अपने दांपत्य जीवन में यह अनूठा स्थान स्त्री के जीवन को प्रफुल्लित बना देती है। स्त्री और पुरुष एक दूसरे के विरोधी नहीं है, एक दूसरे के विकल्प भी नहीं है, किंतु एक दूसरे के बिना अपूर्ण है एक दूसरे के अनुपूरक हैं। भारतीय अर्वाचीन साहित्य में ‘अर्धनारीश्वर’ तथा ‘राधाकृष्णेश्वर’ की अवधारणा इस बात की पुष्टि करती है की एक दूसरे के अस्तित्व की स्वानुभूति ही उनके अपने अस्तित्व की पूर्णता के लिए महत्वपूर्ण है।

         आम तौर पर एक भारतीय विवाहित महिला का जीवन उसके पति के दृष्टिकोण के आधीन होता है। उसके व्यक्तित्व का नेतृत्व उसके पति की बौद्धिक क्षमता पर निर्भर करती है। किसी महिला का व्यक्तित्व विकसित होगा या नहीं,  होगा तो कैसे और किस दिशा में, ये सारी बातें पति की पसंद-नापसंद पर निर्भर करती हैं। लेकिन अगर एक महिला को उसकी क्षमताओं और रुचियों के अनुसार विकसित होने और पनपने की अनुमति दी जाए, तो एक पुरुष भी अपने जीवन में सुधार देख सकता है।  न सिर्फ अपने जीवन में किंतु अपने घर में, घर के संस्कारों में, अपने विवाहित जीवन में, बच्चों के भविष्य-निर्माण में, मूल्यों में भी अति सुंदर और दृढ़ परिवर्तन को महसूस कर सकता है।

एक महिला के विकास के लिए उसके पिता और पति का व्यापक और वैज्ञानिक दृष्टिकोण का होना अति आवश्यक है। हालाँकि, एक महिला को अपनी क्षमताओं और योग्यताओं की जानकारी भी होनी चाहिए। अपने अस्तित्व को बेहतर बनाने की जिम्मेदारी उसकी अपनी भी है। स्वयं को मिलने वाली स्वतंत्रता और अवसरों का सदुपयोग करने की अपनी जिम्मेदारी का एहसास होना चाहिए। किसी समाज सुधारक द्वारा दिया गया व्याख्यान या भारतीय संविधान में महिलाओं के अधिकारों के प्रावधान का कार्यान्वयन या किसी महिला संगठन द्वारा दिया गया महिला हित का नारा किसी व्यक्ति के दृष्टिकोण को नहीं बदलता, ना ही किसी महिला का विकास करता है।

किसी व्यक्ति का दृष्टिकोण उसके गठन का एक प्रमुख हिस्सा है, एक महत्वपूर्ण परिणाम है। चरित्र निर्माण के बीज बचपन में ही बोए जाते हैं। व्यक्तित्व का निर्माण मुख्य रूप से माता-पिता, घर के बड़े-बुजुर्गों, उनके द्वारा दी गई शिक्षाओं और संस्कारों पर आधारित होता है। किशोरावस्था का कोई लड़का जब रोता है तो घर के बड़े-बूढ़े कहते हैं,

      "एक लड़के होकर रो रहे हो?"

       "लड़के कभी रोते हैं क्या?"

       "तुम जवान लड़के हो, रोते क्यों हो?"

      "लड़के तो मजबूत होते हैं, छोटी-छोटी बातों पर रोते नहीं।"

कभी-कभी तो स्त्रीत्व पर सीधा प्रहार किया जाता है,

      "एक लड़का हो कर लड़की की तरह रो रहा है?"

      किसी बच्चे को शांत करने के लिए बोले गए सामान्य दिखते ये वाक्यांश सीधे उसके अवचेतन मन पर जातिगत भेदभाव की एक विशेष छबी प्रस्थापित करते हैं। अजीब बात है कि घर के बुजुर्ग ही बेटे-बेटियों को समझाते हैं कि लड़के लड़कियों की अपेक्षा ज्यादा मजबूत होते हैं। रोना लड़कियों के लिए है, लड़कों के लिए नहीं। दूसरी ओर लड़कियों को निरंतर सलाह दी जाती है कि...

      "तुम तो लड़की हो, ऐसी बात मत करो!"

      "लड़कियों को मर्यादा में रहना चाहिए।"

       "लड़कों जैसी बातें मत करो।"

       "लड़को जैसे हरकतें मत करो।" आदि इत्यादि...

जन्म से ही सभी के मन में यह बात बिठा दी जाती है कि स्त्री का जीवन किसी न किसी रूप में पुरुष के आधीन होता है। "स्त्रीत्व कमजोरी का प्रतीक है जबकि पुरुषत्व ताकत का।" ऐसे विचारों से ग्रस्त समाज महिलाओं को किस श्रेणी में रखेगा?  उसे कितनी स्वतंत्रता देगा?  व्यक्तित्व विकास के लिए कौन से अवसर देगा? और यह समाज स्त्री और पुरुष को समक्ष कब और कैसे स्वीकार करेगा?

      किसी पुरुष को विवाहोपरांत अपनी पत्नी को अपनी अर्धांगिनी, अपना पूरक अंग समझने के लिए विद्यमान विचारों एवं तथ्यों का सूक्ष्मता से मूल्यांकन करना आवश्यक है। जिस प्रकार पुरुषत्व पराक्रम का प्रतीक है, उसी प्रकार स्त्रीत्व कोमलता और लचीलेपन का प्रतीक है। एक महिला अपने अनूठे गुणों से ही एक नए जीवन को जन्म दे सकती है। वह शारीरिक कठोरता के साथ मातृत्व धारण कैसे  कर सकती है?

जिस प्रकार जन्म देने के लिए मातृत्व आवश्यक है, उसी प्रकार जीवनयापन और जीवनचक्र टीकाए रखने के लिए पिता की शक्तियों की आवश्यकता है। किसी भी कार्य में सफल होने के लिए, बच्चों को उनकी उच्चतम क्षमता तक विकसित करने के लिए एक दूरदर्शी पिता की आवश्यकता होती है, उसी प्रकार बच्चे में मूल्यों और भावनात्मक पहलू को विकसित करने के लिए एक सूक्ष्मदर्शी माता की आवश्यकता होती है। घर बनाने के लिए पुरुष की व्यापकता और घर बसाने के लिए स्त्री की विनम्रता अपरिहार्य है। यदि पुरुष गणना है, तो स्त्री कविता है। यदि पुरुष विवाह का आकाश है, तो स्त्री जिजीविषा की ज्योति है।

दोनों एक दूसरे के बिना अपूर्ण हैं। एक-दूसरे को उनके अपने स्वभाव के साथ उनकी स्वीकृति उन्हें पूर्ण बनाती है। एक पुरुष के लिए महिला उसकी 'अर्धांगिनी' होती है और एक महिला के लिए पुरुष उसका 'अर्धनारीश्वर' होता है। स्त्री-पुरुष एक-दूसरे के 'पूरक' हैं।

हर साल 'अंतरराष्ट्रीय महिला दिन' मनाया जाता है, 'विश्व चिड़िया दिन', 'विश्व शेर दिन' की तरह ही।  जीव-सृष्टि की वह अधिकांश प्रजातियां जो विलुप्त होने के कगार पर हैं, उनके अस्तित्व को बनाए रखने के लिए एक विशेष अभियान के रूप में एक विशेष दिन मनाया जाता है। अथवा प्रकृति के वे तत्व जिनके प्रति मानव जाति की लापरवाही निकट भविष्य में विश्व में बड़ी आपदाओं का कारण बन सकती है, उन प्राकृतिक तत्वों के महत्व को समझाने के लिए, उनकी रक्षा के लिए विशेष दिवस मनाये जाते हैं, जैसे 'वन दिवस', 'पृथ्वी दिवस', 'जल दिवस'। लेकिन महिला दिवस?

स्त्री और पुरुष समाज रूपी रथ के दो मुख्य पहिए हैं, जिन पर समाज की पूरी इमारत खड़ी है। हालाँकि, इसी समाज में जीवन प्रबंधन और जीवन निर्माण में एक माँ, एक बहन, एक पत्नी या महिलाओं के अन्य रूपों के महत्व का वर्णन करने की विशेष आवश्यकता उत्पन्न हुई। कारणों की तलाश में समाज का एक विशेष हिस्सा सामने आता है। एक ऐसी तस्वीर सामने आती है जहां महिलाओं को कभी-कभी इंसान ही नहीं समझा जाता। उनके साथ एक मनुष्येत्तर प्राणी की तरह व्यवहार किया गया है। धर्म और सत्ता की दुनिया में स्त्री को एक भोग्य पदार्थ के रूप में देखा गया है। और ये बात किसी एक निश्चित समय या किसी एक ही देश की नहीं है। यह सदियों पुरानी सार्वभौम समस्या है। विभिन्न देशों, समाजों, संस्कृतियों और सभ्यताओं में विभिन्नताएँ पाई जाती हैं। लेकिन एक सच्चाई जो इतिहास के हर पन्ने पर अंकित है, वह है पितृसत्ता के वर्चस्व की अडिगता। आईए एक काव्य पंक्ति पर नज़र डालें....

      Man for the field and woman for the heart,

      Man for the sword and for the needle she,

      .......

      Man to command to woman to obey.

         यह बहुप्रचलित पंक्तियाँ 19वीं सदी के यूरोप में अंग्रेजी साहित्य के महानतम लेखकों में से एक टी. एस. एलियट की हैं, जो तत्कालीन पुरुषों और महिलाओं के विभाजित कार्यक्षेत्र की स्पष्ट अभिव्यक्ति करतीं हैं। उपरोक्त पंक्ति में न केवल महिलाओं की क्षमताओं का अवमूल्यन किया गया है बल्कि संपूर्ण स्त्री जाति को पुरुष के अधीन चित्रित किया गया है। बेशक, दुनिया के हर कोने में पुरुष-पूर्वाग्रह के कारण महिलाओं पर अत्याचार के उदाहरण मौजूद हैं। जिस धरा पर हमने जन्म लिया है, जहां लक्ष्मी, महाकाली, दुर्गा देवी नारीशक्ति का प्रतीक हैं, उसी धरा पर एक समय था जहां इन देवियों के मंदिरों में महिलाओं का जाना वर्जित था। उनके लिए दुर्गाष्टक और लक्ष्मी-चालीसा का पाठ वर्जित था। हालाँकि, महिला विरोधी विचारधाराओं, रूढ़ियों और कूरिवाजों का उन्मूलन जारी है। लेकिन आखिर समाज में इन परिस्थितिओं का निर्माण हुआ ही क्यों?  क्या वे इंसान नहीं हैं? क्या भक्ति और आस्था भी बाध्य हो सकती है? आज के विज्ञान और प्रौद्योगिकी के इस युग में जहां महिलाएं अपनी सभी सीमाओं को पार कर अपनी सभी क्षमताओं के साथ अंतरिक्ष तक पहुंची हैं, जहां हर साल कई महिलाओं को नोबेल पुरस्कार और विश्व शांति पुरस्कार , रसायन-विज्ञान, भौतिकी, जीव विज्ञान, कला, संस्कृति और साहित्य जैसे विभिन्न पुरस्कारों से सम्मानित किया जाता है। अल्बत्त, विश्व में शायद ही कोई ऐसा क्षेत्र बचा हो जहां नारी अपने स्त्रियोचित गुणों के साथ न पहुंची हो। इसका मतलब है कि हर महिला एक स्वतंत्र इंसान है और अपने लिए चुनौतीपूर्ण किसी भी कार्य को पूरा करने के लिए सक्षम है। इसीलिए हर व्यक्ति, चाहे वह स्त्री हो या पुरुष, के मन मैं जो यह विचारधारा जोंक की तरह चिपक गई है कि,

  "Man to command and women to obey."

की यथार्थता पर पुनर्विचार करना अनिवार्य हो गया है। एक खुशाल जीवन दोनों के बीच द्वंद्वात्मक संघर्ष से नहीं बल्कि सम्मानजनक सह-अस्तित्व से ही संभव एवं गतिशील होगा।

एक महिला के लिए उसका एक स्वतंत्र व्यक्ति के रूप में सम्मान,  उसे परावलंबी नहीं बल्कि बौद्धिक और शारीरिक रूप से सबल होने का दर्जा और समाज के हर कार्य में एक अभिन्न अंग, एक पूरक के रूप में इसकी स्वीकृति ही स्त्रीत्व का सच्चा पुरस्कार है।

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તો પછી શીદ ને? (લઘુકથા)

તો પછી શીદ ને?

લઘુકથા: 

        મોન્ટુની પેન નહોતી મળતી. બૂમો પાડવા લાગ્યો, "મમ્મી... મને પેન જોઈએ. મારી મળતી નથી.!"

        મમ્મીએ રસોડામાંથી સાદ પાડ્યો. "મીરાં! મોન્ટુની પેન તે લીધી છે કે? તરત આપી દે."

        અગાસીમાં કચરો વાળવાનું પડતું મૂકી મીરાં અંદર આવી, કહ્યું, "ના મમ્મી! મેં જોઈ પણ નથી."

        એને વળતો જવાબ મળ્યો, "હમણાં ઘરની સાફ સફાઈ તું જ કરતી હતી ને! આમતેમ ક્યાંક મૂકી દીધી હશે. ચાલ શોધી આપ ભાઈને."

        બોલતા બોલતા મમ્મીની નજર ડસ્ટબીન તરફ પડી, "લે અહીં પડી છે ને!" તરત રોટલી વણવાનું છોડી, રસોડામાંથી બહાર આવી, ડસ્ટબીન પાસેથી પેન ઉપાડીને મોન્ટુના હાથમાં આપી.

    "અરે હા! મેં જ ફેંકી હતી, બહુ હલકી ચાલે છે, મીરાં! તારી પેન આપજે મને લખવા!"

         એ તરત ગભરાઈ ગઈ. ડરતાં ડરતા કહ્યું,

 "ના ના મમ્મી! હું મારી પેન નહીં આપું. મારી પાસે એક પણ પેન નહોતી. બહેનપણીએ મને લખવા આપી છે."

         મોન્ટુએ દાદાગીરીથી કહ્યું, "મમ્મી! હું તો એ જ પેન વડે લખીશ."

         માતાની કરડી નજર વાંચી લેતા મીરાં કરગરવા લાગી, "પપ્પાને કહેશે તો લાવી જ આપશે ને નવી પેનો!”

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