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Self-care? What’s that? Working women, expected to take care of all household work as well, end up putting themselves last.
When women work outside the home, their work inside doesn’t magically go away! Women continue to bear the ‘double burden’ of two jobs – resulting in immense stress as well as lost opportunities. Join Women’s Web & Breakthrough India in our special #Streelink series this month, as women share their stories on the double burden. You can learn more here and share your story.
Breakthrough India is a human rights organization working to make violence and discrimination against women and girls unacceptable. Learn more about their work!
It was not until I got married that I realized the reason why women are often so little aware of the self.
I have read quite a few articles motivating women to look after themselves, with suggested tips and a list of dos & don’ts, but I had never understood why women could not do it on their own. When I got married, I knew that I wanted to be an independent woman; I was ambitious (I still am) and was still exploring the right choice of career for myself.
My first day after marriage was as expected; with ladies coming in, discussing my looks, whether I could dance and talk and smile and sing, and whatever else that possibly makes a woman a good bahu. I went back to work after a week of marriage; I was extremely uncomfortable, loaded as I was with sindoor, bindi, payal and nath while going to work, but I was told to get used to it because this is ‘Patni Dharma’.
The initial days were quite unremarkable except for my husband who didn’t want to ‘look married’, and so always avoided posting pictures with me on any social media. It was just another week before I was asked to take charge of sweeping and cleaning the house, because now I was the bahu and bahus are supposed to do it all by themselves!
I was equally agreeable, having always seen around me that this is how things work. However, I was not allowed to be part of any decision-making in the house, as I was a bahu and an outsider.
A few days passed, after which I heard that my sister-in-law had a problem with me. The problem was quite hilarious and stupid – apparently, she felt annoyed finding me in the kitchen whenever she came home from work. Why? Not because she wanted me to take rest. But because as a good bahu, I should have completed all the household chores before she entered the house, so that as soon as she got back, she could hand over another bunch of chores to me! I could not understand these tantrums but I obeyed them as a bahu was expected to do.
This was when I realized how women become foes to women, and how we are failing as a sorority. She refused to consider my schedule and work, but instead, wanted me to be the best at household chores.
As for the daily cooking plan, I asked her what she would like to have daily, so that I could buy and cook vegetables accordingly; otherwise I found it difficult to manage on time. She said, “Ok, now you want to take over our kitchen too? I won’t let that happen!” It was devastating and insulting for me. However my husband’s response was that it’s okay because she is elder to me. And I kept thinking, what about me?
Now I know why women are so unaware of the self; it’s not because they don’t want to take care of themselves but because no one lets them do it. I had a job, I had to cook for four members, I was supposed to clean the house daily, I was expected to be in good shape so that my husband kept loving me; I had to have good arrangements at night to keep my husband entertained and yes, it was mandatory to keep everyone’s expectations fulfilled to be considered a good bahu.
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Being a writer, Nivedita Louis recognises the struggles of a first-time woman writer and helps many articulate their voice with development, content edits as a publisher.
“I usually write during night”, says author Nivedita Louis during our conversation. Chuckling she continues,” It’s easier then to focus solely on writing. Nivedita Louis is a writer, with varied interests and one of the founders of Her Stories, a feminist publishing house, based in Chennai.
In a candid conversation she shared her journey from small-town Tamil Nadu to becoming a history buff, an award-winning author and now a publisher.
Nivedita was born and raised in a small town in Tamil Nadu. It was for schooling that she first arrived in Chennai. Then known as Madras, she recalls being awed by the city. Her love-story with the city, its people and thus began which continues till date. She credits her perseverance and passion to make a difference to her days as a vocational student among the elite sections of Madras.
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