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This beautiful poem pays tribute to Gauri Lankesh and to all those who refuse to stay silent even when answered with abuse and threats.
She was born with a voice like all of us are but sooner or later sell it to fear or favour either of the two
but she held on to this voice of her soul this calling a spade a spade in the dark times of abuse and troll
She owned this voice and gave it fiercer words her dissent was her arrow her armour and swords
but who likes a voice? A woman with a choice A newspaper with questions Enquiries and allegations It is not in the great culture To speak against the great Quietly accept their follies as their greatness or fate
She stood alone in the storm Holding the flag high The resistance grew stronger And the attacks more sly Bitch, whore, traitor The commonest labels To silence the dissent In ideological battles
She the brave one was still undeterred courage is often feeble never bartered even when battered
She used her words to Write their crimes As Brecht said once The dark songs for these darkest times when institutions become weaker and dissent a pantomime
A brave warrior woman who speaks her mind
was so unbearable for a dictatorship blind
when force or coercion could not stifle the outcry a bullet for the truth that had dared to defy
It is not pen against a gun or gun against a pen It is violence against us One by one
but one final day The dictator will not have the last laugh Her voice shall live on Even in her epitaph:
“Tolerating an injustice is as bad as committing one.”
Pooja Priyamvada is an author, columnist, translator, online content & Social Media consultant, and poet. An awarded bi-lingual blogger she is a trained psychological/mental health first aider, mindfulness & grief facilitator, emotional wellness trainer, reflective 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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