Woman

In a small, tranquil town where the echoes of duty and sacrifice reverberate through every street, Mrigya, the wife of a dedicated soldier, lived. This is her story—a tale of love, loss, resilience, and the indomitable spirit that refused to surrender to the cruelties of fate.
When she married Pratik, she was just nineteen. She was young yet ambitious. Her dreams were broken like glass shrouded in dust. In that red bridal dress, she knew and understood that from now on, she was just Pratik's wife. She accepted and found comfort in her routine and solace in small things like reading, knitting, and drawing. But fate had other plans.
Two years later, Pratik was posted to Kashmir where he was ordered to go to war. Like any woman in her circumstance, Mrigya was worried, The tension ate her from the inside. From dawn till dusk, she would hear the radio to catch tid- a bit of news of her husband's wellbeing and when Pratik did not return, she was distressed. She forgot food and sleep, sitting on the front porch, waiting for her husband to return and for things to go back to normal. She called and wrote to his military comrade but to no avail. She felt an overwhelming sense of guilt for being alive and safe while her husband might be not. After a lengthy wait of two months, Pratik returns just as Mrigya wanted him to. The day Mrigya receives a phone call late at night arrives. The voice on the other end is hesitant and filled with sorrow. Already filled with tension and dread Mrigya intuitively senses something is wrong. The call comes from one of her husband's comrades, who struggles to find the right words to break the news. The conversation was filled with long pauses and the sound of Mrigya's stifled sobs. And the day she sees his body, She is numb and in disbelief, unable to fully process the news. She refuses to accept the reality, hoping against hope that there's been a mistake. The overwhelming sorrow comes in waves, accompanied by memories of their life together. The world has stopped around her. In moments of solitude, making it hard for her to maintain composure, she screams out in anguish breaking into uncontrollable sobs. She receives a formal letter from the military. The letter, written in cold, bureaucratic language, contrasts starkly with the profound personal loss it conveys. Maya's hands tremble as she reads the words, each sentence a dagger to her heart. And a package containing her husband's personal effects. Among the items are letters he wrote but never sent photos, and a final recorded message intended for Mrigya. As she goes through the items, each one brings memories and tears, culminating in the gut-wrenching reality of her loss, Mrigya clings to her husband's belongings. In the following days, many relatives come to give their condolences or rather grab the chance for a family get-together. Mrigya withdraws from friends and family, feeling that no one can truly understand her pain. She feels anger towards the world, the military, and even her husband for leaving her alone. Everyday objects and routines bring back memories of her husband. She smells his cologne, hears his voice in her dreams, or flashes back to moments they shared, making it hard to move forward. When she loses all the meaning in her life, she no longer has a reason to live, and a glimmer of hope shines beneath, Mrigya finds out she is three months pregnant, This new life becomes a beacon of hope and a reason to keep fighting. The dream she thought was already shattered came back to life with the unborn child.
Determined to honour Pratik's memory, Mrigya enrolled in a university to pursue her passion. This decision provided new challenges and perspectives. She enhanced her education with online courses and workshops.
Inspired by her experiences, Mrigya established a non-profit to support veterans and their families. This initiative honoured her husband's legacy and gave her a sense of purpose. Through her efforts, the organization became a beacon of hope, providing resources and support to those in need. During this Phase, her rock has been Raghav, A colleague and Best friend of Pratik. With him by her side, she feels understood and safe, Although both might not know it yet, love blossoms again in Mrigya's life. But once both the widow, Mrigya and bachelor, Raghav take their feelings into account, who is there to stop them? By the following year, they get married to each other. As an independent nine-month pregnant Mrigya carries both the last remembrance of Pratik, the first love of her life. She holds the string to a new chapter. Though the loss that Pratik's demise left, A hole no one else could fill, She has moved on. A little yet still.