This is not for the men, but for the women of the country.
To all the mothers, you raised me differently, and you justified keeping me inside the four walls of the house, saying this world is bad and not the one for me. You never taught me to deal with other human beings. You stopped me when I wanted to question the differential treatment bestowed upon me and my brother. You justified the patriarchy for me and you told me to keep fasts for the long lives of the men of the family, to keep quiet and not question the so-called elders, to succumb to the irrational demands made on me by the culture that promoted patriarchal interests. You made me feel I am weak. You told me I have to tame myself. You never said that to my brother! Why?
To all the upper caste female friends, you mocked my caste and my lifestyle. You made me feel you are superior just because you were born in an upper caste family. You suppressed my views in discussions. Your apathy towards your men’s behaviour towards the women born in lower caste families suits your caste loyalties. You took me as a secondary human being and put me down by your slangs and discriminative attitude.
To all the big city girls, you mocked my dressing style, the way I talked and walked, and my food habits. You laughed at me along with your fellow big city men, who were cultured enough according to your parameters. You assassinated my character as I was not sophisticated enough to deal with men. You propagated the lies as you wanted me out of your circle.
To all the high-class women, thanks for shattering my confidence with your class power. You sidelined me and took the opportunities I deserved just because you had contacts. I could not allow men to touch me at parties and you mocked my so-called backwardness. You judged me for not knowing how to kiss while greeting. You contributed to my downfall and even enjoyed it.
To all the mothers-in-law, you made me the carrier of patriarchy. You controlled my life, my acts and kept a vigil on me. You never made me feel I am at home. You made me feel as if I am a guest. You never adjusted and demanded that I should change, demolishing every part of me that I had built surviving all the odds before getting married. You transformed me into a person I don’t recognise anymore.
To all the women bosses, I was never your little pet, but you made me feel so. You could have helped me, but you chose not to. You were just another patriarchal being in the office filled with men. You overburdened me with all the odd works and ensured I stuck to the level I am at.
To all female colleagues, your jealousy never helped me. Your back-biting harmed me. Your unhealthy competition sucked the valuable energy that I could have used to climb up the success ladder. Your judgements made me the topic of fun, and your ignorance towards my pain proved you to be one of them.
To all the hypocrite females around me, your hypocrisy never helped. Your dual face made it worse. Your harassment brought me down; your mocking made me weak.
You all owe me a #metoo. ~ An average small-town girl born in a lower caste family.