Part : 1
Like most Indian girls I lost my virginity on the threshold of womanhood. Indian girls become sexually active during their late teens or early twenties; most with their husbands and some with men whom they get involved with. By the late teens our sexual awareness is heightened and desires, inchoate but nevertheless aroused, are impatiently waiting to find expression. It was at this phase of my life that it all happened.
I was an 19-year-old Hindu girl and lived with my parents in South Delhi. My father worked in the government. We lived in a government apartment, one of three on the fifth floor, in a multistoried complex, for a little over 5 years. All our neighbors were government officials and their families. All festivals and social functions were celebrated in the complex with families which formed a close community. So, parents were assured of their children's safety, and all the young people enjoyed a great degree of freedom. One of our neighbors was a Muslim man, about 42-43 years old, who lived with his wife and 4 children one floor below ours. His name was Murtaza Ali Khan. I used to call Murtaza "uncle" as it is usual in India to address an older person known to you. I used to see him on the staircase or the elevator and would wish him. He was very friendly and used to smile a lot at me.
Holi, a very important Indian festival, is celebrated with great gusto throwing colored water on each other. It is celebrated in March each year. Like 'Mardi Gras' in Latin America it is celebrated in an atmosphere of great permissiveness. People throw colored water on each other and there is a rowdiness, roughness and lewdness along with the playfulness. Men and women play without restraint and guys take that opportunity to grope girls. It is a Hindu festival, but many Muslim men join in because it gives them a chance to grope and feel up Hindu girls and women. Many clandestine affairs start during Holi.
The previous year I was out on the front lawn of our apartment complex with other boys and girls playing Holi throwing colors on each other, when Murtaza like some of the older folk joined in the horse play. He was paying me a lot of attention splashing color on me and chasing me around. My clothes were wet with colored water. I tried to hide behind a hedge on the lawn. But he suddenly came up behind me and caught me from behind, rubbing color on my face and pressing himself against me. And then he put his hands on my breasts squeezing lightly. I was shocked and confused. But after that day he would smile at me in a peculiar way whenever we met. I was not able to understand my own feelings. His hands had felt very warm, evoking a strange feeling of fullness in my breasts. I knew it was not right, but I kept quiet. I was just 18 at that time. Remembering that episode afterwards I would feel my cheeks getting hot and red and a kind of tingling in my breasts.
The next year the festival of Holi did not come soon enough for me. I waited for it with some apprehension and a lot of anticipation too. As we started playing with colored water, I was keeping a weather eye cocked to see if Murtaza was joining in the fun. I was a bit let down when I didn't see him anywhere around. A bit later when we were all in full swing of throwing color on each other and rubbing colored paste on each other's faces I saw him coming towards me. I realized he was stalking me, hoping to catch me unawares. Strangely enough I ran away from him and hid behind the same hedge. Even today I don't know if I was really trying to hide away from the prying eyes of others almost unconsciously expecting him to pursue me there. Like the year before he stealthily came behind me and caught me, holding me closely in my wet clothes against him. It was almost as though he knew I had run in behind the hedge to be caught by him. His hands were all over me, on my thighs, bum and breasts. He squeezed my breasts very hard. I was very surprised when I seemed to feel a strange excitement in his touch. But I broke free and ran away. After that day whenever we met on the staircase, he would look at my breasts and smile knowingly. I used to blush. A few times in the elevator, if we were alone, he would touch my breasts and buttocks. I would struggle a bit and break free as the elevator would stop and open. This went on for many weeks. I am surprised I never told anyone. I felt a lot of shame. But more than that I realized I was very excited and used to be looking forward to this brief groping.
After my high school final exams in March, I was preparing for the entrance examinations for several college admissions. It was early May. Very hot. My parents used to go to a hill station each year for 2 or 3 weeks to get away from the heat, once schools closed for summer vacation. That year I stayed behind because I was preparing for the college entrance examinations. The servants had also been given a vacation to visit their village, except for an old maid who was left to look after me. She would be usually in the servants' quarters gossiping with other servants or going out to meet friends. It was a Sunday, and I had told her I wouldn't need her. She said she would visit a friend and come back late at night. Around 4.30 in the evening I was relaxing after mugging for the exam when I heard the front doorbell ring. When I opened the door, I saw it was Murtaza uncle. He smiled and asked me if I was alone. I said I was. He knew my parents were away because everyone in the building knew since my parents had asked some neighbors to keep an eye on me for my safety. I think he had also guessed our maid was away too.