Life may not have been easy for this mother of two, but she has made a life of dignity for herself and her kids.
From handling in-laws harassment to reporting her husband to police for being a child rapist, to raising two kids on her own, this mother recently shared her inspiring story with HoB.
While recalling her initial marriage days, this mother of two mentioned:
“My husband and I had a love marriage — we were 22. Everything was rosy till I moved in with my in-laws. They constantly harassed me — if I was ever sitting idle they’d yell at me and ask me to work. I’d cook really well — but they’d always complain about the food and put me down.”
But her marriage hit a bumpy road as she embarked on a beautiful journey of motherhood:
“But things really got to me when I found out I was pregnant a year later. I went up to him with tears in my eyes — I was so happy! But he just said okay and walked away. Even my in-laws had no reaction. They couldn’t care less. I felt isolated, like they hated me! So I decided to leave the next day and started living with a family friend.
Soon, I had my son but he was a premature baby. When he was 6 months old, he started having fits. So I took him to my husband’s house, but all he did was admit him to the hospital. He didn’t provide any financial support and rarely came to visit. He had money but spent it all on himself.
We did try patching up a few times, and even had our second child, a daughter. But just when things would get better, he’d go back to his old ways and I’d leave once again. Eventually, we stopped trying. Financially, I struggled a lot — I kept moving into smaller homes as I went into debt. Through it all, my husband would make an appearance every now and then to see his children, not lend a penny to us and leave.”
But, things turned ugly when she came to know about the darkest truth about her husband.
“Then one day things went completely downhill. I found out my niece was 7 months pregnant. She hadn’t told anyone — but later my husband admitted that she was having his child. He’d raped her when she was only 17. I immediately reported him to the police, and he spent 17 months in jail.
I now live with my mother and two children. I’m still in debt and lenders threaten me every day. Life isn’t easy, and I’ve often felt like nothing will work out. I once went to Andheri station with my kids with an intention to end my life but they said to me, ‘Mom do you really want to die? We’ll do anything’, and from that day, every breath I’ve taken has been for my children.
When I see my son working hard to get into the army and my daughter preparing for her IPS exams, I feel like the luckiest mother in the world. My life is in shambles, but my kids are making me proud every day and my only wish is that they stand up on their two feet. And if I had to go through it all over again, I’d do it in a heartbeat — because at the end of every road, I know I’ll have them.”
At IFORHER, we are in awe of this courageous mother for standing up for her kids, her niece and more importantly for herself.
Thousands of Indian women choose to struggle silently in marriage, but we hope this mother’s inspiring story will give courage to all those who want to create a life of dignity for herself and her kids.
