The Creator of Fate: Part 2
Deepti, had devised her own strategy to deal with her sisters-in-law. Whenever they visited, she kept herself occupied with work and refrained from pampering them. Sometimes, she even quipped playfully to the husbands of her sisters-in-law, “Don’t you both take such good care of our sisters? She hasn’t even settled down properly, and yet she already misses her maternal home all the time!” creator of fate
The sisters-in-law gradually reduced their interference in their maternal home. But what could be done about the mother-in-law and husband? The whole place seemed a madhouse. creator of fate
Deepti was burdened with endless tasks. After finishing the household chores, there was always a new list of errands waiting for her. Since their marriage, Yogesh had not even lifted a needle to help. Deepti managed everything—from household shopping to running the business. Sometimes she had to call the plumber; at other times, she dealt with the junk dealer to sell off old items. creator of fate
Yet, amidst this endless work, Deepti’s passion for studies remained alive.
Her mother-in-law, Veni, observed this and grew increasingly irritated. One night, when the mother-in-law woke up, she saw that the light in the drawing room was on. It was 11 o’clock at night. Deepti was sitting on the sofa in the hall and writing something.
“Oh! Are you still awake? You will be lazy again in preparing Yogesh’s lunch in the morning. Go and sleep.”
“No. I will prepare everything on time.” creator of fate
“Of course, you’ll make it, but it will be half-hearted. How will you work properly tomorrow if you don’t get enough sleep? Turn off the light and go to bed. When this light is on, I can’t sleep in my room.”
“But I always study here. You have never said anything about it before!” creator of fate
“Well, I am saying it now. Don’t turn on this light at night.” creator of fate
“Then where should I study at night? Even the table lamp in the room disturbs his sleep.” creator of fate
Deepti kept murmuring to herself and moved to the kitchen, turned on the light, and resumed her writing.
Veni now came up with an idea. She entered the kitchen. creator of fate
“I am feeling hungry. Fry some sweet pooris for me.” creator of fate
But you just had dinner an hour ago. There is still some food left. I will heat it up for you.” creator of fate
“No. I feel like eating sweet pooris. Stop your writing and make sweet pooris for me. And yes, don’t make too many, or you will end up eating them all day tomorrow.” creator of fate
Her mother-in-law came to the hall and lay down. Deepti realized that she wouldn’t be allowed to study any further that night. She capped her pen, folded the corner of the book’s page, and set it aside. Quietly, she picked up a key, placed it in front of her, and stared at it, lost in thought as she began making sweet pooris.
From that night onward, Deepti stopped studying in the hall or the kitchen. With only two rooms in the flat besides the hall, there was no proper place for her to study. Left with no other option, she began sitting in the bathroom late at night, making notes. During the day, she would keep her book open nearby while working, memorizing lines as she completed chores. Sometimes, she jotted down key points on her wrist or palm, repeating them mentally while carrying out household tasks. Along with her B.Ed., she had started preparing for the Teacher Eligibility Test. creator of fate
Despite the endless demands of housework, her mind remained focused on her goals. Immersed in thoughts of her future, the exhaustion of chores never overwhelmed her. She kept herself cheerful, lost in her dreams. She often thought once she completed her B.Ed. and passed the Teacher Eligibility Test, she would finally be eligible for a government teaching job. creator of fate
Every day, the newspapers reported a severe shortage of teachers in state government schools. She was sure that the government would announce recruitments next year. When that happened, she vowed to work hard so that she could clear the exam in her first attempt. She knew opportunities like this wouldn’t come again and again. But even after securing a government job, she wouldn’t stop studying.
No matter what it took, she would keep growing and achieving her dreams. creator of fate
She resolved to continue studying and taking exams until she cleared a higher-level examination. Her grandmother used to say, “Those who become literate achieve great things. “Creator of fate
Six months later, the results of the third-semester examination were declared, and Deepti secured the second position in her college. Her attendance remained intact, thanks to the immense support of her teachers. Without their help, it would have been impossible for her to manage, given the hostile environment at her in-laws’ house. On the days she attended college, she always returned home to face taunts and arguments.
Even during her pregnancy, Deepti commuted to college on her scooty, determined not to let anything hinder her progress. But now, a new conspiracy began brewing in the household in the form of a demand to test the gender of her unborn child and if it was a girl, she must be aborted.
“I will not get the test done,” Deepti replied firmly.
“So, you want to give birth to a girl? Will you bring disgrace to our family?” There was no trace of kindness or compassion in the eyes of her husband.
“Your mother gave birth to two girls; you had three aunts, so did that bring disrepute to you people?” Saying so, Deepti said left for college, bracing her possibilities of a slap from her husband.
Behind her, her mother-in-law must have been grumbling endlessly, but Deepti did not bother to listen. But deep within her heart, she was worried for her unborn child.
“If it is a daughter, how will I protect her from these people? Even if they don’t harm her physically, the discrimination will be relentless.”
Her thoughts drifted back to her own childhood.
She would be engrossed in her studies and Amma would call out, “Make tea for your brother first!”
If she came first in a sports competition and wanted to go out with the team, then her brother would say, “She only wants to go out with the boys, nothing else!”
If any relative came, she would be barred from going to school. Her education was put on hold. She was kept busy with chores from morning till night, washing dishes until late and sweeping and mopping before dawn. She used to run around and obey everyone’s orders.
The pregnant Deepti gently caressed her womb and whispered to herself, “I will change her fate. Hers and mine too!”
As her pregnancy progressed, so did the final semester examinations of her B.Ed. programme. Every day she prayed hoping that her delivery date would happen only after her exams were over. But those who set out to rewrite their destinies must first fight their own battles!
She was having mild pain since night, but she continued to do all her work and also kept the book open. She had her last paper at three o’clock the next day. But by the time morning came, the wave of pain went out of control. She took an auto to the government hospital along with her mother-in-law and delivered her child in half an hour.
Also Read: The Creator of Fate Part 1
For the next one hour, her mind was clueless. She lay in a daze, holding her newborn daughter to her chest with closed eyes.
After an hour, her eyes opened halfway. The wall clock in front of her was showing 12 noon.
“I have my exam at three o’clock!” She thought, panic rising within her.
“What exam now? Forget about all that and take care of this girl!” her mother-in-law snapped. “I am going home to prepare jaggery and make homemade food. I will come back by night, or Yogesh will come here to sleep.”
“Call someone from your maternal home tomorrow. I won’t be able to manage everything alone.” Leaving that instruction, her mother-in-law went out without listening to her, making a phone call on her way out.
Deepti overheard her saying, “Yes Chanchal! You have become an aunt! What else was to happen! I had already said, she would give birth to a girl!”
Deepti let the words slide off her. She wasn’t sure if her husband, Yogesh even knew about the birth yet. Her eyes shifted between the baby in her arms and the clock on the wall. “I have to give the exam!” she resolved.
There was no one in the room! The new mother called out, “Is anyone there?”
No one heard her. She gathered her strength and called out, “Someone please help me!!”
Fate had reached the door but refused to step inside. A nurse peeked inside the room and asked, “What’s the matter? Is there no one with you? Do you want something to eat?”
“I have my B.Ed. exam at three o’clock. Can I get a vehicle to go to the exam centre?”
The nurse looked at her speechlessly.
She had witnessed thousands of deliveries in this hospital, but never a woman asking to leave for an exam after giving birth.
Deepti repeated her request, her voice trembling with urgency, The nurse struggled to respond.
“I will ask madam and let you know.”
The nurse rushed to the doctor and explained the situation.
“Absolutely not! The delivery has taken place just an hour ago. I have done it. I cannot allow her to get up from the bed for 24 hours,” the doctor said firmly.
The new doctor, engrossed in her papers, would have forgotten this after answering but… there stood someone determined to wrestle with fate…defying even the creator of fate!
“Madam ji please!” said a half-dead voice in front.
The doctor looked up.
“I have my B.Ed. exam. I will not be able to do it again. I will not be able to pay the fees. Please take me to the exam centre.”
The new mother stood leaning against the door holding her newborn somehow. Either she was about to fall or the newborn could slip from her lap.
Seeing her critical condition, the doctor shouted, “Are you crazy!!”
The mother and child were taken back to the bed. The senior doctor was spoken to. There was no vehicle present in the hospital. The only ambulance had gone out. If it returned on time, something could be done. The new doctor began calling nearby hospitals for help.
Two hours passed while the vehicle was being arranged. The examination centre was 35 kilometres away from the hospital. The mother and child were made to lie down in the vehicle and a nurse was also made to sit as there was a shortage of staff and the workload very high. A cleaning lady was sent along with them.
When they left, the new doctor would look back and call her friend, the trainee doctor, and say, “do you know what happened now?”
…Because when you help someone defy the odds, you don’t just save a life in fact you feel like a hero in your own story!
Deepti reached the exam centre, and somehow managed to enter the exam centre after handing over the newborn to the assistant sister. The exam had begun. Hundreds of students were giving the exam. The pens stopped on seeing her.
“Sir! Madam! I don’t have the admit card but I remember my roll number. And you were on duty in my previous paper too. Please let me take the paper. Am I very late?”
Despite being fifteen minutes late, she was permitted to enter. She was given the answer sheet and the question paper. She somehow started writing on the answer sheet while standing.
“Write while sitting.” The invigilator urged.
“I won’t be able to sit. I delivered a child four hours ago.”
“So why did you come to give the exam in such a condition? Putting your life and your baby’s life in danger?”
“I paid the fees by selling my jewellery; if I had missed this examination, I would not have been able to continue my studies.”
The examiner stared at her for a moment and then walked towards the centre head’s room with rapid steps. When the centre head heard Deepti’s story, he became silent.
There was no soft bed or comfortable cot, but a cot was arranged in an empty room.
After half an hour, the new mother was taken to the cot in that room with her answer sheet, question paper, assistant and newborn.
There was no pillow. An examiner had given Deepti her purse which she kept near as her pillow and the new mother was engrossed in writing the answer sheet.
In between, other invigilators of the exam centre came and checked on her. After all it was rare that candidate had come to give the paper four hours after delivery!
In between, the newborn cried, and the mother stopped writing and breastfed it, after which the new mother started writing the paper again.
But now the fatigue was starting to take its toll. With each passing minute, Deepti’s energy waned. She glanced over at her daughter, sleeping peacefully in the lap of the assistant sister. As she neared the last few answers, the examiner reminded her, “The time is running out. Please finish quickly.”
Deepti struggled to keep her eyes open, her eyelids heavy with sleep, but she kept writing, determined to finish what she started.
Image Courtesy: Pinterest, PinsbyShree, Deep AI, Benjamin Nathan, Deep AI
Anuradha Dosad serves as an Assistant Teacher at Jagriti Hindi Vidyamandir, High School, West Bengal. Additionally, she is an accomplished research scholar at Adamas University, Kolkata, where she explores the portrayal of queer themes in comic books within the Department of English. With dual master's degrees in English and Education, she brings a multidisciplinary approach to her research. She holds a PGDELT (Post Graduate Diploma in English Language Teaching) certification, enhancing her expertise in language education. Her scholarly contributions extend beyond academia; she has authored chapters in books published by esteemed publishers like Routledge, in addition to contributing to various national and international journals.
