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The in-laws were happy with her accomplishment. They congratulated her and also praised her for her lovely gesture her of gifting her mom-in-law.
Mouni was high with success in here career. She had had a great year winning the ‘Best performer’ award and the perks that came with it. But the icing on the cake was the promotion.
She was happy that her hard work had paid off. That evening while driving back home, she shopped for two gold kadas from her favourite jewellery showrooms. She said to herself, ‘It would be a great way to celebrate my career accomplishments with my family. These are for my mothers- amma and mummyji.’
Like any family of working people, all four members of the family were having dinner with the usual talks of how their day at work was. Mouni opened the box she’s carried to the dinner table, and offered it to her mummyji while disclosing her success.
The in-laws were happy with this accomplishment. They congratulated her and also praised her for her lovely gesture her of gifting her mom-in-law.
A couple of weeks passed by. As December arrived, Mouni was excited because it would be Christmas soon. And would give her the much needed break from the work. It had been a year since she last visited her parents and planned a visit to her mother’s place for Christmas.
That night as usual, after a busy day at work, the family sat down at dinner. Mouni spoke about her plans to visit her parents. Her in-laws happily supported her saying “Of course beta jao. You must go spend some time with them too. Hamari aur unki bhi beti ho tum (you are a daughter to us and them too)”
Like a modern family of forward thinking, her broad minded in-laws supported her.
It was last week of December. Mouni signed off a ‘happy vacation’ mails to her colleagues and drove home. Happily, she packed her bags. She made sure she didn’t forget to pack the gold kada she bought for both her mothers. Her husband said he’d join her to celebrate the new year there.
Just as she was dozing off to sleep, there was a knock at the bedroom door. Her husband opened the door. It was her in-laws who came bearing a Christmas gift for their beloved daughter-in-law.
“Beta I have picked up two sarees for my two daughters Nidhi and Mouni. I hope you like the colour,” her mother-in-law said. Mouni was overwhelmed by the gesture and hugged her like she would her own mother. She was delighted.
The next morning, while the father-in-law and husband were busy getting ready to go to work, Mouni and her MIL were spending the day at leisure. Mouni’s flight was in the afternoon and her MIL had taken an off to drop off her DIL to the airport.
The men left for work as mummyji was on call with her daughter Nidhi. Mouni decided to make tea for herself and wanted to offer some to her MIL too.
Assuming Mouni was busy in kitchen, mummyji said “Pink Benaras saree for you and a green one for her.”
To which Nidhi said, “Wow! Pink, my favourite colour! Thanks mom! But I am sure it must have been heavy on your pocket. After all, two Benaras sarees.” Mummyji responded, “Pagal hai? Benaras for you, uske ke liye toh mein ek normal cotton saree kharid li.” (Are you mad? I got her a simple cotton saree!”
By this time, Mouni had prepared the tea and was on her way to the living room to give it to her MIL. She’d definitely heard the conversation between the mother and daughter. But pretending like she didn’t hear it, she offered mummyji the tea and went to her room, tears streaming down her face.
Mouni sipped her chai thinking of the gold kadas she got for her two mothers.
Why is a daughter-in-law always treated like an outsider? Despite the in-laws saying that the DIL is just like their daughter, why is there still a bias?Why do in-laws expect the daughter-in-law to treat them as her own parents when they never treat her like their own daughter?
Picture credits: Unsplash
An avid reader, Former academician now a SAHM to a toddler son. Longing to see the REAL Gender-equality treatment to Daughters and to Her Parents too! 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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