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Marriage advertised: every household in India wants a bride who is convent educated, fair kind, and maybe comes with some gold!
A fair and beautiful bride is desired.
Capable of lighting the kitchen’s fire.
Convent educated with a disposition benign.
Who could breed sons in a line?
Decorating herself with her family’s ornamental pride.
No matter who’s wrong, she will be tried.
Precious and valuable like a sapphire.
With a purity to withstand the burning pyre.
A girl who will make the Fortune in favour, turn.
With skills and qualifications that will help her earn.
Her in-laws will not let tears glisten in her eye.
Bruises of childhood will now become scars on the thigh.
“Laxmi of the house”: wealth personified, she is.
Yet no wealth is as easy to part, as this.
Her purpose in life, since birth, is told:
To breed for a family she hardly knows.
“The princess will now become the queen.”
Her reign however is nowhere to be seen.
Her nuptial makes all happily grieve.
Darling Daughter with dowry is driven.
This poem is a part of the 2015 anthology entitled An Address to Indian Patriarchy by Nishtha Mishra.
Image source: Philippe Degrootee, free and edited on CanvaPro
Dr. Nishtha Mishra is an internationally published author. She is a Doctorate in English Literature from one of the reputed Central Universities. She has been an all round topper and has 5 gold medals to read more...
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Menopause is a reality in women's lives, so Indian workplaces need to gear up and address women's menopausal needs.
Picture this: A seasoned executive at the peak of her career suddenly grapples with hot flashes and sleep disturbances during important meetings. She also battles mood swings and cognitive changes, affecting her productivity and confidence. Eventually, she resigns from her job.
Fiction? Not really. The scenario above is a reality many women face as they navigate menopause while meeting their work responsibilities.
Menopause is the time when a woman stops menstruating. This natural condition marks the end of a woman’s reproductive years. The transition brings unique physical, emotional, and psychological changes for women.
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