When a girl is born, her destiny is decided not by her whims but by the pressure of society. She is considered a liability rather than an asset, but why? It is so because of the existing deep-rooted social customs that seem irreplaceable.
When a girl hits puberty, she is dropped out of the school and barred her from further studies. This is because the girl brings a threat to the family name and fame if she brings infamy to herself. Even after the country’s independence, the cohorts of girls are not independent. I was in my native village for a day or two, when I decided to visit the government schools there.
When I reached there, I was shocked to see that there wasn’t just one but plenty of reasons that had stopped young minds from brewing off. If a girl is willing to pursue her dream and thinks of not settling with the least, then she gets to hear slurs such as, “Arey ladki ko itna kya parhana, shadi krke ghar samhalna hai, aur sasural mei seva krna hai (Why educate a girl, she will get married and take care of the house and her in-laws).” Well, these motivations don’t end up here. The stories that I’ve come across have brought many inferences that I’ll put forth.
1) If a girl is ambitious, then she is a curse to society. Very few people realise that women are our future leaders, our saviours.
2) If a woman is not willing to marry and has her own career plans, then your sweetest well-wishers will say, “Arey, itna kyun parha rhi ho (What is the point of educating her)!” And fortunately, they feel the slap when they see these girls doing much better than their boys.
There are many more and of course, it would be difficult for me to elaborate much on this, as all of you are a part of the same society as well. The bone of contention is: “For how long will a girl or a woman have to bear the burden of this society by sacrificing her will and veiling her calibre?” Every person is worthy of success and recognition, it’s just about what are your priorities.
And I guess, society hardly remembers the struggle of a person, so be unapologetic and unabashed about believing in yourself. There’s not even a single field where girls fail to add feathers to their hats. Gone are the days when girls were supposed to be hidebound and home- bound simultaneously. Now, us women can become an entrepreneur, that too from a humble lineage. We can be amongst those who challenged the prerequisite of a suppressed coterie and rose like Phoenix. All I want to expound is, “Hum bojh nhi hain ki hamari dowry aur shaadi ke kharche par socha jaaye. Hum toh woh hira hain jo dusre ke zindagi mei roshni laati hzi (We are not a burden for whose marriage money and dowry has to be given off. We are jewels who bring light to others’ lives).” There will be this negativity and these naysayers for a while to bog you down. But work is our vision of not giving up.