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Underprivileged moms are also just as much in need of support as other women are, and need to come under the umbrella of feminism too!
It was five in the morning. The cool breeze and change of weather was making her a little lazy. But she had to get up and get ready. She gently put one pillow next to her two-month-old baby and frantically moved to the kitchen. Made one tea to charge her up, tied her hair, took bath and within 15 minutes she was ready to go.
It’s not an easy task for a Mom to leave a two month old baby with her husband for even a few hours. But she had no other options. She knew having a baby changes everything, even your own priorities. She informed her husband, kissed her newborn, fed her before leaving so that she won’t feel hungry for the next two hours and left.
This is the routine of Gauriamma, who had to resume work as a cook, post two months of her delivery. Her husband is an everyday wage earner and now with an addition to their family, living in a metro city and managing expenses with one salary wasn’t easy. She knew that with a nuclear family she couldn’t be out of the house for a long period of time. She would have to support the baby alone and, can’t really let her husband look after the baby the whole day at home.
Expenses of a new born are huge and include vaccines, clothes, milk and other basic things that every new mom and baby need.The only way to balance her life with soaring expenses is to leave early for 2-3 hours, work as a cook in one house and come back. Till then, her baby would be taken care of by her husband.
It really takes a village to raise a child but it takes courage for a Mom to work like this. It is the love for the baby that gives the courage and determination to work in every tough situation. It indeed is the special power of GOD, which takes birth, along with the baby. Challenges are accepted easily, just for the sake of the child. A strong will power of a MOM for her baby, which is the same for a rich woman or a poor, an educated or an illiterate one. For a MOM everything changes with a new addition in her life.
There must be many Gauriammas in and around us, who might never have had a healthy diet during their pregnancy, no Lamaze classes, no anti-natal classes, no luxury in delivering, but they are the same as all of us with the same heart of the mother. They equally love their children and try every possible way to give them those things which they had never had in their own life.
When we talk about feminism and women’s liberation, we often miss talking about such ladies. There are many such as domestic helps, cleaners, lady bus conductors, cab drivers, and post-women. They might not have a matriculation degree or any foreign Ph.D., but they have the same grit and wit as ours. They also require a word of appreciation and applaud, just the way we need. And certainly, I feel there is so much to learn from them too.
Life is not all about your degrees and report cards, there’s much more to it. It’s more about an individual who has the will to make life more beautiful than expected, with a will power to change every thing impossible to possible, fighting against all odds.
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Published here earlier.
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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.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
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