Kumari: The Indian Cinderella
Published on Mar 09, 2018
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KUMARI: THE INDIAN CINDERELLA
Photo by Saksham Gangwar
A long, long time ago, in a small town in India, there was a girl named Kumari. Her name meant “princess,” and for good reason, as she was tall and graceful, and when she danced, her feet barely touched the ground. When she sang, her voice soared.
Photo by Julie Johnson
She thought of herself as average looking, and her father always told her of her beauty. “The beauty of a lotus flower,” he would say. He called her Lotus because of it. He was always proud of her, and would constantly say, “I’m so proud of you, my little Lotus.”
Photo by Jay Castor
Her mother had died years before, ,and a few years later her father followed. Which left Kumari to live alone on the streets... left to beg.
Photo by huipiiing
One day, a woman saw her, and Kumari held out her hands in hope. “Please, just a few Rupees for a poor girl,” she pleaded. “What’s your name, sweet child?” the woman asked. “Kumari,” she replied.
Photo by Milada Vigerova
“No need for you to beg anymore, my dear,” the woman said. “Why don’t you come to my house and be my servant?” “Oh yes,” Kumari answered. “I only need a roof over my head and some dhal at night.”
Photo by Fancy Crave
The woman took Kumari with her and set out a mat on the floor for her to sleep on. Immediately Kumari thought her kind.
Photo by jwyg
But the woman had ulterior motives. She had a daughter, and Kumari was far more beautiful than her. She intended to make her new servant’s life miserable.
Photo by Patrick Doheny
The next morning, Kumari woke up to the howling of stray dogs. She soon heard, “Girl! Why isn’t the kettle on? Or the floor swept? Get up and get over here NOW!”
Photo by Massimo Valiani
Kumari’s new guardian and her daughter Ayana kept her doing the housework... and little Lotus never had time to dance or sing.
She barely had time to pray each day, as she got up before the sun rose and slept after it had set.
One afternoon, on a particularly hot day, Kumari was given some money and was to go out to the market and buy some food.
“And no delaying!” Mistress said.
She bought the food and decided to rest in the shade for a while. Kumari then realized she had some extra money left. She saw a vendor selling various statues, and saw a wooden Buddha among them.
“How much is that statue?” Kumari asked, pointing to it. “1,000 Rupees,” the stand owner replied. She looked at the remaining money in her hand. She didn’t have enough. Then the bangles on her wrist caught her eye.
Photo by Andrew Middleton
They were quite beautiful, and she asked, “May I give you my remaining money and three of my bangles for the statue?”
The man nodded.
On her way back home, Kumari started thinking about how much food she bought and if it was enough. “Will I get in trouble for spending all the money? What if they find the statue?” she wondered.
Photo by Peter Hershey
Then, she saw a bright blue peacock near her house. A good omen; there was nothing to worry about.
Photo by ravensong75
When she got back to the house, Kumari didn’t get in trouble for the amount of food in the basket. She headed to her mat in the corner of the house and placed the statue underneath it. She prayed to it every day for her life to get just a bit better.
And in some ways, it did. If she forgot to do a chore, she wasn’t reprimanded as much. Kumari kept praying to the statue as she held on to hope.
Photo by Ben White
One day, out at the market, Kumari saw a young boy on the streets. She then thought back to her own troubles a few years ago as a beggar girl and grew sad.
The boy was tearing a tiny, burnt piece of naan in half and offering it to the stray dog next to him.
Photo by JJ Ying
His clothes were filthy, and he was so young, barely ten years old. Kumari looked through her basket, found some fruits and sweets, and offered them to the boy. He took them and ran, but accidentally snatched one of her bangles in the process.
Photo by Amaury Laporte
While running, the boy dropped the bangle. Seeing it sparkling near the river, a crane picked it up and left.
It landed in front of a young man. The man recognized the crane as a sign of love, then saw the bangle. He took it, and the bird flew off.
Meanwhile, Kumari was back at the house, praying to her statue like she normally did. This time, she was praying for something else. Love. Seeing the boy brought back memories of feeling abandoned and empty.
Photo by Martin Wessely
Then, she heard a knock on the door. She heard it open, and then Mistress called Ayana to the door. She sounded excited. Curious, Kumari peeked out of the room she was in.
A handsome young man stood in the doorway, trying to put something on Ayana’s wrist. Looking closer, she saw it was a bangle... and it didn’t fit. “I’ve looked everywhere for the owner of this bangle,” the man said. “Are there any other ladies at this house?” “No—,” Ayana started to say.
“I’m here,” Kumari interrupted, stepping out. The man saw her and his eyes lit up. He immediately saw how beautiful she was and felt that she was the owner of the bracelet.
“My name is Aryan,” he said. “May I place this bangle on your wrist?” Kumari nodded and held out her arm. It was a perfect fit.
“What is your name?” Aryan asked. He felt something when she walked out. What it was, he did not know.“Kumari,” she replied. “May I just say,” Aryan said,”you are not fit to be a serving girl, for you are as beautiful as a lotus flower.” At this, Kumari’s tears threatened.
“Is something wrong?” Aryan asked. “That’s what my father used to say. Before he died, he always called me Lotus,” Kumari replied. “I would be willing to find you a place you can stay, somewhere near the river so you can be close to him,” Aryan offered. “Thank you,” Kumari responded. “I’d love that.”
“But,” she continued, “I want to stay here. This woman helped me once, and I am in service to her. Maybe I will take up your offer someday in the future.” “I’ll hold you to that,” Aryan said, then left.
Every day for a few years, when Kumari was out of the house cleaning, or at the market, Aryan would come and help, or just talk. Kumari was grateful for the kind words instead of the harsh ones. But it made Ayana jealous. She did everything she could to keep them apart, but it never worked.
Kumari prayed to her statue regularly, but this time it was for Aryan to feel the same way that she did. She realized that she loved him, and she wanted him to love her back. Then, she heard the call of a crane; she would find love soon.
And she did, for one day, coming back from the market, Aryan told Kumari how he felt about her. And Kumari told him she felt the same way. No matter how hard Ayana and her mother tried to prevent it, the two got married and Kumari was no longer a servant.
There were festivities and dancing, and Kumari looked and felt like a princess. Then she heard her father’s voice in her head: “I’m so proud of you, my little Lotus.” And she would continue to make him proud. All the way to the end.
THE END.
Photo by Saksham Gangwar
