Disclaimer: There is no political agenda, no targeting any groups, and no support to any party (the only party I like are those with free food , dance floors and Dj’s). The intention of this post is to salute the spirit of bravery of those who want to make the world a better place but their Access Denied.
P.S. I love the men in my life- Friends, Family, Brothers, Batch mates, Crushes..Nothing against you at all. You guys make me complete!
I wake up and the world around me has changed. My hands tied, my mouth gagged,but my legs spread wide for reasons best known. I see my plight is just like the rest of them: the fairer sex known as “woman”.
“Woman?” I thought to myself, as thoughts are the only remaining freedom I possessed.
“Weren’t they the miracle workers, the life givers, the ones worshipped?”
Then why am I gagged? Restricted? Limited?
For a moment, I doubted my existence. Was I really the same woman visualised in my thoughts? Looking at my tied hands, I guess not.
It’s a jungle out there. Democracy lies only within a certain section of masculinity I suppose…. for the rest it is extinct. It’s not that attempts weren’t made to revive it but demanding what was our birth right doesn’t really go down well with the powerful minority out here.
We are promised change but when we don’t see that happening and protest, we are jailed. “So that explains the gagged mouth!” went the loud thought in my head again which I’m glad they can’t hear.
The roads have hounds waiting to hunt on bikes. I’m pretty sure they’re wolves,why else will they move in a pack? They can’t be lions. Lions move alone fearlessly. But there aren’t any lions around in this jungle. Did the wolves overpower them too? Are they the new dictators of the jungle?
It happened one time I was travelling back home in the metro. It wasn’t crowded and yet I felt a sudden pain soaring from my bottom. In an instant reflex action I slapped the man back who was responsible for that pinch, held his collar and abused him left right and centre. The coward ran away but looking at the people around I wondered who the bigger coward was in the first place!
I have my hands tied today. The jungle doesn’t permit me to raise them any more. Nothing’s written about this restriction though but it is followed unconventionally like the rest of the society. The consequences will be dire if I dare raise them… who knows they might be twisted, turned or worst still…..held by the unknown.
We still have the freedom of speech existing though in this jungle and its freedom beyond limitations. Everyone has the right to feast their eyes on any creature, any body part desired and of course have no shame in “showering” comments or stating their intentions out loud. So what if it was a French woman they wanted to f*** or pick up a mother daughter duo as they sat in their cars.
It happened another time, I was out crossing the road from the metro station when suddenly I encountered the “humble” wolf (humble because he was on a bicycle instead of a motorbike- we still don’t have a classless society you see). He looked at what we consider the first meal for a child, a symbol of motherhood and said out loud in colloquial Bengali “oof koto boro aache!” (My they’re huge). To which being the brash individual that I am replied “Tomar Ma’er theke kom aache @#$&*” (It’s less than your mother’s you @#$&*). It’s shameful that I abuse another woman in my defence, even more shameful that I go down to this level and perhaps risk my life but how else could I subdue this overdose of “freedom”? If he can be limitless in his speech, why can’t I?
We’re equal aren’t we? Going by my state and many others, equality had become a façade. The world has suddenly become so malnutritioned in moralities that we are envisioned as that last morsel of food available on the face of the Earth...
Someone asked me the advantages of being a man….I cited many colloquial reasons.
When I asked him the advantages of being a woman ... "To sleep their way to success, give birth, not sharing the burden of a compulsory earning and shop at others expense" was the answer. Although it was said apparently in "joke" having such a mind-set in a well-read urban society, seemed more like a joke to me than his words.
We were promised a change. They didn’t cheat us on that. We should have been more specific with our wish.
It’s a jungle out there. The survival of the fittest.
We ought to be covered if we don’t want out legs spread.
We must walk with our hands down if we want them untied.
We must not raise our voice if we want to remove that gag or else we’ll get to read status’ like this : “When a woman threatened to report a cab driver because he refused to take her to a nearby locality, he retorted by saying - Muh band rakho..! Aurat ho, apni aukaat meraho.. ..nahi toh ek kheench ke dunga.. (keep your mouth shut! You’re a woman,stay in your limits or else one slap I’ll give you!" Saying this, he drove off.. I was too zapped to react...” [Arjyesh Ray’s Facebook status dated July 25, 2013]
We can just be visualised as the Tandoori Murgi ready to be devoured with alcohol or perhaps an object in the household that doesn’t have a warranty or service centre hassles. Our “jawaani” is always “badnaam” in their eyes.
They say we cannot be understood not realising how opinionated and judgemental they are themselves when it comes to us.
If we have curves… We’re fat
If we don’t… We’re flat
If we wear make-up… We’re fake
If we don’t… We’re down market
If we dress up and have guy friends… We’re sluts
If we don’t… We’re narrow minded villagers
If we’re blunt …We’re Bitches
If we’re quiet… We have an attitude problem
My voice limits itself to just words now. Actions speak louder but a Pen is mightier than the sword for me to fight my way out of this misogynistic jungle.Whatever be the choice of weapon, “A hero can be anyone. Even someone doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around someone's shoulders, to let them know the world hadn't ended.."
Till then....this is what the living in the Dark Age feels like....
No comments:
Post a Comment