“Ma’am, I’ve finished cleaning. May I go now?”
The sweet voice startled me as I was so engrossed in my laptop to finish a project deadline. It was Torali, who visits my homestay every third day to clean the house, bring fresh linens for the beds and tables, and take the trash out. She lives next door to my homestay. The girl is quick in her work. She will do everything quietly and only respond if and when I have any query. As soon as she finishes her chores and gets my permission to go, she disappears in thin air quite literally. What is evident in her almost every time she talks is a fading smile. I could feel the absence of light and hope in that smile, in those eyes. That makes me sad too wondering what would have happened to her, how did she end up in this place, what would have been her story. Too many questions, I know. Only if she could respond to any.
It has been a long while of my short interactions with her in the homestay and outside whenever I meet her during my daily evening walks. The woman from the neighboring bookstore began befriending me. It is indeed quite common here to know each other in the neighborhood when someone lives here or comes here to stay for a little longer. I have always been impressed and touched by such neighborhoods. The vibes, the energies are so positive and contagious. From the bookstore woman, I finally got the chance to know a bit more about Torali.
From a very humble and underprivileged family, Torali lived with her parents, elder brother, and sister in a flood-stricken village of Golaghat. At times, the family had literally nothing to bring on the table for lunch or dinner. They would eat one time and think of how to fill their stomachs for their next meal. Frequent floods had already destroyed their farmland and house, eventually took the lives of her mother and elder brother. When there was nothing left to lose in the village, Torali ended up living with her elder sister and father in a property next to the highway. That property belonged to an army personnel, Torali’s family was living there to look after the place. The elder sister was interested in studying but had no means to do so. Meanwhile, they came across an old couple from Guwahati who wanted to finance the education of the girls. The father agreed immediately and decided to send both the girls to the nearby school. The elder one agreed but the younger sister did not. So, she went to live with the old couple in Guwahati. The elder sister began going to the nearby school in the tea estate next to their sheltering property. There she befriended a young man from the nearby village from a different community. They soon fell in love and got married, which ended her education journey. After some time of their marriage, the husband started showing his true colors. Soon after the marriage, he realized that the property his wife and her family lived in does not belong to them. This made things clear to the unfortunate family that the man married the elder sister only to get hold of that property. After discovering the truth, the man started abusing his wife physically and mentally, torturing her to the extent that one sad day he set his wife on fire alive. She died a cruel death.
At that time, the younger sister was in Guwahati with the old couple and their son who was physically, mentally, and intellectually challenged. When the news of her sister’s burning alive flashed on TV screen, everyone came to know about it including the villagers of the girl’s family in Golaghat. The villagers got angry and started beating the convicted husband in a rage who eventually died too. After some time, their father also passed away, leaving Torali, the younger sister, all alone and orphaned. By that time, the old couple in Guwahati was survived only by the husband and son, who then decided to keep Torali forever with them as family. Torali lived there not only as a caretaker to literally nurse the disabled son, almost a grown-up man, but also to take control of the entire household chores which the old woman used to do when she was alive. The old man in his counting years wants her to stay with his disabled son forever. She is now the unofficial partner of that son she never wished. I am also told that the girl is made to sleep in the same room with the son. This is alarming, given that the son is no longer young and gets violent at times as informed by the father. With a depressing tone the bookstore woman expressed the unfortunes of Torali whose life transitioned from one tragedy to another. I truly feel that now for Torali. She lived an awful life before; and somehow, I have a strong feeling that she is living the same awful life even now even though she is financially supported by this new family here. The old man has properties, and the son is the only successor. So, an offspring is their utmost requirement as the old man keeps telling his neighbors about it. If that is the case, then I strongly feel it’s even a worse exploitation of that innocent girl who must have still been traumatized by the past events in her life. I want to make more frequent conversations with Torali, know more about her. I really want to help her get out of this situation. But it depends on her if she also wants this family forever or is looking for an escape from it. Human lives are so complicated when you know their stories and struggles. She is over 30 but does not look a bit older than late teens. She is visibly malnourished. At least here is a ray of hope for her that she does not have to die of hunger. It is sad to witness these untold struggles, helplessness of people. There may be more Toralis trying to adjust with their unfortunes or waiting for an escape. Who knows?
Our takeaways
The deeply moving (real-life) story of Torali is a haunting reflection of silent suffering, resilience, and the complex layers of exploitation faced by many women from marginalized backgrounds. Despite enduring severe personal tragedies of losing her family, surviving poverty, and being thrust into an unwanted caregiving role, she continues her work quietly and efficiently, her fading smile revealing more than words ever could. While she is no longer starving, her situation shows that financial support without freedom and dignity can still be a form of oppression. Torali’s story sheds light on how vulnerable women are often trapped in cycles of dependency, masked as protection or family care, and how society often normalizes such arrangements. It also underlines the need for empathy and deeper observation of the harsh reality that many lives like hers remain invisible unless someone chooses to see beyond the surface. Torali’s life reminds us that resilience does not mean acceptance, and that behind every quiet face may lie an untold story longing for hope, help, and change.