Undercover

We have chosen 20 women for this investigation, ma’am. They all look very young from their actual age and some makeup will also help. They have been briefed about their mission. First we will send them each to a school in different cities. Then they will report directly to you after 2 months. After that you will decide whether you want them to continue or not in the same school or not.

Well done Kumar, let us see if all this works or not.

Shonalee Saxena, age 24, was assigned a school in a village in Punjab. It was a girls only school. She was going to be in ninth grade. She felt really lucky to be a part of a special task force made by the education minister of her party. She had joined this party for a year now. The education minister has decided to do a little experiment to raise the standards of govt schools in India. She has made a special task force of 20 women from her party and sent them to different schools in the country. Their task was to observe each and every detail of the school from the students prospective and report directly to the minister. Their task will be to report teachers who use corporal punishments, when they are banned. Report any poor teaching methods and try to improve them. And of course the infrastructure of the school. Shonalee was tall and dark in appearance. Her skin was silky smooth, as if you can just slip on her body if you walk. Her skin in fact made her look younger than her age. She was herself a teacher in a private school but she had left it when her party came into power.

Shonalee walked inside of the school to begin her first day of school. It was already assembly time when she reached. She joined the ninth class line. She did not pay close attention to whatever was being said in the assembly, as a teacher she had always found assemblies to be boring and waste of time. Gathering in the ground for no good reason and then finally singing like lullabies, what’s the point? Again they started singing praising their nation, how good it was. Then they started going to classes. When Shonalee went inside her class she thought how lucky she was to have education in a private school.

There were tables and benches for 2 students joined and the bench had nothing to rest their backs. Some of the desks were broken. Paint was coming off the walls. The windows had bars on them as if in a prison. She sat on a bench and made acquaintance with two to three girls. A fat teacher entered, stern look, draped in a sari, with a long cane in the hand. Shonalee hoped that cane was only for pointing on the board and not for beating. She knew a lot about govt schools already, but this was the first time she was attending it. For 2 months she was at the complete mercy of the teachers in this school. The teacher asked for the new girl in the class.

“I am the new girl miss.”

“You have joined after 2 months of the academic year, when will you be able to complete your notebook and submit to me?”

“Probably in a week.”

“A week is too much, I need your completed notebook in 2 days, all you have to do is copy all the work from someone else, what you need a week for.”

Shonalee had no choice, she had to get down to copying from other’s notebooks. There were 8 subjects, so eight notebooks. After her first day at school she came back to the flat she had been given by the govt. She started writing about the proposals she would eventually make to the minister, that was assemblies are waste of academic time.

The next day 2 girls in Shonalee’s class were caned on their hands for not doing their homework. The girls had tears in their eyes after the caning finished. Another girl was ear pulled out of the class and then Shonalee heard slapping sounds from outside. The girl remained outside the class rest of the period. She wrote all this down in her report she was preparing. Beating was a commonplace in the school.

The next day, it was time for Shonalee to submit her notebooks to all the teachers of their respective subjects. She had completed about 7 notebooks, because those teachers were very strict, but she left the maths notebook incomplete as the maths teacher was a bit lenient. When the maths period started the teacher asked for her notebook.

“Miss, I haven’t completed it yet, please give me one more day.”

“Okay, you can have one more day, but today you have to stand up on the bench and hold your ears for the rest of the period.”

Shonalee was flabbergasted at this sentence. But nonetheless she had to do whatever was being told. She stood up on the bench and held her ears. After so many years she was given a punishment, up till now she had been punishing students, she now felt very stupid being punished. But to her bad luck the principal was on round. The principal was a male and loved giving collective punishments. He did not give punishments to one or two girls at a time, but he collected several of them and gave them punishment in groups. He comes on round and finds girls that are in punishments already by the teacher, he takes them from every class until he has a group and then takes them in the assembly ground and makes them murga, uthak baithak or whatever his mood is.

He came to the class and found Shonalee standing on the bench. He called her out and asked her to follow him. Shonalee did, having no idea what was to follow. There were five more girls along with him, and he collected 6 more. Now there were altogether 12 girls with the principal, following him obediently to the assembly ground. The sun was scorching hot. All the girls started perspiring immediately.

“Stand in one line.” Principal ordered angrily.

Girls got in a line straight away, facing him.

“All assume murga.”

Except Shonalee all girls were not the least surprised, but were terrified and embarrassed. Shonalee on the other hand was surprised, shocked, flabbergasted. The emotions of embarrassment would have come if she really believed she was becoming murga. It was a boy punishment, girls at this age cannot. She is 24 and others are only 15 or 16. Shonalee was going through all this thoughts when she saw that all other girls on her sides had become murga already. The principal was staring at her with a furious glare. Shonalee bent her body and went into the murga pose.

She had never got murga punishment before, although she had punished some of her male students this way but only once, and they were only class 3 students. The pain had started to set in already and she could no longer stay calm in the pose. She started raising her buttocks up and down to find comfort, all other girls’ buttocks were rock steady as they had practice and knew how strict the principal was.

“Hey you, stop moving so much, remain still.” Principal said to Shonalee.

Shonalee stopped moving her butt. Then a stick landed on her butt and she rasped in pain. The stick landed the second time, his time more fiercely, she wanted to rub her buttocks but could not leave her ears. Stick came again. Shonalee wished this was the last time. But the stick landed again. Tears had come in her eyes and she was groaning in pain now. Looked like the principal was not done yet, stick landed again and this time this was the last time. By intensity of the pain and the crispness of the sounds Shonalee was sure that she must have got zebra stripes on her butt. Wait till 2 months get over, I will get this principal out, she thought to herself. But right now she was at the complete mercy of the principal and must keep her buttocks frozen in mid air. Now she heard spanking sounds again. The principal was sketching lines on someone else’s butt now for moving them. When the spanking was over all girls now were rock solid in murga. Nobody dared to move her butt. Nobody dared to let go of the ears, nobody dared to fidget any part of their body.

The array of 12 murgis in a straight line without moving a single part of the body by anybody was a sight to behold for the principal. He felt very powerful when he gave these collective punishments. He had a long history of giving collective punishments. He loved them. Once he had all his 4 daughters along with 3 of their cousins kneel down and hold their ears in his house garden for an hour. Their mistake was making too much noise. They were all about 9 to 15 years of age. After a few years when the girls had even grown to about 20 years and more, he made them do uthak baithak together because they had failed to clean up the house. His daughters off course had to obey, and their cousins from their mother’s side had to obey because they were death scared from him and staying in his house.

Once he had made 5 new teachers in his school hold ears and stand for half an hour inside his office. He wanted to go a little further by making them do uthak baithak of kneel down but he was afraid they might resign because of the humiliation. Giving punishments to students was a collectively was a commonplace. Punishing the whole school during assembly was his favourite. Many times he had made all the students murga in the assembly. Many times had them do uthak baithak, and many times had them go back to their classes holding their ears. When he punished the whole school that included the prefects and the headgirls. The punishments were for no good reason, everyone knew that. It just depended on his mood.

to be continued, please stay connected.........

Murga at 19

The stage was set.
Everyone sat in a circle and the music started to play.
The pillow started going around.
It was a dholki event of Affefa; the wedding was two days later.
As usual in a dholki, all were girls and women.
They had stopped singing and now had decided to play a game.
Whenever the music paused, the one with the pillow would have to do the thing prescribed in a chit, prepared by Affefa herself. A chit would be picked randomly from the jar.

The pillow stopped on Sofia.
A chit was taken out; she had to dance like the Nagin.
She did, everybody laughed and cheered for her.

The pillow started twirling again.
This time it came to Saba.
She had to act like gubbar singh.
She was shy, but did it a little.

The pillow went round again. This time it stopped on Erum.
A chit was taken out and it said to Erum's horror, "MURGA BANO".
Erum went weak in the legs. Her hands started to shake.
Everyone started to ask what it said.
Erum by the way was already very shy and was also reluctant to play this game. She never danced in dholkis also because of her shyness.
Sofia snatched the chit from her hand and read it aloud with a grin.
"Likha hai, murga bano!"
Everyone started to laugh and hoot.

"chalo chalo"
"murga bano beta"
"chalo murga bankar dekhao subko"
"yeh mut sochna bach jao gi"
"murgi bano murgi"
"chalo shabash"

everyone started saying something or the other.
Erum was dumbstruck at this.
she was 19 years old and engaged.

"jaldi karo"
"soch kia rahi ho"
"murga banna nahi ata"
"chalo beech me aao"

Erum hadn't uttered a word.
she just stood petrified.
her ear had went hot with shame.
then on more persuasion she walked up in the middle. she mustered up the courage,
then slowly bent her body and took her hands till the back of her knees only.

"sahi say, kaan pakar kar"
"aisay nahi, kaan pakaro"
"school wala murga bano, yeh nahi"
"itna asaan nahi, kaan pakar nay wala murga."

Erum bent her body more and then took her hands further.
her face was red by now.
she hadn't seized her ears yet.

"kaan pakaro kaan"
"kaan tuk lejao haath"

Then finally Erum became a complete murga.
Everyone clapped and hooted.

First Day Of Marriage.

Soniya was making kheer for the whole family.

She had no idea whatsoever she would have to do this today.
She was nervous as she was taken completely by surprise.
Last night she had been married and had spent her suhaag raat.
Today was the reception ceremony of the marriage.
In the morning she was told that it was custom of the family, that their new daughter in law makes kheer on the first day of the marriage.
Her family would be coming soon to take her.
It is a custom in Pakistani families that they come to collect their daughter the next day of her marriage and then later drop her off for the reception.
She was excepting to go home, but now she was told she has to make kheer.
She knew how to, but she was not an expert.
Kheer was ready.
It was served in the living room.
Everyone ate.
And they spat out in unison.
"It’s salty!" the mother in law screamed.
Soniya went weak in the knees.
She had put salt instead of sugar.
Everyone stood up and walked out of the living room, without saying word, leaving soniya and her husband alone.
"What have you done, you have humiliated me in front of my whole family."
"I am sorry."

"you have ruined the whole day, do you know how much my father is serious about food." soniya's husband said.
"I am sorry, I got confused."
"no sorry, become murga."
"What, you mean the punishment murga?"
"Yes."
Soniya was not sure what was happening.
"I said I am sorry, it was a....." soniya could not complete the sentence because the look on her husband's face suggested that she could be slapped any moment. She would not want that certainly.
She knew her husband was dead serious, and the only way to end this scene was becoming murga.
"right here?" she inquired.
"Yes, right here."
"But everyone will see me, even the maids are coming here. Can I become in the bedroom?"
"Okay, lets go to the bedroom."
They went to the bedroom. Soniya’s head was now twirling.
She could not believe that something like this was befalling her.
She bent down and became murga.
"Today is your first day so that why I have been lenient.
Next time, you have to obey me as soon as I say something.
Next time you have to become murga wherever I tell you, even if it is on stage tonight in the reception, understand?"
Soniya knew that she will be punished like this all her life.
"I asked, understand?"
"yes." soniya replied in a murgi like voice.

Soniya was still in murga , when her family members came to pick her. She was grateful that she had asked to be punished in the privacy of the bedroom, otherwise everyone would have seen her in the living room. All her younger sisters, her cousins and aunts.
Her family had to wait fifteen minutes for her to come, since she was still in punishment.
When her husband told her to get up and meet her family, she was hoping that her husband hadn’t told them about the murga punishment. When she went there, to her horror all her younger sisters including the cousins were in murga punishment, she wondered why?.....................
The end of the story.

New Life,New Rules (chapter 2)

Next day as I head home I am nervous because Baba will be back and he will be at home right now. I get out of my car in my starch white uniform. The nervousness is making me perspire. I get out and go straight to the hall. I greet Baba, but he seems upset from me. I am guessing my complaint has already been made.

“What is this Rabya, your mother punished you, and you didn’t comply. You must do everything she says.”

I looked down. Then when he had finished I said, “But she was giving me an age inappropriate punishment, Baba.” After some explanations and pleads Baba seemed content. But when she showed up, Baba asked her is the punishment still on. His response shook me, I thought he had betrayed me, just like when he betrayed me by doing another marriage. Of course she said the punishment was still on and I should become a murga for half an hour, since its my first time, otherwise she would have made me for whole hour.

“Okay, let me change and get some rest first, after that I will become murga in my room only. Not outside.”

“No way, it is a punishment, you don’t get to negotiate. You will become murga right here, in the hall and right now, in your uniform only.”

“Curse you, hag.” I thought to myself.

She pointed to place beside a sofa. I walked over and stood.

“You know how to become murga, do you?”

“yes.” I said, with a look of disgrace and nausea.

I bent down and took my hands around my thighs to catch my ears.

“Mehreen, come here and look upon Rabya aapi while she is punished, make sure she does not leave her ears.”

Both Mehreen and Zara came to the hall and sat on the sofas to watch over me. I guess they must be excited to see their elder sister, who scolds them all the time in murga.

“Do you want me to make sure that she keeps her buttocks up also?” Mehreen asked.

“No, since it is her first time let her relax her legs, only take care of the ears.”

Then she left the hall and went to the kitchen.

“you are so lucky aapi, when ammi makes us murga, she does not let our legs relax, she just wants our buttocks up all the time.” Mehreen said.

“whatever.” I said, the words hardly escaped my mouth because of the humiliation and embarrassment.

Few seconds now even seemed hours.

This is when the bell rang. I hoped it were not guests. But to my bad luck, they were. It was her sister. I could hear them both at the door.

“Zunara, how’s it going?”

“I’m fine, how are you my sweety, Malika.”

As soon as I heard that they were coming to the hall, I stood up.

Malika, my new aunt had a daughter also, Saba. Saba had tried to befriend me, I didn’t bother. Saba was about my age.

Saba was accompanying her mother and they were headed for the hall. I started walking towards my room when she called me from back.

“Rabya where do you think you are going.”

“To my room , to complete my punishment, there are guest here.” Her sister and niece were standing at her back.

“You are going nowhere, become murga back here, in front of the guests.”

As soon as she said this I could see Saba and Malika had a smile on their faces.

I went back to being murga. They all sat on the sofas.

“So, you have started your new daughter into this already, she is old Zunara, at least spare her this punishment.” Malika said.

“No, not at all, I treat all my daughters equally, she has got poor grades in O’levels, she must be severely punished.” That ended the talk on me. They chatted for a while then they went to the kitchen, leaving Saba, Mehreen and Zara in the hall.

“How much more time to go?” I asked.

“About 15 more minutes.” Mehreen answered.

“What?!” I could not believe it, it seemed like eternity and I was only half way through my punishment.

This is when the bell rang again. This time I could not hear who it was. Zara had gone to open the door. Then I heard her voice from the kitchen,”api’s friend is here, what should I say to her ammi?”

“Tell her Rabya is punished right now and still has about 15 more minutes on herself. If she can wait then come inside or come back later.”

I could not believe my ears. My social life had ended. When my friends would find out about this they will laugh their pants off. The whole school will laugh at me, all my A’level life is destroyed. It was probably Sofia, and she must be now updating her facebook status that I am punished in my house. But to my horror she came inside. She came to the hall and said,”I’ll wait for you in your room Rabya.”

Her voice sounded light, she would probably make fun of me when I go back to my room.

to be continued.......

New Life, New Rules.

I come home to my new family, yes new family, I don’t know these people. Not even my  father. He has become a complete stranger. He never does the things he did for me when my mother was alive. My mother died last year and my father has already married, two months before my mother’s death anniversary. My new mother is a complete gawaar, desi type of Punjabi. She is so backward. You can see in the way she talks, she dresses, she laughs, she cooks, in everything she does.

She has brought along two of her young daughters. They are twins and just six years old. I just cannot stand looking at these three strangers living in my house. This woman cannot take my mother’s place. I can’t accept her standing in the kitchen, on the dining table, everywhere.

I have got my O’level result today. I have got 9 D’s. Very persistent I am in getting D’s. I don’t bother telling my new mother the grades as I don’t acknowledge her at all. I will tell to Baba directly. When I got my three subjects result last year, 3 D’s, Baba did not say anything. I got a little scolding from Mom though. I wish Mom was here to scold me again.

I go straight to my room. I don’t even greet her. I used to always greet my Mom by a peck on her cheek and she used to peck on mine. We were like friends, more than just mother and daughter. Although my new mother is not a harsh type of step-mother who hates her step-daughter, she is very caring and kind, but I hate her still. I avoid talking to her in every way possible. I even avoid her daughters. They are always running around and making noise in the house, I hate their sounds and whenever I get the chance I shout at them, to keep down.

“You must have got your result today, beta Rabya.” It’s my stepmother. I do not intend to tell her. She is standing right outside the door.

“I’ll tell you when I come out, I am getting ready.” I lie; I am just lying on the bed. I cannot be rude to her and disrespect her, because my father does not like it. Once I misbehaved with her, my father gave me two slaps on my face and made me apologize to her. That was the most humiliating day of my life. I have never apologized to anyone in my life, never said sorry, even when the mistake was mine.

I feel hungry and must eat. Regardless of the fact that I do not want to see her today I go down in the hall to have lunch. She has cooked curry. I eat.

“What was your result?”

“I got all D’s, just like last year, this makes a total of 9 D’s.” I say carelessly, I am least bothered about her reaction to this. I am still looking at my plate, not looking at her, not wanting to look at her.

“All D’s. That is terrible Rabya, how could you be careless about it, look at you, not worried a bit about your grades.”

“I am fine, thanks.”

“You must be punished for this, education is really important. A careless attitude towards education in my house will not be tolerated.”

Her words bit into my flesh. She dares to say I must be punished, she dare say my house her own. I grind my teeth but say nothing, caged in by Baba’s slaps.

“Finish your lunch, and then I will punish you.”

I stand at once. ”My mother never punished me, so you cannot punish me either, let Baba decide what shall be done, not you, thank you very much.”

I choose my words with a lot of precaution, as I knew if she gets the feeling that I am being disrespectful, my Baba will beat the shit out of me, as he had threatened to break my legs if I ever misbehaved with her again.

“Sit down and finish your lunch, lady, otherwise you will receive a slap.”

I had never heard this kind of tone in her voice. It was stern and it shook me a little.

“Since you are my daughter now, you will be treated the way my other daughters are treated. If your mother did not punish you, let me get this straight, you will be as I am your mother. New rules will be implied in your life now.”

There was so much steadiness in her voice that I couldn’t do anything but just sit down. I sat but did not eat. I don’t know what kind of sick punishment she will give me.

After she had eaten lunch she asked me to come with her to the hall. Both her daughters, Zara and Mehreen also came. She sat on the sofa, I remained standing in front of her. I had no idea how she punished her daughters, I had never seen it. And by the way, I had never been punished by my mother. She had only scolded me in her life. Although my father had beaten me when I was a child, and lately given me slaps because of her.

“Since you have gotten bad grades in O’levels, which are the finals, you must be punished severely. Become a murga.”

“Did I hear you correctly, I think you said become murga?”

“You heard correct, become murga.”

“I am a girl, 16 years old, it’s a boys punishment and for small children.”

“Who told you, it is a punishment for girls also, I got this punishment when I was in matric, class 10, 15 years old. Become murga quick.”

“That is old times, nobody gives this punishment anymore.”

“Just become murga before a raise my hands on you.”

I didn’t knew what to say to this. If she raised her hands on me, I would not be able to hold myself back, I will hit her back. And certainly I am not ready to become murga in front of her at any cost.

“Look, I am not becoming murga in front of you. Let Baba come, he will decide what should be done. I am too big for this.”

“So you are disobeying me.” She stood up while saying this. Her voice sounded threatening.

“Yes.” I said, mustering up all the courage I had. She had came up close to me. Is this the moment I thought, will she get physical with me. If she gets, I will too. This will be the end of the new family my Baba had tried to forge. If this happens I don’t know what will be next for me. I don’t know what will Baba do with me. But she did not hit me. She just told me that I will become murga when Baba comes back, that will be tomorrow when I return from school. Baba was out of city now. I know when Baba comes I will come out of this situation as he will understand. We do not do these kind of punishments in the house. I will plead to him and he will let me go, I am sure.

to be continued..................