The New Phase

Deepti tensed as they drove by the mustard fields near a highway in Haryana. The golden flowers waved in the late afternoon sun but Deepti was unmoved by its beauty, the flowers a constant reminder of her horrific past.

- Swagata Soumyanarayan

Her husband Anubhav who was at the wheel took a look at her expression and it wrenched his heart that her tight scarred face said it all. A slight smile was always in place, the final result of a skin graft, one among several. Part of both eyebrows were missing and her speech had a bit of a slur. Dressed in a simple printed salwar kurta, Deepti’s inner trauma wasn’t visible to the onlooker. Corn fields scared her and nauseated her.

Only Anubhav knew about it and she gazed at the man who had rescued her; the kindest person in her world. Dr. Anubhav was a burns specialist holding who held camps in villages to talk about evils of dowry and was often joined by social activists. His fervor regarding the subject, made Deepti‘s heart fill with pride. Though she could never verbalize it, Anubhav was her own ‘Superman.’

Twelve years ago, Dr. Anubhav had been driving by another village in Haryana. The faint light painted a scenic picture of dense ripe fields of corn and mustard on either side of the highway. He had stopped to make a call when he heard the keening of some injured animal. Putting on parking lights he decided to investigate. Maybe he could save it. He walked ahead waving the cell phone light in the form of a grid. What he saw froze him in his tracks.

The young girl lay in a fetal position as he bent to check her. She had bruises on her cold hands, but he gasped seeing her face that was an angry mass of raw flesh. Some bastard had poured acid on it! Anubhav knew he had to act fast. Infection, blood loss, and so much more could cause her death.