Check out 16 Return-To-Work Programs In India For Ambitious Women Like You!
Cinderella dreamt of searching for a good life. She fought moral battles with her stepmother, societal battles with the town finally breaking free.
This is a story of a quiet, obedient girl who was tortured to various lengths by her evil stepmother and stepsisters. However, eventually, with the assistance of her Fairy Godmother, she finds her one true love in the Prince and lives happily ever after. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
With numerous debates about its origin, whether European or Japanese, Cinderella has been practically every little girl’s favourite fairy tale since time immemorial. Despite its many literary variations, the crux of the story remains the same.
However, in another world, far from the dreamy magic of castles, fairies, and sparkling gowns, hundreds of Cinderellas exist. These are the ones struggling with their own version of evil whether societal constraints or narrow conventions. And these Cinderellas too are quiet and obedient.
They do their bidding without a word of protest, no matter the hard days or cold nights. Some of them have Fairy Godmothers who subtly look upon the torture and abuse. But unlike in the fairy tale, these Godmothers are powerless. They do not possess the magic to transform the lives of these Cinderellas for the better.
The Cinderellas in this parallel world cannot dare to dream of a prince of their choice. To them, the magic of a good life remains a distant dream. Had they heard different fairy tales, they would have conceived, in themselves, a potion of courage to diminish the power of the evil forces. How would this different fairytale be?
Maybe something on the lines of…
Once upon a time, in a land of great prosperity, there lived a feisty girl Cinderella with her loving father, her stepmother, and two stepsisters. While well behaved and polite in her manners, she always stood up against any injustice around her.
One fateful day, Cinderella’s world came crashing down with the death of her dear father. Her stepmother now decided to take complete advantage of Cinderella’s vulnerability and helplessness. She conspired with her daughters on how to bring down Cinderella’s self-worth and make her a mere puppet in their hands.
For some time after, Cinderella was reduced to a pauper and endured all kinds of constraints imposed upon her. It was almost as if her right to a dignified life was snatched away from her. She became like a caged animal expected to do her bidding without complaints.
The Fairy Godmother who kept watch over Cinderella now came to her rescue. Every night, when Cinderella retired to bed after a hard day’s work, Fairy Godmother whispered songs of courage and bravery in her ears. She fell asleep to those songs, dreaming of building her own castle someday.
The absence of her father made Cinderella long for love which she found in the Prince whom she fancied. The Prince too seemed to be swayed away by her intellect and charm. Just as Cinderella began to dream of her castle with the Prince by her side, the Prince married into his family’s wishes.
Now Cinderella, further shattered, began to nurture a firm conviction of breaking away from her dreary life. She dreamt of setting out in search of the enchanting good life. Cinderella fought moral battles with her stepmother, societal battles with the town and finally broke through her cage of despair.
Humming the song of courage, Cinderella rode her horse into the sunset, leaving behind a trail of victory for other brave girls to follow. She now set out on her much-awaited journey – her quest to build her own castle, and to find a love worthy of her. But most importantly to find that magical good life she yearned for ever since…
As shrewd as this version of Cinderella may sound it does not intend to diminish the power of magic, dreamy carriages, and beautiful dresses. It merely encourages all the Cinderellas out there to believe that fairy tales do come true in ways we may not have imagined.
Picture credits: Still from Marathi movie Sairat
Media professional... Day Dreamer... I Paint to Declutter mind... read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
It is shameful that in today's world too, women are abused and even killed for giving birth to a girl, and the infant's life is also of no value.
Trigger Warning: This deals with domestic violence, suicide, and violence against women, and may be triggering to survivors.
I am so glad that the esteemed courts are now giving the much-required verdicts regarding certain ideologies that were not at all entertained earlier. I mean we all have studied this much biology at our school level and it is our duty (our generation) to educate our elders about it.
Why someone have to lose a life to bring such awareness to the society. Delhi High Court gave this judgement concerning a case that filed by the deceased daughter’s parents against her in-laws. She committed suicide as she was harassed and tortured for dowry and giving birth to two daughters.
Please enter your email address