The Lone Wolf- I

    Sandhya, a lone wolf, sitting at the window in her dark room was lost in her deep thoughts for hours that day. She was startled when her 8-year old brother Rohan came running to her with hands full of colors. "Sister, what are you doing here? Come, join us." he seemed excited. "Its Holi. it's about celebration. How come you not play Holi." he added. For a second she wiped her tears, got up, held his hand and put some colors on his face and then she was lost again in the darkness which was much better than the superficial shining of the world.

        Holi!!!! she tried to recall the word. She remember what she was taught in school,"Holi, the festival of colors, fun and love. The multiple variant of colors wash away all the bad stains of hatred and jealousy from one's heart. Heart is filled with only one colour, the colour of love and brotherhood. As the effigy of evil "Holika" is burnt on the eve of Holi, it is presumed that people have burnt their sins and evils inside them."

    She had just started relishing those childhood memories of Holi, when the haunting memories of last year came back to her. His world was brought to ruins on the same day. How could she forgot her worst nightmare turning into reality. She was kind of girls who loved to live on their own and enjoy everything. She had lived every single second of her life with full joy and had no regret(except one). One day, but one day it was all over, blink of an eye and it was all gone. 

       It was a formal gathering of friends on the eve of Holi to celebrate the occassion. She agreed to be a part of it having no idea that a monster was on her way to gulp her happiness, her freedom and everything she had been proud of. As the Liquor went down the throats, the demon raised their heads. She had abstained from liquor knowing the repercussions it brought with itself unaware that despite being on right path you are still vulnerable to the actions of wrongdoers. Her closest friends had lost their sense or who knows it was their real face. She was molested and her dignity was shattered in the hands of her own friends whom she had trusted most. Every dream was crushed under the feet of those beasts beneath the skin of human.

        The free bird inside her had died (precisely killed) and her own friends fed on her like a vulture on dead flash. Those cruel hands which reached her in the name of playing colors tore apart not only her clothes but her soul. Even when she tried to raised her voice for seeking justice, it was suppressed by none other than her own parents in the name of social disgrace. She had been blamed, questions were raised on her dignity but no one dared to bring the culprits to the book. Even after one year of incidence nothing has changed except her whole world getting shrinked to a dark corner in her room. The culprits are still around searching for another prey this Holi too. 

          The story of Sandhya makes a heavy blow on the double face of society. What happened to her after this? Was she able to left behind her past? All this we may come to know later on. At the moment, we need to ask a few questions first. Is the sanctity of Holi or other festivals still intact after repeated cases of molestation behind the cover of festivals are raising? Does they thoroughly annihilate the evils of a person or just another myth? and do they really signifies victory of just over unjust? We have had enough of all the anecdote and proverbs about festival of colors. Blah blah blah .. and its never going to stop.

        The truth is it has lost its true spirit. The same festival which is supposed to wipe out all evils has become the opportunity for social evils. Creating nuisance after drinking is a common scene everywhere. People see it as an opportunity to sexually harass females in the name of festivities. Teasing girls by throwing balloons and finding an excuse to touch them here and there inappropriately in the name of playing colors. All these evils have established their roots deep in the society. 

           We have to look inside our soul and ask ourselves where are we leading the society. Are we on the right path? Until answer to these questions would be sought number of Sandhya's will keep increasing. The conscience of society will keep tearing apart. 

If, someday when society is free of these evils and conscience of every person on the earth is clear then only we can rejoice everything on the earth.