Women Talking: Voices, Struggles, and Rebellion in India

Life of Women in Indian Cosmopolitan Cities – Women Talking

Women talking in the Indian cosmopolitan cities live an unenviable life. The villages and cities other than the cosmopolitan have already accepted the norm of a demeaning life for women – let any rural woman open her heart over the `panchayati’ domain of the autumnal patriarchs and you will hang your head in shame. But coming back to the metropolitan and cosmopolitan cities of India you will soon lose the gusto to take out candle light vigils on rapes and murders of women- be it on the street or the high rung institutions as the Kolkata doctor’s rape and murder. And we already saw the whole system of justice shamelessly haggle over the pediatric age of the rapists of Nirbhaya in New Delhi in 2012 to decide culpability.

Perpetual Victims Across Professions

Then comes the rewind of the whole story of women being perpetual victims. This also cuts across all professions in this country. Of course you can choose to sleep over the finer aspects of a woman’s life as to her capabilities and her being an agency for dynamic change in society or excellence in pursuits close to her heart and acumen. Human life is not so long, and a woman’s life rather short with the biological clock ticking and the guilt of not doing your duties of childbirth and so on and so forth.

Struggles with Identity and Safety

How can you ignore the myriad ways they will let you down in your most formative years accusing you of being a seductress or a slut if you happened to be curvaceous or voluptuous and forget the flaunting of those curves or pumping iron in the gym to your heart’s desire because the gyms in cities like Delhi have predators enough from the suburbs, or dare I say small towns who feel free’ in the gym and women must learn not to fight’ and never call the cops’ as all these are staid tactics’- been there?

Sure you know all of that but you never chose to take your rights seriously, you have been taught and trained to do so, you are conditioned – as Arundhati Roy would have it in God of Small things’- the policeman tapping the breasts of a woman as if they were mangoes in a basket’.

Society’s Judgment and Patriarchy

And hang on, wait a minute, where are you going? It is not only the armed forces that can be pelted stones at in Kashmir , if you are a woman who has a mind and lo and behold ,

you speak it, there will have enough neighbours to lynch you and pelt stones at your house if you reported mindless tree-cutting to the Forest Office or you went further to save public largesse land meant for education and green parks in the highest court of the country and the State- you are surely a woman of easy virtue and in the realm of madness because you went against the rotten and stinking norms of land grabbing’ by the land mafia,

never mind your superior education in the best institutions and the moral and ethical capital you earned through the years- and to top it all if you happen to be a single and unmarried woman you definitely must be doing something illegal and bohemian’ with your sexuality because it certainly may not be a problem for you as a woman but the friendly neighborhood’s problem you would certainly be!!!

The Call for Rebellion

No amount of Statutes in the law book can help, I can say as a lawyer, if you do not rebel’ everyday against the narrative that is forced down your head and throat each day – and women have to do it themselves as agencies, along with any takers of the feminine amongst men, surely they are out there to raise a voice or a slogan or two or put their valour to good use if they so choose. So do it rather than giving police the opportunity to teach’ you the culpability’ and cognizance’ of crimes. A room of your own you must have but don’t forget your rupees– and more so if your aunt didn’t leave you a legacy!

Reflection for Women Talking Today

What is your rebellion today? I am sharing this question to women across my country and to reflect and think…not all women ….but those who have effortlessly refused to be appendages to archaic structures of authority and toxic patriarchy and they know that.