Ramswaroop Thakur was the wealthiest man of the place. He was plunged into grief when his wife passed away soon after she gave birth to a baby girl. He tried to overcome his grief by spending all his time taking care of the baby, who soon grew up into a beautiful girl. The Thakur had named her Chameli as she was the most beautiful girl in the village. Her friends used to tell her that she could marry whomever she liked. She was proud of her beauty.
In villages in olden times, the barber was easily the best person who would know about most young men. So, the Thakur called the village barber and asked him to suggest a suitable bridegroom for Chameli. The two got into an animated conversation when the barber began to mention one name after another and discussed the boys’ merits and demerits. The Thakur insisted that the boy should be from a middle class family but of noble traits.
Chameli was in the kitchen making rotis for their lunch. She overheard the conversation and came out and said, "Father, I’ll marry the most poweful man in the village, and not any commoner!"
Both Ramswaroop and the barber were taken aback. They had never expected that the girl would be so frank in her views, that too in the matter of her marriage. The Thakur had never done it before, but that day he chided his daughter. "Chameli, it’s not proper that young girls should talk about their marriage. That is something which the elders would decide for them, and they have no choice. I’m looking for someone who would be a match for our status."
Chameli was adamant. "Father, I shall not accept anybody chosen by you for my husband. Leave it to me to make my own choice. How can a barber know anything about my likes and dislikes?" She then stomped out of the portico and went back to the kitchen.
The barber felt insulted and took leave of the Thakur. Ramswaroop sat there stunned, for some time. As he heard sobs from the kitchen, he thought he would not pursue the issue with his daughter any further. And Chameli, on her part, waited for the evening when she would be left alone after the day’s chores had been done.
Throughout the night, she was contemplating a plan of action. She decided that she would leave the house before her father woke up, in search of a poweful man who would be a good husband. She had hopes that she would find such a person and marry him before she went back home.
