Dawn of Courage

Courage was another name for the family of The Great Royas. It all got established more than hundred years ago, when one of their forefathers killed the man-eating tiger, when it went on rampage over the villagers. From then onwards, the family always thrived to keep that value with them. Later, another family member stood against the British soldier's gun in the freedom fight, creating a sensation in the surrounding villages. For that matter, just twenty years back, Vilasat Roya killed a wild bear just with his bare hands when it attacked him in the near by fields.

Having born in such a family was a pride for Josheel. From his childhood, who ever he met, always praised his family. Wherever he went, he always found somebody extolling his family in one or the other way, by quoting from their history. Listening to such kind of eulogies was always a joy for Josheel. But the only problem he ever had was that he was timid and coward in his heart. And he always tried to hide it from others.

It must have been fate, for Josheel was born as a weak-hearted person. His father, Vilasat Roya tried to train him in horse riding, shooting etc., but his ardent efforts could not change his son much. He gulped his displeasure with difficulty, and decided from then onwards not to think about it anymore. His mother, Renu always backed her son, from the comments of the family members. When there was a bullock cart race in the village, he was expected to participate and prove his family’s valor. But instead, he put up an act of breaking his leg and skipped the event. Even though, his family members were aware of the truth, they never used to comment on Josheel because they were afraid of Vilasat Roya. Even though he was timid, Josheel always had a brave face to the world, mainly because he never faced any demanding circumstance.

It all happened, when Josheel went to the neighborhood village country fair. The moment he saw her, he fell in love with her. He got separated from his friends, and went in search of her. He followed her wherever she went. If she took the giant wheel ride, he was there next to her in the queue. If she bought a cup of ice cream, he also bought one for himself. Despite many of his tricks, she never appeared to have noticed him at all.

For next couple of days, he roamed here and there in that village, sometimes alone and sometimes with the friends in the anticipation of meeting the girl somewhere. At last, one day he spotted her in the village bus station. She was getting into the bus for the town. He had no guts to stop the bus and talk to her. So, he chose the other option, following the bus till the town on his motorcycle. He stopped whenever the bus took a break, he picked up when the bus was speeding and he slowed down when the bus turned sluggish.

He followed her through the town streets and saw her disappear into a two-storied building. He sighed a relief with joy in his heart, for tracing down the girl to her home successfully. Next day, he appeared again in that colony neighborhood, in the name of business. He waited around the corner of the street for hours together. His efforts yielded, when she came out alone for the temple. He followed her to the temple and when he got a chance, he greeted and smiled at her, bringing out the best in him. She smiled back, as if she recognized his efforts for her attention.
It did not take long for both of them to fall in love deeply. They met almost everyday secretly, either in the temples or in the parks. Josheel was in high sprits ever since he met her. It was like he was on the top of the world. He started skipping his friends’ circle and all other family gatherings. He lied about some new business plans and always stayed in the town. Money was never problem for him, as his mother always backed him from childhood, whenever his father tried to cut his expenses.

Couple of weeks later, he took his friends circle into trust and told them about his love affair. They felt happy for him and encouraged him in his venture. Josheel tried to tell about his love to his mother, but he never got enough courage to do so. When his lover pushed him for marriage, he started worrying whether his parents would approve the alliance. She was beautiful and well mannered. Even though she was from the middle-class background, she went to the college and was matured in thinking and behavior. But, these things would not draw approval from his family members. There was a big gap between the two families, the gap between the rich and poor.

He debated a lot in his mind, how to deal with the situation. His took the advices from his friends, but none of those appeared to be feasible. That evening he met his girl in the temple. They sat silent for quite long time. Both their minds were filled with tensions, which lay ahead of their lives. In the entire history, love stories never ended well. There was no problem from the girl side. Only problem was with his high-class parents, who never had any respect for the poor, other than showing generosity to the poor, when it was demanded. He decided to bring the issue to the notice of his parents. Both the lovers prayed God, to settle the issue peacefully.

By the time he reached home, the news had already arrived. One of his uncles had come to know about his affair and informed his parents. Everybody in the family was waiting for him at home. It was like a trial by the jury. He was demanded an explanation. ‘I love her. I wanted to marry her’ were the only few words that came out of his mouth. His heart murmurs were not heard and his love was not acknowledged. Vilasat Roya took a decision that he was no to be allowed out of the house, till he promises to forget the girl.

Josheel was kept in house arrest. His mother asked him the details of the girl. He knew very well, she would understand him. But she was of little help; she could only share his grief. He refused to eat any meal; he turned weak and was about to faint. His father never showed any signs of relenting his decision, his cousins and sisters felt badly for him. Everybody knew him as a good-hearted person, and they wanted to help him, but nobody had the guts to talk to Vilasat Roya in this issue. Since the issue was linked to the family prestige, he was the only one who was authorized to take any decision.

It was the testing time for Josheel. He never had the guts even to talk to his father face to face. In his deep heart, he wanted to debate with his father. But, he knew very well that it would not be a reality. He argued with his mother and other cousins who came down to request him to eat some food. He announced his wish to die, rather than not marrying his girl. People around him were scared that he might commit suicide. His mother was most worried than anybody else; she never left him from that moment onwards.

The more and more he thought about his love, he became crazy. He wanted to revolt against his father and other family members. He questioned again and again the values they believed in. He was ready to forgo the prestige and pride of his family for his love. In his mind, a different plan took shape.

The next morning, he expressed his wish to eat some. Everybody felt relived and thought he had agreed to forget his girl. There was the pride of winning in his father’s eyes. Josheel felt agitated, but he suppressed his feelings, showed a calm face to others. His father announced unofficially that Josheel was to be married with one of their distant relative’s daughter, whose family was equal in status with them.

Later that day, Josheel managed to send a letter to one of his friend through his cousin brother. He made plans to run away from the home that night. He decided to go ahead and marry his lover, rather than yielding to his family prestige. He requested one of his friends to go to the town and take his lover to the city. Another friend was asked by him to pick him up in the midnight behind his house.

That night when everybody was asleep, Josheel slowly got up from his bed and sneaked into their backyard. In his mind, he bid farewell to his beloved mother. He joined his friend who was waiting on a motorcycle and both of them fled for the railway station to catch a train for the city. The decision he took would be changing his family history. That would damage his family prestige forever. His father might not excuse him for life long. He might not even see his parents again in his lifetime. His heart was heavy with sorrow and at the same time bewildered by the thought that he had gone against everybody in his family. He saw the signs of the courage in his heart, the same courage that his family boasted for years long.