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My sister spoke up when her marriage was being fixed with a groom whose family was asking for a dowry. We need to speak up and be the change we want to see.
“You just book the flat, I’ll speak to the groom’s family. They shall be ready for the marriage,” said the person over the phone.
“But my daughter is against this, she will not accept it,” said my mother.
“Bhabhiji what has she got to do with all this? She is the bride, you are her parent. You know dowry is a custom,” he replied back.
My 25 year old unmarried sister who was an Orthopedic doctor heard this conversation. She immediately took the phone from my mother and disconnected the call, and looked at my mother.
My mother asked her, “Why did you cut the call? What’s wrong with you?”
My sister asked, “Something is wrong with me? What do I look to you? Am I a commodity? A burden for you?”
“Are you mad? You’re my daughter! You are perfect, there is nothing wrong about you my child. I am just concerned about your future,” my mother replied.
With a sad face, my sister then said, “Mummy did you educate me to see a day like today? And what is wrong with my future? I am well educated, getting salary of almost 1 lakh a month. If someone wants to marry me, I should be enough for him and his family… don’t you think so?”
She continued, “Mom you are insulting your own daughter by giving a dowry. Am I not good enough for the groom’s family that you’re bribing them with dowry to get that boy married to me? If you don’t respect me, how do you expect his family to respect me after you get me married? Instead of getting married into such a family I would prefer being unmarried!”
My mother’s eyes was filled with tears. She picked up her phone and called back the same man who she was speaking to before and said, “Bhaiyyaji Please say no to the groom’s family. I would not like to get my daughter married into a family where they give material things more importance than my beautiful daughter. My daughter is educated, and good enough to get suitors who would marry her for the beautiful soul that she possesses and not Dowry. I am proud of my daughter and respect her decisions.” After stating this, she disconnected the call.
My sister hugged my mother and they both cried, not in sorrow but in happiness.
Be bold enough to bring in change and to stand by it!
Image source: pixabay
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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.
Menopause is a reality in women's lives, so Indian workplaces need to gear up and address women's menopausal needs.
Picture this: A seasoned executive at the peak of her career suddenly grapples with hot flashes and sleep disturbances during important meetings. She also battles mood swings and cognitive changes, affecting her productivity and confidence. Eventually, she resigns from her job.
Fiction? Not really. The scenario above is a reality many women face as they navigate menopause while meeting their work responsibilities.
Menopause is the time when a woman stops menstruating. This natural condition marks the end of a woman’s reproductive years. The transition brings unique physical, emotional, and psychological changes for women.
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