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They would want to silence you, crush you and 'teach' you. But stay strong... because women like you are HOPE.
They would want to silence you, crush you and ‘teach’ you. But stay strong… because women like you are HOPE.
Having an opinion and guts to spill it out while being a woman is a disastrous recipe.
Let me tell you how, as an Indian woman.
Firstly, you will have few friends.
You will get less invitations for the fun parties because you just can’t limit your chatter to the weather and dresses.
You will get few promotions and more memos from the boss.
Relatives will keep you away from their children and cultured wives.
Your professors may also ignore your raised hand because your questions disturb their lesson plan.
Even the salesman won’t give you more discount because having too many opinion kill your femininity (they say).
And for any crime against women, within this country and elsewhere… women like you will be blamed.
Even for the failed rains, crop, Pandemic….It’s you, only you…
They would want to silence you, crush you and teach you…
Stay strong…
Because women like you are HOPE.
A letter to our courageous sisters in Afghanistan.
Image source: Anamika/ Pocket Films on YouTube
Vartika Sharma Lekhak is a writer based in India. She is the author of the short-story collection – Bra Strap and two anthologies – When Women Speak Up, and The Take Off. The short-story collection read more...
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She would serve everyone fresh food and serve herself the stale rice and curries from the previous meal. Some days after finishing the leftovers she was so full she would not even be able to even taste the fresh food.
When I married the first time, my MIL told me that during the Navratri the lady of the house should not eat stale food. ‘Gharatlya bai ni shila khau naye’ — in refined upper caste Marathi.
I was just 26, eager to please, not versed in patriarchy or feminism, and it seemed like a positive thing — respect for the goddess in woman.
But soon I realised she spent the remaining 356 days of her year finishing leftovers. And that I was expected to do the same.
We say that we live in modern times and talk on subjects like feminism, supporting your loved ones, encouraging them to follow their dreams. But how many of us can really say that they actually do that?
We live in a world where there comes times in everyone’s life when one has to make choices which will leave a long term impact in not just their life but on the lives of those attached to them.
Giving the ones you claim to love the freedom and space to make their own choices and the wings to fly is not only the right thing to do but sometimes its also the thing they need the most; without having to face the ‘guilt’ of living the life they want.