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These are a few more thoughts of a broken girl, who is just an ordinary girl in a busy world trying to make sense of whatever life offers her. You and me.
There were always things, which only girls should do. Bathe early. Pray early. Learn to cook. Come home early.
Everything about girls had to be early. If we were playing in the field and the boys came, we were taught to give up our games and come home early as the boys took on the field. We were taught to give up our spaces too soon. Boys could wake up late yet they could claim their spaces whenever they wanted. Boys walked out when they pleased. We had timings.
Girls bathed early. Gave up careers early. Married early. Everything about girls is to be early.
These wrong lessons, girls are taught too early.
Everyone lied to girls, when they said, “Your shyness is your ornament, it will save you from all evil,” “Your silence is your dignity.”
When they raped her, she was still the same shy girl. Still they raped her. And because they said silence is dignity, she did not report it to the police.
They again lied, “Acceptance is your virtiue,” So when they burnt her for dowry, she accepted. Called it fate. So many lies, that they teach girls. Not because they love girls. For power, they lie. One who wants to be powerful wants half of the population to be silent.
I won’t be silenced. Not now. Not ever.
My daughter too will speak. And so shall my sister.
We will tell all the lies you taught us. And the burning coal that you wanted us to chew. Now, we will spit it all back. And you will walk will blacken faces.
I will spit coal out. I will speak.
You should stop asking me to smile. I don’t owe you a smile to exist. Stop telling me to look pretty. I don’t owe you my prettiness. My existence does not depend upon how I make my life bearable to you. I owe my existence to no one. I exist because I do.
And nothing else.
This article is part of a series. You may read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.
Image source: pixabay
Proud Indian. Senior Writer at Women's Web. Columnist. Book Reviewer. Street Theatre - Aatish. Dreamer. Workaholic. read more...
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The plight of Indian women's mental health often goes unnoticed. Co-founders Vivek Satya Mitram and Pooja Priyamvada conceived the idea of the Bharat Dialogues Women & Mental Health Summit to address this.
Trigger Warning: This contains descriptions of mental health trauma and suicide, and may be triggering for survivors.
Author’s note: The language and phraseology used are not the author’s words but the terms and narrative popularly used for people living with mental illnesses, and may feel non-inclusive. It is merely for putting our point across better.
I have seen how horrifying was the treatment given to those with mental illness.
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