Chapter One - The Making of a Miracle

Part One

Chapter One The Making of a Miracle

Transition and Transformation are the keys to betterment of our lives. If people do not change with times, the very concept of the universe on change, is conflicted. Change for the better, and when you change yourself, you change the world.

— Dr. P. Madhurima Reddy

Dr. P. Madhurima Reddy

The News

Madhu abruptly heard her name called out and stood up. This was her eleventh international award for her relentless endeavours to empowering and adding meaning to people's lives. She always earned a red-carpet welcome at all these award ceremonies. As a simple girl coming from a highly conservative and orthodox descent from a region in South India, where women traditionally and historically have been confined to the four walls of a home, Madhu has spectacularly grown to reach an international stage, breaking every barrier and bond, defying the very precept of the culture she hailed from. It was the power of her beliefs and actions she chose to undertake that brought her thus far. This was the result of the belief she had in herself. That was the power of her mind. To simply believe, ignite and conquer. “Ladies and gentlemen, for our next International Excellence Award, we have chosen a highly distinguished lady, a renowned Life Coach, Psychologist and International Trainer, who for several years, has been empowering millions of lives through her organisation La Winspire International. We are honoured and delighted to invite the distinguished Dr. P. Madhurima Reddy from Hyderabad, India, on stage, to receive this outstanding award. The most beautiful actress and international celebrity Kareena Kapoor Khan will give away the award." She had thousands of followers the world over, and it was with overwhelming gusto that they followed her. For years, it was her mission to empower lives, making people discover themselves and realise the power they carried with them when they were quite unaware of it. Everywhere she spoke, she was a hit; she captured audiences with her powerful and realistic talk and related to their personal lives so accurately, that they instantly attached themselves to her and grew an immense sense of respect for her. As a keynote speaker, a guest and presenter, in over one hundred international conferences, with a long list of national and international awards,

she indeed was a walking phenomenon. From one organisation to another and from one institution to another, from community to community and from cities across the country and across continents, she continuously received calls inviting her to hold sessions and trainings. And this has been her routine for over two decades. An individual who gave little time for herself but worked herself out day in day out, for others. Earlier that day, just before dawn, she had arrived at Kuala Lumpur after a lengthy night flight that she did not feel comfortable in. Somehow, she had been feeling a little weird since the evening before, with an awkward sense of premonition of something that she just could not place. She had had a restless sleep in the hotel, probably because the long flight tired her out. The restlessness she had been experiencing was probably because of a dream she had about Vishaal's father. She couldn't quite corner down on what the dream was about, but somehow it drew her into deep contemplation; it was like a dream that refused to leave her since she awoke. Try however hard she did, thoughts of Venu refused to leave her. But it was an important day, and she could not allow anything to ruin it, she decided. It was already late afternoon when she woke up. She ordered room service as she completed her ablutions and decided against visiting the grand restaurant of the resort for her lunch. Lunch arrived and she ate her meal silently. Her mind was raging over needless thoughts and contemplations even as she avoided thinking about anything else. However, she could summon her energies back and soon enough began to feel more relaxed and felt sleep overcome her again. After about two hours of a quiet and peaceful sleep she felt much refreshed. As the time drew closer to the awards ceremony, for which she had come all the way to Malaysia, she readied herself to make herself as presentable as possible. The perplexing thoughts still nagged her. But she chose to ignore them. By 6 pm she was done,

Dr. P. Madhurima Reddy

and in no time her transport to the venue arrived. Within twenty minutes of the drive, her chauffeur halted the vehicle at the lobby of the Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa, one of the biggest and most prestigious hotels of Malaysia. The ceremony that Brand Icons, a globally reputed organisation that hosted the awards, was preceded by two days of tours and events for all the dignitaries who came from 26 countries. However, Madhu could not make time for the first two days and could land only on the day that the grand finale was to happen. As she walked into the huge magnificently lit and decorated ballroom, that also played the convention centre for the ceremony, she saw hundreds of guests and delegates seated there to witness the award ceremony of people like herself. Though she couldn't quite be her normal self today, her overt optimism seemed to possess her and steadied her. She genuinely attempted to shrug off any remnants of the odd feelings that were constantly pestering her since the morning and appeared successful for some time, but gradually the same thoughts came back to taunt her. Is there something wrong with Venu? She wondered. But knowing it was not necessary to think of him now, she dismissed his thoughts and focused on what was going on the stage. Her outlook towards life was constantly guided by the universe, and it usually kept her calm, composed and at peace, with complete faith in herself and her mission. For about twenty minutes of her entering the hall she was lost in thoughts, unmindful of what was being showcased on the stage. Then there was a sudden uproar in the hall and the din of a resounding applause given as a welcome to some celebrity, ensued. The sudden noise in the massive hall brought Madhu back to her senses. And soon on stage appeared the figure of a celebrated Indian Bollywood actress. The emcee introduced the personality to the crowd in the hall who clapped in delight at seeing her live on stage. She was Kareena Kapoor Khan.

And now Madhu fully conscious and herself again, began to watch the proceedings on stage. She was seated at the first row of several accomplished individuals from across Asia and Europe, who had made contributions to various aspects of life in different fields of study and service. She was one of them too. In about fifteen minutes of Kareena Kapoor's being called on stage, she heard her name being called out. She stood up and briskly walked towards the stage accompanied by two ladies who led her to receive the award. On the podium, the emcee read out a brief about Madhu. "Every time we hear of women being subdued, suppressed, oppressed or taken advantage of the story of this highly accomplished lady should act as a true reminder of the power that women actually possess. We are today proud to present Dr. P. Madhurima Reddy from Hyderabad, India. Dr. Madhurima Reddy is an Entrepreneur, a Peak Performance International Trainer & Coach for Life, Wealth, & Business, Psychologist, and an Educationist with an experience of more than two decades in Teaching, Training, Coaching, Mentoring, Healing and Counselling. This humongous experience and a vision to create a positive change in people led her into instituting a centre of excellence by name La Winspire International. As an inspiring personality she believes that every human being has a moral responsibility of making a difference to people’s lives. Today her unique programs based on Advanced Law of Attraction & Wealth Abundance, NLP, and Emotional Mastery are famous across the globe along with her TV shows. She has attained absolute mastery in conducting Life Skill workshops for thousands and thousands of people today. She has conducted innumerable national and international workshops on various concepts for organizations, professionals, and individuals of all walks of life. She has coached and transformed top CEOs, professionals, students and individuals from all walks of life across the globe by unleashing their internal spirit that drives them to excellence."

Dr. P. Madhurima Reddy

After her introduction she was congratulated by the celebrity Chief Guest, presented with the award and was richly felicitated. Madhu felt warm at the honour bestowed on her and heartily thanked the hosts and the organisers of the event, as she was led back to her seat. In about an hour or so, the felicitation ceremony came to an end and dinner was announced. The grand buffet was a delight to watch with a delectable and exhaustive repast served to honour the guests with the best of international cuisines. Madhu felt a little hungry and made her way to the spread. She began feeling quite relaxed as she had the whole night to spend, before her return flight home that was at noon, the next day. So, she traced her steps to the buffet, picked up a little food and sat herself on a table which was relatively free. Just has she was about to savour the first spoonful, she heard her phone ring. She placed back the cutlery on the table and looked at the phone. It was her elder brother. “Hello brother. Hello Madhu, where are you? I am in Kuala Lumpur, for an award ceremony. Why? Oh, I am sorry, but I have some sad news for you.” Madhu felt a cold chill in her heart, suddenly concerned, as his voice was quite unusual. “I am sorry I felt it was important to inform you Madhu. Inform me what? It’s about Venu. What of him brother? I am sad to say that he is no more. We came to know that today afternoon! His wife could manage to contact me and gave me the sad news!

What!!!" Her brother kept saying something and hung up. Madhu couldn’t understand what he said. She was simply aghast, stupefied, and shocked. She sank back into her chair. A silent tear fell down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it off before anyone else could see it. Quickly sipping a glass of water, she arose and made her way out. The chauffeur was waiting outside. She didn't utter a word and he drove her back to her hotel. Inside the car she closed her eyes feeling exhausted and a little faint. The news though shocking, was however, not devastating. Venu had left her long back in life and there hardly was an emotional connect ever between them for ages. The man was more a moral wreck than a man proper. Still, he was her husband and she had loved him dearly at some point in her life. Is it possible? Was it why she was having all the weird sensations over the last few hours? Was it the universe telling her the news? As soon as she returned to her room, she called her brother again. She enquired how Venu passed away. He then asked her when she was returning and if she would go for the cremation, of her ex-husband. She said she’d call upon returning and hung up. She crashed on to the bed and stared at the ceiling. Twelve years of her prime life she was with Venu, from the time she was just twenty-one, when she was married. All her memories seemed to fly past her. It has been ten years that she did not hear from him. And now this. She closed her eyes and her entire life seemed to roll again.

The Beginning

A group of six- to ten-year-olds were busy playing in the park of a residential colony, unmindful of the summer heat that was sweltering even as the evening drew close. This was a daily routine of most of the children of the neighbourhood after school, just as anywhere else, the difference being that very few girls would be seen in the groups; in fact, one would hardly find a girl or two in

Dr. P. Madhurima Reddy

a group of a dozen boys or so. “Madhu, Madhu…!” A loud shrill voice was heard, from a short distance. “Oh dear, look at you Madhu, all dirtied up! And what are you doing out here playing with the boys? Don’t you know that girls from respected families are not supposed to mingle with boys? What would our neighbours say! Come back now!” So saying, a middle aged lady walked briskly to an eight year old girl who was busy with the boys playing young innocent games. The moment she heard her grandmother’s voice the little girl who was building some odd structure in the mud stood up and the boys who were helping her moved aside a little. As soon as she heard the footsteps and the voice of her granny, the little one made a run for it and kept her distance from the woman, with the expression of not wanting to be caught. “Grandmother, I was not here even for a few minutes, I want to play, you please go, I’ll come back later. Enough of it Madhu, this is not the behaviour expected from girls of decent families. Look how dirty you look, more like a good for nothing tramp. Come back now.” The girl reluctantly walked to her grandmother, who held her and dusted her clothes and hair, and holding her by the hand, led her away out of the park from the boys. Seeing her leaving, a few boys came running to them. “Granny, why do you always do this? Why can’t you just let us play? We are just about to finish building the house in the mud, and Madhu was doing it very well. Please let her finish and then you can take her.” So saying, one of the boys held Madhu’s hand and tried to tug her away from her grandmother. The woman was incensed and gave the boy a straight slap. “Hey, you naughty rascal, how dare you touch my girl, just

go and do it yourselves. Why do you need a girl to do that? Madhu will never come and mix with you dirty boys again, go on, leave now, get out, get away!” And she dragged the girl away who was now in a half crying state, while the disappointed boys walked back to what they were doing, the one who was slapped, smarting from the blow, and exasperated at this treatment. Nevertheless, this was a regular phenomenon and things usually didn’t go beyond the situation. Such was the culture in most regions of India, where typically every girl from a respectable household was groomed, sculpted, and moulded to fit into the stereotypes that long held the reigns in an icy grip. A woman is made purely to be within the household, within the confines of the walls of a home, to be reared, given a basic education, and married off to take care of the husband and mother her children, that’s all. A woman was just that, nothing more. Her contribution to a family was only limited to cooking for the family, cleaning the household, bringing up the children and listening to the imperatives of her husband, her in-laws and her maternal family. Independence!!! What was that!? Madhu was born in a family that lived by this precept, for generations. The Reddy Rajas that she descended from, were the erstwhile lords and small-time rulers around the region, and a patriarchal system was highly prevalent in the society therein. Women were meant to be married off, bear children and be the caretakers of the family, with an unquestionable devotion to the husband being their sole duty. And most of it came from the ancient practice that women brought upon themselves. The elder women would induce and reinforce the idea in the younger female generations that this is what their purpose was and that they should abide by it under every circumstance. And the

Dr. P. Madhurima Reddy

girls would fall in place accepting that this is what they were made for. Men, however, were given the mantle of running the house, earning, and providing for the family. The practice went on for ages, and no one questioned the system. It just was the way and women happily accepted it, never ever questioning the concept. Acceptance ran in their blood. Madhu’s father was a well-educated man and a respectable and socially renowned personality. He was the Director and Head of Physical Education in SK University and created unique concepts in the stream, helping the government and the administration to strengthen the importance of physical education in the younger generation. He pioneered the cause of creating formal post graduate qualifications in Physical Education and was instrumental in bringing in the course MPEd, MPhil and Doctoral degrees in SK University. He was often invited for talks, workshops and conferences across the country and even officially visited several countries representing India. Among his network were important people such as IAS and IPS officers, senior government functionaries, politicians, landlords and businessmen. And there would be lots of get-togethers at the household in which many such important individuals would often participate. Madhu herself was a very shy and demure girl and usually kept to herself and was quite content to be at home within the walls that surrounded her. She had an elder brother and a younger one and all of them went to good schools. Madhu’s grandmother, i.e. her mother’s mother, was looked at as the elder of the house and she set the rules of the household, especially for women. By herself she was married off at an early age of twelve and by thirteen was a mother. But sadly, soon after, she lost her husband and was taken back into her maternal family where she grew to formalise her stature as a woman with a voice in the entire family. Her only child grew up to become Madhu’s mother. Gradually in Madhu’s household, her grandmother became the most dominant personality, and she would decide everything

for the well-being of the family, and since she did it well, the entire family would look upon her as the driving force of the family and would follow her directives to the tooth. She would take pains to teach Madhu the qualities of the ideal woman of a typical Reddy family and all the virtues of womanhood that women of the household are expected to follow. Thus, in time it became evident that anyone in Madhu’s shoes was destined to fall in place and b e and do what everyone else was and did as a woman. Her father never said anything else to Madhu that his mother-in-law did not. And nor did her own mother. So, growing up in such an orthodox household was naturally bound to affect anyone as it did Madhu. In such a family, a woman’s education was considerably less important. It was only to help her educate her children to the extent of what she could. Hailing from such a descent, Madhu believed that she was destined to be just like all the other women of the culture. So, she never grew any strong like for her studies and was just an average student managing to just pass her exams in order to be promoted. In her Tenth standard, the onset of her untimely puberty made her most uncomfortable during her examinations, that she simply could not pass them. But she managed to clear her supplementary exams and proceeded with her further studies. Sports interested her immensely and she loved short and long sprints and relays, and the physically demanding games like Kabaddi, Kho-Kho and Athletics, in which she was active till her graduation. While all the parameters were drawn at home for her lifestyle as a girl, within the boundaries of her home, she was the princess and would be treated like a queen by everyone. She was never denied anything she wanted and whatever material things she sought were made available to her in an instant. The pampering was so much that she never really bothered what was beyond the walls of her home, other than her college or her relatives’ homes.

Dr. P. Madhurima Reddy

Within no time she passed her degree and chose to join a postgraduation in English. In her entire family and its network of friends and relatives, English was the order of the day. Anyone with an M.A in English meant a great sense of respect and since Madhu herself displayed no keen interest in pursuing any technical qualification, nor there being any need for such a pursuit, her father encouraged her to take up English for her post-graduation. And soon enough when she had completed her first year and her exams were due, someone close to the family brought forth a marriage proposal for Madhu. Madhu’s father was always for discipline in the family and believed that whichever family that Madhu would be married into must have such a background. He had rejected a few proposals that came up before, because he was not confident of their stature and background. He, as any responsible parent would dream of, naturally sought only a comfortable and happy future for his only daughter. Of her father’s friends there were several who were in the army and some who later shifted to the police forces or joined the government in some important bureaucratic position. A lot of interaction used to occur with his friends from the forces. He believed that the best people in the society are from the defence since their culture and discipline would make them extraordinary citizens. Their frequent meetings and get-togethers also gave inspiration to all his children about the culture in the defence. Even his eldest son was put in the Army School, and now had become a full-fledged officer serving in the Indian Army. When the proposal was brought to Madhu’s dad by someone close to the family, he wasted no time in letting the family collectively endorse it. They found that the boy hailed from a respected well to do family and that he was the only son and a well-qualified handsome personality working as an officer in the Indian Airforce. Without much ado, Madhu’s father proceeded to go ahead with the proposal. The boy Venu came and saw Madhu as was the traditional practice of the groom seeing the bride and

declared his interest in the proposal. Both the boy and girl agreed and soon the wedding was formalised. As per the family’s understanding, Madhu would be given away to the boy’s family with a considerable property in the form of gold, cash, and property, which in other terms were dowry for her marriage. It was a practice going on for centuries and few objected to it. Madhu was not made party to any of these discussions as it was the practice that these parleys were held only by the elders of the house and the parents. The wedding was planned for a period of five days with festivities and celebrations that were part of the event, both preceding and following the main nuptial ceremony. Beautiful wedding cards were printed and a guest list of over ten thousand people was made. Since no function or wedding hall was large enough to accommodate such a large gathering, the city’s largest stadium i.e. Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy Stadium, was chosen as the venue by both the parties. As per the arrangement, the entire wedding costs were to be borne by the bride’s family, and as a traditional practice in a Hindu family, the wedding would be conducted by the bride’s family and the reception hosted after the wedding day would be held by the groom’s family. For the wedding, the cost of the bride’s clothes and some jewellery including the ‘mangalasutram’ would be provided by the groom. This was discussed and pre-agreed by both the parties in this case. The entire program was in place, and the wedding was just five days away with preliminary festivities having already begun. Abruptly one day, the groom’s parents summoned Madhu’s parents for a meeting. Madhu’s father was a little surprised at this since everything was already discussed, agreed upon and decided, but he met them nevertheless, just to clear up anything that may have been left undecided. The groom Venu’s father upon opening the discussions said

Dr. P. Madhurima Reddy

to Madhu’s father: “Listen Chinnappa Reddy, we had overlooked one important thing during the finalisation of the wedding. I thought we had agreed and finalised everything in front of elders and witnesses. What was left?” Madhu’s father queried, puzzled. “Oh nothing, this was anyway mutually agreed so I don’t think you should have any issue now. Please be clear, and if there is anything left for me to do let me know, I would be glad to complete it. We do know your sincerity Chinnappa Reddy, so here is what we want. Whatever property including Gold, Cash, and properties that you have promised to give along with your daughter, must be handed over to us immediately before the marriage. “ Madhu’s father was stupefied. “Why the sudden urgency? You see, we want to be safer than sorry. What if you go back on your promises after the marriage? Sir, I am quite shocked! Please remember, I am giving my daughter to this household, she is my most valuable possession, and I am surprised that you should speak to me this way! All this talk is secondary, you must make arrangements to transfer the property immediately for the wedding to take place. And please waste no further time. We are waiting.” Madhu’s father left their house stunned and speechless at this fresh and cunningly well played demand. He returned home and gathered his family around and told them what had transpired. Madhu was very upset on knowing this. But there was little anyone could do at that time. In a couple of days, the wedding was due, and this development came in the least expected time.

But when Madhu came to enquire, she was quickly dismissed by both her parents as well as her grandmother and even her elder brother. “Madhu, this is not a matter of your concern, we will resolve it. It is not your responsibility. We have given our commitment and we will do the needful. You must not involve or interfere in these issues.” Not knowing what to do, Madhu simply retired to her room. The next day, her father went ahead with the necessary formalities of transferring the property and handed over all that was demanded as part of the dowry by the groom’s parents. But these entire developments played down on Madhu’s conscience, and she felt quite disturbed. Her father went to meet Venu’s father for the handover and in no time, it was done. Uttering a sigh of relief, when he was finally about to leave, the groom’s father stopped him yet again. “Listen there’s one more thing!” Chinnappa Reddy closed his eyes and paused in expectation of something more even as he arose and was about to leave. “We decided that the cost of the reception we have planned will need to be borne by you, and you must also purchase the gold and the mangalasutram, and the bride’s clothes yourself and give it to us to present to you.” This time he was outraged. “So, what exactly is it that you are giving my daughter for the marriage? How could you so coldly say these things when the marriage is just two days away. Did we not agree in front of other elders? There are no more elders other than you and me in the matter. Just do what you are told, and the wedding will go on smoothly!”

Dr. P. Madhurima Reddy

Without a word, Madhu’s father rose and left. By evening he sent the additional gold, the bride’s clothes, and the cash through a family member. There was nothing he could do. His reputation and his daughter’s life, both were at stake. Adding to the insult, he painfully found that his would be son-in-law was very much present at these meetings and did little more than nod to whatever demands his father raised. Though he was immensely hurt and offended, he nevertheless took it in his stride. Though he convened his family and detailed everything that transpired between him and Venu’s father, there was little that they could do other than complete the wedding and send Madhu to her in-laws family honourably. His only precious daughter is being married and that’s all that mattered. However, it did not occur either to his mind or to anyone in his family that he was sending his little angel to a family filled with avarice of the highest degree and without the faintest idea of whether she would have a happy and comfortable future there. The wedding was one of the grandest events in the region as also in Madhu’s life as thousands of guests thronged the Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy stadium for the function. The biggest politicians of the region, celebrities, sports personae, and several important people from the society turned up at the event. Scores of the most dainty and delectable dishes were laid out for the guests in a banquet that resembled nothing less than that of an emperor. The event followed by the Reception two days later also was a massive celebration, the culmination of which bought the wedding to a close. The entire celebrations ended in a couple of days after Madhu was sent to her husband’s place, putting an end to the phase of her pre-marital life, and opening a new chapter for a life within Venu’s household. Madhu’s family completed all the formalities that were necessary to assure her comfort and she began to take on her role as the traditional woman in a Rayalaseema Reddy family.

Life With Venu

Around this time Madhu’s husband Venu was a Pilot Officer at the Indian Airforce and was continuing his posting at Tambaram near Chennai. Madhu gradually began to don the responsibilities of a housewife, taking good care of her husband and learnt to cook a number of meat and vegetable dishes since he was particularly fond of them. After staying for a few months at her in-laws home, she began to understand what life meant as a wife and as a daughter and sister-in-law. There would be regular visits from her parents and every time they would arrive with lots of gifts and money to hand over to her and their son-in-law. At her in-laws’ home even as she began to settle down, she soon began to witness that her husband and her father-in-law continuously engaged in trading of shares. They would be so engrossed in them, that she thought for a while that she did not exist for them. Such was the depth of their involvement and Venu himself would seem obsessed with it so much, that it eventually became a vice. At the end of each such session every day, he would mostly sulk and display his impatience and temper over everything. She soon realised that he displayed these tantrums every time he lost money, and that he did plentifully. Every now and then he would demand money from Madhu’s parents saying that he lost his savings and earnings in shares and that he needed more and more. And the incidents became more and more frequent, much to her embarrassment and discomfort. Madhu’s father would constantly keep sending them more and more money and sold a considerable amount of his lands to supply them with the cash demanded. Whenever Madhu would object to these demands by Venu, both he and his father would reprimand her and say unpleasant things to her about her family which annoyed and distressed her. But she always refrained from retorting since that was the counsel she was given by her parents, and she began to think of it as a part of her life.

Dr. P. Madhurima Reddy

Once when these demands became too much to bear, she spoke back against her father-in-law and her husband at which they grew very angry with her and warned her with serious consequences. They threatened that they might be compelled to ask her to pack her bags and go back to her parents if her father failed to pay them the money they demanded, or if she raised her voice against them in any possible way. In exasperation when she called her father and told him what happened and requested him not to yield, her father and her elder brother went on a lengthy charade telling her it was not her concern and that it was not her call and that she should just listen to her husband and her in-laws and all this was their responsibility and that she need not be perturbed on this account. Her father time and again told her that it was the culture of the region and in a typical Reddy family, these things were normal and that she should be the least concerned. Her elder brother had already joined the army as a commissioned officer by then and her younger brother was preparing to go to the US for his job and a possible career there. Madhu knew that her elder brother had a strong voice at home, and after her father it was him that she had to listen to in her maternal home. As all these developments began to frustrate her, Madhu began to feel stifled, depressed and vexed with these happenings that were going on a regular phase. As she kept contemplating how she can find relief in such circumstances, suddenly it dawned upon her that completing her unfinished MA might just put her mind at peace. She immediately put her plan into action and one fine day openly declared to her in-laws that she decided to complete her MA which she abandoned on account of her marriage. Before they could react, she audaciously went on to add, that her marriage gave her absolutely no happiness contrary to what she and her maternal family had dreamt of, and perhaps completing her postgraduation may give her a sense of peace.

Both her husband and her father-in-law were numbed as if she fed them a live frog. But Madhu put forth her decision firmly saying nothing can stop her from this decision. They immediately called her father and told him that they did not like her defiance and that they were never told that she would be pursuing further studies after marriage. However, Madhu’s father told them that he would talk to her and tell her not to pursue the idea. He later called her and spoke to her at length saying that she would find peace and happiness only if she listened to her husband and her in-laws, and urged her not to take any step that would precipitate matters for herself at her in-laws. But Madhu had enough and said that it was impossible, and that she had decided in her mind on it and would complete her MA, come what may. Finally, she quietened down and apologetically spoke and managed to convince everyone that her education mattered to her, and it should not worry them as it would only improve her further, and also would increase their own reputation. There was nothing anyone could do in the situation and subsequently both the parties sobered down appalled at the degree of obstinacy she demonstrated. With no further acts from her in-laws to prevent her from carrying out her wish, Madhu began to prepare for her exam. A mediocre student that she always was, she had never found studies interesting either at school or at college and went there only to please her father. She never scored beyond average and once she had even failed in her high school exam. But now, she found a strange strength in herself in pursuing her intent to complete her MA. She genuinely began to study hard, working herself out even while she attended to her household duties and her duties to her husband. Her grit and determination to succeed in her goal, gave her immense power. When the examinations arrived, she took on them with perfect confidence and surprised everyone including her own self at the ease with which she handled them. The results that were

Dr. P. Madhurima Reddy

announced six weeks later, were more than electrifying. Her name stood in the top five of the university toppers for MA in English, in the Sri Krishnadevaraya University. She was thrilled beyond description and her happiness knew no bounds. Her parents and siblings appeared equally overjoyed at her performance and all her college faculty applauded her for her striking performance. But sadly, neither her husband nor her inlaws put in a word of appreciation. But Madhu cared little for their endorsement and her joy was boundless. This overwhelming success planted a new seed of interest in her to study further notwithstanding how her in-laws might react. Around this time Venu was transferred to Belgaum in Karnataka to the Airforce Station at Sambra and she had to shift there with him. Soon Madhu acclimatised herself to this new life and for a while, things seemed to improve. Madhu set about making friends of the other officers’ wives and in a few weeks, she established herself as a strong link in a group of four ladies. She and another lady, Meena were the youngest of the group and they began meeting everyday for morning and evening walks. In about eight to twelve months of the marriage, Madhu conceived. However, and most disappointingly so, there was little joy in her husband’s family over her pregnancy. Venu began to lose more and more money on shares and Madhu became the object of his frustration. Her determination to study incensed him all the more and he found opportunity to take her to task at every instance, sometimes scaring her severely; and this relentless behaviour began to show on her health. He would shout at her, throw things, and go on a rampage, falling short of beating her up, whenever he lost money in share broking. And he would blow into a volcanic fury when Madhu would refuse to ask her father for money. He would often threaten her with divorce, a word she never came across in her life before. He would threaten of smudging her father’s family name with all unfounded things unless she brought him more money. But with all this

unending harassment, Madhu still maintained her poise with her friends never missing an opportunity to go for her walks. Time flew and she was in the seventh month of her pregnancy. One morning she heard a lot of disturbance and voices around the colony and the siren of an ambulance. Wondering what, she opened the curtains of the window and peeped outside. In front of the house of her friend Meena, whose house lay diagonally opposite to their own, she found a large group of people, officials and an ambulance parked. Venu wasn’t there. She quickly went down to find out what happened. Even as she hastened to the place, the police brought out a body on a stretcher, and some of the crowd broke into a high-pitched wail. It was Meena. She had immolated herself… burnt herself to death. Madhu was shocked, stupefied and stunned at the misfortune. Only three days before they both had met, walked together, and laughed, and in just the passing of a couple of nights, this. She could not stop crying. It was the first time in her life that she witnessed someone killing themselves and that too in the most gruesome of manners, and someone she knew pretty closely. No one knew why Meena killed herself. Her husband was a senior officer and appeared a pleasant person. She never had reason to believe that he may have been responsible for her extreme step. It remained a mystery. Back home she was completely broken. She never had such an experience. She never saw someone die, more importantly kill themselves, and someone who was a close friend! For the next few days, she hardly spoke, ate very little and had bad dreams and only broken sleep. In her mind, she somehow began to think, that perhaps if Meena had spoken to her or confessed to her about any serious underlying problem she was facing, probably she would have been able to talk her out of it. And the thought of helping out people in such serious emotional states, was thus planted into her. In such a state that Madhu herself was, it did not occur to her husband in any manner to offer the slightest consolation. He

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continued his gambling which showed no signs of reducing. When she attempted to discuss the suicide with him, he just dismissed her saying, that there was no need for her to get so upset as such things happen everywhere and told her to stop thinking about it. As luck would have had it, a few weeks later, Madhu came to know of yet another suicide; that of one of her close friends whom she grew up with. It was her schoolmate Geeta, who was reported to have jumped from a high rise building to her death. Madhu was truly heartbroken at this development. Two suicides of her close friends in a span of just few weeks. In the weeks that followed, Venu lost lakhs and lakhs of Rupees in shares and became a wreck of himself. And it came to pass that things became so bad between him and Madhu that they stopped talking to each other, ate separately and slept in different rooms. Eventually one fine day when she entered her eighth month, on an evening that appeared gloomier than usual, Venu made way to her room and addressed her. “Listen Madhu, all the money and the gold your parents gave so far is irrecoverably lost in shares. I am in serious debt and no help is coming from anywhere. I have no more monetary resources and my life has become a zero. You must immediately ask your father to sell whatever lands he has marked in your name and give me the money so I can pay back my debtors. I don’t want you to retort. Just do as I say. I am tired of living with you anyway. If you do not do this, you can go and live the rest of your days with your father as I will give you a divorce. Just do it or you and your family will repent forever.” Madhu did not respond. True to his threat, the next day Venu took her and left her at her parental home and went back without a word to his in-laws. Madhu didn’t know whether to be happy or sad. But back here at her parents’ home she felt immensely and genuinely relieved that she could escape the ceaseless bombardment of her husband. In a couple of days after she was brought home, her father

and her brothers spoke to her and enquired in detail about her experiences in her in-laws place. Madhu broke down several times at the state of abandonment she was in and conveyed clearly that her husband cared but little for her and that she felt as worthless as a piece of unused furniture at his house. As her parents and her siblings heard everything, they calmed and consoled her. Her father asked her pardon for getting her married into the wrong family but said that it was in her best interest that they married her into it. And that it was impossible to expect that they would turn out as they did. At one point in the course of their conversations, her father even suggested that she undergo an abortion and get it over with, in deep agony and anguish, not realising that she was in such an advanced stage of pregnancy that such a thing would have been impossible without putting her life to the risk of death. Of course, Madhu said a straight NO and insisted on bearing the child. Realising the absurdity of this suggestion again, her parents consoled her saying that the child may just be a fortune and might possibly cause their son-in-law to change and become a responsible husband and father once again. With a faint hope Madhu just smiled and went on with her routine, while she awaited the delivery of her child. A month later she delivered at a maternity hospital. It was a son. Her son brought great joy to the household as it was the first grandchild in the family and the arrival was celebrated with great gusto. Madhu herself was very happy and for quite some time was lost in the joy of bringing a new life to the earth in the form of her own son. The news reached Venu, but his response was casual. He didn’t elicit any interest in visiting his wife or child and appeared unaffected, much to the surprise of his own parents. But Madhu knew that this was to be, and it surprised her little. He, however, came on the ninth day of his son’s birth, possibly just to avoid unnecessary talk within his circles about his being irresponsible. After a couple of hours, he plainly left. After this episode, looking at this, the prospect of getting back to her

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husband seemed more worrisome to Madhu. She felt he didn’t change at all. His arrogance, his overbearing attitude and his narcissism were only much more clearer. For twenty-two years of her life Madhu was treated with absolute care at her parental home. She was treated like an angel, pampered by her grandmother, her parents, her brothers, her distant relations, and everyone in the neighbourhood. She was presented with the choicest clothes, given the best toys and treats and was loved with such great affection that heaven itself might not have offered more. The one thing that they didn’t give her was freedom or exposure to anything outside the house. But because she was denied nothing, Madhu never ever felt any deficiency in her bring up. Twenty-two years of her beautiful life just came to a stunning turnaround with her miserable marriage into a miserable family of avaricious men who cared more for money than for morality. As the weeks passed and Madhu grew stronger and suckled her baby, she felt more distant to her husband and closer to her son. Four months passed but still there was no sign of him, and that was a little alarming and puzzling. Word came to them that he was well and about at Belgaum, and that he appeared quite normal. Back home Madhu now very strangely, began to experience new attitude from her parents and her brothers, something that she never believed could happen. One fine day her parents and her brothers all convened a meeting in the hall with Madhu being at the centre of the agenda. “Madhu, we were all discussing about your future.” Said her father. “What of my future father, is there anything wrong? In our families, once a girl is married into another family, that household becomes primary to her. Her maternal home is only meant for an occasional visit, no more. Father what do you mean?”

At this juncture her brother joined in. “Listen sister, it has been four months that you have delivered and there’s no indication about your husband coming back for you. At this juncture, it is time you went back to your husband’s place by yourself. That is your future home, and your place will always be beside your husband. Not here.” When realisation dawned upon Madhu, that she was no longer welcome at her father’s home, she felt a stream of tears rolling down her cheeks. She picked up her son and rushed into her bedroom. At that her mother followed her in and hugged her warmly. “Mother,” Madhu whispered in her ears. “For once please call Venu and tell him to come and take me back. If he doesn’t, I will leave and find some place to live by myself. I have realised my place here in your household.” And she broke down once again. Her mother consoling her, assured her that she would call her son-in-law immediately and check why he hasn’t turned up yet to see his family. She immediately instructed her elder son to call Madhu’s husband and find out what his actual intent was. Her son proceeded with the call and Venu gave some weird defence at not being able to visit his wife. He however said it was not his plan to abandon or leave her and that he would come in a few days to collect her and his child. This news seemed relieving to all of them. Though Madhu dreaded the idea of going back to Venu, she knew there was nothing she could do in the matter. He was her husband and she had to live with him, howsoever bad he may be. That was the social norm and even her own parental household stood by the maxim. Everyday became a living torture now at this so-called home. Her relatives, her brother’s friends, her father’s friends, all of them who would visit the household to see Madhu and her son would offer their own two cents about how important it is for a

Dr. P. Madhurima Reddy

married lady with a child, to live with her husband. She became a punchbag and the object of every unnecessary counsel that was possible. And everyone who advised her would only eulogise the characteristics of the ideal Reddy girl and how the region of Rayalaseema made it imperative for women to stick to their husbands irrespective of how they were. If the woman was not able to groom her husband to her requirements, it was definitely her problem, not the man’s; all of them would tell her in unison. Madhu began to wonder why she was born at all and if life was really worth if she had to experience such obnoxiousness in her routine. She began to experience suicidal thoughts. In about three weeks after the call, the fifth month after the baby was born, Madhu’s husband arrived at his father in law’s place to take his wife and child away with him. His arrival was greeted with warmth and Madhu’s parents did everything in their power to make him feel comfortable and well taken care of. In a couple of days Madhu and her child, with new hope, were sent away with him to Belgaum where Venu was continuing his posting. Back at Belgaum Madhu’s son who began to grow plump and cherubic, and ruddy and healthy, was a hit with the neighbourhood ladies and other youngsters and teens. For some time, Madhu, with her friends, began enjoying her life once again at Belgaum. Though she did miss her friend she avoided thinking of her to lessen her own pain. But old habits die hard as goes the saying and true to this saying, Venu began reverting to his old days, with a marked escalation in the intensity of his drinking and smoking and again gambling away on the share market. And he never seemed to be satisfied with what little gains he may have made; he lost in several lakhs, but this compulsive habit made no display of ending. He ended up being in large debts, borrowing money even from employees who are much lower in rank to him and became a subject of utter ridicule. Madhu on the contrary found employment in a nearby Kendriya Vidyalaya and began teaching there. This was a great relief to her and kept her from thinking about her husband. She

also approached the unit commander and asked him if she can conduct some counselling sessions and training for the families of the personnel posted there. The commander readily agreed and in a matter of time, Madhu became a hit as a sensible and empathetic speaker. Once the higher-level officers found her sessions interesting, they invited her to take such sessions for the personnel themselves. This not only became her passion but also began to help her earn independently. Word spread that a certain lady was offering good quality training programmes in the unit and even schools and colleges in the neighbourhood began approaching Madhu for her sessions. With all these positive developments she seemed happy for the moment Then one fine day in the middle of the night she received a phone call saying that Venu and one of his friends had a major car accident. It appeared that both he and his friend were excessively drunk and lost control while driving fast and dashed against a tree on the curve of a road enroute to Sambra. The car was a complete wreck, and it would have been impossible for anyone to survive such a crash. Venu was found unconscious with multiple fractures on all his limbs and several of his ribs had cracked. He had injuries on his head, his jaw, and lesions all across the body, and had lost considerable blood. But he was breathing and alive. His friend was fortunate to have suffered very little injury as he had been thrown out into nearby bushes as the car door jarred open due to the impact and escaped with just a few bruises. The good commandant of the unit immediately summoned a team of doctors to treat Venu and arranged for his emergency airlift to the Command Hospital at Pune. His injuries were life threatening and if emergency treatment was not done, he was certain to lose his life. This quick step went a long way in saving the man. Madhu quickly got the news about the accident after he was airlifted to Pune, and in a state of shock, she immediately called her parents and also her in-laws. The officers of the unit also quickly arranged for her transport to Pune. The next day, with a trembling heart she went to see him. He was unconscious of course.

Dr. P. Madhurima Reddy

When she learnt of the nature and the seriousness of his injuries, she wondered if he would ever be able to walk again. The doctors however reassured her that though his healing could take considerable amount of time, he was likely to be restored to good health. They gave him a tentative period of six months to two years for complete recovery. But she was advised to take the most diligent care of him without which his chances of survival were meagre. The next day she was joined by her parents and her brothers, and in a while her in-laws turned up at the hospital too. Upon seeing her son in such a state, his mother raised a din crying loudly as she was consoled by her husband who in a burst of emotion pointed at Madhu which meant that she was to blame for their son’s predicament. Madhu was dumb struck, and as her tears flowed freely, the commotion quickly brought her parents to her defence. Before it grew to be a full-blown fight however, sense prevailed in her parents, and they avoided further confrontation with them knowing well that it would fetch them nothing. Venu’s parents did not stay even for a few days, saying that it is Madhu’s responsibility now to take care of him and left huffily. Madhu wondered how any parents could so easily abandon their own son and walk away so casually and irresponsibly. But knowing them fully well, she quickly forgot about them and got back to her duties. Her brother and her parents gave her a good amount of money and found her a place to stay a few minutes’ walk from the hospital. The doctor said that she would have to stay for close to a year and take care of him. After about three days or so, she requested her parents to take her son Vishaal with them since she had no support of taking care of him there. Her mother gladly agreed and took the darling toddler with them back home. Once Venu came back to his senses, in about a fortnight, each day for the next six months, Madhu would clean him with a wet sponge, bathe him, change his clothes, renew his bandages,

prepare food for him, and do everything that would lighten up his pain and hasten his recovery. She would take him around for fresh air in his wheelchair and talk to him to keep him in good spirits. The routine was exhaustive. In the evenings she would go back to her room. She learnt to ride a two-wheeler since commuting would be easier and acquired one. She also began to learn to drive a fourwheeler so that she could purchase things and carry them back in a car which would be easier in her care for Venu. After eight months of tender care and responsible treatment from Madhu, Venu was discharged from the hospital, and returned to Belgaum. Vishaal meanwhile was still with Madhu’s parents, and they enjoyed taking care of him. He developed a very strong bond with his grandparents as he grew up. It, however, took nearly three years of intense care for Venu to become normal again. And in the first year that he was in his convalescence, he was well behaved and never uttered a word against Madhu. In a way it appeared that he knew if he misbehaved with his wife again, he might be deprived of the diligent care she showed him, and thus kept himself balanced. Probably this was Madhu’s quietest if not the happiest period in her marital life. On her part Madhu began to understand the value of money and started saving whatever she could. Her elder brother gave her a large monetary gift and her parents also were generous in their offerings to her. They felt she was in a sad situation and that it was their duty to help her. In many ways Madhu was grateful to her family for their massive help during this time. And every Rupee she earned and whatever she received from her family, she began to invest in lands, since she began to realise that an estate like land can only appreciate. In the second year after Venu’s accident, Madhu requested her parents to return her son, since her husband was recovering, and it was time she took care of her own child. After Vishaal was returned to her, Madhu had to balance her timings between taking care of her husband, her son and also her job. She began being

Dr. P. Madhurima Reddy

involved in taking training sessions in soft skills, women empowerment, and personality improvement for both the unit personnel as well as for a few organisations and institutions in the neighbourhood. Since Venu was recovering and was able to move around on his own, atleast in the house, it was a relief to Madhu. Once she realised that he could manage himself without too much difficulty she occasionally delegated him the responsibility of looking after Vishaal. Venu did not object and for a few months it was going fine. But one cannot chain the devil inside for too long and his old side was desperately waiting to manifest itself once again. Gradually he began to display his former aggression and was desperate to get back to his former ill-behaved ways. He knew Madhu had been earning well and that she had been receiving monetary gifts from her family and that she had invested in real estate. As he began to walk, even though with an obvious limp, he got back to his former practice of share trading and once again started his drinking and smoking. Madhu initially felt it was harmless since he did not pester her for money as before and thought if it engaged him a little it was better that way, and perhaps it would fasten his recovery and he could go back to work. Things went on this way for a few weeks. One day a tired Madhu trotted across the street, alighting from a bus at the designated bus stop, and in a few minutes was at her door. She knocked the door and waited for a few moments. From the inside she could hear a faint cry of her baby. Disturbed at this and having had no response from inside, she knocked a little harder that almost felt like a push and was surprised that the door gave away and opened a little indicating that it was not bolted from inside. She pushed it quickly and went inside. The hall was empty, and her baby who was just about fourteen months old, was weeping, tugging at a metal chain that was tightly wrapped around one of his legs.

Quickly, with trembling hands, she unchained her child who held on to her, crying unstoppably. The chain that he was leashed with, gave his ankles reddened blisters around where it bound him, and at a few places his skin broke and peeled off revealing patches of red tender flesh. Madhu grew hysterical. Though she knew Venu never cared for their child, she was utterly taken aback at this new low in his treatment of the infant. She understood that her baby was put on a leash by her husband so that he would not pose any trouble for him, were he be left free to move around. But treating an infant, and their own child, like a wild animal is beyond comprehension and she could take it no more. She rushed into Venu’s bedroom and found him with his back to the door, deeply engrossed in looking at the desktop’s screen, with a bottle beside him, scrolling up and down with his mouse. Completely oblivious to his wife’s barging in and unperturbed with the noise of her rushing in, he continued doing what he was. She stood there in silence for a moment, expecting him to turn around, but embittered that he didn’t even turn his head, wild with anger and with her baby clutching her firmly she went straight to the system and before he could react, pulled the power cord of the system out of the power socket. Too stunned at this sudden move, the man sprung up from his chair and ignoring that the child was in her arms, gave her a hard slap that made her recoil, stunned, and she could only save herself from falling by clutching wildly at his heavy chair. ‘How dare you interrupt my session, you, insolent fool!’ he roared. Then there was a momentary silence, with Madhu red with rage and staring into his eyes in utter dismay and absolute anger. Venu, quickly realising that he was at fault, backed away from her, but becoming angry again shouted ‘what do you expect?’ There was not a word from her. She knew that she could never confront this man. And with him fully drunk, there was no way she could handle him. Suppressing her anger but silently

Dr. P. Madhurima Reddy

moving away with tears rolling down her cheeks, she quickly went into her bedroom with her child and shut the door. She could neither react nor retort, nor could she do anything else! She crashed on to her bed breaking down in tears. However, in a few minutes she recovered, laid her child on the bed, washed herself and returning to her son, took him to her bosom and fed him. Instantly she felt a sense of relaxation and peace within her, and she lay back on her bed and soon fell asleep. After an hour she heard the loud knocking of her door and she jumped up from the bed. She knew it was the man she was married to. She quickly adjusted herself and opened the door. ‘What are you doing? Did you forget there is a man here and that you have to cook for him?’ Get out and start cooking woman!’ he sharply ordered. She slid past him and made her way to the kitchen. Cooking and serving was one of her most favourite passions and even in such a state she would not desist from performing to her best. After the cooking was done, she placed everything on the dining table and went to his room and knocked gently, indicating that dinner was ready. He came out staggering and went straight to the table, where she served him everything she cooked, without betraying any emotion. He silently ate to his fill without a word, and in a few minutes, was done. He did not bother to ask if she wasn’t going to eat or if their child was to be fed. He just went to the sink and washed his hands and without even looking back at her, again proceeded to his own room, where he once more settled in his chair to continue his work. Madhu went back to the dinner table but did not have the inclination to eat anything. How could she eat? But she knew she had to be strong for her baby and again tomorrow she had a strenuous session with the neighbourhood school teachers. She quickly gathered her senses and dumped a little food on her plate

and forced herself to eat whatever she could and was quickly done. She cleaned up the table, and as she was placing back the utensils in the refrigerator, she heard Venu coming to her, and geared herself up to what might be coming. He came close to her and quietly said ‘listen Madhu, I have lost lots of money trying my hand at the share market; in fact, I have lost everything and have already borrowed substantial amounts of money from my friends. I need money urgently or my debtors will be upon my head. You talk to your father and tell him to handover all the gold that he had kept for you. We will need to liquidate or sell it so that my debt is cleared, and I will have some money to put into stocks from where I am sure I’ll earn back all that I have lost. You must do this. Talk to your father tomorrow and tell him to give it to me immediately!’ Hearing this, Madhu felt all the more outraged. She summoned her strength and courage and suddenly retorted. ‘How many times will my parents give you money? How much more will you taunt them? And for what will they give you my gold? To throw it away on your shares madness? How much haven’t you lost so far? How much will you lose further? Did you forget that you have a family in which you are the father of a threeyear-old child? What kind of a man are you? Is this your responsibility? Have you ever really done anything for either me or your son? Don’t you even have some self-respect to keep begging my father each and every time your maniacal obsession with the stock market empties our lives?’ And she rushed back into her room crying loudly, and shut the door on his face, locking herself in with her son. At that, her husband quietened down and from outside her door said ‘enough of your tantrums, tonight I’ll let you sleep. But tomorrow morning the first thing you better do is to call your father, or you can pack your bags and go back to your parents permanently. I am saying this for our mutual good. You better

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listen to me.’ And he went back to his room. Madhu contemplated, ‘what kind of a person is he? Doesn’t he have the least shame or any sense of gratitude? How quickly has he forgotten how my care has brought him back! How many times can I ask my parents? Don’t they have their own problems? What should I do? Oh God! For twenty-two years I lived like a princess in my maternal home. I believed marriage into a good family will assure my future. But what have I landed into? What is my son’s future and mine, with a man like this? Oh God!’ But her sorrow again brought to the fore, her already severe migraine, further adding to her debilitating pain. She looked at her baby who was quietly asleep. Somehow amidst all this pain he comforted her, and she was glad that this comfort dragged her into a deep sleep for the moment. Madhu had no further recourse. The next morning as she woke up, she placed whatever earnings and investments she made in, front of him. Without so much as to even thanking her, he took everything and, in a week, liquidated all that she gave him and went on to pay his debtors. After this was over, Madhu had to work harder to earn, and he still stayed at home in his long sick leave. She did not inform her parents, since informing them would only add to her pain. These things played badly on her health, and she gradually developed a severe migraine and other health issues which also intermittently prevented her from performing her duties smoothly. In about three years he recovered completely and began to go back to work. She had long wanted to pursue her B.Ed. during their stay at Belgaum and had applied to the Regional College of Education, University of Mysore, obtaining her admission. Once a week, she would go to her classes handing over the care of Vishaal to one of her close friends in the neighbourhood whenever she had to go. She would stay put in a hostel close to the university during her visit to Mysore for her classes. Her persistence paid off and she came out in flying colours passing her B.Ed. in distinction, earning

yet another feather in her cap. It was during this phase that Venu sought transfer to his choice posting at Dindigul in Hyderabad, which was granted without much difficulty, enabling the family to shift there. As soon as they settled down at the place, Madhu went about scouting for opportunities for herself. In just a couple of weeks she could connect to the academy school and college, a KV which was close to the vicinity, and the unit hospital. And her work started again. Though things went as usual, Venu kept mostly to himself, and she managed to prepare food for them, take care of her son and again went to work. It was hectic. But Madhu felt a strange energy driving her. She didn’t feel pressure and enjoyed her work. The more she worked the better she felt, and somehow, she thought that some divine spiritual force was guiding her. In a few months she amassed enough money, and in an audacious step, went on to buy ten acres of land in Dindugal in the neighbourhood of the Airforce campus. She desperately tried to hide this information from Venu since she knew the moment he would find out, he would demand their papers. Her parents knew this and supported her in so far that they took the responsibility of keeping the papers of the land with them. Madhu also began to invest in government bonds and was careful to keep them safe, away from Venu’s knowledge. As for him, the quietude that he maintained for the first few weeks could no longer be. Once he became acclimatised to the new work schedule at the posting, his routine began to revert to his former ways. How much ever money he lost in his share gambling, he continued to trade. It was an obsession, a compulsive trait that he simply refused to overcome. Madhu never felt his drinking or smoking to be problematic, but she couldn’t bear to see him continuing this catastrophic vice that was share trading addiction. If he won a Thousand Rupees, he lost Ten. And it was a trend that would never change.

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Deeper and deeper, he got into debt and the phone at their home would ring non-stop from his debtors. He warned Madhu against answering any calls when he was away since he was mortally worried if it would be one of them. Things again precipitated to such extent that she was forced to complain both to her in-laws and her own parents. As expected, her in-laws openly supported their son saying it was her duty to support her husband by giving him everything she had. It continuously pained her that they never tried to counsel their son about his wayward ways. But what she was completely surprised with was that her family, especially her father and her elder brother also towed Venu’s line. They time and again kept saying that it mattered little to them how much money he demanded and that it was normal for any family to experience these issues. They had earlier tried to counsel him against this behaviour, but he seldom responded positively to them, so it disgruntled them to speak to him further. Her parents and her brothers always seemed to believe that it was actually Madhu's personal problem, which was of her own doing, rather than actually delving deep into it or finding a proper solution to her suffering. They did not seem to empathise with her being victimised and hence she often felt that they simply could not see her suffering or pain or her loneliness. This time however, Madhu was taken aback at their stance and asked them if her happiness actually ever mattered to them. They tried to console her saying that in a happy family, the husband must have his way and a wife’s happiness is only based on that. One day Madhu discovered that Venu stole bonds that she carefully saved, forged her signatures, and liquidated them and used them up. He would forge her signature on cheques also and draw cash from her bank account. Since he was an officer and the bankers knew Madhu, they believed that the cheques were genuine and without any suspicion handed over whatever money was drawn on the instruments. When Madhu would go to the bank to draw cash, she would often find heavy withdrawals in her

passbook statement, and when she would enquire how the withdrawals took place, they would tell her that she had issued the cheques herself and her husband had been drawing the amounts. Madhu was stunned but she couldn’t show it to anyone because it would be embarrassing to her and Venu would again victimise her and do something worse. So, she kept quiet not knowing what to do. Her father went on to say that these things were absolutely normal in a Reddy family, and Madhu need not unduly be disturbed about her husband’s behaviour. In one of the phone calls that she was having with her parents, Venu slyly heard her mentioning the land she acquired at Dindigul, and Madhu did not realise that he was eavesdropping on her. Venu also began to observe that Vishaal was her weakness and started to show his temper and impatience on him. Every time he had a difference with Madhu, he would bash up the little fellow ruthlessly, breaking her heart. Every time she refused to give him money, he would hit the little innocent child with a baton, or his belt and Madhu would fall at his feet begging him not to hurt the child and would give up whatever he demanded. While this mercilessness went on, the child naturally developed a severe hatred against his father which progressed to an intense phobia. Madhu having to manage everything, tried her best to protect him even putting him at day care when she had to work, and brought him back with her in the evening. She fortunately was able to recruit a fulltime couple, one who would take care of the house and another her driver. At this time, Venu’s craziness with shares got a tad higher. He made friends from Karvi, the hub of share trading activity in Hyderabad and they would land up every day at their home. They would discuss for hours together and exchange cheques and cash, something which used to bug Madhu more severely. He would go each day there at 2 pm and return late in the night. And each alternate day he would demand more money. Fed up with these episodes, one day Madhu confronted him and asked him what he

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meant doing all this? He simply retorted, “It is none of your business. I live my life the way I want, and I will do what I wish. You are no one to question me. And you have no right to even ask me. Didn’t your parents and my parents tell you? This is ‘My’ house and if you wish to continue to live here, you better shut up and listen to me. And ‘never, ever’ dare to question me again, or I will dump you on the road, beware!” She was used to this kind of rant, and it did not surprise her. But what put her off this time was the phrase ‘My House.’ So, who was she then? She had earlier heard the same phrase being used by Venu’s father. “This is ‘My House,’ and if you wish to live here, you should never ask any questions and pass comments against anything happening here.” And all this was happening right in front of their son who by now had grown to be about four years old and was beginning to understand things. He would become the punch bag of his father, every time an argument arose between his mother and father, for no reason. Venu would throw things at him and tell him to tell his mother to shut up, mortally scaring the little kid. He would break chairs and keep taunting the poor child, beating him up mercilessly and throw everything down from the dining table whenever Madhu asked him what he was doing with all their money. The moment she heard Venu repeating the same phrase ‘My House’ again, she developed an instant revulsion for the man and in that instant, she had the seed of rebellion planted in her. She decided to send Vishaal to her parents where he would be in peace rather than being beaten up every day by this sick man. Around this time Madhu’s parents had shifted to Hyderabad, purchasing a house and this fortunately became a convenience for her to shift her child. Most of the time Vishaal would spend at his grandparents, but everytime he was visited by his mother, would dread the idea of being taken back to face his father. But in a matter of good fortune, her younger brother got married and got well settled in the US. And to show he cared for her, he sent Venu

substantial amounts of money as a gift, instead of to her. Imagine how she would have felt! Madhu did not waste time and immediately set about investing the money in acquiring plots and lands. She was able to get some land at Bangalore and a good number of plots from Janachaitanya Housing in Hyderabad. While on her account Madhu was doing everything to improve their lives, her husband’s life became more desolate with his drinking, gambling, abusing and filled all such negativities. Madhu resolved not to let the man ruin her life and began to pursue even more academic qualifications. As they say, like draws like, with the positivity growing up in Madhu improving her building up assets and her net worth, this man only drew negativity all around, with his vices, and his uncouth buddies from the shares business, and continuously was bombarded by his creditors. On the outside he appeared to the one of the most handsome and thorough gentlemen and a good officer. But there were instances he went only for a couple of hours to office for a great number of days and would return quickly back home to carry on with his share gamble. Day in and day out it worsened, and Madhu wondered how he managed faking things at his office. Somehow as the matters stayed as they did, three years passed painfully, making life no better for Madhu. And as was the norm with a defence posting, Venu was transferred to Assam this time. Madhu hated these transfers. How so much ever she hated leaving Hyderabad, she had no other go but to accompany her husband to the place, along with her son. It was the beginning of yet another ordeal that she already knew would unfold in more serious ways than it did so far. Venu’s posting in Assam, however, was the beginning of a chapter that proved to be a turning point in Madhu’s life. In a few weeks of shifting there she began to scout for

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opportunities for herself. She was able to contact the chief of the Airforce station for conducting training sessions for the personnel there and for their spouses on important life skills, soft skills, and such programs. The concerned officer told her that she would be contacted in due course and she left hoping to receive the appropriate response. However even as days passed, she received no communique from the office of the station. Puzzled, she went to meet the official at the institute where she was expecting to work. When the official cross checked with her application, it was found that her application was simply set aside. This was an absolute disappointment for Madhu. But she requested the official to tell her if there was any specific reason that she was not empanelled. Though the man hesitated to answer he requested that he could answer only on the condition of anonymity. Further baffled by his answer, Madhu promised that she would not reveal the information to any one if he told her why her application was not considered. She had a good record and wherever she went, she was immediately offered a position since she was the most qualified and had excellent abilities. And hence it baffled her that it wasn’t so here. The official then revealed that her husband was a close friend of the station chief, and it was he who had requested the chief not to entertain any application of his wife’s by stating that spouses of higher officials shouldn’t be working as it showed them in poor light. And further he said Madhu’s working in the unit actually interfered with their family life and was likely to disturb his professional work. And so, he requested the chief to set aside any such application she may be making for working in the unit. Madhu was stunned and appalled at this turn of events. In the first instance she wanted to confront the station chief but knowing it might ruin any further chances of her future appointments, chose to kept quiet. But she was completely flabbergasted and quite heartbroken that her very husband could do something like that, after all that she had done for him.

But then she decided that nothing could stop her if she wanted to work; and the station was not the end of the world. Next morning, she found out the list of schools and colleges within a radius of five kilometres from the station and sent applications to all of them for the position of a soft skills and life skills trainer. Within a week she received responses from five institutes. She picked up the top three and went and gave her interviews. As was foreknown she was selected in all the three. In no time she got busy with these trainings. Her son who was now about six had to go to a good school and must be kept away from her issues she decided. She had in the last few months grown very close to one Mrs. Ray, the wife of one of the senior officers. Upon her advice and educated guidance she decided to enrol him in a school out of Assam with a decent boarding facility. It was precisely around the time that a nationwide entrance test for primary school admissions was being held by Lawrence School of Lovedale, Nilgiris, Ooty, and Tamil Nadu. Without a moment to spare she applied for Vishaal and prepared him for the entrance test. Vishaal appeared for the All-India test and joyfully for her, topped it. Madhu then went to Ooty and admitted Vishaal in the school and ensured he was given first class accommodation in the hostel. This was a major step in the education of her son, and it was a daring step. Lawrence was one of the most distinguished and accomplished schools in the country which had produced several national level businesses, political and social leaders in India. In her heart Madhu hoped that one day Vishaal would also grow to be an exemplary leader the nation would be proud of. After she returned to Assam and went on with her routine, once there was an officers’ dinner at the station to which even, she had to accompany her husband. In the dinner, several ladies attended and began to chat with one another about all things and sundry. In course of the discussions, there was one particular lady, the wife of a superior officer, who has been drinking for some time. She loudly made fun of Madhu, saying that she had been watching

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Madhu going out to work every day like a daily wage worker. She ridiculed her saying that Madhu’s working outside like a civilian put all the officers’ wives in shame, and that it definitely did not go well with the community. At this, Madhu who was normally quiet and kept to herself was absolutely enraged, but before she could retort, Mrs. Ray immediately came to her defence. She loudly responded that Madhu was doing nothing wrong and on the contrary was helping people improve their lives. And instead of making silly drunken rants it is better that the wives of all the other officers around learn from her and do something productive instead of sitting idly at home she said. There was absolute silence in the hall upon this remark and the woman who started this invective was dumbfounded. At this Madhu also broke her silence. She suddenly spurted loudly in a voice that boomed across the hall, that somebody who was present in the room had actually scuttled an opportunity for her to work in the unit just because he felt that women working there showed the men in poor light. So, saying, she walked out of the meeting in a huff. Venu who usually maintained his poise in public, slyly followed her back home. As obvious it seemed, a lengthy argument ensued between them as a result of Madhu’s outburst at the party. Venu said that she tore down his self-esteem and respect in front of the other officers with her audacious rant and said he’d never take her out for a party again. Madhu who was already red with rage, shouted at him saying that she knew that it was he who had ruined her chances of working at the unit and that he disgusted her and that she despised and hated him for what he did. Again, the discussion turned to her money and Venu demanded that she hand over all the property she had on her name to be transferred onto his name. The next morning her fatherin-law called up Venu saying that Madhu must immediately transfer all the properties she had on her name to him, and it was not necessary to have any asset on her name since it was finally her

husband who would be taking care of her. Madhu grew all the more angry at this development and refused to do anything of that sort and that under no circumstances would she hand over any asset to him. The next morning, she was surprised when she received a call from the unit commander and went to visit him officially. The chief said that the previous night’s episode was like a revelation to him and apologised to her to her utter amazement. He said that he did not realise her potential and only went by what Venu told him. Then he requested her to schedule her sessions based on the number of personnel in the station and made a very remunerative offer. Madhu was pleasantly surprised and immediately agreed to undertake the assignment. She herself apologised for any misunderstanding she may have caused the previous evening, but the chief brushed it off saying it was what caused him to actually think and pursue this course of action. When Venu came to know of the development, he felt rudely slapped both by her and his superior officer, the station chief. But there was nothing he could do to prevent Madhu from proceeding on her assignment as it had been now decided by the unit chief himself and he had to abide by the officer’s decision. Madhu went on to gain an excellent reputation through her enlightening and empowering sessions to the Airforce personnel, and many complimented and congratulated Venu on his wife’s excellent abilities and performance. Though he smiled in front of them, in his heart his jealousy grew and grew to a dangerous level. Things went on this way for some time and Venu’s threeyear term came to a close and again he was transferred to Chennai to the Tambaram Airforce Station. Throughout her period of stay in Dindugal and in Assam, Madhu had been constantly engaging herself in study. She bought a great number of books on empowerment, spirituality, selfdevelopment, and awareness, authored by some of the most

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popular figures of the world. She studied their lives, their experiences and their messages and their success and this knowledge considerably strengthened her personality. These books allowed her to develop a greater vision and insight into her own life and began to dictate a purpose to her. She also began to develop a shell of resistance to her husband’s ill-natured behaviour and gradually began to ignore his foul diatribes. In the several years that she had been with Venu, Madhu had never a moment of happiness, neither with him nor with her in-laws. But somehow instead of her morale being weakened, she only grew stronger and stronger. Her experiences with people, when she spoke to them, when she trained them, when she counselled them and all the times that she spent with them and her books, only made her stronger. Her earning capacity grew phenomenally and her investments were showing good signs of profitability. And all the while, her success seemed to mock Venu on his face. Unlike any sane man who would cherish and revel in his spouse’s success, he only grew jealous and was embittered with her success, and cunningly devised and deployed ways to bring her down. But try as hard as he could, he could neither demoralise nor demotivate her from her obsessive passion to work and study. Before being posted to Chennai, Venu was given a brief stint at Bhuj in Gujarat in a non-family posting. Madhu did not accompany him there. She handed over Vishaal to her mother and she went and applied for yet another Masters (M.Ed.) in AN University. Here she stayed in a hostel and every weekend she would go to Anantapur to see her son. During that period, she finished her additional postgraduation and again was a topper in the university holding the second rank. This success yet again motivated her, and she enrolled in M.Sc. Psychology and followed by an MPhil., and subsequently a PhD. And as soon as his period of deputation at Bhuj came to an end and Venu was posted at Chennai, there came about a point

when the relationship seemed to come to an end. It was the continuing bitterness the couple had, with relentless debates, arguments, fights, and fisticuffs, with Madhu constantly being at the receiving end. One fine day she was shocked to find her son Vishaal being brought back home, by his father. When she asked why he was back home instead of being at school, Venu plainly told her that he needed his son at home and that is why he himself went and withdrew Vishaal from school even getting his Transfer Certificate issued. This was just one of his methods at getting back at his wife. This meant the end of Vishaal’s education at Lawrence. Madhu felt completely wrecked in her mind. And the sadist of her husband enjoyed her turmoil. There was no way she could readmit him in the school. Getting an opportunity in the school was in itself a great fortune and it would now show her poorly in case she went again to request for readmission. Not knowing what to do and knowing well that Vishaal would again be at the receiving end, she called her mother. She told her mother to take care of Vishaal for some time since it was likely that something dangerous might happen to him if he continued to be at her home and that his very father would do something grievous to hurt him. Her mother understood the gravity of the situation and requested Madhu to bring Vishaal to her and drop him with his clothes and belongings. Madhu then proceeded to once again go to her parents to drop her son there. After she went back to Venu, things began to turn to worse. While his vices showed no signs of reducing, he kept continuously pestering her to hand over the papers of her properties so that by selling them his life would be normal and debt free once again. However, Madhu refused to yield and told him she would not give him a penny more even if he killed her. And these fights would be followed by such violence that anyone facing such acute harassment in her place would either run away or even commit suicide.

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He would get physical with her, beating her up badly, with multiple instances when he even banged her head against the wall because she spoke against him. There were several times when he threw plates, books, and things on her unmindful if they would injure her. Madhu then began to contemplate it she had any further future with such a violent and crude tempered man who displayed no sense of responsibility to himself leave alone for his family. And she began to think that if she continued to stay with him, he would surely kill her or drive her to do something very violent that could jeopardise both her and her son’s future. In such a situation when things became too serious, she packed her bags and left to her parents’ place, when Venu went to work. When he returned and did not find her, he knew where she went. Immediately he called her parents and told them that she had left without informing him and that he was no longer interested to take her back unless she did what she was told to. Venu had an artful knack with everybody. In his suave manner that he carried himself outside, he would speak to others in such a manner that they believed that he was the perfect gentleman and could never suspect that his real self was something else. When R.L. Stevenson had written his masterpiece Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, he probably must have experienced somebody in his own life, someone just like Venu, that so well depicted his character. Madhu’s elder brother having been in the army himself, had always displayed a soft corner for Venu, probably not just out of respect that he was a senior officer in the Airforce, but also because he was his brother-in-law. In the Telugu culture and especially the Rayalaseema region, the brother-in-law of the girl’s side would be treated with the highest respect by her siblings, and this was a tradition Madhu’s brothers also followed. So, they would occasionally meet in a restaurant or in their officers’ mess and have drinks and long chats with each other which gradually

strengthened their personal bonding. In several of these episodes, Venu would inform her brother that Madhu had a terrible attitude problem, and that she was terribly adamant and obstinate about everything, and that she never paid heed to anything that he requested for and that she actually treated him as a doormat. And her brother would believe everything he complained against her and would carry the same to his parents, who in turn would believe everything he told them. And they formed opinions of their daughter based on these talks, which displaced the convictions they had long held, on the integrity of their own child. This make-believe traits of the man, genuinely troubled Madhu. When Madhu went to her parents, the reception she was given was not very cordial. After she stayed there for a couple of days, her father and elder brother summoned her to talk to her. Her father spoke. “Madhu there has been far too much happening than we could have expected. Our intent in getting you married to Venu was only to make you happy and give you a good future. After all this that happened, we are beginning to understand that you are also to blame for the crisis you have brought upon yourself. In our culture a woman’s responsibility after marriage is to her husband first. Everything else and everyone else become secondary. We understand that you have been consistently going against your husband and not adhering to the precept we all stand by. You have been continuously opposing your husband and you yourselves are wrecking your life. You better keep your mouth shut and listen to your husband! So, what if he asks for your properties to be transferred in his name. Are you going to lose something? He is your husband for god’s sake! What difference is it going to make to you whether the assets are either in his name or yours?” Madhu just stammered “But, but do you know how he ill-

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treats me? Can you all even understand the situation that I am in? A street dog’s life perhaps is more happier than mine!” Her brother intervened. “This exactly is the problem with you Madhu. Why do you go on opposing him? We strongly advise you to handover all the properties to him. Atleast that way he won’t harass you anymore, if that is the truth. Think of this seriously. It is also going to be better for Vishaal. Just do this and we all believe that the problem will be over once for all.” Madhu was on the verge of breakdown. But the pummelling continued. Her parents added, “Whatever we have kept for you and whatever you have purchased, in two days we’ll clear the transfer. There is also no need for you to get so many qualifications. Just stop. Listen to your husband and to us and you will be much better, happier, and more comfortable. It is up to a woman to change her husband; we simply don’t understand why you are unable to change him!” Madhu broke in. “Father if it is as simple as you believe it is, he would have long changed. For three years I took care of him after his accident, when without me he could very well have died. He did not change then, and how could you expect him to change now?” Before she tried to say something more her father continued. “It is just in your hands. You are just not trying. One more thing, both your brothers are married and my daughters in law have their place here. In our culture, the daughter of the house has no more place in the house other than that of a visitor or a guest when the daughters in law arrive, and they have arrived. I hope you understand what it means.” Madhu was shocked, stunned, and heartbroken. Was this her very house she was born in and raised? What happened to those days when she was treated continuously so royally like a princess? And what is it that her parents and her brother are trying to say? That she doesn’t belong here anymore?

She was too traumatised with this remark her father made. In her mind she simply readied herself to follow her husband to his home with her son, back into the mire that awaited her. And when she did get back to Venu’s place he did not waste any time talking to Madhu. “Madhu all the properties your father and you gave and all the cash and gold we had are all lost. I had to stake them in shares and unfortunately, they are all lost. I have no more in my hands and tomorrow my creditors are going to come, and it is likely I am going to be arrested too, if I don’t pay them. Your father told me you have properties in your name. Unless you hand them over, I will be in jail. Is this what you want?” Madhu had already decided her next step and expected this. Her father and brother had already prevailed over her. She quietly agreed to handover all the plots she had, in Bangalore, Tirupati, Hyderabad, and even the ten acres of land at Dundigul. The next day she requested her father to work on the relevant formalities and said she would sign all the documents wherever necessary so that everything she had was transferred to Venu. She did everything that was asked of her and after all that she had was handed over to Venu, for the first time felt completely empty, as she literally had nothing. After these transactions, back at Venu’s place, she observed that he was behaving himself much better, obviously because he received the entire loot. But still she knew that this was the quiet before yet another storm and that something sinister was simmering again. She just concentrated on her studies and her son. All the while she was planning in her mind that unless she acted, she had no future. She remembered what her father said in her last discourse with her parents, “let me tell you Madhu, this is ‘My’ house, and when you are in it, it is my voice that will prevail, whether you like it or not.” This was the final affront Madhu received, and from the very parents who gave birth to her. In her

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mind she decided to finally act. She was alone. She had no one she could trust, neither her parents nor her siblings and last of all her husband. She now knew she had to take total responsibility and ownership of herself. Madhu had often heard the words ‘this is My House,’ not just from her father, but also from her husband and her father-inlaw too. It always meant that as long as she resided with them, she was compelled to live by their rules and commands, and that she did not have any freedom or liberty to take any decision or action by herself, come what may. This not only hurt her, but broke her heart, making her wonder who she was in the first place!! The following evening Venu took her in his car to talk to her over a drive. He was already drunk. And he began. ‘Madhu, you must immediately stop all your actions about working outside. I can take it no more. You had enough education, and you must stop studying further. I would not like to see you work. I am really losing my peace. And then since I lost in business, I was hoping for your parental support. I am receiving none. Is this the respect they have for their son-in-law? I cannot take this anymore; you better tell your parents that this is my final warning. I cannot put up with all your drama. You better listen to me, or you can leave forever!’ She just pretended to listen, and his chatter went on and on, about what he had actually planned for them and how his share business swallowed him and how he was unable to handle all the losses even with all the assets he received. Though she was outraged once again, she paid little attention to him and all the while her mind was racing. How can she escape from this person’s clutches!? It was around Ten in the night but seeing that she did not respond to all his blabber, Venu grew wild yet again. But Madhu seemed pretty stoical and unperturbed. After about thirty minutes of his ceaseless rant, he took her to the corner of a street and stopped the car with the engine running and with Madhu in it and said he was leaving, taking the car key with him. Madhu didn’t

respond at all. She just stayed put in the car and closed her eyes. She waited and waited. An hour passed and two. But he did not return. Madhu was equally determined, she just remained in the car. Around midnight he was back. He had not expected to see her there. But discretion got the better of him and the little worry he still had for her perhaps compelled him to come back to check on her. She was like the goose that laid golden eggs. How can he forego her? He silently got into the car and drove home straight. Not a word transpired. After they got home, Madhu went and slept without eating anything. In the morning she did not wake up to prepare breakfast or see him off. When she woke up, she found him waiting for her in the hall. “What has got into you? Do you know what time it is? Don’t you know I have to go? Why didn’t you prepare my breakfast?” Madhu casually looked at him and laughed sarcastically. For a moment Venu was bewildered. He had never seen her the way he did today. “Get ready Venu,” She said, “I am sending you a divorce notice!” And before the stupefied man could respond, she walked back into her room and banged the door shut. In about ten minutes, the phone rang, and Madhu picked it from her room. It was her father. “What happened again Madhu? Venu just now called and said that you were threatening him with divorce. Is that true?” For an answer Madhu said “I am coming home today father, I and my son will need to stay there for a little while. I cannot live here anymore!” And she hung up. In about an hour or so, she packed all her bags and those of her son and without a word to Venu who was watching all the action, simply walked out…for the last time!

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Venu was too dumbfounded. Never had he witnessed such audacity in his wife, and he didn’t summon any courage to stop her from leaving. She appeared so determined that it would have been simply impossible to try and stop her. For once he felt desolate and empty as she boarded a cab and left. He was too shocked and stunned that Madhu was genuinely capable of leaving him forever. She reached her father’s house next morning and just dropped her bags, went to the kitchen to pick up something to eat and feed her son, and without a word to anyone went into her mother’s room and slept off, while everyone watched. Everyone knew the tense environment that prevailed but knowing the acute state of emotion that Madhu was in, no one dared to even approach her, not even her mother. She woke up only in the evening when twilight appeared. She finished her bath and found Vishaal playing with the others. She walked straight to her father. “Father you must forgive me. I have left Venu for good. I see no future with him either for myself or my son. None of you can ever understand the trauma I had been undergoing all these years. I am done. Its either here alive or there dead. So, I decided and walked off. And don’t you worry about me affixing myself permanently here. I have my individuality, self-respect, and enough capabilities to take care of myself and my son. You have done enough; more than any parents or siblings would do. All I request you is for a time of two months to settle myself down responsibly. I remember you repeatedly saying that this is ‘your’ house, which clearly meant that I have no permanent place here. But as the daughter of the house, I guess you will let me stay for a little while. And believe me, soon enough you will see me in ‘my’ own house!” Her father smiled and simply said “I am sure my daughter knows what she is doing!” and her mother came and hugged her. Tempers cooled down and things became normal as before here. Madhu was not so naïve when she had transferred her property to Venu. She had earlier purchased an independent house in S.R.

Nagar, in Hyderabad about which she never revealed to anyone, not even to her father. When she swore to her father that she would purchase her own house she really meant it. In a couple of days, she handed over the responsibility of finding a buyer for the house to a distant relative who was dealing in properties. Soon enough she found a buyer for the house. By then Madhu had identified a villa which was on sale in the very township her parents were staying. She went and paid the advance and soon moved into the house after getting a housing loan sanctioned and getting the house registered in her name. This was one of her greatest achievements she felt, and she was correct. When she invited her parents and her family for the inaugural of her home her father was both dumbfounded and amazed at how her words transformed to reality. And Madhu said to her father, “father this is MY house, my temple, but you are always welcome in it as long as I am alive!” Her father appeared stung by the remark as it made him recollect the remark, he himself made about ‘his’ house. Nevertheless, he was pleased that his daughter was such an accomplished individual. From then on, he genuinely believed in Madhu’s capabilities and his respect for his daughter grew like never before. The best part was that Vishaal felt absolutely happy that he was close to his grandparents while being with his mother at their own home. Once Madhu became independent and free, she put all her energies into finding opportunities for herself. And within a few days of her moving into her new home, she found it. One of her uncles who was a former colleague of her father said there was an opportunity for an Assistant Professor of English at CBIT which was very close to her home, and for which Madhu’s profile matched perfectly. Madhu went and attended the interview and was easily

Dr. P. Madhurima Reddy

selected. CBIT was one of the most prestigious Engineering institutions in the country and an opportunity to work there was also a matter of pride for her. Simultaneously and true to her words Madhu set her divorce plan in action, getting her papers ready through a known legal counsel. But when Venu received the notice, he called back Madhu’s parents and said that he was not willing to divorce her. And yet began one more lengthy drama. First, he employed tactics by being absent at the hearings in the court on some pretext or the other till a warrant was issued against him. When he finally came, he claimed that his mother was sick and that it was impossible to think of a divorce at the moment as it could perhaps affect her health. The desperation that Madhu had from getting away from him was yet another opportunity for him to fleece money from her. Though her parents and her in-laws tried their best to keep them united, Madhu was absolutely made up. She would lose ten crores rather than go back to him and wished to be liberated from this incompatible abusive relationship, she declared. And that is what eventually happened. Finally, he agreed to sign the papers on mutual consent only after he was paid a hefty amount of money that Madhu had saved all along added to a lumpsum from her father. Howsoever both her parents, brothers, relatives and even her in-laws begged her to stay with Venu, she completely rejected their appeals and decided to move on with her life by herself. This phase went on for over ten years, till the divorce actually happened. In her entire life, she later felt that this was the best decision she had taken, notwithstanding the lengthy list of naysayers who kept dissuading her not to leave the marriage. After Madhu became free and independent, she had no more barricades or bonds to tie her down. She put Vishaal in Kennedy Global School at Bachupally in Hyderabad, and there again she was requested by the management of the school to train

their faculty at the school, and to take up counselling sessions to students on weekends. So, she worked part time here too in addition to her job at CBIT. Madhu was not interested in continuing an employment anymore. By now she had obtained a stunning nine qualifications of which there were multiple post graduations, MPhil, and two PhDs. She became a walking phenomenon. At CBIT Madhu won several accolades with her devotion to work and her professionalism, with her performance adding considerable value to the college academics. She was enrolled to run several Faculty Development Programmes and was delegated additional responsibility of conducting Soft Skills and Life Skill training programs for both students and faculty. She was also awarded as the most well-dressed faculty member of the institute on several accounts. It was during her tenure at CBIT that she launched the Toastmasters International Club for CBIT and held the role of the President. She was further delegated the responsibility of a Clinical Psychologist at CBIT. After three years of working at CBIT, she began to thirst for independence and entrepreneurship and voluntarily sought to quit her job. Immediately she went on to establish a training organisation and named it La Winspire International. With this she progressed into a real entrepreneur. Her abilities, her attitude, her profile, and her experiences easily paved way for higher opportunities. She became renowned as a good clinical psychologist, a Peak Performance and International Trainer and Life Coach. She was too powerful a speaker and won accolades everywhere. She soon made inroads into corporates such as Google, Microsoft, GE, Cognizant, HSBC, Dr. Reddy’s, Innominds, and such major MNCs and conducted training and counselling sessions for thousands of employees. She was requested by managements of major professional institutions both in the private and the government sectors and always had her hands full. At this juncture, she began

Dr. P. Madhurima Reddy

her association with the globally renowned Continental Hospitals at Hyderabad, which just started operations, as their inhouse Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Life Coach. She knew knowledge was power and constantly improved her own by immersing herself in good books that revolutionised the world. She progressed into becoming one of the most qualified Trainers, Life Coaches, and Psychologists of the nation, and she carried great positive vibes around her. People felt more confident and stronger when she spoke to them. In the days that followed, Madhu became an internationally recognised figure in training circles and has been continuing her message to hundreds of thousands of people, how the power of positivity can change lives. She travelled to UK, Dubai, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and a few other countries to attend workshops, take up certification courses, as well as to deliver her signature programs from her organisation La Winspire International. With two PhDs and five post graduations, a hundred national awards and a dozen international awards, she couldn’t have asked for more. So how did she achieve this determination to succeed? And having been through several excruciatingly painful years with a man who was plain diabolical, it is incredible and phenomenal how life could change a woman from such an experience to become so hugely successful. When Madhu heard the news of Venu’s passing away, though she was initially stunned, she was stoical. Years and years of hard-hearted, vicious, and sadistic treatment had moulded her into a highly resistant woman. He himself had made her so, with his criminally merciless attitude to her. Death is the end of all misery, for whoever it may be, and in Venu’s case, he had long been digging his own grave. She had learnt that after her separation from him, his own father rejected and refused to pay for his addictions and left him nothing. They fell apart with major differences, the root of which was all money. After Madhu quit the marriage, he went on to live with another lady, having a live-

in relationship for a year or so before he got finally married to her. Hardly a few years into the marriage, came his ultimate end. But Madhu did go for the cremation. She felt it was her duty and a courtesy of gratitude to a man that made her what she became. Though it was unexpected of her from herself, after a long time she broke down seeing his mortal remains. Her son Vishaal who was the most abused child by his father refused to come for the funeral. It was but natural. However, after much cajoling by his mother, he finally relented. It was after all his father and however unfair or bad he was to him, he felt it was his final duty to bid him goodbye and did his duty. A saga that became one of the most crucial components in creating the turnover in Madhu’s life had come to an end. She was still sad that this had happened, and in her heart prayed for his soul so that he would finally find peace.

How Madhu Found Strength in Her Desolation Madhu had the most tumultuous phases in her life, much more than any that an average woman in an abusive relationship could have ever faced. In her younger days till her marriage, her life was filled with happiness, peace, and quietude. After her marriage she took to life just like any other woman would have been expected to, in a typical Rayalaseema household and especially from the Reddy descent. But completely contrary to her expectations, she had found that life became an utter misery with the very man who was supposed to be her ultimate soulmate and life partner. And the very acts that he did probably moulded her into what she later grew into. If her husband would have been normal, she would just have been another wife, and mother, and nothing more. Most women, in fact, almost any woman in such an abusive relationship would end up a wreck, either seeking divorce or simply leaving, and in some extreme cases getting into fatal addictions and some even ending up in suicide. Though Madhu inevitably did

Dr. P. Madhurima Reddy

seek divorce, it happened only after a considerably and intolerably long phase of marital life. But there were factors which gave her phenomenal strength to face the consistent abuse and victimisation, and to that she was thankful. She had had a strong founding in the values of great books like the Bhagavad-Gita in her childhood itself. Ever since her early days in the convent school that she went to, she has had exposure to the teachings of Jesus Christ where she learnt that it was only the ones who suffered who ultimately succeeded. When it began to happen to her from the early days of marriage itself, she spent more and more time with the Gita and that gave her great solace. As the treatment worsened, she grew more self-possessed and tolerant. The book gave her great spiritual satisfaction and strength to absorb all the misfortune pushed on to her. She acquired the books of Swami Vivekananda and studied them intensively. Every message and passage in his books positively built her strength. She connected strongly to his teachings. One of the greatest influences on her life was her father himself. She knew what an ideal and resolute man he was and how he only wanted the best for her and his children. Though after her marriage things turned at little sour, it was only because of his social obligations and position that he may have been compelled to act thus. Her brothers themselves were an inspiration to her. They always acted in goodness and their support to her financially or emotionally or otherwise, had helped her overcome several situations she faced with Venu. Despite the fact that they also fell into the social taboo or rather compulsion of treating her a little differently after her marriage, she knew in her heart that they only wanted the best for her and whatever they did was only to give her happiness. Her mother was her best support, and hadn’t it been for her, her son Vishaal would have had no place to have been happy. She was there in Madhu’s most critical phases of life and that gave her lots of

strength, satisfaction, and happiness. In the days when she was alone, she began to look beyond, and in time was introduced to the magnificent works of Robert Kiyosaki, Robin Sharma, Tony Robbins, Blair Singer, Mac Attram, Dr. Richard Bandler, T. Harv Ekar, Vidya Shankar team, Praveen Sharman, Louise Hay and several such others. She even obtained certifications from most of them. She also read the works of Rhonda Byrne and scores of such works which familiarised her with the way human perceptions work. She was introduced to the globally acclaimed spiritual guru Mahatria by someone and once she attended one of his sessions, she established an instant connect. His sessions were all revealing about life and gave great energy to her. She began to attend his sessions with great regularity in Chennai and she found that every episode taught her a different meaning of life. She realised that in order to be a real success in life, she must be a walking phenomenon. And for that she had to invest in herself. While reading books and watching programmes did a lot to help her, she began understanding that the workshops these magnificent people conducted, were soul revealing and rejuvenating in every way. She developed a strong passion to attend the maximum number of workshops, retreats, conferences, and meetings held by these magnificent people and this gave her both an opportunity and a need to visit several countries abroad. She learnt from all of their books about what life is all about, about health, wealth, and abundance, about developing perspectives that in turn strengthen a human’s personality. She learnt the value of money, about the principles of money management, about how to obtain financial freedom, what the power of positivity can bring about, and how like attracts like. She knew that and hence always kept an open mind and believed that only good can happen to her. In the worst of her situations when her husband caused her to become a complete wreck and left her

Dr. P. Madhurima Reddy

penniless and hopeless, she just trod on confidently and silently, pursuing her goals and objectives with stronger determination, irrespective of what negative forces were thrust onto her and attempted to stop her. She began to believe in the power of the universe and that spiritual power it beheld, guided everyone including herself. Since she had been only thinking of positive things all her life even in the dreariest, miserable, and hopeless moments, they put her ahead of anyone in a similar place. She never considered herself an unfortunate soul but looked at every episode as an opportunity to rediscover her own self. In a few months after Venu’s passing away, life began to become normal for her and her son. She stayed in the same community where her parents also lived. So, she had the good fortune of meeting them almost every other day. Her son Vishaal who passed his under-graduation with a good score soon found employment with an automobile company which made her quite happy. She wanted him to become as independent as possible and at the earliest age possible without depending on her or her parents. His individuality was striking, and she encouraged him to become a better person than anyone in his circle by improving his knowledge, skills, and abilities and most importantly attitude. Soon enough Vishaal obtained admission for MBA at Cambridge University in London and left to the UK to pursue the same. Madhu decided what her purpose in life was. It was empowering people. It was to let them understand the power of their own thinking, and to let them know how the universe can influence their thoughts, behaviour, and attitude and how their perceptions of things can either build them or break them. She was a live, walking example of this wondrous process. Her life was a testament, a testimony to society, of how she grew out of the shell that contained and constrained her from accomplishing things. She understood how her thoughts allowed her to explore the expanse of human emotion and how

understanding them gave her the strength and fortitude to fight every adversity and finally stand out as a shining example to thousands of others. She had seen too much of life in her four and half decades and now somewhere in her heart, wondered if she needed a companion. She contemplated with the idea that someone who thought like her and felt about things like she did, might give her more strength and leverage her purpose to reach the community at large. But she decided that till the time comes, her focus would continue to remain on what she was doing. Madhu started to believe more strongly in herself after all the intense experiences she had been through, and also in the power of the divine, more than ever and understood that everything happens for a reason. ‘More than how the world sees you, it is how you see yourself and the world that should matter to you.’ Life definitely paves the way for a resolute soul which believes in itself. Madhu thus surrendered herself to the higher purpose that the universe has created for her and resolved to pursue the same with her relentless spirit. Madhu now having understood what her purpose was, decided to pen down her life’s experiences and the different manners in which she found her strength and grit, and her way to success. If she was able to overcome all the misfortunes, difficulties, and challenges in her own life, so can everyone. She was certain her experiences with herself can be revealed to people so that they can learn from them and overcome their own challenges and find their success and happiness. Madhu began to value each and every minute of her existence in the world to make it count and make it worthy. She decided her goal was to contribute and empower. ‘In the limited span of time each of us has, we must make every minute count,’ she would say. One critical observation Madhu had all her life was that people did not really have open communication. Everyone communicates to

Dr. P. Madhurima Reddy

react and respond but not truly understand. This, she had faced immensely in her life, not just with her close family but with several others. Discussions and open communication between people actually helps in bringing clarity to any issues and relationships. As she grew popular and met thousands of people who attended her workshops and came to her for her counsel, she also learnt new experiences from such subjects and gathered substantial insights into the power of human thought and how it could be harnessed into leading us where we wish to be. She developed a deep understanding of how the Law of Attraction has helped her own self and also thousands of others through her. She went ahead to reduce these experiences to writing in the following chapters which could go a long way in making people understand the power of the human mind and benefit them. As you go through each chapter, you will be presented with several ways that you can work with your mind and thought and connect to the universe, and find you the way to a wealthy, accomplished, successful and fulfilling life, filled with perfect happiness, joy, and harmony.

“Money and success don’t change people; they merely amplify what is already there.” – Will Smith

Do not be cowed down by even the most miserable experiences of your life. The intent of the universe in creating you, is to demonstrate to you its power to make you happy. That is why you have the power to think. The power of your mind is simply phenomenal. It can make you popular from a state of loneliness, from rags to riches, from grave sickness to the pink of health, and from depression to a state of joy and happiness. Recognise it and the world will recognise you

— Dr. P. Madhurima Reddy

Dr. P. Madhurima Reddy