The mother and son duo sat to eat their dinner. Usually their dinner was filled with cheerful banter and daily adventures of Neil narrowly escaping from being pranked by the kids in the neighborhood.

Reminiscing about the memories stirred both of their hearts. After the dinner they settled in front of the television to watch the news before going to bed but their minds were occupied by wavering thoughts.

In a moment of impulse Ishvari decided to share the story of Chitra with Neil. Though he felt helpless listening to it, he did not feel alone this time. Ishvari recalled the events told to her by Savitri. The secrets of the past withheld for a long time poured at once, even made the skies cry at the fate the little girl endured, as the evening passed and the night grew darker.

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A little girl around seven years of age ran for her life through the streets of Rampa village of Gajapati district situated in Odisha. Her legs are giving up, with only hope she tried her best to run. Directionless just like her life, her eyes saw a group of unfamiliar women walking towards the entrance of the village carrying something. That's the last thing she saw before she fainted in the arms of a woman.

They rushed her to the nearby medical camp organized by the N.G.O they are from. The doctor treated the minor wounds and scratches the girl had and gave her saline solution.

After sometime the girl slowly gained consciousness and looked around her surroundings. The woman in whose arms she fainted before sat beside her and slowly started to ask her whereabouts in a gentle way.

"What is your name dear?" She asked her with a smile on her face.

The girl kept mum and looked at her with an anxious face.

"Who are your parents? Do you know the direction to your house? Can you take me there?" Asked the woman looking at the girl concerned.

The girl began to weep when she asked her about her parents, tightly clutching the hem of her faded skirt, she told the woman that her parents died in an accident a week back. She begged the woman not to take her back home. The girl's face immersed in sorrow and grief soon turned to fear, afraid that she had to go back.

The woman consoled the child and promised her that she'll be safe here and will not take her back home. The woman introduced her as Savitri, who takes care of little girls like her.

Meanwhile a group of villagers armed with sticks searched for the girl.

A woman in her late twenties, her face hidden behind the pallu of her saree, walked as fast as she could towards the public school, careful not to be seen. She saw the teacher leaving the premises of the school. The woman immediately stopped the teacher holding her hands. She frantically asked the teacher if she met a girl aged around seven years in a faded pink skirt. The teacher shook her head as no, surprised by the woman's actions. She pitied the woman and asked her what happened.

The woman named Malati answered that her younger sister Yachana was supposed to meet the teacher so that she could be taken to the nearby shelter of NGO as she escaped from her house.

Malati explained that her parents died in an accident a week back, they had arranged a marriage for Yachana who is merely seven years old which was about to happen next month. Now her husband and Yachana's future father-in-law are fighting over five acres of land owned by her father.

Malati don't want her sister to be a victim of child marriage and domestic abuse like her. She, along with Yachana's supposed mother-in-law, who felt sorry for the girls, helped Yachana to run away from home and instructed her to meet the school teacher for further help.

Tears rushed down the cheeks of Malati, she blamed the almighty for their ill fate. She fell down on her knees worried about her dear sister. She cursed herself that she couldn't take the responsibility of her sister.

The school teacher helped Malati to get up on her feet and promised her that she'll search for her in the nearby public schools, anganwadi and at the temporary shelter of the NGO.

Malati thanked her and told her that she'll forever be grateful for the teacher's help. She returned back home before anyone could get to know about her secret meeting.

The sky above darkened its blue hue and soon the sun disappeared below the horizons. The crickets buzzing could be heard as the fireflies dazzled their lights now and then. The villagers with their lanterns gathered in front of Yachana's supposed father-in-law's house and told him that a girl around seven years old was discovered by the people from NGO and they took her to some other city.

Her father-in-law thanked the crowd for spending their time searching for her.

"I sincerely thank you all for your efforts to find her. We no longer want that girl to be the wife of my son as she ran away and brought shame to our family. To compensate for it we will ask the village head for a share in her father's land that he promised to give as dowry."

Most of the people agreed with him and returned to their homes, only few cursed at his wickedness and prayed for his downfall.

Savitri and her team took the girl to Chatrapur town which is located around forty seven kilometers from Rampa village. It was their next destination. The girl did not leave Savitri's side. They spent a week there. Savitri and the girl quickly bonded with each other. They came back to Hyderabad and registered the girl in the NGO Savitri was working. Savitri named the child Chitra, meaning beautiful or brilliant, also a synonym of art.

Over the days their bond became unbreakable, one day Chitra opened her heart to Savitri as she narrated her past to her sorrowfully remembering her parents and her sister.

Few months later Savitri and her husband Sunil decided to adopt Chitra and live a new future with her along with their daughter Chaitra. It took them two years to become legal guardians of Chitra. They joined her in the same school as Chaitra. Both the sisters bonded by love, their happiness had no bounds. Their parents felt complete and heartfull at their relationship.

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Glossary

Anganwadi - child care centre started by the government in villages of India.

Pallu - loose end of the saree draped over the shoulder.