Check out 16 Return-To-Work Programs In India For Ambitious Women Like You!
She hid the money and gave it to her daughter-in-law. She loved her son more but she knew her daughter-in-law deserved it more!
Trigger warning: This post contains mentions incidents of domestic abuse which may be triggering to survivors.
As she was kneading the dough Her mother in law pulled her hair Don’t make the dough too tight, If it wasn’t for the dowry She muttered under her breath
The sisters-in-law tittered And dough became black Ma where did you get this kali kaluti from Said the sisters-in-law.
She made the dough into small balls, And continued making rotis As she tasted the salted water on her lips
She had won a scholarship in class six She knew all her tables so well But she got married when she was in the eighth class She was kali, not Uma
Kali shorn of all power but with her colour She hid four rotis in the saltbox She was always hungry
Maa had told her never come back Stay in your sasural The thoughts were jumbled in her mind
As she clenched her muscles He looked at her Kali he said And continued It was over Kali he said and spat.
In the hospital room Old and cancer-ridden Her son held her gnarled hand And she saw he had tattooed her name on his arm And she felt the salt on her lips again.
She was sixteen, Round and fat, With laughter that would boom In the whole house.
And then came the partition She was married to a Fifty-year-old, To protect her, her mother said Protect her or to revile her no one knew,
Six kids later When she was forty He died.
She was still round and fat With gusty laughter, She always looked for validation, Lying on her death bed she giggled,
The shopkeeper next door said My eyes are very nasheeli. Are they she asked You are beautiful I told her, Did your husband never tell you that?
She sighed, I don’t remember, I just remember he was old And used to hit me every day He thought I was making eyes at the next-door neighbour.
Were you I asked, Yes that was the only rainbow In my life She died an hour later.
Lali Malik loved her son Her only child No one was like him
If he drank too much It was fine If he misbehaved with his wife It was fine
And then partition happened Lali Malik got 7000 rupees From the government For the haveli she left behind,
She hid the money , And gave it to her daughter-in-law She loved her son more, But she knew her Daughter in law was needier And much more deserving.
Picture credits: Still from TVF’s web series Yeh Meri Family
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.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
Please enter your email address