Brave Indian Moms

• Charu Chhitwal
• 18 Feb 2019
• Initiatives ,Brave Indian Women

When her world is threatened, every woman finds her inner Jhansi Ki Rani- Vibha Sharma

Her family decided to marry her off. She hoped for a better life than the one she was born too. She was wrong. The darkest chapter of Vibha Sharma's life was just about to begin. And it would not be till years later that she would fight for freedom. Her daughter's that is.

                                   

Vibha was born to a wealthy South Delhi family. A powerful political family that runs a successful pharmacy company too. She was amongst the four sisters and a brother, who grew up in a joint family with two cousins. They lived a normal Delhi life like going to a good school, and college. Well almost. Because unlike their counterparts, Vibha and her siblings were accompanied by three to four bodyguards, everywhere they went. It was less for their protection and more for safeguarding the family's honour. And all these decisions were taken not by her biological father, but by his elder brother. The 'Bade Papa', as they all called him. He who decided their life's chart, whether they liked it or not. So when she got married in 2001, only one thing changed- the address of her cage.

Earlier her wings were clipped by her family, now they were bounded by her husband. Vibha Sharma like most of her siblings was married off in an arranged marriage. Surprisingly into a very modest family, unlike the family's own status quo. And then the torture began- mental harassment, physical exploitation and financial extortion. 

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He got his own daughter kidnapped. All for a handsome ransom to fuel his addiction. But he forgot. You never mess with a mother.

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Married to a drug-addict her life was under constant threat. She was humiliated by her ex-husband in front of his friends. The man robbed her of her youth, her dreams and her belongings like expensive sarees and jewellery, that came in her trousseau. There was little respite in knowing that she had no support from her maternal family, apart from some monetary help. Her physical abuse rendered her helpless and left her with infections, swellings and severe discomfort. But she stayed mum.

In the dark wintery days of her life, came the sunshine called Vedika. Her daughter brought hope, cheer and smiles in her life. But the one person who was the happiest was her abusive husband. For all the wrong reasons.

Born in 2001, Vedika became his ticket to easy money. He blackmailed Vibha and her family and extorted money from them by hanging a dagger on Vedika' s head. Soon enough Vibha made the biggest wrong decision of her life. In a fit of anger, her husband burnt her daughter's foot. The cruel father placed that innocent child's foot on a hot, burning silencer of his bike. Outraged yet scared and unsure of a way to escape his brutality, Vibha kept quiet. Just like 41% of other Indian women, as per a study which was done by Global Public Health.

                          

But all hell broke loose in 2004, when her ex-husband did the most outrageous thing. He got his own daughter kidnapped. All for a handsome ransom to fuel his addiction. But he forgot. You never mess with a mother.

The woman who never dared to question her family and their decisions. The woman who suffered unbearable pain for years in silence. The woman who forgot the meaning of freedom, respect and love. She finally woke up. She found her inner Manikarnika and fought for her daughter's safety and well-being.

Vibha Sharma finally threw her husband out of her house (the house they stayed in was gifted by her parents). She filed a case against him and filed for protection for her daughter and herself from the man. At a time when she needed her family the most, her mom was forbidden to keep in touch with her. Her siblings were fighting their own battles. So she had no one to turn to. After much struggles and hardship, she was awarded a divorce. At that point, she made another purposeful decision. She refused to seek shelter in her parents' house. She did not want to take her daughter out of one bounded life into another.

                                          

A woman who had never ventured out of her house before stepped out into a world of uncertainty. She delicately walked the fine path between parenting and working motherhood. She started small with a gift shop. But as her daughter grew, so did her business. The fear of the dark old days of bondage made her work harder. Soon she started her own boutique. Her clothes reflected the freedom and positivity that had entered her life. Her clients loved that. Today, she is running Pakhi, a designer boutique in the heart of Gurgaon and a gift-showroom. Her daughter is a teenager now and the biggest pillar of strength.

Every day in the morning when she sees her daughter, she sees a warm ray of happiness and not the scar of her turbulent past. And for doing that she has only one person to thank. The strong, courageous Manikarnika, within herself.

If you know more real-life Manikarnika's like Vibha, please share their story with us at ketchupmoms@gmail.com

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