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And now here she was, in front of the mirror, wearing the most beautiful piece of jewelry her mother gave her, her confidence. The confidence to be herself.
The morning sunshine filtered into the room and lit up Nina’s bright yellow lehenga. Her waist long glossy black hair covered her back more graciously than the matching orange net dupatta. She sat in front of the mirror and lined her eyes with kohl. She then picked up the bright red lipstick and painted her lips.
“Nina, the barat is going to be here any time now. Please make it quick”. Her mother Mrs. Roy called from the other side of the closed door.
Mrs Roy like most mothers, was more worried about her daughter’s wedding than her daughter herself. Widowed when Nina was just six, Mrs. Roy had taken the responsibility of raising her little daughter entirely on her own. She used all her savings to get the two of them going through three years of acquiring an MBA in marketing. She worked hard to finish her degree with good grades, and at the end of three years got a job in a multinational corporation.
Life fell into place thereafter. Slowly she replenished the family savings and made a decent life for herself and her daughter.
While growing up, Nina shared a deep bonding with her mother, which was not exactly what you call a mother-daughter bond. It was more like the bonding with a bestie where you share your deepest secrets and craziest dreams. And today, on the day of her wedding, Mrs. Roy knew Nina’s fear.
Nina had a magenta coloured birthmark the size of a lemon, across her left cheek. All her life she had flaunted it like a cherished tattoo, proud and unabashed. But today she looked afraid. Most of the groom’s family was yet to see her. Until now she had only met her parents in law. What if the new family disapprove of her because of her birthmark?
The night before the wedding, Nina had placed her head on her mother’s lap and confided her fears. It was just like her high school days when someone cracked a joke about “that ugly scar” on her face. Her mother once again told her what she always did in such situations. She said, “The way you see yourself is the way the world sees you, eventually”.
And now here she was, in front of the mirror, wearing the most beautiful piece of jewelry her mother gave her, her confidence. The confidence to be herself. The confidence love herself. Isn’t it the best gift a parent can give to their child?
All the guests and relatives looked mesmerised towards her as she walked past the aisle, tall, poised and elegantly donning her precious jewelry.
Published here earlier.
Image source: shutterstock
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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.
Why someone have to lose a life to bring such awareness to the society. Delhi High Court gave this judgement concerning a case that filed by the deceased daughter’s parents against her in-laws. She committed suicide as she was harassed and tortured for dowry and giving birth to two daughters.
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