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Chapter 2 - The Curse Of The Martyr

​The story dates back to the early 1900s during colonial India in punjab. Nationalism in every citizen was at its peak. Struggles of Indians for independence were resulting in martyrs every now and then making them immortal in the history that was to be written.

Regardless of the uproars, people lived. They laughed at times, got upset at times just like ever. Among them, there was Kamla, younger sister of Surjeet Singh who was her only family. Surjeet Singh was an officer in a British controlled jail. He had also conducted the executions of many of his Indian brothers, doing his job ; it put him against his fellows in that society.

Kamla was betrothed to Mangal Rana, who belonged to the family of a revolutionary leader, Jaspreet Rana. After a delay, the marriage took place at a settlement that said Kamla would have to severe her ties with Surjeet due to his profession. Surjeet being a good brother blessed his sister for a happy life and sent her with Mangal.

Things started to get worse as more and more Indian revolutionaries were arrested and executed for violent revolts and protests. With the execution of Jaspreet Rana, the father in law of Kamla that was also conducted by Surjeet, the tensions between Surjeet and Rana family began to rise.

Kamla was being mentally tortured by her in-laws. Surjeet, on knowing about his sister became worried but having no choice due to the restriction on meeting her, he was unable to help her.

An year passed and a letter arrived for Surjeet. Kamla had asked him to attend the annual fair just like they did when they were kids. The letter brought Surjeet to tears.

The very next day, he arrived at the fair waiting for her. Kamla came and Surjeet was astonished to see his sister expecting a child. He was happy to see her and relieved to know that her in laws were no longer troubling her. They enjoyed the fair together as if they had traveled back in time. Kamla still loved the orange candies, that Surjeet bought her, although now a married woman and a soon to be mother, Kamla had a little girl inside her like always... After all, she was still 15.

They had their best time there. When kamla was holding on to a balloon in her hand, surjeet saw a huge ring on her finger that looked familiar. Putting a little effort, Surjeet recalled that the ring belonged to the Martyr Jaspreet Rana and a faint memory of an incident that took place during his execution also struck his mind like a lightning.

Jaspreet had a last wish that was to have this ring on when hanged to death and that the ring was to be returned to his family later.

Surjeet dug more to find out that Rana family was a long line of Martyrs and that ring that was an heirloom that chooses the fate of a child that's not even born yet and continues the family heritage of sacrificing for the country. Rana family knew no limits when it came to bring honor to the family and one child in every generation was assigned the life of a martyr.

Kamla, being a mother and not after a stupid heritage, took off the ring at once. Although she had been feigning ignorance to the tortures till now, but when it was the matter of her child's life, she stood up against this custom and to put an end, she saw to to it that her child lived a normal life. Surjeet helped her in every way going against the Rana's.

The siblings were no longer bound to the restrictions put on them. The child was born and raised receiving lots of love from both his mother and the uncle and led a long life to write this story today.