They Were Killed In An Accident, But Shamed Just Coz They Were ‘Out Late At Night’!

Trigger Warning: This deals with accidental death, loss, violence against women, and may be triggering for survivors.

On the 2nd of November, 2021, a fateful accident took place in the state of Kerala, killing two beauty pageant winners and a friend.

However, instead of mourning over the irreplaceable loss of those accomplished youngsters, who once made their families, cities, and the state proud, our people took it to social media, to morally harass the departed. They shamed them for being out that late with men, especially Ansi on religious grounds. They ridiculed their parents for their wrongful upbringing and pointed out how these youngsters set the wrong example for others to follow. Their loved ones were so hurt, it caused Ansi’s mother to contemplate suicide, out of the fear of facing society’s judgments.

This poem was written out of my rage towards the ruthless society we live in. If her soul were to know what the society’s been doing of her death, this is what she would’ve said.

Voices of Her Ghost

A hundred hours of silence,
And I still haven’t mourned myself,
Having lost a friend and a loved one too,
Waiting to be healed by time itself.

I may be clothed, but I feel naked,
Lying here helpless, as I laid there.
Staring at the world around me, afraid
Neither me nor mine they would spare.

You cleanse me with water,
Keep me covered in a linen shroud,
Then throw at me your filthy words,
Or an ominous silence, even more loud.

Some worried faces, some nonchalant nods,
Some advice from the old and wise.
An accident it was, or ill fate,
And yet, all your tongues called it a vice.

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Those judging eyes; their glances.
I see death in your momentary stare.
They carry around like incense sticks,
The stench of shame, lingering in the air.

My parents for sure only did me good.
How dare you blame it on bad parenting?!
Remorseful and tired they might’ve been
To believe and give into all this badgering.

I agree I should’ve been more cautious myself –
Not of those men I knew, but of you,
Who had never met my acquaintance while I lived,
Yet reassure, everything about me you knew.

I now see the danger in you religious fanatics,
And the world you’ve made for me,
Composed of a society led by flag bearers
Of male chauvinism and patriarchy.

A life I’ve spent making people happy and proud.
Tainted are those moments they’ll now remember,
By the faced and the faceless, who’ll bury me alone,
Leaving behind what you call disgrace, and I, slander.

Published here first.

Image source: YouTube

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