Saltungri is a remote village,hardly twenty family live in this hamlet.Most of them belong to peasent class.A thik sal jungle surrounding the village all the time.From a distance one can trace only this patch, not the village. Vasudev Mahato is regarded as the founder of the village. Later one Kumbhakar family was added in the existing there wasnt a matriculate even in the village till 1984.Education means to them to be familarized with letters and alphabets and maximum upto the mathematical tables, for general calculation.Specially to the society to educate a girl meaning to waste of money and time.At their teens even bellow eighteen years majority of girls are married compulsorily married. They enter into an unknown world of th there in-laws house. There they have to play different functions .
Smrita is the first girl child shows the courage to go to school.Her primary.o school was in the near village,but High school was about seven killometres away. Avoiding all taboo she went the high school at Palshpahari.Till her youth time education to a girl child had yet to start.No parents could get confident to send their daughters to the schools.For a girl, parents see the time of attaining her puberty as she once experience womenhood reaching the first menstruation, she became marriagable.Since then they have an headache till her. Till then a girlchild seemed to be a burden on parents.A suitable groom is searched,then marriage celebration is arranged.A havoc expenditure is required.In some communities there's the dowry system.The daughter's parents are demanded..money, ornaments and even a motorcycle.
Smrita was born to Shivaram and Bilashi Mahato.Shibaram has a small plot of land for farming.He cultivates mainly paddy as main crops,and side by side little legume and vegetables. So from cultivation the amount, is earned is used up to maintain the family. Hence,net balance at the end of the month is almost zero. Inspite of hard labour Shivram cannot demand of the family. Smrita gets pain knowing the fact her parents try to give they have to make her educated. Like a common village girl she been to paddy field worked as a labour earned wage and gave it to parents.She has too stood beside her family. This led her undaunted fearless and hardy woman now. She has always a zeal , 'I have to do it means I will do it'.
Youth came to her like a wave. Before she could understand she fell in love. She responded and accepted the natuers rules. Roman promised her to be friend ever uncodtionally. It was an accidental love, love at frist sight. She enjoyed beauty of love, she felt it.She felt it to be a gift of life not all are lucky to get it.
Ofcourse , it was an akward to when Roman obstrcted her on a lonely wild path near by the wood. He couldn't beg her love , but without saying anything he conveyed lot...............!
Debashis Mahato
