THE SIN

Pune rains,though initially are amazing, becomes a pain when it refuses to stop. And since I was stuck up at home and had nothing better to do so I went rummaging through my old piled up files and papers and found out a story I had written long time back.
I remember writing it for an AIDS awareness program in school. Imagine me to be 13 years and read it.....



It was a beautiful spring evening. The birds were chirping outside and a mild breeze was blowing. Around 12-15 kids were playing in a park. The park was surrounded by a fence and outside the fence a 10 year old girl was watching them. Her name was Nina. Two days before Nina was also playing with them but now she was not welcome there any more. They did not notice Nina watching them or else they would have thrown stones on her or left the field.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Nina and her mother lived in a rented house. Her mother was a teacher in a higher secondary school. Her mother’s income was enough for both of them to lead a comfortable life. Nina’s father was involved with some militant outfit, so her mother left him. Nina had never seen her father, and her mother had told her not to ask about him. However both of them were happy with their life. Nina had many friends in the colony and her mother was an active member of the colony. A strong bond existed between them and their neighbours.

Once Nina’s neighbour Mrs. Shalini, who was a widow, met with an accident. She was bleeding profusely. The doctor said that she needed blood. Nobody’s blood group matched with her except Nina’s mother but the doctor said that her blood cannot be given as they have detected that she was HIV positive and that she had AIDS.

That day was the end of everything. Mrs. Shalini died as blood was not available. Nina’s mother was asked to evacuate the house as the colony members feared that they or their children might get infected with that deadly disease from her. Her mother tried her best to convince the people that AIDS doesn’t spread if you talk or touch a person suffering from it but they didn’t give any ear to it. Nina and her mother were thrown out of the colony. Her mother couldn’t bear this insult and she died that day itself by coming under the wheels of a car, without thinking about her daughter and leaving her all alone.

For two days Nina lived in a bench outside the fence of the Children’s’ Park, starving and shivering with cold. The children of the colony, who were her dear friends two days back, threw stones at her when they saw her sleeping in the bench and didn’t even play there.
On the third day she got up from the bench and stood under a tree to protect and hide her. When the children came to pay they didn’t notice her. Thinking that she must have left the place they started their game. After their game was over, they headed for their residence. While leaving they saw Nina standing under the tree and they started shouting at her and throwing stones at her but Nina didn’t budge an inch from her place. So, all of them went and complained to their parents. The parents came to the park and from a distant, as if she was a wild animal, told Nina to leave the place but Nina didn’t pay any heed. She stood there looking blank. Seeing this one person took a stick and through one of the holes of the fence he gave a slight push to her and then and there she fell down, eyes wide opened-she was stone dead.
* * * * * * * * * * * * Nina’s body was carried away in a municipal truck and dumped somewhere. She died only because of these so-called high-class learned people. This colony had killed her.

That very evening the doctor, who had said that Nina’s mother had AIDS, came to meet her.
“Why do you need her doctor?” One of the colony members asked.
“I am really sorry. I know it is a dreadful mistake but actually it was not she who had AIDS, it was Mrs. Shalini who was suffering from AIDS. The reports got mixed up.

The people stood their astounded. The earth seemed to have slipped from beneath their feet. It was like a bolt from the blue.
Seeing their aghast faces, the doctor asked, “Why are you all looking so miserable?”

Then one of them narrated to the doctor what had happened. The doctor couldn’t believe his ears.
“Oh God! What did you do? How can you be so ignorant? Even if she was suffering from AIDS, you shouldn’t have done all these. AIDS doesn’t spread if you talk, touch or eat with the person suffering from it. A person suffering from it can lead a normal life following the minimum precautions. They have equal rights to live with dignity. We are nobody to take this right away. If you all call yourself educated then I think you are making a fool of yourself. You committed a great sin by taking away two innocent lives. God will never forgive you for this.” Saying this, the doctor left.