A beam of light covered my face. There was something special about the way those blue lights shined and the decor made the occasion look even more beautiful.

This was a year ago when I attended the wedding reception of a girl residing in my neighbourhood. She is the same age as me and I have seen her since childhood.

I was shocked to see her getting married at such an early age.

I decided to find out the reason behind the marriage and the truth that I discovered was heart-wrenching.

Rachna was an 18-year-old small town girl who belonged to a conservative Bengali family. Her parents were old-fashioned and extremely strict with her. They restricted her from doing several things.

She was told to stay away from boys and focus on her studies. She passed her intermediate exam with good marks and joined a college in her town.

Due to her parents’ harshness, Rachna never voiced her opinions.

She was innocent but dumb and always kept mum in front of her parents.

The gates of college opened a new chapter in Rachna's life. New people entered her life and some of them were boys.

Rachna started smiling more often and was finally living her life.

The reason behind her happiness was a boy from her batch with whom she had bonded well. They started having long conversations and soon, they became buddies.

Both of them had a soft corner for each other but never expressed it.

In this adolescent age, it is quite normal to have feelings for someone. However one day, Rachna was talking to that boy on the phone and her father saw her.

He noticed how Rachna was giggling in ecstasy and constantly smiling. He stood there for a minute or so and realized that she was talking to a boy.

Without asking her anything, he snatched the phone away and slapped her hard.

He was fuming with anger and started drawing conclusions. Rachna stood there with her head hung low, tears rolled down her cheeks but she was too scared to say anything.

Rachna's father was more concerned about what would happen if the society were to find out about his daughter’s actions.

He scolded her badly and ordered her to stop going to college from that very day. Within a week’s time, Rachna's marriage was fixed.

She’d never met the boy nor did she know anything about him.

All she knew was that her father had fixed the match, as they didn’t have to give much dowry. Rachna cried day and night but could never voice her opinion. Her dreams were shattered.

Her beautiful love story came to end before it could even start.

On her wedding day, Rachna looked sublime in her red bridal outfit. I observed her and could sense that a lot was going on inside her.

She smiled when the photographer was clicking her photos, but deep inside, she was crying.

An 18-year-girl was getting hitched. She was still a child who had ambitions, which would never be fulfilled.

Her dream of becoming a nurse will remain just a dream for her.

No one tried to ask her what she wanted. A girl's dream ended in this way.

We, as a society, fail every time. All we care about is this so-called society and its orthodox norms.

A person’s feelings don’t matter to anyone.

I am a 19-year-old boy and I am still studying. I don't have any intentions to get married so soon.

The government has legalized 18 years as the minimum age for a girl to get married but not everyone is mature enough at that age.

Parents need to try to understand their daughter’s likes and dislikes. Everyone has the right to live life on their terms.

It’s high time we change as a society and give everyone the right to voice their thoughts and opinions.

It’s been 11 months since Rachna got married and the last time she came to her father's house, I saw her with a baby. Within 11 months, she had become a mother.

I wondered, “How could this girl, who is a child herself, take care of another child?” Rachna’s dreams faded and now all she does is take care of her husband, her in-laws, and her baby.

It’s perfectly fine to marry someone of your parents’ choice but you should be happy with their choice.

You need to have the freedom to voice your opinion in this important decision.

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