Savita’s eyes clouded for a while as the needle from her embroidery pricked her finger, nudging her back to the present. Cradling her little one, she tried hard to complete the pattern on the handkerchief, but her mind raced back to the night before.
For the first time in years, her husband Sunil, had come home drunk. Her prodding went in vain as he hurriedly locked himself in the bedroom and dozed off in the same condition. Putting her children to sleep in the congested drawing room of her 1BHK flat, she reclined on the chair, anxiety and tension tightening her chest.
“I’m sorry about last night!” Sunil cried, holding her helplessly, finally out of his inebriated state.
“I lost my whole life’s saving to that wretched Hari! He absconded with my money, that fraudster!”
Calming her nerves, Savita reassured him “Together we shall cross the ocean… don’t you worry.”
Next morning, with a fresh resolve, Savita packed the tiffin for Sunil, as he prepared for his OLA drive. Then she bid adieu to her daughter, who was leaving for school.
Looking up, she let out a silent prayer for her family and then set out on her mission.
Leaving her toddler son to a trusted neighbour, she set out for the nearest bank with all her wedding gold jewellery, secured neatly in a case. By God’s grace, she owned enough gold, received both from her mother and her mom-in-law, who was now in heaven.
Savita quickly filled out the form with all the prerequisites and applied for a gold loan against her ornaments.
Returning home, somewhat contented with her decision, she opened the last cupboard of the kitchen, and pulled out her ‘Usha’ sewing machine, that lay unused for long.
“Let’s sell this off, Savita! Anyway, now it’s of no use to you” she remembered Sunil telling her. But she had stayed adamant, for sewing was her passion, and deep down she knew it would matter someday!
While Sunil was away at work, Savita oiled the parts of the machine that had jammed, until it was in working condition. She pulled out some blouse pieces that she had retained, from her closet, and started designing them, to make sure she was not out of practice.
Meanwhile, her twelve-year-old daughter, Shruti, arrived home, and watched her mother with curiosity and admiration, as she stitched the blouses with a deft hand.
Savita stowed away the sewing machine, along with all the material, well in time, before Sunil’s arrival. She instructed her daughter to utter none of it to her father, and she obeyed.
With the lumpsum that she received from her gold mortgage, she ordered fabric for different school uniforms of her neighbourhood schools. During the day, she meticulously stitched the uniforms, while by night, after everyone slept, she quietly crept into the kitchen to finish the designs. Meanwhile she entrusted Shruti to spread a word about her new venture among her friends in school. All this while, she kept her fingers crossed, lest Sunil intervene in her dream project. However, Sunil would mostly be back late in the night, after his cab drive ended, and Savita made sure not to disclose any detail to him.
Within the next twenty days, she had single-handedly tailored fifty sets of uniforms, and customers started pouring in. Her dresses were so immaculate and perfectly tailored, that they were not hesitant to pay the price that Savita demanded. Thereby, she earned a good margin from her first lot of clothes.
That night when Sunil entered the house, he was in for a surprise. Savita handed him her first earning, while Shruti excitedly spoke of her mother’s new venture. Sunil rubbed his eyes in disbelief, finally coming to terms with reality. He had always been the provider for his family and took pride in his efforts. But today, the tide had turned as he looked at his wife in awe, and a newfound admiration.
As Savita’s dream project took flight, her daughter whispered in her ears.
“Ma, it’s Women’s Day today. Isn’t this a wonderful gift for yourself and all of us?”
Savita looked at her beaming family with pride in her eyes. Then her gaze shifted, as she lingered on the distant light outside. Finally, she remembered the promise made to herself, as she envisioned her onward journey, which was about to transform her life!