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What are young girls' dreams made of? Surely marriage and picking up men's underwear come into the picture somewhere!
What are young girls’ dreams made of? Surely marriage and picking up men’s underwear come into the picture somewhere!
Pishi bai once told Sunita that washing her man’s underwear was a privilege and a show of love, as Pishi bai scrubbed her husband’s brown underwear with extra vigor. Underwear that she had scooped into her laundry pile from the floor where her husband discarded it everyday in a circle in front of the bathroom door. Sometimes he surprised Pishi bai by dropping his pants inside the bedroom and leaving the circular symbol of love on the mosaic tiles.
It was exactly then that Sunita knew how her ‘ever after’ should look like. Once the family had decided that she had studied enough (after all who would marry an over educated girl), they started looking for alliances. They told the maushi who always seemed to know eligible men and also the broker who had got Shilpa married off to that eligible groom who lived in Matunga.
One by one they started coming home. Sunita got a couple of parrot green and brown colour sarees for just these occasions. She also had some of Shilpa’s old sarees that she could borrow. She looked at each man in all earnestness and asked herself this one potent question, “Will I be happy washing his underwear for the rest of my life? Till death do us apart? Will I make it my life’s mission to seek out the underwear from the places he chooses to fling it and scrub it, wring it and leave it out to dry?” After all she wanted to smile with the same sense of fulfillment as Pishi bai used to have.
The first man to come to her house and munch on laddoos with particles falling onto his khakhi kurta was only 6 months older than her. He asked her if she knew to sing and cook. He had his life’s mission sorted; his aim in life was to save money on a radio while being well fed. Her dreams were also infallible – she wanted to marry a man whose underwear she would wash for eternity. He did not somehow give her good inner feelings and thankfully he rejected her because her singing was not as good as the girl he saw in Kurla where they served him gajar ka halwa.
The second and third man who came to see her were a blur as they came and ate the laddoos that had been made by the tinful to serve prospective grooms. By the fourth to-be groom the stock of laddoos was running low and he was planning to come with ten members of his immediate family (which was always a good thing). Sunita’s mom made some quick poha and had Sunita chop up the onions and green chillies this time. They came, they ate and they left. By now Sunita had almost given up on her dreams and was ready to wash any man’s underwear as long as he wore underwear and should he choose to accept her.
Then Kamal came along and he said he would marry her; her family rejoiced as he would be giving her a life. She rejoiced because she caught a peek of white underwear as he adjusted his jeans after getting up. The marriage happened in a rush as Sunita’s family did not want such a good catch to slip away. She left with him and his family and the car that her parents gifted him. She looked wistfully as the family discussed where they should keep the car as they did not have a car shed or even decent parking in Khopoli near their chawl.
They reached Kamal’s house and the rest of the family gushed at her in their 1 BHK flat. They took her to see the kitchen as was customary for the new bride and suddenly she felt her heart drop to her stomach as she caught a glimpse of their new sparkling washing machine that Kamal had bought as a gift for his newly wed wife.
Note: In case not already evident, this is meant to be read as a big dollop of sarcasm.
Top image via Pixabay
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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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