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Evocative poetry in the second person, penning the picture of a single mother making a living as a sex worker, a woman just trying to live her life.
You stand in front of the mirror, The pressure cooker hisses Today you boiled rice and potatoes with some ghee. Guddu loves ghee. He sleeps on the bed, His thumb between his milk teeth Two of those broken. You want to kiss his lips. Those feel like sunshine and bird feathers, And everything that is pure. Instead, you look at the mirror, You sigh. You put on a bindi And the sindoor on the parting between your hair. The sindoor has been there since Guddu was born. Long, long after Guddu’s father was gone.
And yet, this imaginary husband Makes you feel safer than he ever could. You put on the lipstick. Bright pink. Lakmé. The man last night had gifted. He works as a salesman in a cosmetics shop. Some of them gave gifts, Some left scars. You dab some powder on your face, More over the dark circles around your eyes, The pressure cooker whistles again You run and turn off the stove.
The pale blue synthetic sari hangs loosely over your frame, You pull down the petticoat and the blouse some more. Cleavage and naval are important for business. You gulp down an aspirin with a glass of water, You darken your eyes some more with kajal. It is 8 p.m. You tiptoe outside And latch your room. You call out to auntie to keep an eye on Guddu. Business as usual begins.
Published here earlier.
Image source: pixabay
Kasturi’s debut novel, forthcoming in early 2021, had won the novel pitch competition by Half Baked Beans Publishers. She won the Runner Up Position in the Orange Flower Awards 2021 for Short Fiction. Her 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.
It is shameful that in today's world too, women are abused and even killed for giving birth to a girl, and the infant's life is also of no value.
Trigger Warning: This deals with domestic violence, suicide, and violence against women, and may be triggering to survivors.
I am so glad that the esteemed courts are now giving the much-required verdicts regarding certain ideologies that were not at all entertained earlier. I mean we all have studied this much biology at our school level and it is our duty (our generation) to educate our elders about it.
Why someone have to lose a life to bring such awareness to the society. Delhi High Court gave this judgement concerning a case that filed by the deceased daughter’s parents against her in-laws. She committed suicide as she was harassed and tortured for dowry and giving birth to two daughters.
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