SHE!

She was rebellious. Raw and blunt. What the world thought, made no difference to her. Or maybe it did!  Perhaps she disliked the cliched thoughts but knew that is where the survival was. Perhaps she knew that the fish which goes away from the flowing water ultimately dies!

A middle class girl who was always taught : behave properly, speak softly, sit with closed legs, clear the kitchen, handle the whole house, she grew up and grew up strong and different. For her these stereotypes were unrealistic and impractical. For her patriarchy and chauvinism was a shame. She believed that she could bring a change. For the good. For the better. For the right.

When mom called her name out every time to clear the kitchen table. It pinched her. “Why don’t you ever tell brother to do it maa?” , she asked in anger one day. “He is a boy”,the mother replied. When her brother went out for night stays to his friend’s place, mother said again- He is a Boy. When Dad never helped in the laundry, she said- men don’t work at home. When a neighbour hit his wife every fortnight, people said �" It’s Ok sometimes!

Is it? … Not for her. She loathed every single thing which buried  the dignity of women deeper and deeper in the ground. What caused it she thought to herself. Was it the men or the women themselves? Well, it all started long back in the past when women were mere objects of pleasure and ego fulfillment. Women accepted it as their meaning of life. None ever raised a voice.

But no more, not in this era. Shoulder to shoulder, foot by foot, they matter as much as men do.She was against all the rules made specifically for women. Wear a veil, don’t work after marriage , bear a child now, don’t speak your opinion. She was the only master of her world and wanted to do what SHE wanted to do, not what other told her to do. But then she fell in love.

In love with a man. A man modern enough to see the world that changed. But a man who had a family too! The world had changed for her generation, but it was absurd for the previous ones. It didn’t make sense to them. Only traditions did.  And those who didn’t follow it, were destroyers of the Indian culture. For them, a woman under a man’s control was culture.

The guy loved her to the moon and back but was afraid of her rebellious nature. He loved his family too and knew adjustments were to be made on either side. He chose her,  asked her to pacify and adjust. But she was furious. “Why always the women? Why can’t you adjust with my lifestyle? Why can’t both side take small steps to improve ? Why can’t your family understand what is wrong? Why can’t you take a stand for the right? “

But here comes the monstrous word , the scariest of all- Society!                                         What will society think? Will our family be respected anymore? What will Sharma ji say to Gupta ji!  The biggest fear of all Indian families. “What will people say”.

She took a decision. Change begins at home she thought. Married the love of her life. She loved his family like her own, built a father-daughter relation. She politely disagreed when wrong happened. And like a loving father does, her opinion was heard respectfully . Soon realizations started to occur and her opinions made sense to the family. She was happy she could bring the change and started to adjust in their  lifestyle , …now  out of her own will and happiness.

She, is every girl who loathes the way Indians think. But moulds herself to fit in.

Author's Note

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Reviews

[Dr. YumnaKay]

You have pointed out a dilemma not only in the indian society but the whole subcontinent, I think!
This was quite reflective and in my opinion it's not the society, but the people within it bringing forth this thinking.. Change begins from home.. It's the mother first bringing this by saying all that what a girl or a boy should be doing...
I liked reading this! Thought-provoking :)