26 Oct 2007 The Times of
TELDIHA(
In Teldiha
The 25-year-old woman was taken by the victor to his house from where she was 'rescued' and restored to her husband two days later after fellow villagers intervened.
Shanti, in fact, has been a regular visitor to the Jua Mela or gambling fair organised here during Dussehra. She always won "handsome amounts". This year too, she won Rs 1,400 during the initial one-hour game. Then her luck ran out and she ended up losing even her principal — Rs 700.
"In exasperation, she yelled, “ ab hum apne apko daon par lagate hain. Jo jitega, hum par usi ka hak” hoga (now I put myself at stake. I will belong to whoever wins)," Shanti's brother-in-law, who was also at the fair, recalled. As luck would have it, the dice with Shanti on bet rolled in favour of one Bambholi Yadav (35) of Sangrampur village in neighbouring Munger district. He hugged her in full public view and took her home.
Back home now, Shanti would not like to talk about her ignominy. " Jeete hum, hare hum, apko kya matlab (whether I lose or win is none of your concern)," she snapped at this correspondent. Her husband is shaken though he has stood by her. "She had been winning over Rs 5,000 every year... agar nafa mein saath diya toh nuksan mein kyon nahi (if I was with her when she won, why should I desert her when she has lost)," he said. But he has firmly told her "no more gambling". Bambholi could not be traced.
With thanks from THE TIMES OF
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