Short Story: The Wrong Woman Originally written in Punjabi by Veena Verma and Translated by Christine Fair (Part 5)

Christine Fair translates a poignant story written by popular Punjabi writer Veena Verma about a woman and the choices (or the lack thereof) she has in society. This is the final part of the story.

Translator’s Note

This story, “Wrong Woman,” is about a young, educated Punjabi woman named Manjit who is from a rural family in India’s northern state of Punjab. After her mother dies, her father arranges her marriage to a man who is working in a lucrative profession in Germany even though he is already married to a German woman. Believing this marriage to be for immigration purposes, both families expected him to divorce his German wife and marry Manjit. Her husband comes to India to marry Manjit during which time she becomes pregnant with a son. After becoming a burden to her family, her family sells off her portion of land to pay for a smuggler to take her and her young son to Germany. The story flips back and forth between the present time in which she is undertaking this harrowing journey and her more idyllic past. 

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