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In a school essay, a girl writes the most heartbreaking essay about her family. What she writes shows the adverse effect of domestic violence on children.
In an English class of a very posh school, in Salt Lake, Kolkata, a teacher asked the students to write an essay on, ‘My Family.’
When the teacher took the copies for correction, she found something very heartbreaking. One girl wrote this.
“My father is a bad man, he hits my mom. Every night my mother holds unto me and cries a lot. I also cry a lot. No one listens to us. My uncles have also turned a deaf ear to us. If I ever go and try to talk to my father, he hits me too. This is ‘My Family.’
The essay does not end there. “When I will grow up, I will take my mother far away from my dad,” the girl wrote.
This essay stunned the teacher, who went on to talk to the principal, who directed the girl to the school counselor. Not only this, after the counseling session, the parents were directed to stay separately, until the father mends his ways.
From her letter, it can be seen the agony children face when they come from abusive families. It also shows that domestic abuse is a part of every economic and social strata, as this girl comes from a well-off economic background, attending a posh school. It is not that, only families of lower social and economic standing go through this, which is a common perception.
The school also said that, most of the time, this girl would stay silent and speak only when spoken to. Finding no place to share her feelings, she sat down in the class to emote what she felt in a piece of paper. In any form of violence, children are the most vulnerable sufferers.
We seriously need to think twice before doing anything, when we have children around.
This letter was first published in Bengali, here.
Cover image via Shutterstock
Proud Indian. Senior Writer at Women's Web. Columnist. Book Reviewer. Street Theatre - Aatish. Dreamer. Workaholic. read more...
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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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