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No one wants to talk about the violence present inside our homes! Join this blogathon, A Letter To Her, and let's begin talking about the elephant in the room.
No one wants to talk about the violence present inside our homes – it’s private, isn’t it? Thankfully, things are changing – join this blogathon, A Letter To Her, and let’s begin talking about the elephant in the room.
“If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”
So goes a popular question that tries to answer whether something ‘really exists’ or not.
That’s what the situation is like when it comes to Domestic Violence. Everyone knows that it happens to somebody, somewhere…but we stay out of it. After all, it’s a ‘private matter’, and so, if we don’t know about it, it’s not ‘really’ happening!
That’s why, radical author Meena Kandasamy’s latest novel, When I Hit You comes as much needed shock treatment. An account of an abusive marriage, it forces us to examine our notions of what domestic abuse really is. Is it the common notion of being slapped and kicked alone, or can it include the taking over of your email passwords as well? Can abuse be psychological, the wearing down of one’s energy and passion, the taking over of your identity?
Join us with leading publishers Juggernaut on a blogathon where we seek to follow Meena and shout out loud – that domestic violence is no longer that dirty little secret we will hush up.
What if a loved one – a friend, a sister, a neighbour, a colleague, your mother, perhaps you yourself – were going through domestic violence? Could you imagine this happening? Or have you known such a situation?
What would you say to give her the strength and support she needs? What do you wish you could say?
Write A Letter To Her.
Whether it is to offer her practical support, mental courage or just to let her know that she is not alone – imagine what you would say, or share a letter that is based on what you actually did.
These 8 posts have been especially recognised by Juggernaut Books and Women’s Web in the #ALetterToHer blogathon for their role in spreading awareness about domestic violence.
Tanvi Sinha for her post, A Letter To My Daughter, where she reiterates, “The shame belongs to the person who deserves it – the perpetrator.”
Seema Taneja for her post, A letter To Her, where she writes from the perspective of a man who has seen his mother survive domestic violence, and knows that the scars of such violence run deep.
Balaka (Trina) for her post, Dear Aisha, in which she writes as the ‘other woman’ who finds solidarity with the wife of her lover, saying, “Aisha, I always thought he loved me. I thought he was extremely unhappy with you and one day he would divorce you and marry me. How foolish I was. He never loved any girl. Women were just something to fulfil his physical desires.”
Deepali Adhikary, for her post, Unseen Bruises & Unheard Screams, where she discusses a deceptively ‘perfect’ marriage where the violence is not physical, but nonetheless exists.
Kasturi Patra, for her post, I Am With You, which shares a story of an abusive brother, who will go on to become an abusive husband. As she says, “I was not matured enough to understand that I was just a punching bag and once I was gone, he’d channelize his anger on someone else.”
Juveria Tabassum, for her post, Spills To Remember You By, an evocative poem on the subject of domestic violence.
Meenal Sonal, for the post, Stand Against Dear Ones, which is again a poem encouraging women to stand firm.
Ell P, for her post, Daddy’s Little Girl, a post that socks you with its visceral narration of a woman who has gone from facing violence at the hands of her father to that of a partner.
Make sure you have your post up by 30th June 10 PM IST!
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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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