Third Person POV

“Samiksha… you can do this. Yes, I can do this.” Samiksha muttered to herself while staring at her reflection in the mirror, trying hard to calm the nervousness rising inside her. Her voice sounded confident enough, but the tension on her face betrayed her instantly.

She was dressed in a white crop top paired with sky-blue jeans and white sneakers. Her hair fell loosely over her shoulders, soft makeup enhancing her sharp features without overdoing it. From the outside, she looked perfectly composed but her restless fingers and uneven breathing revealed otherwise.

Just then, a knock sounded on the door, pulling her out of her thoughts. She glanced toward it briefly before looking back at herself in the mirror again. Taking a deep breath, she straightened her shoulders, forcing her expression back into place.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Janhvi stepped inside with a small smile on her face. Unlike Samiksha, she looked calm and completely prepared. She wore a dark blue anarkali suit, her hair tied neatly into a ponytail, making her look effortlessly graceful.

Samiksha looked at her through the mirror and smiled faintly.

“You’re looking beautiful, jaani,” she said casually while adjusting her hair again, though it was more to distract herself than to fix anything. Samiksha hated showing her vulnerable side in front of people, even those close to her.

Janhvi sat carefully at the edge of the bed, hesitating before speaking. “Well… y-you should also wear something traditional,” she said softly while watching Samiksha’s reaction through the mirror. “You know… it’s a village, and people here—”

“Janhvi.” Samiksha cut her off before she could finish and turned around to face her properly. Folding her arms against her chest, she narrowed her eyes slightly. “I don’t wear traditional clothes. You know that. So why the hell are you suddenly asking me to wear them now?”

Her tone wasn’t loud, but it carried firmness that instantly silenced the room.

“We came here to change the mindset of misogynistic people,” Samiksha continued, stepping closer. “So we will stay exactly as we are. We don’t need to change ourselves just to make them listen to us or believe our words.”

Janhvi sighed softly and lowered her eyes for a second before trying again. “Yes, I know… but like this, they’ll think—”

“Let them think whatever they want,” Samiksha interrupted again, sharper this time. “I don’t change myself for anyone, and I never will just because people are uncomfortable with it.”

Without waiting for another response, she grabbed her bag from the table.

“Let’s go. Arjun is waiting for us.”

Before Janhvi could say anything else, Samiksha walked out of the room quickly, leaving the door half open behind her. Janhvi stared at the empty doorway for a second before rushing after her and locking the room properly before leaving.

By the time she stepped outside, Samiksha and Arjun were already sitting on the stairs of a nearby shop, waiting lazily. Both looked completely unbothered, making Janhvi roll her eyes immediately.

“Seriously?” she complained while walking toward them. “You guys didn’t even switch off the lights or close the door properly.”

Samiksha and Arjun exchanged a look before standing up together, dusting off their clothes dramatically like scolded children.

“Mummyo wali vibe deti hai tu, kasam se.”

Arjun said with a grin as he casually placed his arm over Janhvi’s shoulder. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt with blue jeans and sneakers, looking effortlessly relaxed as always.

(You seriously give mother vibes, I swear.)

Janhvi instantly glared at him.

“Leave me. Don’t you dare touch me, bastard,” she snapped before jabbing her elbow hard into his stomach.

Arjun let out a sharp groan and clutched his side dramatically while Samiksha rolled her eyes at the both of them. Even in the middle of tension and nervousness, these two somehow found ways to fight like children every single day.

“Itni pyaar se kaun daant-ta hai? Aise toh main fall ho jaunga darne ke jagah.”

Arjun said teasingly while casually walking beside her again like nothing had happened. His eyes sparkled with amusement seeing Janhvi’s cheeks slowly turning red. The irritation on her face only entertained him more, and he looked ready to continue annoying her for the rest of the day.

(Who scolds someone this lovingly? At this rate I’ll fall for you instead of getting scared.)

Before he could throw another teasing comment at her, Janhvi suddenly stopped walking mid-step and turned dramatically toward both Arjun and Samiksha. Her eyes widened as if she had just discovered some shocking secret after years of investigation.

“You both are twins—whooo!”

She pointed at them accusingly while Samiksha immediately groaned under her breath. Meanwhile, a victorious smirk spread across Arjun’s face as he looked at Samiksha with an expression that clearly screamed, See? I told you

That single statement instantly pulled Samiksha back to last night.

After hours of traveling and endless drama, the three of them had finally reached the house arranged by their boss. The place wasn’t luxurious or modern like city apartments. It was a simple two-floor village house with old-style interiors, plain walls, and furniture that looked older than all three of them combined.

“Madam, this is the house sir arranged for you,” the caretaker said politely while handing the keys to Samiksha. “I was waiting because you mentioned you would arrive by noon… but now it’s midnight.”

The poor man looked both sleepy and nervous at the same time.

“Yeah, actually our car fuel got over and then—leave it,” Samiksha sighed tiredly before dropping herself onto the couch. Her head leaned back against it as exhaustion settled into her bones. “What’s your name, sir?”

The man looked horrified at the word *sir*.

“Oh no, madam… don’t call me sir,” he said quickly while waving his hands. “I’m just a servant here. My name is Deepak—”

“Deepak Kalal?” Arjun suddenly gasped dramatically before the man could even finish his sentence. He rushed toward him instantly and grabbed both his hands with unnecessary excitement. “Bro! Big fan! It’s literally my dream to meet Deepak Kalal and seeing you here today, I can’t even explain my emotions.”

Samiksha slowly closed her eyes, already regretting her life choices.

The caretaker frowned instantly.

“No, no… I’m Deepak Sharma,” he corrected with visible offense. “And honestly, I don’t even like that Kalal. Waise bhi main usse bahut acha hoon.”

Deepak adjusted his collar proudly before continuing his rant like it was extremely important information.

(Anyway, I’m much better than him.)

“Doodh wala hai wo kalal. Woh doodh mein paani mila ke bechta hai. Maine apni ye gunehgar aankhon se dekha hai.”

You know kalal is a milkman. He mixes water into the milk and sells it. I saw it with my own sinful eyes.

Arjun looked completely invested in the conversation now, nodding seriously as if Deepak had exposed some national conspiracy in front of him.

But before he could ask another dramatic question, Janhvi suddenly spoke with complete innocence.

“Woh sab toh theek hai, uncle… but ‘gunehgar aankhein’ kyun?”

She tilted her head thoughtfully before adding another blow. “Aisi umar mein bhi? Chi chi.”

(That’s all fine, uncle… but why ‘sinful eyes’? Even at this age? Shame shame.)

For one full second, absolute silence filled the room. Deepak froze. Arjun almost choked trying not to laugh.

And Samiksha slowly covered her face with one hand, questioning every decision that had led her to these two people.

“Shut up, all of you!” Samiksha finally snapped as she stood from the couch and glared at the trio standing in front of her. “Uncle, leave these idiots. I already know they are mentally unstable, but you too?”

All three immediately went quiet seeing the irritation on her face.

Taking a deep breath, Samiksha rubbed her forehead before speaking again. “Whatever. We accidentally left our clothes in the car. Can you arrange some clothes for tomorrow?”

Deepak nodded instantly while Arjun and Janhvi silently exchanged guilty looks behind Samiksha’s back like two school children who had just been scolded by their class teacher.

“Tension not, madam. Everything is already arranged,” Deepak said proudly while straightening his posture a little. “Sir has already kept clothes for all of you. There are many suits for madams and also clothes for this boy.”

He pointed toward Arjun while explaining everything seriously, as if he had completed some important responsibility successfully.

“Suits?” Samiksha repeated slowly before narrowing her eyes. “I don’t wear them, uncle. Please arrange some casual western clothes for me.”

The moment those words left her mouth, Deepak’s expression changed completely, almost like she had asked for something illegal.

“W-western clothes?” he repeated hesitantly. “Madam… no one wears those here.”

For a second, all three of them exchanged confused looks before Samiksha folded her arms against her chest confidently.

“That’s exactly why we are here,” she declared dramatically before flipping her hair behind her shoulder with full attitude. “Everything that doesn’t happen in this village we will make sure it starts happening now.”

Arjun and Janhvi immediately facepalmed together.

“Iska fir se shuru ho gaya…”

Arjun muttered under his breath while looking at Janhvi, who nodded with the same exhausted expression. But both instantly straightened themselves when Samiksha shot them a deadly glare.

( Here she goes again.)

“Then okay, madam,” Deepak said quickly. “Give me one minute, I’ll bring them for you.”

He turned around to leave, but Samiksha stopped him immediately.

“One minute?” she repeated suspiciously. “You just said the boss only arranged suits for us. Then where are these western clothes suddenly coming from?”

Her narrowed eyes made Deepak visibly nervous.

“W-woh… actually…” he stammered while trying to think of an excuse, but Samiksha cut him off instantly.

“Say the truth, uncle,” she warned while stepping closer. “Otherwise nobody here is going to be worse than me.”

Deepak gulped loudly before blurting everything out in one breath.

“Actually sir arranged western clothes only for you, but he specifically told me not to give them unless you insisted!”

The confession made Arjun and Janhvi burst out laughing immediately, but their laughter died within seconds when Samiksha slowly turned toward them with another dangerous stare.

“Aah… ye boss ki toh…” Samiksha muttered angrily while fanning herself dramatically. “Cool down, Samiksha. Cool down.”

__

Then suddenly, her eyes landed on Arjun, who was still trying to suppress his smile.

Without warning

She stepped hard on his foot.

“AAPKO bhi kuch chahiye?” she snapped at janhvi while Arjun yelled in pain. “Aap chup chaap chaloge. Badi ayi twinning karne waale!”

(Do YOU want something too? Just walk quietly. we’re twins and all!)

Pushing Janhvi aside dramatically, Samiksha marched ahead while muttering to herself angrily.

Arjun instantly grabbed his injured foot while glaring at her back.

“Yeh aurat ek din mera murder karegi,” he whispered dramatically.

(One day this woman will murder me.)

Janhvi patted his shoulder sympathetically before both hurried after Samiksha. This time, neither of them dared to tease her again. They simply walked quietly beside her like obedient children trying not to upset an angry mother.

“Agar petrol full rehta toh aaj aise chalna nahi padta itni garmi mein.”

Arjun taunted while wiping sweat from his forehead dramatically. His words instantly made Samiksha let out a nervous laugh.

(If the petrol had been full, we wouldn’t have to walk in this heat today.)

“Bhagwan ne do pair kyu diye hain beta? Istemal karne ke liye na? Toh karo.”

She laughed awkwardly after saying it, pretending her logic actually made sense. Arjun and Janhvi slowly turned toward her with identical unimpressed expressions.

(Why do you think God gave us two legs? To use them, right? So use them.)

“Haye Bhagwan… yeh ladkiyaan kab apni galti maanegi?”

Arjun said dramatically while looking toward the sky like a defeated philosopher.

(Oh God… when will girls ever admit their mistakes?)

“Jab suraj chand ho jayega aur chand suraj tab!”

Samiksha replied proudly with a huge smile on her face as if she had delivered the greatest line in history.

(The day the sun becomes the moon and the moon becomes the sun!)

Arjun opened his mouth to respond again, but before another argument could begin, Janhvi suddenly pointed ahead excitedly.

“Guys, look there!” she exclaimed. “There are so many people sitting under that tree. Let’s go there first.”

Then she looked at Samiksha mischievously.

“And once Samiksha starts speaking, more people will gather automatically.”

Both Arjun and Samiksha looked at each other before nodding slightly. Without wasting more time, the three of them started walking toward the huge tree nearby where several men and women sat together talking among themselves.

The closer they walked toward the huge banyan tree, the more the atmosphere around them started changing. Nearly twenty villagers were gathered there, some sitting on old charpais while others stood nearby discussing something among themselves. But the moment the three outsiders entered their sight, the conversations slowly faded.

Most eyes landed on Samiksha.

Her open hair, jeans, confident posture everything about her looked unfamiliar in the middle of the quiet Haryana village. A few older women immediately started whispering among themselves while some men openly stared with visible disapproval.

Samiksha noticed every single gaze.

But instead of getting uncomfortable, she simply lifted her chin slightly higher and continued walking confidently. Meanwhile, Arjun and Janhvi exchanged one tired look behind her back, both silently praying she wouldn’t start an argument within the first ten minutes.

One old man sitting on the charpai narrowed his eyes before finally speaking.

“Ke bera tum log kaun so? Ar yo shehar jisse kapde pehen ke gaam mein ke karan aaye so?”

Who even are you people? And what are you doing in the village wearing city-type clothes like this?)

Before Janhvi could politely answer, Samiksha stepped forward with a confident smile already resting on her face.

“Hum yahan badlav lane aaye hain.”

(We are here to bring change.)

The sentence instantly made a few villagers frown.

Arjun slowly closed his eyes.

“Badlav?” another man repeated suspiciously while folding his arms across his chest. “Kis cheez ka badlav?”

(Change? What kind of change?)

Samiksha’s smile widened slightly as she looked around at everyone gathered there.

“Aisa badlav jahan ladkiyon ko bojh na samjha jaye,” she said firmly. “Jahan unki padhai shaadi se zyada important ho.”

The kind of change where girls are not treated like burdens. Where their education matters more than marriage.)

A brief silence spread under the tree.

Some women lowered their eyes quietly while a few younger girls standing farther behind suddenly looked interested. But the older men clearly didn’t look impressed by her words.

“Yo shehar ki baatein hongi,” one middle-aged man scoffed dismissively. “Gaam apne niyam te chale se.”

(These may be city ideas. Villages run by their own rules.)

“Kyuuun?” Samiksha questioned instantly. “Gaon ki ladkiyaan insaan nahi hoti kya?”

The directness in her voice made the air tense almost immediately.

(Why? Are village girls not human beings?)

“Chori ne itni zubaan theek koni,” another older woman muttered while shaking her head.

(Girls speaking this much is not considered good.)

Janhvi looked nervous seeing the tension building while Arjun rubbed his forehead dramatically.

“Bas ab fight pakki,” he whispered under his breath.

(Now the fight is guaranteed.)

One of the older men stood up slowly from the charpai, clearly irritated now.

“Tum shehar aale do din aake humein seekhawan lag jao ho,” he said sharply. “Apni chhoriyan ke baare mein humne tumse zyada bera se.”

(You city people come here for two days and start teaching us. We know more about our daughters than you do.)

For the first time, Samiksha’s expression softened slightly.

“And forcing them into marriage before they can even dream is right?” she asked quietly this time. “Not letting them study is right?”

Her voice wasn’t loud anymore.

But somehow that calmness hit harder than anger.

The villagers fell silent again for a few moments. The younger girls especially looked at her differently now, almost curiously, as if nobody had spoken those thoughts aloud before.

Sensing the atmosphere getting heavier, Arjun immediately jumped in before another argument could begin.

“Okayyyy!” he clapped dramatically while forcing a smile onto his face. “Before this turns into a social movement, can somebody please give us water? We walked in this heat because SOMEONE forgot to refill petrol.”

He looked directly at Samiksha while saying the last line.

Samiksha instantly glared at him.

“You’re still stuck on that?”

“Yes,” Arjun replied with fake pain while placing a hand over his chest. “Because my soul suffered.”

A few younger boys nearby snorted quietly hearing him, instantly breaking some of the tension around the group.

Even Janhvi smiled slightly before stepping ahead politely.

“We actually came here to help,” she explained softly. “We want to teach girls, understand problems here, and support however we can. We are not here to insult anyone.”

Unlike Samiksha’s sharp confidence, Janhvi’s softness made people listen more carefully.

The villagers exchanged uncertain glances again.

Then suddenly, a small girl around ten years old slowly stepped closer to Samiksha and stared at her jeans with wide curious eyes.

“Didi…” she asked innocently. “Tu heroine se ke?”

(sister… are you a heroine?)

For one second

Complete silence.

Then Arjun burst into loud laughter while Samiksha looked personally offended.

“See?” Arjun grinned proudly. “I told you. Full heroine energy.”

The little girl’s innocent question had barely settled in the air when an older woman sitting near the charpai suddenly clicked her tongue loudly in disapproval. Her wrinkled face twisted with judgment as her sharp eyes traveled from Samiksha’s open hair to her jeans once again.

“Heroine jaisi hi lagegi,” the old woman muttered bitterly. “Aaj kal ki chhoriyan aadhe kapde pehen ke ghoomein se fer bolen izzat do.”

(Of course she’ll look like a heroine. Girls these days wear half clothes and then demand respect.)

A few people nearby nodded quietly at her words.

The old woman wasn’t done yet.

“Hamaare gaam mein aisi chhoriyan ne achha koni maanya jaata,” she continued harshly. “Character waali aurat aise kapde na pehne. Humein koi badlav-vadlav na chahiye.”

(Girls like this are not considered respectable in our village. Women with character do not dress like this. We don’t want any of this so-called change.)

For one second

Absolute silence spread under the tree.

Janhvi’s expression fell instantly while Arjun glanced nervously toward Samiksha, already knowing from the dangerous calm on her face that this conversation was about to explode badly.

And then

Samiksha laughed.

Not because she was angry.

But because she found it funny.

“So this is the problem we came here to solve, right?” she said slowly while stepping forward. Her voice wasn’t loud yet, but there was something sharp hidden beneath every word now. “If a woman wears short clothes, she becomes characterless. If she stands up for herself, she becomes arrogant. If she refuses to silently accept whatever society throws at her, then suddenly she’s selfish, shameless, mannerless…”

Her eyes moved across the crowd standing around her.

“But when a man does the same things?” she continued bitterly. “Then he becomes hardworking. Responsible. Powerful.”

The villagers around her fell quiet.

Some looked uncomfortable.

Some annoyed.

But Samiksha didn’t stop.

“This,” she said firmly while pointing around herself, “this mindset is exactly what I hate.”

A faint breeze passed through the tree, lifting a few strands of her hair across her face, but she didn’t even notice anymore. Years of frustration sat behind her words now, no longer controlled or hidden.

“You know why I don’t wear traditional clothes?” she asked. “Because society decided that women wearing suits are ‘good girls’ while girls wearing jeans somehow lose their character overnight.”

Her lips curved into a humorless smile.

“And cooking?” she laughed softly again. “I never learned it properly because from childhood all I heard was—girls belong in kitchens, girls are made for households, girls should know how to serve.”

Her voice grew colder with every sentence.

“Good women don’t speak loudly. Good women don’t wear short clothes. Good women don’t answer back. Good women know how to cook. Good women don’t go outside after seven o’clock.”

She paused briefly before asking quietly

“Why?”

The question echoed harder than shouting.

“Why do women always have to endure everything?” she asked again, her eyes glistening—not with weakness, but anger. “Every month they suffer unbearable pain and still continue working. Then marriage comes and they are forced to leave the house they were born in, leave their parents, leave their people… only to enter another house where half the time they’re treated like unpaid servants.”

No one interrupted her now.

Even the older men who disagreed stayed silent.

“Then pregnancy,” Samiksha continued, her voice trembling slightly now. “Nine months carrying a child. Endless pain. Endless sacrifices. And after surviving all of that, if the baby turns out to be a girl…”

She laughed bitterly.

“People become disappointed.”

A few women lowered their eyes hearing that.

“Funny, isn’t it?” she whispered. “Every single man standing here came into this world because of a woman. Yet society still treats women like burdens… like property… like slaves.”

The silence around the tree became suffocating now.

Even the air felt heavy.

“And then,” Samiksha said slowly, looking directly at the old woman this time, “after all this, people still ask what was she wearing? Why was she outside? Why was she there?”

Her jaw tightened.

“Why don’t people ask men why they make women feel unsafe in the first place?”

No one spoke.

Not a single person.

More villagers had slowly gathered there during her speech, drawn by the intensity in her voice. Women stood farther behind listening silently. A few teenage girls looked at Samiksha with wide eyes, almost like they were hearing their own hidden thoughts spoken aloud for the very first time.

Even Arjun and Janhvi stood still now.

Because this time Samiksha wasn’t being dramatic.

She was angry.

And anger spoken from truth always sounds different.

Far away, near the dusty road leading toward the panchayat building, another figure had stopped walking.

A man in his late twenties stood there silently beside his jeep, listening to every single word.

The villagers hadn’t noticed him yet.

But the moment people around slowly began whispering “Sarpanch ji…” under their breath

The atmosphere shifted again.

________

Happy reading 💞