Akka was Shyam’s elder sister. Among all the siblings, mother had a little extra affection for her. She was like a second image of mother herself. She was gentle, compassionate, hardworking, and forgiving. Yet, arranging her marriage proved to be a great ordeal.

There were several reasons for this. For one, she was born under the influence of Mangal (Mars). In our customs, it was considered difficult to arrange the marriage of a girl with such a horoscope. Besides, the marriage could not proceed without dowry. Shyam’s family was once prosperous, but now their condition was like “a grand house with empty halls.” Their debts kept increasing. Even if someone liked Akka, the matter of dowry would become an obstacle. Even today, we witness how much suffering dowry brings to girls’ families. That was the situation even then. No matter how good a girl was, how virtuous, nothing would move forward without dowry. At times, father had to take loans to arrange his daughters’ marriages. Such worries constantly weighed on Akka’s mind. The only talk in the house was about her marriage. All these discussions would torment her soul. Social reformers tried to end the practice of dowry, and the government even made laws against it; but dowry did not disappear. It is a pest that has gripped our society!

At last, Akka’s marriage was fixed. The wedding was to take place in Ratnagiri. Fifty—

The Pawanshi family and their companions had left Palgad and were on their way to Ratnagiri. The journey from the village to the port was by bullock cart, and from there onwards, by boat to Ratnagiri. The boat was supposed to dock at the Harne port, but it could not. Instead, the boat remained anchored far out in the deep water. The passengers from Panvel had to board the boat from there. All the troubles began there.

Though the Harne port was not very good, the entire group was together, and that was a comfort. But as soon as they reached Panvel, all order was lost. The bustle of Panvel overwhelmed everyone. The people responsible for looking after the passengers were running about. Some forgot their luggage, some mixed up their belongings, while others lost their way. Some even fell sick and vomited. In the chaos, someone would fall on the wrong side of the boat and get hurt. Such was the confusion all around.

At Panvel, everyone boarded the boat, and it set off. There was a crowd. Shyam’s mother sat with the youngest child in her arms, feeding him milk. Next to her sat an aunt of Shyam. She too had a small child, but the aunt was not well. She had become very weak. Because of this, she could not feed her child milk. The child kept crying for milk. But how could he get the same comfort from anyone else’s milk? A mother’s milk is a mother’s milk! It is not just milk; it is filled with love, with affection. Because