A  Damsel in Distress 

- P.Krishnamoorthy

“The face that launched thousand ships” –  Helen of Troy, Greece the epitome  of beauty often incarnated in these lines by British playwright Christopher Marlowe. My parents named me as Harini. I was exceptionally  a beautiful girl and my college crowd named me as “Helen".   Besides my beauty, I was equally the topper both in college academics and athletic fields. With prudent management of  my time, I was also successful in other activities like inter-college debates, oratorical and cultural programs. I had even calls for modelling from various corporates but I had to deny such offers due to my parents ‘no’ to commercial publicity.  In short I was the ‘dream girl’ for many in the college.

Beauty had never been an exclusive asset for  human kind. In everyday life we witness beauty in all nature’s creations, like birds flying together in a pattern, the flow of  roaring cascades, fresh flowers in different shapes and colors, celestial formations in the sky etc. In these it had manifested in different dimensions; it could even be called as omnipresent. They generate the feeling of responsiveness - happiness and joy, with their various displays strictly within us and not reciprocal. The one universal reaction generated from adolescent feminine/masculine group towards beauty had been in the form of  instinctive and reciprocal response towards life partnership.  Since my beauty made others envy, I was very proud and obsessed with it.  This also made me dismissive with others and even looked down people  with a sense of haughtiness. Would this beauty remain with me forever by any miracle stopping  the wheel of time, or it would subject to natural process of change with passing of years?  Though I was a ‘dream girl’ to  many of my college mates, I had a special interest in only one – Arun in my class. He impressed me with his gentle manners, good  behavior, non-involvement in any college controversies and gossips. He was also smart and handsome. But he moved with me strictly as a friend and colleague only in spite of my various advances to make him my ‘hero’. His parents were abroad and he was staying in the college  hostel.

Suresh, another college mate, with a group of his students  always ragged the girls. He was from a very rich family who were well connected in political circles. He was also well built and handsome but resolute to achieve whatever he wanted at any cost. With the inducement of  his  group members to try his teasing skill with me, one morning  he stopped me and tried to hug me forcibly at the college entrance. Instantly I slapped him with my shoe  before his friends.  Others witnessing this,  intervened and sent us all to classes except Suresh who left the college for the day. For  couple of days Suresh was not to be seen in the college. I was surprised at his silence and not taking any retaliatory action towards me.

On the third day, as usual when I came to the college, the same group was waiting for me. Suddenly Suresh came out from  the group and threw a bottle of acid on me.  It hit me on the right side of my face. I felt as if a fire ball landed on me;  unable to bear the burning sensation I screamed with the pain. Others gathered there took me to the hospital for immediate treatment. I was in the hospital for a month with my whole face wrapped up in heavy bandage. Among the many visitors called on me, I had the consolation of a particular visit by my hero Arun who  enquired with concern and wished me ‘very speedy recovery’. 

After a month I came home with the bandages removed. On reaching home, I immediately rushed to see my face in the mirror. When I looked my face I became hysterical at what I saw. There was a big dark scar and my beautiful face was completely ruined. When I even hate to see my awful face, how I would face others with such a dreadful ugly appearance? With a heavy flower vase I hit the mirror and broke  into pieces. The mirror was shattered to pieces that  got scattered all over the place. I looked at them and felt as if every broken glass piece was still reflecting my  horrible face. I wish the reflections in the mirror were distorted. With this, my future life also had broken to pieces as the glass bits. I also got an answer that my beauty was not eternal in reply to my earlier query. I had to discontinue my college studies. In short I became a depressed wreck?

Though my father was in a high position, he could not take any police action on Suresh due to his father’s political influence as  a Minister. He also arranged to send him abroad for his higher studies. With my facial wound getting gradually healed, the black scar was well visible. I had to cover my face with a veil  to hide the scar. I regretted myself for my earlier arrogant pride on being beautiful that made me to look down others.   The eyes that glorified my beauty earlier,  had now become inimical and  expressed critical comments on my problem. On account of this I suffered with a kind of inferiority complex and preferred loneliness.

With  years passed,   I  pursued my academic studies through postal tuition and got a degree. This inspiration  was instrumental to get a job in a multi-national  company   with my father’s help. I considered this as a turning point in my life as it provided an opportunity to come out of my depression. The very sight of my face in the mirror  often pushed me to isolation from others.  At such times reading books on divinity and classics came to my rescue and a solace to me.

Gradually I was able to reconcile myself to reality. When I wanted to be happy with my reconciliation, I never thought I would  be put to a test once again.  Destiny’s directive was different with me. One of our relatives visited us one day  for my marriage alliance. Their terms of demand were shocking to me. To offset the big scar on my face, they demanded dowry in gold and heavy cash payment for their divorced son. This was a big blow to me and forced to me to a decision of remaining a single for the rest of my life. My parents were unhappy on my decision. 

My all-time loneliness from others was keenly observed by my boss who was eager to know the reason for my isolation. He took me home and enquired all the details about me.  He found  my facial scar was the main reason for my complex situation and seclusion  He immediately suggested one Dr. Vikram, a well-known specialist in plastic surgery in U.S, was visiting India shortly . If I agree he could arrange a sitting with him to check whether my scar could be removed through plastic surgery. On my hesitation for a positive response over the total cost of the project, he came out with an offer that the company would bear all the expenses. I instantly agreed for his proposal as this  would make my face scar-free and relieve my parents from the  worry of  my future life.

After Dr Vikram’s arrival, as planned I had a sitting with that doctor. After all preliminary tests, he confirmed that the scar could be removed through plastic surgical procedure.  On the scheduled day, after anesthesia, I became totally unconscious for the surgery. I was not aware of what happened to me. After six hours of surgery when I was in the recovery room, to my surprise, I saw  Suresh   standing before me in doctor’s outfit.  In few moments Dr Vikram also entered my  room. After  introduction, he said that Dr Suresh was working with me in the U.S hospital  and he only performed your successful surgery under my supervision . He assured me I would get my original clear face in few weeks and  Suresh would take best care of you.  Before leaving the room, he winked at us and wished Suresh the best of luck.

The fact that Suresh was going to perform the surgery, was purposely concealed by  Dr Vikram as he knew that I may not agree  for such an arrangement in view of our past college incident. Suresh was feeling ashamed of what he  did in the college and tendered his sincere apologies for that incident. I could see tears in his eyes as he uttered the apology. This impelled me  to reciprocally offer my apologies for my emotional reaction of slapping him with my shoe before his friends.

During our conversation I  assumed an impression that Suresh was still having an interest in me and his talk was oriented towards revival of his past interest. Though my interest of such a relationship was only with Arun , Suresh’s talk and his unbiased performance of my successful surgery that restored my beautiful face, and absence of any information about Arun,  now made me to think favorably towards  Suresh. I could also see Suresh now as a gentle person unlike the college days’ arrogant individual. I have made up my mind to accept his indirect proposal and promptly conveyed my decision to my parents to relieve them from my earlier decision of remaining single for the rest of my life.

On the last day of my discharge among other visitors, Suresh was held up en route and  came last  to see me with a three-year old girl holding his hand.  When I came to know that she was his daughter  I was shocked as my imaginative assumptions of life partnership  with him  were only the proverbial ‘castles in the air’. With my personal disappointment, I was discharged from the hospital.

As expected I was back to normal health and when I saw my clear face in the mirror I was jubilant with joy. Dr Vikram invited me and my parents for a dinner at his home. After the dinner,  we were taken to various rooms of his house. In one of the rooms I saw many pictures in ornamented silver frames. Suddenly my eyes got fixed strikingly on one of them... At that sight I could feel thousand butterflies flying within me. I was excited even more than when I got back my clear face. The person in the picture was my hero Arun. Observing  my interested involvement  in the picture, Dr Vikram said his name was  Arun, my only son in U.S and visiting India next week. We were in the process of getting some good alliance for his life partnership.  He made a surprise move by showing the picture to my parents and expressed his desire to get me as his daughter-in-law. I could not believe my ears. For a moment I was on the top of the world! I realized how destiny played its cards by offering a preferred choice over a hospital disappointment.  They looked at me for a response and instantly I nodded my consent. Finally I got a gift through Arun as my life partner after a long wait and struggle.