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Indian cinema has portrayed a stereotypical image of the Indian mother in law. A dour faced, cock-eyed banshee. Is it so even today?
The Indian mother in law was always shown as a vicious termagant, conspiring and conniving and creating a rift among couples. The daughter in law was showered with aspersions regarding her upbringing or household chores, while the son was a mere spectator and a mute testimony to her evil designs.
Patriarchy had created problems in our society. Girls were uneducated, confined to the four walls of their house, home and hearth was their only source of entertainment. From their parental house to their marital house was their only life. Their prosaic existence created frustration and this was vented on the daughters in law. This went on for ages and the daughters in law bore this torment without retaliating.
But the eighties saw a paradigm shift in the thinking of people. Girls were given good education, they started having careers and procured good jobs. The mindset of the people took a new turn. Indian cinema too was instrumental in changing the perspective of people, by portraying liberal, glamorous mothers in law, who had a better equation with their daughters in law.
Today the mother in law has developed a swagger, and is on equal footing with her daughter in law.
Education and jobs have brought a great change. The Indian mother in law is well groomed, well toned, smart, confident, pleasant to talk to. Armed with diverse knowledge, she carries herself with poise, goes to salons and spas, reunions, pizzerias, parties, religious discourses, et al. Being tech savvy is the order of the day and in fact she shares an easy camaraderie with her daughter in law.
The villainous streak has been replaced by a liberal mind set. They don’t want to hang up their boots till the end.
They can be summed up in the lines of Robert Frost-
The woods are lovely, dark and deep But I have miles to go, before I sleep!
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The plight of Indian women's mental health often goes unnoticed. Co-founders Vivek Satya Mitram and Pooja Priyamvada conceived the idea of the Bharat Dialogues Women & Mental Health Summit to address this.
Trigger Warning: This contains descriptions of mental health trauma and suicide, and may be triggering for survivors.
Author’s note: The language and phraseology used are not the author’s words but the terms and narrative popularly used for people living with mental illnesses, and may feel non-inclusive. It is merely for putting our point across better.
I have seen how horrifying was the treatment given to those with mental illness.
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.
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