Prologue.

Location : Malwan , Sindhudurg , Maharashtra

Author's POV

It was evening in a quaint village near Malwan, Sindhudurg, Maharashtra. A group of elderly women, all around their 60s, sat near the temple gossiping leisurely. Suddenly, 4 to 5 cars zoomed past them, heading toward the heart of the village.

As the cars disappeared, an elderly lady named Kamala spoke up:
"Hya Joshi'n kade nighalyat vattato gadya , Megha sathi aalelo disto. "
(Translation: "It seems they've gone to Joshi's place, maybe those men have come for Megha.")

Hearing this, another woman, who had come from a nearby village, asked,
"MEGHA? Hee tich na v ji pura panchkrushit famous haay?"
(Translation: "Megha? Is she the one who's famous across all the neighboring villages?")

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement, except for a young girl sitting among them. Curious, she asked,
"Megha? Kon haay hee? Ani as kay asto tikat je sar panchkrushi olkhat teka?"
(Translation: "Megha? Who is she? And what's so special about her that everyone in the surrounding villages knows her?")

An old lady, speaking with admiration, replied,
"Avv, laay goad por asuto ti, laay sundar manan pn ani rupan pn. Rup aso  ki pura gavat koni teka sarkh bhetaycho naay, hasli ki kalij choran ani eka najraan ghayal karin. Gunwan tr itaki aso roj yaaychi na mandirat, chathurtila bhajan tr  aso gayacho ki  jhanu Saraswatich aso, ani nachayla tr pura gavat koni ticha haat nay dharu shakat."
(Translation: "Oh, she's such a sweet girl, beautiful both in heart and appearance. Her beauty is unmatched in the entire village—when she smiles, it pierces hearts, and one glance from her can leave anyone spellbound. She's talented too; she used to come to the temple daily and sing devotional songs so melodiously, like the goddess Saraswati herself. And when it came to dancing, no one in the village could match her.")

The girl, wide-eyed with curiosity, asked,
"Kharach ka g, Aajji? Evadhi bhari ani dekhani hoti ka ti?"
(Translation: "Really, Grandma? Was she truly that graceful and beautiful?")

The old lady nodded and continued,
"Aavo kharach, mhanun tr teka melyani bhar mandvatun uchlin neli teusni , sarya gava samor."
(Translation: "Oh yes, absolutely. That's why that scoundrel abducted her from the wedding pavilion in front of the entire village.")

Shock registered on some of the women's faces. The young girl, even more intrigued, asked,
"Kadhi g, Aajji? Ani ka?"
(Translation: "When, Grandma? And why?")

The old lady sighed and began recounting the story,
"Aav, 6-7 mahinyabhara aadhichi gosht aahe. Pura malaa sajla hota porichya lagna sathi. Sar gaav jamal hota, porgi hotich itki goad ki sar gaav aal hotta tichyasathi. Ashi disat hoti tya laal shalu ani hirvya judyat, janu Laxmich. Nakshatr pn fikk pori samor. Jashi mandvaat basli, sarya gaavachi najar chorli tin. Bhatji kahi bolat nahi tr lagech  -to aala, 9-10 gadya gheun. Ani ayy, ti 20-25 manas ani sobat haatat ti pistul. Sar gaav baghun hairan zal tyala. Porila bhar mandvatun gheun chalala hota, ani java tini nakar dila, sarya gavasamor tichyasang tyach mandvaat lagin karun uchlun gheun gela tika."

(*Translation: "Oh, it happened 6-7 months ago. The entire village had gathered for her wedding. The preparations were grand, and the bride—she looked so beautiful in her red saree and green jewelry, like Goddess Lakshmi herself. Even the stars seemed pale in comparison to her beauty.Suddenly, he came—with 9-10 cars and 20-25 men armed with pistols. The whole village was stunned to see him. He barged in, dragged her out of the pavilion, and when she resisted, he married her right there, in front of everyone, and took her away.")*

As the old lady finished, there was only silence among the women. After a moment, the young girl asked softly,
"Koni g, Aajji?"

(Translation: "Who was it, Grandma?")

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