Sakshi Shinde
Pune
When Rekha was yet to be born, her mother wanted to abort her. Rekha’s father was bedridden and her mother was unwilling to give birth to her owing to the financial conditions of the family. But her father insisted that the baby should step into this world. “ This is why I can talk to you today. It is because of my father who thought that I should not die in my mother’s womb” she says.
But that’s not the end of the story. It was the beginning of the long testing trail for Rekha. When she was just 13, she saw some white spots on her skin. She was detected with Vitiligo.
Understanding Vitiligo
In Vitiligo a person develops white patches of skin caused by the loss of melanin – the pigment that is a major contributor to skin. Experts say that it is a harmless disease and one can live a normal life with Vitiligo. But life was not easy for Rekha as society considers it as an abnormal disease and many also call such a person ominous.
According to V R Foundation working with people living with Vitiligo, it is a generally unpredictable skin disease that causes a gradual loss of skin colour and overlying hair on different parts of the body. Vitiligo is a life-long condition and it’s unlikely that one will ever be completely free of it.
“ An error within the immune system causes it to attack and destroy melanocytes, — the pigment producing cells responsible for the colour of the skin. This results in uneven white patches throughout the body” the Foundation states. It adds that the good news is that Vitiligo is neither life-threatening nor contagious.
Living with Vitiligo
Somehow Rekha continued her education and completed her nursing course. As she didn’t get a job she was married to a person who was already married and his first wife had died.
Her in-laws tortured her and once they dragged her to the river to drown her. Villagers saved her life and she escaped from the clutches of her in-laws. She came to her sister.
The life of a person who has to live with white patches on the parts of the body or the entire body turning white is not easy.
“ Ask me how I have lived. All my life I had to live all alone as nobody wanted to marry me. My relatives never invited me to functions and ceremonies. In fact, people used to fear their children with my name. I have been treated like a ghost” says Babytai a 70-year-old woman from Belgaum in Karnataka.
The new turn
Rekha’s life was not different. Adding to her problems she suffered because of tuberculosis. She admitted herself to a hospital and requested a doctor to treat her. She had no money for the treatment but she promised the doctor that she would work as a nurse in the hospital to pay the treatment expenses.
Her in-laws and husband continued to torture her. Her husband had not divorced her but he got married to another woman.
She decided to shift to Kolhapur to work in a government hospital. She decided to marry once again as living alone in society was becoming challenging. Also, her family members insisted that she should get married. She married to a person whose wife had died and he had children.
Her husband was a drunkard and already had two children from his earlier wife. Every day he thrashed Rekha. Life become intolerable, but she continued to work and live. Meanwhile, she was looking after the children as she had no kids. Her husband died after a brief illness and Rekha was not responsible for raising his kids.
She stood firm
Despite all the discrimination and hatred, she received all her life, Rekha is not bitter. She remained firm and tolerated all the humiliation. Even after her husband’s death, she didn’t desert his kids. She fulfilled the responsibilities. She educated kids and made them stand on their own. She settled them in life and returned to her sister.
“ This life,” she says with teary eyes. When she looks back and introspects, she says that destiny was cruel and unjust towards her. “ Why me?” she asked each and every time she had to suffer. But then there was no one to answer her question. She had to find her own answers.
Vitiligo changed her skin colour and also the direction of her life, but it couldn’t change her spirit to face life as it is.
(Sakshi Shinde is a student of SYBAJMC at Vishwakarma University )
Beautiful and Really Inspiring story… 👏🏻👌🏻👌🏻
Well written 👏
Great work
I’m learn from rekha’s life story Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle…..well done sakshi…..do you present’s how rekha perform’s her responsibility as a mother while she is in a illness ……..thanku for giving inspirational story like this
I’m learn from rekha’s life story Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle…..well done sakshi…..do you present’s how’s rekha perform’s her responsibility as a mother while she is in a illness ……..thanku for giving inspirational story like this….!
Rekha’s story is very inspiring, and also very motivating…………
Well written Sakshi keep it up.
Story was inspiring and well written 👌👍 All the best Sakshi 👍
Really nice 👍👍👍
So inspiring and well written. Keep it up Sakshi🙌🏻