Sometimes, a bright young light of reason needs to shine upon the hypocrisy of the inequality of gender that has a skewed idea of what is right.
A teenage boy asked his Dad, “How do we decide what is wrong?”
Dad replied, “If your actions harm anyone then your actions are wrong. If you lie to hide your mistakes, you are wrong”.
The boy said, “Can the same action carried out by two different people, be right for one and wrong for the other?”
Dad replied, “No beta, Of course not”.
The boy asked, “Are you sure Dad?”
Dad replied, “Of course, But why do you ask?”
The boy said, “Then, why is it wrong for Rucha Di to go out in the night with her friends, if it is right for me? Why does Mom always tell Rucha Di that good girls don’t wear short clothes? I always wear shorts and banyan, then am I a bad boy? Why does Dadi always blame Mom for taking you away from her home, but Nani doesn’t blame you? Did you do a right thing and mom wrong?”
Why is Mohan Uncle, who always asks money from Rashmi Aunt’s family right, and Ashmita Bhabhi asking Shyam Dada money to support her parents wrong? Why is drinking by all the men of the family right, but it is wrong if any woman in our family drinks? Why is it wrong when our neighbour aunt travels for her work and uncle looks after the kid? Even you travel for work and mom takes care of us while you are away? So, are you wrong?”
“Why is it wrong if my friend’s uncle left his job to manage the house and kids, while his wife continued working? Even Ashmita Bhabhi left her job after Adira was born. So, was she wrong? Nani keeps saying that due to Rekha Mami’s ambition their divorce happened. Is being ambitious wrong? So, should I not have ambitions? I don’t understand Dad, what is wrong and what is right? The world and their definition of right wrong confuses me.”
And then one look at his father face, made him understand it all. He quietly walked away to his room.
Sometimes, silence speaks more than words.
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