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The author recounts the most historic day in Indian History, 15th August 1947, as her grandparents were party to the day that did not unfold as everyone would have wanted.
In 1947, my grandparents lived in Faridnagar, a small town near Meerut in Uttar Pradesh. My grandfather was an engineer with the Irrigation Department posted at Faridnagar. Remember, Meerut was the place which saw India’s first revolt for Independence.
Serving under the British, any talk of the freedom movement was a taboo at work. But, the couple was deeply patriotic and followed the freedom movement closely. These were very difficult times.
As a child grandma was a volunteer with the ‘Gandhi Charkha Sangh’, which encouraged people to donate generously towards nurturing the khadi movement. Charkha spinning was regular activity as it synced you up with the movement even if you were not protesting on the streets.
Bibi, as everyone called my grandma lovingly, has vivid memories of the pre Independence days.
She recounts the harrowing journey from Faridnagar to Agra, to her father’s home, just before India plunged into civil war. The family was escorted to safety out of Faridnagar by the British in closed vehicles. The scene on the roads was far from celebratory. There was danger every step of the way. To find human bodies on streets was common sight.
As she says, “Freedom happened too early for India”.
15 August, 1947 was a day was filled with speeches, celebrations and sweet distribution. The rich and well to do lit up their homes and there were festivities all around. In small town India the affluent went all out to treat the townsfolk.
The celebrations were short-lived.
Indians were unprepared for the trauma of partition.
Within two days, every street and home was unhappy, insecure and in danger of mob fury. Streets had become war zones and mistrust and rumours led to ugly and riotous scenes all across the country. The secular fabric of the country was torn to shreds.
To say that Indian politicians were unprepared would be a mild statement. They did not know what hit them. Freedom for India came at a very high cost in terms of loss of human lives and lifelong trauma for those who lived through it.
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Born in small town India to professional parents in an age when working women were a rarity. Grew up among the bright,liberal and educated minds, who valued education, freedom for women, character and values. read more...
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Women today don’t want to be in a partnership that complicates their lives further. They need an equal partner with whom they can figure out life as a team, playing by each other’s strengths.
We all are familiar with that one annoying aunty who is more interested in our marital status than in the dessert counter at a wedding. But these aunties have somehow become obsolete now. Now they are replaced by men we have in our lives. Friends, family, and even work colleagues. It’s the men who are worried about why we are not saying yes to one among their clans. What is wrong with us? Aren’t we scared of dying alone? Like them?
A recent interaction with a guy friend of mine turned sour when he lectured me about how I would regret not getting married at the right time. He lectured that every event in our lives needs to be completed within a certain timeframe set by society else we are doomed. I wasn’t angry. I was just disappointed to realize that annoying aunties are rapidly doubling in our society. And they don’t just appear at weddings or family functions anymore. They are everywhere. They are the real pandemic.
Let’s examine this a little closer.
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