17 chapter 17

Disappointment fell on Basanti's father's face. He quietly left for the fields. Sitting on the ridge of the farm, he started thinking. My mind started muttering,

"No one can abrogate the rule of law."

Then Pandit ji got up and started plucking vegetables from the field. Pandit ji came to the house hurriedly filled with a bag of vegetables. Called the nearby Lunaram barber and sent him to Basanti's in-laws' house and said:-

"Tell there that Basanti has a girl."

When Lunaram Nai reached her in-laws' house and told her about being a girl, Basanti's mother-in-law said, hitting her head on

"Chandalini again gave birth to a girl."

Lunaram Barber quietly walked towards the village without giving any answer.

Basanti had a lot of love for the child. The girl kept smiling.

The girl was 3 months old but neither anyone from her in-laws' house came to meet her nor did anyone come to pick her up. After 3 months, Basanti's husband came to pick her up. Basanti's mother made preparations for her departure. Gave him a lot of stuff. Gudiya also got excited to leave. Basanti stared at the doll. The doll was shocked. Gudiya's grandmother picked her up in her lap and said,

"We will keep the doll with us."

Leaving Basanti at her in-laws' house, her husband went on his duty. The boy was born 4 months before Basanti's sister-in-law. She was also pale. Seeing that Nanda, Basanti got upset because Basanti had given all the dowry as it was in her sister-in-law's marriage. She had not taken any thing in the work, just had agreed to give it to his heart. Then the elder boy of Basanti's nand urinated on Basanti's younger girl. She got very angry. She gave a slap to the sister-in-law's boy. Nanda(sister-in-law) came crying and started calling Basanti good and bad and taunted her,

"Get out of here with your husband. Girls were born and kept and pride does so much."

Basanti also got very angry. she said,

"I love my girls very much. What if you have boys? My baby girl is my life."