The Vigil and Other Stories

[Gita V.Reddy]

My book, 'The Vigil and Other Stories' is now available as an ebook. While taking out the second edition of the physical book, the publishers have brought it out in e- format also.

I've given the story outlines and excerpts from the book in the earlier posts. From the first post this thread has been viewed by many members and the book is also doing rather well though I can't say whether the buyers are BAR members!

The ebook is very nominally priced $ 1.04 (I know, I know, I saw the post in one of the threads where a senior BAR member refused to read a book even if he was paid to do so! ) So I'm not mentioning the price as an incentive, I'm just giving information .

Please read the book. I know you will empathize with a lot of characters and relate to the stories as well.

What more can I say except that the book is a labor of love.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Vigil-Oth...-catcorr&keywords=the+vigil+and+other+stories

 

[Gita V.Reddy]

Sitas' Lives : A story in The Vigil and Other Stories

Sita, along with Rama, is a central character in the Hindu epic, Ramayana, and remains an ideal for Indian womanhood to this day.
In Sitas' lives, I have explored this deep link to the past.

EXCERPT:

Sita had learnt that she was to be exiled once more, this time to uphold the high moral standard of her husband as the ideal king. Raja Ram could only have beside him a queen against whom no one could utter any word of slander. Her innocence,her chastity proved by the agnipareeksha, her test of fire was of no
consequence. Her greatest shame! The agnipareeksha.

After the battle and her brief meeting with Ram, she had been sent to rest in one of the palaces of Lanka. There she had sat,waiting to be called to Ram’s side, waiting amidst the grieving widows, mothers, and daughters of men who had lost their lives because Ravan had abducted her. She had sat like a culprit
among them, she who was the victim of Ravan’s villainy, and when at last a messenger was sent to call her, she had left the palace with the certainty that her ordeal was over.

Once again, she had found Ram surrounded by persons, known and unknown. A fire had been lit, the flames of which had flickered in the eyes of Ram.

‘Sita, walk through the fire and come to me,” he had said.

She had stood, rooted, mute, not comprehending the command of her lord.

A voice, unknown to her, had explained, “You have lived in the captivity of Ravan for many days. You have to prove your chastity. If the fire doesn’t harm you, you will be the worthy queen of Ram.”

Another voice had come to her, “Lord Ram believes you’re innocent but the world will demand a proof. This is the only way.”

The few steps to the fire had been more difficult than the long journeys she had undertaken with Ram over the past fourteen years. She couldn’t do it alone. The shame of bearing the suspicion of so many strangers, the eyes that wanted to judge her, the fire! She had looked at Ram and a strange thought had come to her. She had followed Ram into the thorny paths of a fourteen-year long exile, Ram too would follow her into the fire.

*agneepareeksha : test by fire.

 

[Meadow337]

A voice, unknown to her, had explained, “You have lived in the captivity of Ravan for many days. You have to prove your chastity. If the fire doesn’t harm you, you will be the worthy queen of Ram.”

This single concept is the root cause of more evil perpetuated against women than almost any other.

The things that have been done to women to preserve their chastity, ensure their chastity, and sell their chastity throughout history are surely without equal.

 

[Gita V.Reddy]

This single concept is the root cause of more evil perpetuated against women than almost any other.

The things that have been done to women to preserve their chastity, ensure their chastity, and sell their chastity throughout history are surely without equal.

One reason for this is men have considered women their possession, a commodity, their chattel.

Another very ugly manifestation of this mindset is 'honor killing' which is still happening in many parts of the world, India included. I have included a story in 'The Vigil' titled 'A Lifetime' which is about this evil.

EXCERPT FROM 'A LIFETIME'

She looked at his face, eager and determined, and her heart filled with tenderness for him. He knew the price, the risk, yet he was wanted them to go away together. Two years ago, a girl from his community had eloped with a boy of her village. The couple had been dragged back and stoned to death.

The same year, her closest friend, Sarita, had eloped with Naresh, who was from Manav's community. Naresh had arranged with friends of his in Delhi to make arrangements for the marriage. He had planned everything so well that when they eloped, nobody could trace them for one year. But Sarita's father and brothers finally tracked them down. Sarita was expecting her child but her father stabbed her to death. He was now undergoing life imprisonment. Naresh killed Sarita's brother and then himself.

 

[Gita V.Reddy]

EXCERPT FROM THE SQUARE, a short story in The Vigil and Other Stories

It was a reunion and also, imperceptibly at first and later, quite blatantly, an occasion to measure their success against the failure of Amit, the only one of their foursome who had still not made a name.

It was five years since they had graduated from Art school. In those five years, Smriti had become a highly visible painter. She had exhibited in all the major cities and her work now hung in some of the topmost corporate houses. Her paintings were characterized by the use of bright colours and motifs that were from mother nature but larger, in fact they were a statement of how bright and wonderful the world, the natural world should be.

Yashwant too had not done badly. He was into modern art. At first he had baffled art critics with his use of what looked liked contradictory symbolism. Within a couple of years he had won their admiration for depicting the dualism and disharmony that coexisted without any apparent conflict in the world. His style had become the fashion because, like he said, he was always ahead of what people thought was fashion.

Shree was well-known as having an 'artistic temperament' and being in his own world. He'd once been asked why all his paintings seemed to have the same shade, a sort of violet-blue, as if every day life was being viewed through a tinted glass of that shade. He's answered, "That's the colour of my own exclusive angst. I cannot change it for the world." The statement had made him famous as the angst-ridden painter for whom each of his work was a cathartic experience.

Amit was absolutely unknown. Nobody knew what he had been doing since he left art school. Smriti, who was his cousin, had an idea and through her, Yashwant and Shree knew he was still painting.

The four of them were a group in art school, though even then Amit had been a sort of loner, prone to doing things his own way. He'd just managed to graduate because most of the technical subjects bored him. Painting had been a passion with him, not a passion that drove him to paint but one that made him think, almost meditate about what he would paint.

During the last five years he had not exhibited a single painting. He'd taken up a job in a factory, as a machine operator. He hadn't exhibited any painting even though Smriti had offered to speak to some of her friends who were collectively holding an exhibition. He always seemed surprised when she asked him whether he still painted. "Of course!" he replied.