Check out 16 Return-To-Work Programs In India For Ambitious Women Like You!
The same old story that all women using public transport are familiar with; but this one has a difference.
The bus was about to leave, and she ran a few steps and boarded it just in time. It was the peak hour for bus transport, and there was even more hustle and bustle than usual. Grudgingly, she had to take that bus to make it home on time, for her daughter would be home in a while.
She navigated through the seemingly endless number of commuters, and held on to a seat’s railing as the bus moved on.
As she was reaching inside her purse to get the bus fare, she felt some contact from behind. She turned back and saw nothing that she could tell. She paid for her ticket. And as the bus began to move from the next stop, she felt contact again. She turned and saw. Now she knew what was going on.
She turned to look into his sneering face. She just wanted to get home, so she decided to be patient. She moved away from him a little, as much as the packed bus would allow her.
A few minutes later, she felt a touch on her waist. She flinched and looked back with gritted teeth. It was him again. She felt disgust. She shut her eyes and told herself that it would be over soon. Tears peeked up from under her closed eyelids, glistening. She hoped that the journey would end soon.
But a few minutes later, it happened again. And she was ready this time. The moment she felt the touch, she slapped the hand away roughly, turned and pushed him away savagely. He fell on his behind. She was livid. And she looked around, at the gaping commuters. People who couldn’t care less. She knew that she was on her own. And she knew that she had to fight.
As he got up, she could see that he was rattled. That sneer was long gone. His eyes showed fear. That amorous confidence and chauvinistic ego had vanished into a deep chasm. He was panting heavily. He looked scared. That was enough for her. Resolutely, she turned back and awaited her destination, amidst queer silence.
As she got ready to get down at her stop, she cast him one last, stoic, gutsy look. She then walked away, head held high. Shaken, not beaten.
Image of flames via Shutterstock
Lackadaisical engineer. Student journalist. Football is love. Jam is ecstasy. Dogs: heaven. Reading = breathing. Madras is home. read more...
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
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.
Women today don’t want to be in a partnership that complicates their lives further. They need an equal partner with whom they can figure out life as a team, playing by each other’s strengths.
We all are familiar with that one annoying aunty who is more interested in our marital status than in the dessert counter at a wedding. But these aunties have somehow become obsolete now. Now they are replaced by men we have in our lives. Friends, family, and even work colleagues. It’s the men who are worried about why we are not saying yes to one among their clans. What is wrong with us? Aren’t we scared of dying alone? Like them?
A recent interaction with a guy friend of mine turned sour when he lectured me about how I would regret not getting married at the right time. He lectured that every event in our lives needs to be completed within a certain timeframe set by society else we are doomed. I wasn’t angry. I was just disappointed to realize that annoying aunties are rapidly doubling in our society. And they don’t just appear at weddings or family functions anymore. They are everywhere. They are the real pandemic.
Let’s examine this a little closer.
Please enter your email address