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A young woman, looking back at her life, and the way she has been shamed, and labelled, and the wounds and scars of all that - do read further to find out more.
A young woman, looking back at her life, and the way she has been shamed, and labelled, and the wounds and scars of all that – do read further to find out more.
One more instance of someone telling me how to live my life
How can I be calm when I’ve been dictated all my life?
And this isn’t only about that
It’s about shame. Another reckless accusation
To instill shame
It is this that wakes the devil in me
Boils my blood till it seeps through the skin
Reminds me of the internal bleeding
Of when my mother shamed me
And called me a slut, I lost speech
She ripped me apart so carelessly
It took so long to tear myself from there
But today I realize that it still lies bare
Sore, septic from unhealing
It took just a pinch to unleash the all-consuming pain
Now I have rage,
Not for her but every single slave of the society
Who shame rule breakers, who demean outlaws
Who try to tie me down
Who think they can tell me what to wear,
Where to go, when to come or to leave
How to speak, how to please, what to want and what to need
When to hold my tongue and choke breathless
They have the audacity to tell me how to live
Not anymore they can’t
For too long I’ve borne these shackles
For too I’ve been silenced
For too long have I lent my life to others
So long that I forgot it was mine
They started knowing it theirs
It’s time now to take the reins back
To the ones like me
The outcasts of society
The shamed and condemned
Remember your claim
For the rule breakers are who bring social change
Reformers of tomorrow are the Rebels of today
Image source: a still from Naam Shabana
Writer, poet, feminist, mental health survivor and advocate, law student read more...
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Rajshri Deshpande, who played the fiery protagonist in Trial by Fire along with Abhay Deol speaks of her journey and her social work.
Rajshri Deshpande as the protagonist in ‘Trial by Fire’, the recent Netflix show has received raving reviews along with the show itself for its sensitive portrayal of the Uphaar Cinema Hall fire tragedy, 1997 and its aftermath.
The limited series is based on the book by the same name written by Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, who lost both their children in the tragedy. We got an opportunity to interview Rajshri Deshpande who played Neelam Krishnamoorthy, the woman who has been relentlessly crusading in the court for holding the owners responsible for the sheer negligence.
Rajshri Deshpande is more than an actor. She is also a social warrior, the rare celebrity from the film industry who has also gone back to her roots to give to poverty struck farming villages in her native Marathwada, with her NGO Nabhangan Foundation. Of course a chance to speak with her one on one was a must!
“What is a woman’s job, Ramesh? Taking care of parents-in-law, husband, children, home and things at work—all at the same time? She isn’t God or a superhuman."
The arrays of workstations were occupied by people peering into their computer screens. The clicks of keyboard keys were punctuated by the occasional footsteps moving around to brainstorm or collaborate with colleagues in their cubicles. Most employees went about their tasks without looking at the person seated on either side of their workstation. Meenakshi was one of them.
The thirty-one-year-old marketing manager in a leading eCommerce company in India sat straight in her seat, her eyes on the screen, her fingers punching furiously into the keys. She was in a flow and wanted to finish the report while the thoughts and words were coming effortlessly into her mind.
Natu-Natu. The mellifluous ringtone interrupted her thoughts. She frowned at her mobile phone with half a mind to keep it ringing until she noticed the caller’s name on the screen, making her pick up the phone immediately.
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