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"I have realized that my freedom matters much more to me than we guessed it did." A letter from a disappointed daughter to her father.
“I have realized that my freedom matters much more to me than we guessed it did.” A letter from a disappointed daughter to her father.
Papa,
You spent millions on my marriage, getting me married to a family that earns millions monthly. How dare I call it cheap then? Every life has a value and you valued me decent enough, right? Haven’t you tried to ensure that I will forever have a secure life and not a pinch of pain ever touch me?
I know you had purest of intentions when this was decided, and I agreed to it. Why am I complaining now? My life is definitely better than most Indian married women, but that doesn’t sound like a fair reason to compromise.
And it’s all your fault. It’s your fault that you raised both your daughter and son in the same way only till a certain age, and things changed after that.
You taught me that I don’t need any religion to be happy, but here I am, forced to pray to the same god every morning! You encouraged me to take those classes on analytics and software, but here I am, trying to make those round rotis and perfect sabzis on most of the days!
Size of your clothes do not matter because it has nothing to do with intelligence and consciousness, right? Papa, my size of sleeves to size of tops to size of bottoms are measured every day. I can’t have a bare hand or forehead, or decide what jewellery I want to wear or not wear. Do you know that I am thoroughly checked for everything I have worn before I make any public appearance? My life has become a series of arguments on bindis and chudis every day.
Is this what I was raised for? To discuss how black/white make a bad colour and red makes sense?
I see all those excited fathers sending their daughters abroad for all those fancy courses and I know one day they will be begging some family to let their daughters work like you do! There was a time in my life when I was excited about my career, seeing all those big CEO kind-of dreams, but now I am ready to do anything small that makes me feel significant. My job that I left for this marriage at least made me feel alive. There was the satisfaction of being financially independent.
But you won’t understand the pain because no one ever asked you to stop working.
I know it makes you proud that my husband makes all those international business trips every month, but doesn’t it make you sad that I don’t travel anymore and I live my life in a box?
There was a time you could not count my friends but now my life is just limited to 4-5 people. I need to take permission for literally everything. Meeting friends and taking trips is out of question, I am excited if I can even go out with my husband.
Please tell me what am I giving up everything for? For the kind of security that prisoners get in jails?
Papa, I am trying my best to be a strong girl but I have become so weak. This marriage is unfair in every possible way. I will cry for hours if you will touch me once right now. I am trying. I am giving and taking love, giving care and being taken care of; but I have realized that my freedom matters much more to me than we guessed it did. I know I am so blessed to have everything I do, but everything feels insignificant when there’s nothing to look forward to. I have an amazing life on the outside, but I am dying so fast inside.
Finding happiness in small things is really getting boring.
Not your daughter anymore, a bahu who lives every day to uphold izzat of a family she did not even know a year back.
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I support :Beti bachao, beti padhao I am against: Fir beti ki acche ghar me shaadi karao Summing up my life: Being ordinary is also difficult, for everyday you are trying to reach the extraordinary. read more...
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People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
It is shameful that in today's world too, women are abused and even killed for giving birth to a girl, and the infant's life is also of no value.
Trigger Warning: This deals with domestic violence, suicide, and violence against women, and may be triggering to survivors.
I am so glad that the esteemed courts are now giving the much-required verdicts regarding certain ideologies that were not at all entertained earlier. I mean we all have studied this much biology at our school level and it is our duty (our generation) to educate our elders about it.
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