Check out 16 Return-To-Work Programs In India For Ambitious Women Like You!
It's always women who are entrusted with elaborate meal preparations & rituals. But we also want time off during festivals. Have mercy on us too, society!!
Twenty years into my marriage and I still detest going to my in-law’s house to celebrate any occasion.
It is not because I am against festivities. I just dread the monotonous & physically exhausting activities that women are continuously expected to do.
It is always the women who are entrusted with the elaborate procedure of preparing the sumptuous meals for those occasions. I was brought up in a family that did not have gender discrimination in engaging in culinary chores. So I found it bizarre how women were expected to slog in the kitchen while the men of the house got to enjoy the latest movies that were being telecast on the different channels.
We women tried to catch glimpses of these movies when we chanced to pass by the sitting room. Initially, I felt that if we finished the assigned chores, we would be able to join our spouses in the merriment. But, by the time we would complete our dreary tasks, it would be time to give our little ones the elaborate oil bath that was done on this day.
Hence, from one task to another, it was ensured that we kept on our toes. As siblings got married, although the number of helping hands increased, the workload also increased proportionately.
Those few days at their home started giving me nightmares from almost a month before our visit. Children loved the vacation as they found it a solace. Also kids enjoyed the house’s huge courtyard unlike the limited space in the apartment and its precincts. In short, these festivals just spelt copious amounts of arduous tasks which I hated.
I tried explaining my long litanies of woes to my husband. But he had been conditioned seeing his mom do the same with a content face, ever so ready to churn out new dishes at the slightest mention. In fact, he assumed that I disliked engaging in group activities.
But the truth was I wanted time off at least during the festivals and also thought it unfair that women were burdened so much.
I also realised that this ritual would be carried on as now my daughter and nieces are also expected to pitch in to help with these mundane tasks.
Can we not change the mindset of the next generation so that the workload is shared equally? Have mercy on us too, society!!
Image source: Thappad
Presently working as an English tutor, a dentist by profession, but a writer forever. Love penning down everything I strongly feel about and create a change in mindset, especially among the youth. 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