Monday 22 January 2018

 


  I was jolted into  serious thinking as I listened to Shobha De in an interview recently. Though I have read and heard her before,there was a disdain .I did not agree with her in many of her views but admired her guts. I have always desired to be free willed ,bold ,outspoken.But was ever in chains ,restrained by women around me.And I have succumbed to pressures .There was no strength in me to fight ,to break away from shackles.I followed a safe path, where I did not offend anyone. That was my ultimate ambition -not to displease anyone around me. Was I successful? Sadly no! Because whatever I did ,there were a few who did not approve though a few put me on a pedestal.

Maybe, may be,only slightly though,I was a bit envious of women who threw caution to the winds ,spoke what they wanted , wrote what they wanted and boldly faced brickbats but kept acquiring accolades on the way. How many of us have been brought up to express our opinions freely, fully? From childhood we  are moulded by elders and the society we lived  in ,to be approppriate . I now realise quite late, that living to please others even at the cost of suppressing your own emotions ,does not lead to  happiness and harmony .A volcano builds up inside, mostly dormant but with enough fury to damage  one's ego.

I also grew up in the India Shobha De talks about.I remember wearing whites during Independence and Republic days, singing patriotic songs in a group.When "saare jahanse achha"  played, there was a thrill ,felt that pride and was electrified.Those days were of minimal comforts  but there was no craving for more.Our elders kept us under their thumbs, enforcing discipline  with rigidity .Dumb that we were,bowed down timidly but not with too many complaints. Yes, that generation grew up to be prim and proper, well groomed but without imagination or dreams  if they dared to have ,  were trampled upon.Then there suddenly zoomed in the likes of Shobh D - few, very few but they burst into the scene and many could not understand or appreciate that boldness especially if it was a woman.

In a country of multiple crore population,what percentage of women have achieved success without struggle?A country where a religion openly proclaims Shakti  as the ultimate power,where no one hesitates to prostrate before a Goddess, is also  a place where discrimination is practised  against women.I have seen ,growing up,the girl child brought with the only thought of shaping her up to be a good home maker.Yes, I see tremendous changes .    Atleast in some social classes the scenario is changing .But there is a long way to go.

Absolute chaos, total indiscipline everywhere, my heart bleeds to see where my country  is heading.The disrepect shown to elders ,thwarting road discipline ,cacophony in sacred places,harassment  of women in every way- these pain me. But am I doing something for it?I just sit and grumble,for I do not have the strength to fight against what has become a way of life. Waiting for a Messiah .To save my country.Help me revive my pride for my land. AND  I can always blog to vent my frustrations!


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