Mana Maya Gautam was only 10 when she got married; her husband was 17. She says her childhood came to an abrupt halt once she was married off, and sent to live with her husband. “I was forced to work in the fields and carry out household chores after returning home. I had to eat alone after the rest of the family finished their meal.” She says not abiding by the rule was out of the question. “After dinner, I had to massage my mother in law. It was my daily routine,” she remembered. Comparing her circumstances with that of her daughters-in-law, she says, “I feel blessed to receive care from my daughters-in-law. In return, I shower them with love, which I never got from my mother-in-law.”
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