Few years ago, one of my dear friends got married to a simple yet beautiful girl. Together, they were very happy. I never heard them exchange a bitter word. But a black shadow was soon to cloud their happy marriage. In an unexpected turn of events, my friend passed away.

The girl took it hard. When I reached their house, she was wailing her heart out. She even refused to let the corpse be taken away for cremation. The eyes of those gathered welled up too.

Why had the god left her alone? Why didn’t she die herself, too? She was cursing herself. Since that day, I only saw her cry, day in and day out. All efforts of her relatives and neighbours to comfort her went in vain.

One thing which could not be argued was that she was very beautiful. That is what must also have drawn many of the mourners. To see such a pretty person cry! Among the crowd was a handsome, young man, no different for eveyone else in trying his best to comfort the poor soul. She should try to take hold of her life, he told her. There was little use crying over someone who had left the world.

In time, she was able, somehow or the other, to wipe her tears off and complete all the post-death rituals. She appeared much more happy in the days that followed. One fine day, news filtered thought that she had eloped with the new man in her life. I was not surprised. If anything, I was very happy for her. What else could she have done? Go crying for the rest of her life?

But that didn’t convince her villagers who heaped blame on her for running away with another man even before the ashes of her husband had cooled down. I could not understand them. If the wife dies, there is no slander on the husband’s remarrying. But, on the other hand, if the husband passes away, the wife is expected to sob for the rest of her life. What a hypocritical society this is! I, for my part, think it was very bold of her to decide to take control of her life and start it anew.

Modern we might have become, but our age-old biases remain unchanged. We should learn to embrace change and expand our horizons. Otherwise, while the world moves ahead with a breakneck speed, we will be left far behind. The sooner we realise this, so much the better for our society.