And she walked, baseball bat in hand, a bag around her neck, bangles on her wrist (sign of her married status). Through the rain, the traffic of Rajkot (It's the city of Mahatma Gandhi's childhood. Gandhiji, what's happening in your country?), the puddles of water, the stares of people, wearing a white bra and a black panty, she walked. She has a good figure, would get notice anywhere, doesn't look like she has given birth, ever, so unsullied she looks.
In fact this picture (kindest courtesy: The Times of India [used under terms of “fair use”]) and the accompanying story made it to the Times of India's front page on July 5, 2007. It seems she was walking for a cause. Her in-laws mistreated her because she gave birth to a girl, and she alleged that her husband was of no help. So she had to leave house and live separately with her daughter.
She complained to the police against her in-laws. But the police allegedly didn't act on her complaint. So she had to take the extreme measure.
Imagine, just imagine, you are a woman (I am addressing men here, since I am one) with a dream of a ordinary life, getting married, bringing up children (sending them to school, packing their lunch, etc), going for a holiday or two, living an ordinary life like that of their parents.
And suddenly one day she finds that life isn't that ordinary, it's extraordinarily complicated. She is abused for not bringing enough money, abused for giving birth to a girl (no fault of her's), abused for simple things like not cooking proper food, et cetera.
Guess I have said enough.
1 comment:
Hi John. Been travelling so not much net contact. But saw this and was struck by one thing - why "unsullied" for childbirth? Strange choice of words.
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