She was fourteen. Her poor family married her off to a fifty-two year old man. She hid herself in the cow shed during the wedding night, and, next morning, she began her walk towards freedom, across a mountain, on lonely roads, with next to nothing to support her. Yet, yes, she made it!
This girl was thirteen when her drunkard of a father almost sold her off, to an extremely abusive man of his age, who beat the kid black n blue, made her a mother at fourteen. One fine morning, she took off with her baby, and oh, yes, she, too, made something of herself.
What do you think? Whose stories am I telling ? Where could they have taken place? Oh, you think that I am narrating the plight of some "Nakushi" from the hinterlands of India!?!
You certainly need a reality check. The first is the sad saga of Sara Hutchins from Kentucky, America who braved the Appalachian Range, bitter cold and a hundred and eighty kilometres long walk in winter to make a life for herself! The second example, incidentally, is from America, too.
In the meanwhile, meet this granma in her mid sixties. Her marriage made her in to a maid, and a baby making machine. At sixty-seven, this mother of eleven chose to walk out to make thus something of herself.
In other words, be it Dr. Rakhma Bai or a "nakushi", be it India or be it the U S., be it the late nineteenth century or the early to late twentieth century, simple women who are not a symbolic somebody's somebody (like a daughter/sister/wife of a powerful/famous man) braved all that is bad in patriarchy to make something of themselves, and on their own terms and conditions.
Hence the need to celebrate March 8! Unfortunately, in the echo chambers that most discourses currently are, many would be busy berating "Brahminical" patriarchy or Manusmriti (about) which hopefully they would have read!
At the other end of this kline, there are women who use this opportunity, too, to splurge, to shop, to roam, the maids of the market that they are! Neither do their daughters, who never had to struggle in any way, had all the rights without any responsibilities, understand the relevance of the day beyond fashion and fete!
Actually, with the advent of the AI, women would be rendered more vulnerable both in the public sphere and in the private space. As the AI guzzles up jobs, women would yet again be invisible in multiple ways in the public sphere, while, individually, given the AI rendered identity thefts, and ingenious harassments, they would suffer still more! But who cares? The much celebrated demographic dividend is busy with fashion, accessories, and "chill", while 'ab-using' men!
Time passes, in a linear fashion, at times, arrives cyclically. Yet, despite all possible hurdles, often consciously craftily caused, we, men, make our stories which have lovely morals! Long live Match 8 in all its meaning-full avataars!
Pratima@ March 8 is not a decorative day. It is an occasion to meet one's own self, yet again and in multiple ways!
Quote as well as words of the day: Asserts Maya Angelou: "As I walk through frozen sands/Through the flames of burning lands/My feet are torn, they're torn to strands/I will not thirst
As I cross the raging sea/Waves are crashing over me/They drag me down, they drag me down/I will not drown
They'll know my name/After the storms are passing through/They'll know my name
When they've forgotten all about you/They'll know my name
They're calling out, they're calling out/ They're calling out, they're calling out my name
And I shall rise, oh well I shall rise/Again and again/I shall rise, oh well I shall rise/Again and again
And I shall rise, oh well I shall rise
Again and again.
I shall rise, oh well I shall rise
Again and again
I shall rise, oh well I shall rise
Again and again
I shall rise, oh well I shall rise
Again and again"
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