Seventeen-year-old Moorti stands in front of her middle-aged husband's funeral pyre, fearing the two brothers-in-law who will push her into it. Even as she is at the edge of despair and hysteria, Moorti is rescued by the dashing Job Charnock who was passing by on his ship. Charnock, an agent of the British East India Company, whisks Moorti away to his settlement. There, the young woman gets a new lease of life as Maria, as well as job employment and shelter in Charnock's factory. As the months roll by, Charnock falls in love with the feisty, intelligent, driven woman Maria blossoms into - an affection she returns in full. But the going isn't easy for the couple. Forced into exile, they retreat to Hooghly, along the banks of the Ganges. Here Maria dreams of building a small settlement for the people living in the villages nearby. Will her dream come true? Will she able to give the villagers a good life, work opportunities and financial stability?<\p>
Bharti Kirchner is the author of six critically scores of short pieces, which were published in magazines and newspapers. Bharti has written for Food & Wine , Writer's Digest , The Writer , Fitness Plus , San Francisco Chronicle and The Seattle Times . Her essays have appeared in ten anthologies. She has won numerous awards for her writing, including a Virginia Center for the Creative Arts Fellowship. Prior to becoming a writer, Bharti worked as a systems engineer for IBM and as a systems manager for Bank of America, San Francisco. She has also worked in Europe and other continents as a computer systems consultant. Bharti lives in the US with her husband. Visit her at www.bhartikirchner.com<\p>
Seventeen-year-old Moorti stands in front of her middle-aged husband's funeral pyre, fearing the two brothers-in-law who will push her into it. Even as she is at the edge of despair and hysteria, Moorti is rescued by the dashing Job Charnock who was passing by on his ship. Charnock, an agent of the British East India Company, whisks Moorti away to his settlement. There, the young woman gets a new lease of life as Maria, as well as job employment and shelter in Charnock's factory. As the months roll by, Charnock falls in love with the feisty, intelligent, driven woman Maria blossoms into - an affection she returns in full. But the going isn't easy for the couple. Forced into exile, they retreat to Hooghly, along the banks of the Ganges. Here Maria dreams of building a small settlement for the people living in the villages nearby. Will her dream come true? Will she able to give the villagers a good life, work opportunities and financial stability?<\p>
