Lajwanti is the title of a short story by Rajinder Singh Bedi which explores the plight of

abducted women during theconflict’The campaign was started by the residents of Mulla
Shakoor. They set up a ‘rehabilitation of hearts’ committee.. Sundarlal, an abusive
husband whose own wife went missing during the conflict,

He was also elected as a secretry of the committee. His wife name was laju, she was a
dark skin , thin girl who was delicate as the lajwanti leaf who was also sufferning from
this conflict and was missing . Before bringing her back to house sunder lal had asked
the people to treat these girls as each female deserve .

At the same time protests were also raised against these noise.

A women named masdula sara bai brought some women back. But unfortunately laju
was not there with her.

But with quite determination sunderlal once again moved on to find his laju.

at the same time there were also some men who were refusing to accept there wife
back.

Suddenly one morning lal chand who live in the same village congratulated sunder lal
stating that he saw laju. Sunderlal did not belived him he said that she must be someone
else. But with a confidence lal chand convenced him that it was really laju .

Lal chand had started to gave him description like a tatto on her chin another on her
neck . yes yes sunderla replied and said a third tatto on her forehead.suddeenly he
recalled all the tattoos which she had gotten asa a little girl.

Again one day Pakistan deliver 16 women and recieved 16 in back.

Sunderalal was getting ready to visit the border town of Amritsar , after reaching there
he slowly moved to chauki kalan the palce for the delivery of many abducted women.

Luckily laju stood in front of him . and she had forgotten all the bad days which she
suffered from his beating.

Laju was a dressed up lika a muslim woman. She had become more fairer and healthier
than before.

After returning home , sunder lal ignored all the voices which were against or for his
work, as he was happy that he got his wife back to their home.

Now laju started feeling little bit relaxed because of sunderlal’s gentle behaviour.

Sunderlal has also neglected her feelings and pain which she had been gone through.

After the silence she started talking about the jumma with whom she was there .

and sunderlal asked laju was he good to u/ he didn’t beat u ? answer to that laju replied
that he never hurt me and I was very afraid of him.

U used to beat me but I never felt afraid of u.

Sunderlal was ashamed of himself for ill treating her. Tears welled up in sunderlal’s
eyes .

In conclusion it was a story where some women who were abducted got some
acceptance , some got ignored. There were also some women like laju who was
rehabilitated but not fully accepted .