JUSTT STOPP THISS

I'm tired of this shit going on over Feminism, pseudo-Feminism, bullshit ._.
What the hell are we trying to prove? Nobody within the reach of our status updates, tweets and blogs needs this as we are already that privileged lot who understands the need for Feminism. The truth is, the ones who already stand for equality are fed up of this thing going viral. They don't want to see this. They feel it's being over-exaggerated. And that's true.

It is in those remote regions that ideas need to be disseminated where we still have khap panchayats deciding the fate of young girls. It is in those backward regions that girls do not have access to knowledge that the law does not require them to marry their rapists. It is in those areas that women are told not to eat chowmein or carry mobile phones or get out of their homes or wear a 30 meter long ghunghat. The ones who actually need to know this do not even have access to social media. They are perhaps being beaten up by their husbands right now.

What the hell are twitterati and Vogue Empower and the girl on Instagram posting a picture of her stained pants trying to prove. Nobody in this privileged crowd needs this. If you really want to stand up for equal rights to women, why not pack your bags and leave for a village to save another girl falling victim of misogynist khap panchayat.

(I just joined the same crowd by writing this and irritating you and wasting your time and bye ._. )

Different Shades of Despondency (Part III)

In the previous parts of this series I wrote about an old, uneducated, starving lady who's alive today only on the alms of people. The second one was about a couple willing to work hard but forced to beg for food. This one is quite different and a more complex situation.

I came to know about this 30-year old lady through a social networking site and I am posting her story here with her permission.

"I am married twice. My first marriage did not even last 6 months because of my mother-in-law. She poisoned my husband against me and she never allowed him to love me. When i came back home my parents sold my all ornaments, most of them had been gifted by my relatives. I had exactly 800gms of gold. Then my dad found out a man for me. He was not only married but was the father of two kids. The eldest was 14 years old. I protested in every way i could but finally i gave in for which i am regretful today. It was my mother who was more interested.

 He fooled my parents in believing that he was a rich man. Mom was expecting him to pay the home loan. For that she sacrificed the happiness of her own daughter. My new husband was an extremely cruel man. He never ever cared for my happiness. He used to torture me emotionally every day. Once we went for a tour, that time i was the mother of my 5 month old baby. On the way his mood was spoiled for some unknown reason and he became very angry with me. I cried and told him to take me back home. The next day he took me back.

 We were already out of the state by then. On the way back he did not talk to me about anything. We started off from Madurai before 9:30 am. He did not ask me if i want anything to eat. When he became hungry he stopped the car somewhere and ate a guava which was left in the car but he did not offer me. I got out of the car and stood outside as my baby was crying. When he finished eating we continued the journey. By 3:30 or 4:00pm I told him that I was thirsty. Then he stopped the car infront of a shop and gave me the money to buy water. My 5 month old baby was on my lap but still he did not care to help me. He ws not willing to hold my baby. So i told him i dont want the water.

 After sometime the thirst became unbearable for me so i told him to stop the car somewhere and so he did. I took my baby in my hand and got out of the car with difficulty. I bought water and told the shopwala to open the bottle for me as my husband would not do it. After sometime my baby startd crying as he was starving. I was not feeding him my milk because of some reason. Naan was his food. To make naan definitely I needed the help of my husband and so i told him to hold my baby but he said to keep him on the seat. The back seat was full with baggages and the single seat in the front was not apt for my baby to lie down, he could have easily fell down if he rolled over. So i stood on the road holding my crying baby in my arms without knowing what to do.

 Then in the opposite side I saw a house where a lady was sweeping the veranda of her house. Without thinking twice i opened the back door, took the big flask which contained the hot water, the feeding bottle, and the tin of Naan. I literally held all these things in my hand, not even without the help of a bag.. and I crossed the road, opened the gate of her house. The lady of the house looked at me with astonishment. Then I told her "Can you help me make Naan for my baby?" She invited me inside her house and I asked her to hold my baby. She took my baby without any hesitation and my baby smiled at her which made that lady very happy. She offered me tea which i denied with kindness.

 All those time my husband was sitting in the car without even caring. I said thanks to the lady and came back to the car. He drove off the car taking me inside without even feeling sorry. I was touched by the kindness of the lady and was hurt by the harshness of my husband. I started crying sitting in the car. These incidents happened two years from now.

 Two days ago my husband called me from abroad and he told me that if he would stop providing me i would have to sell my body for an earning. I was dumbstruck by his words. I neither called him nor attended his calls after that. I regret a lot today for not completing my graduation but still with a great hope i am going for a job hunt. I hate to depend my husband who is constantly degrading me."

She is presently looking for a job to take care of her son. But the fact that she is only qualified till +2 with commerce stream is coming in her way to be an independent lady. She is willing to work hard but due to less educational qualification she is forced to settle for a job in textile industry in her neighbourhood that will only offer her 6k per month.

Different shades of Despondency (Part II)

Few weeks ago I was driving back home with my mother and on our way home I requested her to stop at a very well known bakery and confectionery shop. I wanted to buy chocolates (for myself, obviously). My mother told me she would be waiting outside. As I payed the bill and turned back to exit the shop, I saw my mother enter and she asked me to place an order for a couple of patties. When questioned for whom, she replied "Not for you, fat-ass".

As we walked our way out of the shop, she offered the packed Patties to a woman sitting outside on stairs. Her son (probably 2 or 3 years old) was playing on the stairs next to her. For a moment I couldn't make out what just happened because my mother is a kind of person who would normally react to someone asking for money by advising them to work instead of beg. It didn't even struck me for once that maybe the woman might not have asked for money, but for food itself. I saw another man standing next to 2 guys on a motorcycle next to us. He pointed at the woman and the child and the 2 guys seemed to be in denial to whatever the man was saying to them. At last, they hesitatingly offered him a 5 rupee Chocobar, which was actually a change for the 1000 Rupee note they had payed at the counter few seconds ago.

Finally when we reached home, I asked my mother about the incident. She told that they belonged to a near-by village and had come to the town a month back. They worked in a well known restaurant for a whole month and at the end of the month when it was time for the owner to pay them, he not just refused to pay but even fired them from the job. Poor souls were returning to their village. They were begging for food because whatever money they had was spent in buying the ticket for taking a bus.

I couldn't take the whole thing in for a moment. I was angry at the couple for just returning back and not doing something against the wrong been done to them. But then it struck me, whoa! Why would they go to the police? The police have other important cases on their priority list and probably regular cases like these might not matter to them or the entire town's administration as a whole as much as the other cases do.

And ofcourse, even if they launch FIR against the restaurant owner, he would easily get away with it. A few rounds to the district court per week would not bother him much. But for the couple it would be a mental, emotional and financial strain provided that they were not the locals of this town and already struck in poverty!

I cannot understand how could the man just leave hardworking laborers to beg for FOOD! And how much could the sum of 2-3k matter to that prosperous owner afterall? Maybe he cheats hardworking and innocent people every month and that explains it. I wonder how many other workers in this unorganized sector get cheated by these big owners daily across the nation. And I wonder if they have a heart or a conscience in them.

PS- I'm aware that this is a very popular scheme amongst scammers these days in Metro cities.. but this incident took place in a low-key town and the satisfaction on the faces of the couple after receiving the package was one hundred percent genuine.