Sometimes, time turns in such a way that the person you once considered insignificant, one day you stand before them and feel small. On a foggy winter morning in Uttar Pradesh, there was a crowd outside the gate of Varanasi’s most prestigious Gyan Deep International School. Children were standing in line. Bags on shoulders, faces holding fear and curiosity alongside, and on the other side, parents, forms in hands, hope in eyes, and restlessness in their hearts. In that same crowd, a long, shiny SUV arrived and stopped. The door opened, and a man wrapped in a suit and boots stepped out. Amit Roy, Varanasi’s well-known builder. Many of the city’s big projects were under his name. But today, there was anxiety on his face. Fatigue seemed to peer from his eyes, and with him was his innocent six-year-old son, Aaryan Roy. He had come to get his son admitted to the school.

He wrote his name at the reception. The form was submitted. Then the staff said, “The principal ma’am herself will take the interview today. Please wait for a while.” Amit was a little startled. “Oh, okay.” Shortly after, he was called into the interview room. As Amit opened the door and saw the woman sitting in front of him, his feet felt as if they had frozen to the ground. Dr. Sakshi Tripathi, the school principal. The same face, the same eyes he had left years ago, like some old, unnecessary item in a garage. He stood there for a few moments, lowering his gaze. Then, in a trembling voice, he said, “Good morning, ma’am. I am Amit Roy, and this is my son, Aaryan.”

Sakshi looked at him for a few moments. Then her eyes fixed on the form. “The child’s name is Aaryan Roy… my son.” Sakshi got up and went near the window. She looked outside at the sky for a while. Then, in a low voice, she said, “How does it feel, Amit? When that woman is sitting in front of you. The one you once told, ‘You are worthless.’” Amit’s gaze was fixed on the floor. His breathing became heavy, as if someone was choking him.

Sakshi said, “Today you are not in a school, Amit. Today you are standing in the court of your past.”

It was about 10 years ago. Sakshi Tripathi was an educated, quiet-natured girl from a small town, Rajapur, in Bhadohi district, Uttar Pradesh. Her father, Vinod Tripathi, was a professor at a local degree college, and her mother, Geeta Devi, was a homemaker. Sakshi had an MA in Hindi Literature and was preparing for NET. Despite being from a simple family, her dreams soared very high. One day, through a relative, a proposal came. Amit Roy, son of a renowned builder from Varanasi, he himself ran a construction company. In conversation, it became clear the boy wasn’t asking for dowry. He just wanted an educated and cultured girl. Sakshi’s parents felt as if the gates of heaven had opened. Their daughter’s destiny had changed. The mother said, “And then?” The marriage was fixed with great pomp and show.

The wedding happened with great fanfare. The groom, Amit, rode a horse. There was light, music, sweets all around, and in Sakshi’s heart, a whole world of dreams. The very next day after the wedding, when she first arrived at her in-laws’ house, Roy Villa, her welcome was grand from the outside, but inside, the glances said a lot. Amit’s mother, Pushpa Roy, said with a bitter smile, “She’s the daughter of a government college professor. Okay, fine. Somehow our honor is saved.” Amit’s sister, Karishma, twirling the edge of her sari, said, “Brother, such a simple girl will bore you for a lifetime. She has no glamour.” A pang went through Sakshi’s heart, but she smiled and listened to everything because her mother had taught her, “You have to endure in your in-laws’ house, daughter. That’s the real test of a woman.”

The atmosphere at home was completely different. Where love and respect were spoken in her parental home, here every remark held comparison, sarcasm, and mockery. Sakshi would wake up first, clean the house, help in the kitchen. Yet, she would still get taunts. “She doesn’t know anything anyway. On top of that, she acts tired.” If sometimes the vegetable had less salt, she would hear, “Professor’s daughters… even the maid cooks better than this.”

One day, Sakshi mustered the courage to tell Amit, “Your mother and sister look down on me a lot. I try my best. Why do they never like me?” Amit, who kept a soft corner for everyone outside, was different inside. He said smilingly, “You came into this house because of our mercy. Don’t get too arrogant. Otherwise, I’ll remind you of your worth.” That day, for the first time, Sakshi’s heart trembled. Those were not words; they were acid that could tear someone’s soul apart. But she still composed herself. She thought maybe with time, everything would be alright.

Three months passed like this. One day, Sakshi fell ill. The doctor examined her and said, “You are going to be a mother.” Tears of happiness flowed from Sakshi’s eyes. She thought now everything would change. Maybe Amit would change too. But when she gave Amit the news, Amit’s face tightened. “Get rid of it. I’ll bring the medicine. It’s not the right time. And you are not some goddess to give birth to a child.” Sakshi’s soul was crushed. That night, when Amit was sleeping beside her, Sakshi went to his phone gallery and saw some pictures. Him laughing, holding hands with another woman. The dam of Sakshi’s patience broke. She shouted, “I can bear the taunts of your family. I can tolerate your rudeness too. But I will not bear this betrayal.” Amit got up and came, and without saying a word, he raised his hand for the first time. Not the first, the last time. Sakshi screamed. Not out of fear, but from the silence that had accumulated inside her until then. She told herself, “Enough. Now I cannot just survive. Now I have to save my child and myself too.”

That night, when all relationships echoed as screams in Sakshi’s soul, when a slap had awakened the daughter, the wife, and the woman inside her all at once… That night became the last dark night of Sakshi’s life. The first ray of the morning sun entered her room’s window. But this time, that light was not just from outside. A new light had burst forth inside her too. Sakshi quietly draped her dupatta over her injured face. Picked up a small bag and went straight to the women’s police station. Without caring for anyone.

The woman inspector present at the station, when she saw her swollen cheek, broken bangles, and red eyes, understood everything. Sakshi slowly told everything. Physical assault, mental harassment, and the threat of abortion. She filed an FIR. A case was registered under Sections 498A, 323, 506, and 313. There was no tremor in Sakshi’s voice now. Just a firm resolve that only happens when a mother wants to protect her child from the filth of the world.

Leaving the police station, she returned to her parental home. Her mother opened the door. Seeing her, everyone was silent for a moment. Then the mother burst into tears. “Daughter, what have you done? What will the world say?” Her father just took a long breath and quietly went inside. Silence fell over the house. Sometimes the mother spoke in taunts, sometimes the sister questioned with her eyes. One day, the mother said, “Daughter, you could have endured a few more days. Society doesn’t let a divorced woman live. Give this child to us. You remarry. Your age hasn’t passed yet.” Sakshi was quiet for a moment. Then, calmly but in very solid words, she said, “Mother, if I remarry and this child falls under the gaze of a stepfather, won’t I be giving her the same pain that I am living with today? No, mother. This is my daughter. Now I am her mother, her father, and her whole world too.”

And that same night, when the whole house was sleeping, Sakshi called her old friend Reema Ghosh, who taught at a private school in Varanasi. Sakshi’s voice was tired, but her resolve was like steel. “Reema, I need a job. I want to stand up again. I want to prove myself again. For myself, for my daughter.” Reema didn’t waste a moment. “You come, Sakshi. You are educated, hardworking. You won’t get just a job here, you’ll get a path. I am here.”

The next morning, Sakshi, with Kavya in her lap, boarded an old train. In her bag were just a few clothes, a degree, and her daughter’s smile. On the way, the cold wind was blowing her hair. But there was only hot fire in her eyes.

Upon reaching Varanasi, she rented a room in a small neighborhood, Sigra. The room had just an old fan, a thin mattress, and a corner where Sakshi kept her books. In the evening, she would leave Kavya with her mother and go to work as a teacher at a private school. The salary was modest. The working hours were long. The staff’s behavior at the school was also very formal and indifferent. But Sakshi didn’t want anyone’s sympathy. She wanted a chance to prove herself. At night, when she returned from school, hugging her daughter to her chest, she would just say, “You are my strength, and I will give you a life bigger than that world which never came to my share.”

Slowly, her life settled into a routine. Morning – cycling to school. Afternoon – cold roti from tiffin. Evening – her daughter’s laughter. Night – trying to reshape herself among books. A year passed. Then Sakshi got a job at a better school. Gyan Deep International School, Varanasi. The same school where the story began. The salary was a little better. She got respect at the school too, and now she was capable of renting a small 1BHK flat for her daughter. In that small home, one corner was for the mother, one corner for studying, and the rest of the whole house became Kavya’s world.

Every evening when Sakshi returned tired from school, Kavya would run with her tiny arms outstretched. “Mama, you’re here!” In that one voice, all of Sakshi’s fatigue would vanish. Now Sakshi was not just Teacher Sakshi. She was her daughter’s entire world, and she herself was the center of that world.

Year after year passed. Kavya was now six years old. A tiny girl, but very mature in understanding. She knew how hard her mother worked. So whenever Sakshi returned from school, Kavya would quickly bring a glass of water, take off her shoes, and say smiling, “Mama, you must be very tired today, but you are a super mom.” In these words, Sakshi found a cure for every pain.

Now Sakshi’s name was taken with respect at the school. Children addressed her respectfully as ‘Sakshi Ma’am’. Her opinion mattered in staff meetings. And slowly, her image was becoming that of a composed, self-reliant, inspiring woman.

One day, the school’s old principal retired. The trustees and staff together decided on the new name. Dr. Sakshi Tripathi. The girl whom her husband once told, “You are worthless.” Today, she had become the principal of the most prestigious school in that same city.

Now she didn’t wear a sari; she wore dignity. There was confidence in her walk. And in her silence was a peace that only those women can understand who have weathered a storm.

Then came the day when life brought her past before her. It was the school admission season. There was a crowd of parents at the reception. Everyone wanted to get their child admitted to the school. In this crowd was a face, bowed, tired, and defeated by time. Amit Roy. His hair had now turned white. There was no arrogance like before on his face, but lines of regret. With him was a cute little child, Aaryan.

He went to the reception and said, “I want to get my son admitted. If possible, I would like to meet the principal ma’am.” The receptionist said smilingly, “Today ma’am herself is taking the children’s interviews. Please wait for a while.” Amit’s heartbeats increased. Perhaps he had a premonition, or perhaps his fear was telling him the truth.

A little later, he was sent to the interview room. He opened the door, and seeing the woman sitting in front of him, his veins turned cold. Dr. Sakshi Tripathi. The same face, the same eyes, but now there was no complaint in them. Just a calm dignity born out of years of wounds.

Amit said in a trembling voice, “Namaste, ma’am. I am Amit Roy, and this is my son, Aaryan.” Sakshi just glanced. No smile, no anger. Just a cold firmness that pierced straight to the heart. “Please sit,” Sakshi said. Amit quietly sat on the chair. His gaze was still not raised. Sakshi looked at the form. “The child’s mother’s name?” Amit said hesitantly, “Second marriage. Not together now.” Sakshi was silent for a moment. Then she went to the window. Looked outside at the ground where children were playing. Then, turning back, she said, “Did you ever think, Amit, that the woman you left saying, ‘You are worthless,’ would one day stand at such a height that you wouldn’t even be able to meet her eyes?”

Tears welled up in Amit’s eyes. “I made a huge mistake, Sakshi.”
“Did you remarry?”
Sakshi said slowly but firmly, “No. Because I didn’t consider any man worthy of entering my daughter’s life. The day you raised your hand on me, I was about to become a mother.”
Amit’s eyes were now completely wet.
“You mean… that was my daughter?”
Sakshi said, “Was. But now she is only my daughter. The name might be yours on some paper. But in her heart, there’s only my place. And I don’t want the shadow of a wrong person to fall on her childhood.”

At that very moment, Sakshi’s phone rang. ‘Kavya’ was glowing on the screen. Sakshi picked up the phone with a smile. “Yes, beta. Mama will come soon. Aunty has warmed the milk, right? Very good, child.”

As soon as she put the phone down, Amit joined his hands. “Just let me talk to that daughter of mine once. I want to apologize.”
Sakshi’s voice was now as hard as stone. “Forgiveness… I have already given to myself, Amit. But now you have no relation left with my daughter. The one who rejected her even before birth cannot be deserving of her love.”

Amit was silent. He didn’t even have the courage to get up from the chair. Sakshi called the staff. “Please escort them out.” And that day, the door that was once closed on Sakshi, from that same door, Amit Roy was shown out. Not just from the school, but from his daughter’s world too.

Amit Roy had left the school. But even after he left, Sakshi stood by her office window for a while. Below, on the school ground, children were playing, laughing, and among them somewhere was her daughter, Kavya. That child whom Sakshi had not just given birth to, but had shaped her entire life with her own hands. The peace on Sakshi’s face today was not the arrogance of any victory. It was the satisfaction of a person winning the biggest battle fought with oneself.

But Sakshi’s story didn’t stop here. That night, when everyone was sleeping, Sakshi took out her diary and for the first time wrote something for herself: “I have found myself. Now I want to teach the women who have lost themselves to find themselves again.”

And from here began a new chapter, a new direction, a new beginning. Sakshi started teaching some needy women in her free time. Those women who were suffering domestic violence, going through the pain of divorce, who were starting to lose to themselves in loneliness. Slowly, this small class started taking shape. ‘Nayi Disha’ (New Direction) was named for this new effort. Here, women started learning: tailoring, computers, interview skills, personal grooming, and most importantly, believing in themselves.

Now Sakshi was not just Kavya’s mother. She had become the inspiration, guide, and protector for thousands of women. Her story started appearing in newspapers. It was discussed on TV channels. She started being invited to women’s empowerment platforms.

One day, there was a seminar on women’s empowerment at a renowned university. The chief guest was Dr. Sakshi Tripathi. When she reached the stage, there was a spark in the eyes of the hundreds of girls sitting in front. As if they were not just seeing a speaker, but hope for their own future. Sakshi picked up the mic and said, “I am not standing before you today as a principal, an NGO leader, or a speaker. I have come today as a woman. A woman who lost everything but found herself. Who raised her daughter alone, bore society’s taunts, but still never bowed her head. Because sometimes, walking alone is better than a wrong support.” The hall echoed with applause.

But Sakshi’s sweetest smile was that evening when she returned home and as she opened the door, Kavya hugged her. “Mama, today at school they asked who my ideal is. I said, my Mama.” Sakshi’s eyes welled up. She knew this was her biggest reward.

At night, Kavya asked, “Mama, when I grow up, can I become like you?” Sakshi took her tiny palm in her hand and said, “No, beta. You will become even better than me. Because you have that support which I never got. A mother who will always stand with you.”

And that night, when Sakshi was standing alone on the terrace, the wind playing with her hair, the moon smiling in the sky, there was peace on her face. Because now there was no regret, nor did anyone’s coming or going make a difference. Now she was enough for herself.

Friends, Sakshi chose her self-respect. She left that relationship which had disrespect, hurt, and betrayal. She did not remarry, so that her daughter’s world would not break again. She lived like a mother, showed society the way like a teacher, and like a woman, turned her fear into strength.

But was what Sakshi did right? If you were in Sakshi’s place, would you do the same, or would you make a different decision out of fear of society’s words? Do tell by commenting. Your thoughts could become hope for another Sakshi. And if you liked the story, then like the video, share it, and definitely subscribe to our channel, ‘Story By BK’. We’ll meet in the next video. Till then, stay happy, stay with your loved ones, and understand the value of relationships. Jai Hind.