From here to there...

She walked as fast as she could...away from the beautiful house that lay behind her. She couldn’t stop the tears or control the way her body was trembling. She could feel the curious stares and glances of the people around her but she didn’t stop. All she wanted was to be left alone.

Her mind couldn’t stop replaying the last one hour...the shouting, screaming, beating, abuses...

Her knee was bruised and her lips were swollen. She tried to shut her mind and the voices in her head..her body shook violently in response.

She couldn’t understand the great ‘sin’ that she seemed to have committed. Of course, the mindset of the people and the society was very different from her way of thinking (supposedly, the western way). Living in a patriarchal society, she could understand why men never got blamed. But what intrigued and disappointed her the most, was the way women seemed to be supporting this unjust system more than men!

She belonged to a country with a rich and grand historical background- a place where people had once laid down their lives in the name of freedom and independence. But instead of making progress on the basis of these ideals, it seemed like the country had sunk to a level lower than anything in the world. Yes, of course the GDP is growing every year, foreign countries are making huge investments, exports is increasing, commercialization in the name of ‘development’ is taking place- but still the country showed every sign of deterioration. How?

Sex determination is banned all over the country. Does that not suggest that the society is probably unjust and unequal? Women are butchered even before they are born. Hell! These women are most of the times forced to get an abortion by their own mothers, aunts, in-laws, friends, etc!

Her mind seemed to be whirring inside her brain and her tears were slowly turning into tears of frustration. She covered her ears tightly with her hands in the hope that it would shut her mind.

She couldn’t understand how people could lose their sense of humanity to this extent that they treat fellow human beings worse than animals!

She had been accused for falling in love. Abused and hit for bringing ‘shame’ to the family honor. Why and how is the family honor not affected when a man rapes a woman? How the hell is it a woman’s fault for this hideous act? The way they dress? If dress is at fault, how do ‘properly dressed’ women, covered head to toe decently in the traditional Indian salwar-suit, raped then?

They are made to feel like sluts for something so heinous. The ‘slut walks’ happening all over the world have been the most controversial topic in the last few days. Maybe, it IS time to look at the word ‘slut’ from a different perspective.

The thread of thoughts continued as she tried hard to concentrate on the topic at hand. She felt stuck and helpless. What could a 17 year old woman possibly do to bring about a change? She tried to bring her mind back to the situation at home. But it was just not possible for her to think in that narrow a domain.  As her mind whirred and dealt with these questions, she realized one thing- that the one thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it.