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The poet writes about how a woman is controlled right from childhood. But she needs to stand up for herself, and some women do.
It starts with the shop keeper silently understanding what you need Coming back with the pack wrapped in newspaper or polythene Hiding the bright vibrant colours Trying to silence the obvious.
It starts with women being told not to enter the temple or the kitchen Not to sleep in the same bed Or touch the jar of pickle. Women are needed they said Just not when they bled.
It starts with the concept of being auspicious and pious All boiling down to the woman’s body and her tryst Women are goddesses, they claim Just not when they find the courage to be the masters of their own aim!
It starts with treating women as objects they can shame Thinking raping them is an easy way to tame The blood and the touch in the rape is not counted Because a man’s actions unlike a woman’s, can be left unaccounted.
It starts with them asking Miss or Mrs Ignoring the Ms for they want to count the kisses Because the world wants to know a woman’s identity By knowing her marital status and is not interested in her own entity.
It starts with telling little girls to cross their legs and sit For spreading legs too is believed to be the society’s pick They want to decide when and who For independent girls becoming liberated women is something scary and new
It starts with all the abuses ending on women’s body parts The same parts that are both worshipped and shamed from the start The society’s harmony it seems Rests on restricting a women’s mind, body and her dreams.
But,
It ends with giving wings to our own dreams Not the society’s but listening to our own needs Its time to stand up for our own self And put the shame and burden of traditions on the shelf.
And walk out with the head held high From the invisible walls that imprisoned thy For free minds and free spirits Can break down patriarchy in meagre minutes.
All it takes is a moment of realisation and a belief To open the eyes and see the reality with relief To feel lighter by chucking the burdens of customs and have-tos Vibrant and smiling because finally we can let our tied up wings loose.
A version of this was first published here.
Image source: pixabay
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UP Boards Topper Prachi Nigam was trolled on social media for her facial hair; our obsession with appearance is harsh on young minds.
Prachi Nigam’s photo has been doing the rounds on social media for the right reasons. Well, scratch that- I wish the above statement were true. This 15-year-old girl should ideally be revelling in her spectacular achievement of scoring a whopping 98.05% and topping her tenth-grade boards. But oddly enough, along with her marks, it’s something else that garners more attention – her facial hair.
While the trolls are driving themselves giddy by mocking this girl who hasn’t even completed her school yet, the ones who are taking her side are going one step ahead – they are sharing her photoshopped pictures, sans the facial hair, looking nothing less than a celebrity with captions saying – “Prachi Nigam, ten years later”.
Doctors have already diagnosed her with PCOD in their comments, based on photographic evidence. While we have names for people shamed for their weight – body shaming, for their skin colour- racism, for their age- age shaming, for being a female- sexism, this category of shaming where one faces criticism for their appearance has no name. With that, it also has zero shame attached to it.
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