Save Your Honor, Kill Your Pride

Sahira Khan was no ordinary girl. Only she knew about the hardships she had gone through with her parents to let her study in college. She belonged from a typical backward family in Varanasi, where girls were supposed to marry a guy their parents choose, without asking a question. 

However, after completing her school education, she was adamant that she wanted to study further to become a professor in English. 

Her parents had already started looking for a 'suitable guy' for her marriage, but Sahira was too stubborn, just like her father.

After 4 days of hunger strike, her parents finally gave in and she took admission in a college to study English literature. Little did she know that it was going to change her whole life. 

Sahira was ordered that as soon as her classes end, she is supposed to come home and not roam around with any friends. She was also told that she is not supposed to even talk to any boys in her college, or outside. She readily agreed as she had always dreamed of studying in a college and now it was finally happening.

Studying was everything for Sahira. She went to college on an old cycle that was used by her brother before he got married. She was given her sister-in-law's old bag to keep her books and notebooks. Every now and then, you would see her at the terrace, reading a new novel to increase her vocabulary, with the beautiful Ganga river flowing in front of her. 

After a couple of weeks, Sahira was sitting in her college small canteen, reading a novel, as her class was canceled and her exams were around the corner. She noticed a guy, at the other corner of the canteen, staring at her. As soon as she looked at him, the guy turned his head down, embarrassed. 

She didn't pay any attention to him and kept reading the book in her hand. Until the bell rang. She got up and put her book inside her bag to go to her class. Just as she cleared her things, her pen fell down under the table. However, she didn't notice and stepped out of the dingy canteen.

The guy, who was staring at her, saw that and quickly got up to pick up the pen. He ran behind her and called out Sahira, who was surprised to see the guy calling her name. He gave her the pen back and said that it had fallen down.

'Thank you' she said and began walking to her class.

'Umm, my name is Manish'

She looked at Manish, who was smiling. 'Okay, I have to go' she replied and ran away.

At night, when everyone was asleep, Sahira was still thinking about what happened with Manish. It was nothing, he had just given her a pen back, yet she couldn't stop thinking about him. He was kind of cute. With a little dimple on his left cheek.

Sahira couldn't believe herself! She had never thought of guys like that; she barely even looked at them. She recalled the time he was staring at her in the canteen. He had been so embarrassed when she had looked at him. Why was he staring at her, anyway? Was she that beautiful?

Sahira got up quickly and went into the washroom. She looked at herself in the mirror, with her hair all oiled and tied in a bun. Her skin was flawless, with a wheatish shade and pink lips. She knew using make-up was not an option in her house, as only married women could apply make-up, according to her mother. She looked into her eyes and smiled. This feeling was new, very new and it felt great.

The next few days, every time Sahira went to the canteen for lunch, her eyes searched for Manish, who was always there. They both sat with their friends, laughing and chatting, but their eyes kept gazing at each other. Sahira was smiling all the time and was happy. This was something new that had never happened with her. Obviously, no one new about the two. She did not dare tell her friends. It was too risky.

One day after lunch, as Manish passed by her, he threw a small note on the floor, that Sahira immediately noticed. She quickly grabbed it and kept it inside her bag. While going home, she took it out and read it. It said:

Meet me behind the old temple after college tomorrow.

Sahira was nervous, scared and excited, all at the same time. She wanted to meet Manish, talk to him, get to know him, but she was scared about her parents finding out about this. They had strictly told her that no guy should be seen around her. However, Sahira knew that she liked Manish and there was no way she was going to miss their first meeting. So, as soon as she reached home, she told her mother that there were going to be some extra classes in her college the next day, and she will be home a little late than usual.

The next day, she got up early, took a long bath and even applied some of her sister-in-law's perfume, secretly. Instead of oiling her hair, as usual, she made a half pony tail and left for college. 

Suddenly, the time had stopped. She was eagerly waiting for her classes to end, so that she could go to meet Manish. She had not seen him in the morning and couldn't find him in the canteen as well. What if he doesn't come? Of course he will, don't be stupid! He's the one who asked you to meet him in the first place! 

Sahira was now even more nervous and thinking of not going. But how could she do that. She had been waiting for this moment all day! 

As soon as her classes ended, she ran towards her cycle and started riding towards the old temple. A million thoughts were going on in her head. It was her first meeting with a guy. What was she supposed to say? Was he even going to come? This was so new for her that she had no idea what was about to come. 

As soon as she reached her the old temple, she parked her cycle near a tree and went behind the temple. It was good that no one came to the old temple now, or she would have been spotted easily. As soon as she reached behind, she couldn't believe her eyes! The usual shady place was decorated by flowers and little diyas that had lighten up the place. There were two small chairs in the middle, but Manish was nowhere to be seen.

'Hey' a voice called from behind.

Sahira turned around to see Manish standing behind her with flowers. 

'Hi' she smiled.

'Come, sit' he pointed to the chairs.

They both made themselves comfortable and looked at each other awkwardly. 

'Why didn't you come to college today?' Sahira began.

'Umm, I was preparing for our meeting' he pointed out to the decoration.

Sahira felt a hundred butterflies flying inside her stomach. 

'You look really beautiful' he told her as he stared into her eyes.

Sahira looked away and thanked him. She couldn't believe it! She was in love! With Manish! The two slowly began talking, telling each other about their families. Manish's father was a businessman and his mother was a housewife. Manish had traveled to many places, even abroad, while Sahira didn't even have a passport. Manish was studying law and wanted to become a criminal lawyer. Sahira told him about her future plans and he was quite happy to know that the girl he liked wanted to do something in life, not just sit at home and cook, like his mother. 

Time flew by and soon it started getting dark. 

'I should go, my parents must be waiting'

'Okay, take care.' he looked at her with love in his eyes.

'Bye' Sahira unlocked her cycle and started riding towards her home. It was getting late and she knew her mother would be furious if she reached too late. As soon as she reached home, her mother opened the door letting her in. She didn't say much, just asked how long these extra classes are and Sahira quickly replied 2 hours.

That night she couldn't sleep. The time she had spent with Manish was so memorable that she couldn't let it go. She kept thinking of how Manish had made felt special and how beautiful everything was. She couldn't help beaming. 

They both started meeting once in every week. They would meet at the same place and talk for hours. These meetings or now I would like to call them 'dates', seemed endless. They never felt like going home and wanted to be with each other all the time. Manish had a cellphone and always felt like talking to her, so he even gifted her a cellphone, that Sahira kept a secret from her family. She knew no one could afford a cellphone in her family and if they found out about it, questions would be raised that she wouldn't be able to answer. 

Three years passed quickly, Sahira graduated from college with flying colors and the same day, Sahira's father started talking about her marriage. Sahira couldn't believe this. She couldn't let that happen. Later that night, she called Manish and told him everything while sobbing. Manish decided to meet her the next day. 

Next morning, Sahira told her mother that she was going to meet her friend from college, and went to the same place behind the old temple to meet Manish. He was already there, waiting for her. As soon as he saw her, he ran to hug her and let her escape from the reality in his arms. 

After talking for over an hour, they still didn't have an answer for their blind future. Sahira was a Muslim, while Manish was a Hindu Brahmin. Their parents could never understand their love. 

'Let's runaway' Sahira suggested.

'Are you sure? It's very risky, we could get caught!'

'Then we will try to convince our parents. I can't live without you!' Sahira said with tears in her eyes.

The next day, they both were supposed to elope. The plan was simple, they will meet at the railway station early morning, when everyone would be fast asleep, grab the morning train to Lucknow and live a happy life. But it's never that easy.

They both reached on time, their tickets with them. Both has brought a small bag with their clothes and important documents. They were all set to board the train, when suddenly Sahira spotted her father, searching for her at the station. And in no time, he spotted her, standing with a well built, tall guy, ready to elope.

He ran towards her and slapped her right across her face. Her brother was there too, who was hitting her with a cricket bat. Sahira's father had lost all his cool. When Manish tried to stop him, he too got a good thrashing from her father and brother. Apparently, Sahira's sister-in-law had woken up early and had seen her packing her bag and leaving the house. She had instantly woken up everyone and the men of the house had followed Sahira till the railway station.

Sahira was bleeding profusely, but her family paid no heed to the blood that had spread all over her clothes. She was being dragged outside, and Manish was was half dead by the beatings he had received from her family. A large crowd had gathered to see what the fuss was all about, but no one dared to come in between. Even Manish was left there to die.

Sahira was not taken home or to the hospital, instead, she was taken to a graveyard, where she was stabbed to death and buried. After months of investigation of Sahira and Manish's murder, when the police arrest the father-son duo, their only explanation was that the couple had to be killed to save the family's honor.