Sahithi was gazing at the photo frame that depicted her full family taken in happier days. She had been in 9th class (9th grade) then. The family had gathered in the garden for a group photograph. While her grandparents looked as ancient as ever, her parents seemed to be aging for the first time. Everyone seemed to be happy, though she could detect the lack of deep happiness in the eyes of her aunt. There was something that her aunt was unhappy about though she didn't know what it was. Nevertheless, she ignored the feeling of unease and finished her packing making sure she had everything that she loved the most. When she came out, her uncle was waiting for her. He appeared calm as ever but what struck her as strange was the absence of her cousin and her aunt.
"Shall we go?" she nodded, unwilling to speak. She was surprised to see her uncle's car waiting for them.
"What happened to our car?"
"It is engaged on another task."
"What task?"
"Taking your aunt and your bava home."
"Who is taking them?"
"Raju." that explained the absence of her trusted driver. "Get in." he indicated the passenger seat in the front while he climbed behind the wheel. The journey was pleasant; as pleasant as it could be for two individuals who sat like robots, barely speaking to each other. Her uncle took the NH-16 road and rove silently till he reached Kurellagudem where he stopped for tea. Sahithi decied to eat as she knew this might prove to be a long journey.
She rested her head and fell asleep during the second leg of the journey. When she opened her eyes, she was staring at a motel. Her uncle was shaking her awake and shi didn't mind it. "We need to spend the night here." He said. "I booked two single rooms. We will have dinner in the room. Order what ever you want." She took the opportunity to order the costliest dishes on offer. "Why not?" she said to herself. "Let us see how much he is willing to spend." The room was comfortable and not what one usually observed in roadside motels. She was able to sleep well and peacefully.
***
The room was devoid of any furniture except a strange device that suspiciously looked like a chair without a seat. The girl whose wrists had been tied to a hook in the ceiling, was barely standing on her toes. From time to time she moved, trying to ease the discomfort of being in that position for hours. Her eyes closed, the girl was sleeping with a drooping head. The room was silent except for the steady breathing of the tied up girl. The door, that appeared to be part of the wall, swung in, revealing two men in a strange uniform. Both men, whose faces were blurred, entered the room after having closed the door behind them. Both were tall, well-built men, looked young and appeared to be trained for combat. They came to the captive girl and stopped, checking her out from all angles. The shorter of the two men, spoke with the confidence of someone used to being obeyed by others.
"What do you think?"
"She is the perfect one."
"I wonder how she would be without the cover."
"Shall I reveal what is beneath then?"
"Yes, but let her know what is happening." The second man sprinkled water on the girl's face and she woke up. All she could see was two masked men standing before her. There was a fear in her voice as she realised they were her abductors.
"Who are you? What do you want? Why did you kidnap me? What will you do to me? Please, I have done nothing. Please leave me."
"That's a lot of questions for someone who has been hanging for more than three days." The taller man seemed amused. "Look at yourself first." The victim looked down and screamed. She was exactly as she was born - stark naked. Even the light p***c hair had been shaved off revealing a smooth p***y. The milky white t****s, the stiff, supple b*****s jutting out proudly like the twin peaks of mount everest, The slim waist, all pointed to an extraordinary beauty in the making.
"Interesting!" the man remarked. "It would be very interesting to see you on the horse."
"What!" her confusion at his words was increased when she was untied and carried to a contraption in the right corner of the room. It was a typical wooden horse you would see in village fairs. However, there was one difference; on the back of the horse, right where a rider would sit, was a small pole instead of a saddle. This pole appeared to be well oiled. The girl realised what they meant by sitting on the horse. They wanted her to sit on the oiled pole!
****
Sahithi woke up from her dream, her body ice cold from the sweat, despite the Air conditioner in the room. She drank some water from the bottle on the bedside table and looked at the clock. 5 a.m. She held her head in her hands in frustration. "God! What else do you have in store for me? As if it is not enough to take away my family from me, you seem to take pleasure in tormenting me further. Why do I feel that I am going to a prison instead of a school? Please god, don't torment me further." She prayed fervently.
Later that day, they checked out of the motel after breakfast and another long silent journey ensued, her uncle choosing not to talk while Sahithi reflected on the starnge nightmare she had had that morning. She did not even bother to notice where her uncle was taking her, since she was sure it would be of no use to her. How wrong she was! The car sped on the national highway for more than half a day and swerved into a restaurant in a small town. They had lunch and rested for an hour before resuming their journey. This town led to a forest area that few people cared to venture. After travelling for six hours on the rough, forest path, they reached a castle that appeared so old that it gave off a vibe of being haunted by ghosts. The signboard "Shanthi Group of Institutions" seemed very ominous and foreboding instead of soothing the nerves of any newcomer. Her uncle stopped in front of the rusting iron gates and got out. Sahithi felt that she had been brought to the den of some cult who believed and practiced banned and evil traditions. A shiver ran down her spine simply by looking at the horrifying ambience.
"Why are we here?"
"This is school."
"What?"
"You will be studying here till you finish your Masters degree." There was a tone of finality in his voice. "This is non-negotiable." He said and pushed her forward into the school.
The Shanthi Girls High School was more of a college than a high school since most of the students were at least 18 years old. This school catered to all those girls who were weak in studies due to laziness, low grasping and retention power, missing school due to unexpected circumstances etc. Now, Sahithi belonged to the last category as she had lost two precious years due to the death of her family, having been kept away from school by her scheming relatives. She was brought here to continue her education since it couldn’t be avoided any more.As Sahithi walked along the corridors, she felt fear pervade her bones. There was something grotesque about the place; the chilly corridors, the bare walls devoid of any paintings one would see in a school it was uninviting for a prospective student. Each turn in the corridor was marked by an arch held together by two stone sentries that looked like gods with their well-sculpted bodies and scanty clothes.The Sign boa
“Um...where is my uncle?” Sahithi asked tentatively. She was still nervous in this institution. “Oh, he left.” The warden replied nonchalantly. He turned towards the 18 year old male standing at the door. “Take her to room 14.” He busied himself with some paperwork that was pending. “Um...sir? What about the key to the room?” “There’s no key. There is no door to lock. Now go. I have work to do.” Sahithi was flabbergasted. “No door to the girls’ rooms?” she blurted out in shock. “How can that be possible?” “We need to check the girls are following the rules. So, no doors.” His tone was careless as if it was the most natural thing to remove doors to girls’ rooms. Now, go. Don’t waste my time.” there was a hint of irritation in his voice. “But sir, girls need some privacy.” He still didn’t look up. “For what?” she stared at him incredibly, unable to believe her ears. “What do you mean by that?” he looked at her slowly, as
“You are what?”“I will explain on the way. Now wash your face quickly.” Sahithi stared at the man for a while before realising she was indeed hungry.“Where is the washroom?”“Come with me.” He turned and walked out of the room and despite her misgivings, Sahithi followed him. She was slowly coming round to the fact that everything here was drastically different from what she had seen till then.“Just like those evil gits to join me here!” she ground her teeth in frustration. “Just wait till I make you pay back with interest.” The man stopped and turned towards her.“Pardon?” she realised she had spoken her thoughts aloud.“Nothing. I wasn’t talking to you.” He gave a weird look at her.“This is the wash basin.” He pointed to her. “The bathrooms and toilets are over there.” He ch
The day was bright and Sahithi was in great spirits as she took in the benefits of the morning sun. Since childhood she had been rising up early in the day to watch the sun rise and as a result she received plenty of Vitamin D that those orange rays of the sun. She was ready to face a new day with renewed vigour. She went on a tour of the washrooms, finding no one there. However, what struck her odd was the lack of separate bathrooms. It was obvious they had to bathe in the hall like area. She took a deep sigh and got ready before anyone else woke up. “Hey, when did you get up?” Betsy asked as Sahithi came in. “An hour ago.” “Ah, I see. As you fall into the routine you will not be able to get up so early.” Sahithi smiled and started reading the Bhagavadgita. It was her habit to start the day with at least a few slokas from the Gita that gave her enough mental strength, vigour and energy to face the day. Betsy stared at her for a long time before getting ready. “Why? Is the schedul
This time Sahithi was better prepared as she knew the only way to escape was to bite down her pain and do what they told her to. Her best chance lay in following their words to the letter. She prepared herself mentally for the stroke that was about to come but despite steeling her mind she still could not help crying out in pain at the sting on her bottom that brought tears in her eyes. "One." she said gritting her teeth to shut out the pain. "Thank you sir." "See? It was not so difficult after all!" she ground her teeth at those words but what could she do? The second stroke was even harder than the first one and she wiggled her ass before managing "Two. Thank you sir." The teacher came near her and placed his hand on her ass cheeks and she jerked involuntarily. "Enough!" he said. "Leave her." she got up grateful for the reprieve. "Tell us about yourself." She had by then lowered her skirt and restored her dignity. with a face red as a beetroot she started introducing herself. “I
Sahithi felt her bum burn and snapped out of her thoughts. The teacher was staring daggers at her sending chills down her spine. It was obvious he had spanked her but she couldn’t understand the fear she felt with this teacher. There was something odd about him that rang alarm bells in her mind.“First you insult me with your insolence. Then, you start day dreaming. Who do you think you are?” she gulped at those words.“Sorry sir. I was distracted.”“Oh yeah?” he sneered. “Solve the problem on the board and I will let you be ‘distracted’.” He stressed the word ‘distracted’ making her blush in embarrassment. This had never happened before so she was a bit ashamed. Still, she gazed at the board and was a bit shocked to see what was written there. “Move to the teacher’s table and explain your solution.”There was only one word on the board – Ca
What had started as a bright had become a nightmare for Sahithi as she sat through the post lunch classes. The word had already spread about her rebellious attitude and the teachers seemed determined to snuff it out as soon as they could. Her bottom bore the marks of discipline meted out to her for outrageously silly reasons. As she listened to the lectures her mind drifted to her experience in the previous school. “Varna system was explained by Sri Krishna in the Bhagavadgita very clearly dispelling the doubts of Arjuna that are unfortunately the doubts of most of the people today.” Her Sanskrit teacher had said. As can be seen in the slokas 1.39 through 1.44, Arjuna talks of caste purity, a fear of inter-varna marriages, change of one’s varna, etc. He appears to be afraid that the society will be spoiled if people change the varna of their birth and appears to be advocating a varna based on birth.”
Sahithi lost count of the time as she stared at the book, turning pages without really reading anything. She just wanted to get this over with.“Tell me,” the professor asked suddenly. “what the author says in the first page.” She was startled by the sudden question. “Do you think you can fool me by turning the pages?” he was far more perceptive than what she had given him credit for. “Read the pages aloud from the beginning.”She knew there was no escaping this time. As she read the words aloud her eyes grew wide in shock at the blatantly negative portrayal of the varna system. It was worse than what was given in textbooks prescribed by the board of education. “India is divided into four castes which are based on birth.” The book started. “It is a rigid system which cannot be changed. Lord .... was responsible for challenging this system and the Indians should be grateful that he removed o