An Open Letter To The Indian Society From United Daughters of the World

A Letter To The Indian Society: Reiterating, a Society is a system to support everyone equally but YOU have miserably failed your daughters. It’s time to peep within your Patriarchy and apologise forever and beyond by acting through equality. Your daughters have fought alone, but now no more.

Your daughters don’t need your support, because they are their support system and know that they are already globe-trotting and breaking your ideals and stereotypes until they create a completely new YOU!

An Equal Indian Society.

To,

The Indian Society

Subject: You have failed your daughters miserably.

Dear Indian Society,

The moment I am born to you, I am perceived in a way; that I am not.

The moment I start growing, you have already started putting me in boxes.

I wonder why?

I wonder how dare you?

I am born and adorned in pinks of the world; while my favourite colour is turquoise blue.

I grow up and just when I start knowing that I love guns and air rifles; all you gift me is dolls and homes.

I wonder why?

I wonder how dare you?

I keep growing up forgetting who I am, and what I truly like

But you don’t stop to make me just like how you want me to be

I wonder why?

I wonder how dare you?

With your skirts and long hair plats

I become just like every other of your Indian girl stereotype

I wonder why?

I wonder how dare you?

Now I am almost the age of an Indian bride,

As so you have defined, I don’t know where

But that’s what everyone who stays in you says!

That she is now of Marriageable age.

Before I tie the knot, which I hope and pray

Doesn’t become the NOT of my lifelong pursuit of peace & joy

I wonder why do you want me only to

Q1. Leave my parents, my locality & my friends to befriend him, his family & friends?

And all I hear from you is “Kyunki Betiyan toh hoti hai paraya dhan.”

I wonder

Q2. Why are my family & I expected to bear the entire marriage expenses and they flash their page 3 attitude without paying a penny?

And all I hear from you is “Kyunki Aaj Kal Kaha Acha Ladka Milta hai, Hum naseeb wale hai.”

I wonder why do you want me only to

Q3. Change my first name and surname; so I belong to him while he conveniently keeps both his names?

And all I hear from you is “Kyunki beta ‘Aap Apna Ghar Chodke unke ghar gaye ho na’.”

I wonder why do you want me only to

Q4. Change my middle name in all documents to his, while he is never asked to flash mine?

And all I hear from you is “Kyunki Bitiya ‘Sadiyon se aisa hi chalta aaya hai’.”

I wonder why do you want me only to

Q5. Become a mother of HIS child, whose surname will be his, and middle name will be his too; wasn’t the child mine too; then why this misogyny?

And all I hear from you is “Kyunki Bitiya ‘Ab tum hi uski ho toh bacha bhi toh tumhara hua, waise bhi naam mein kya rakha hai’.”

I wonder why do you want me only to

Q6. Wear a sindoor, mangalsutra so to tell the world that I am taken; while he roams with no symbolism of your celebrated tradition and culture?

And all I hear from you is “Kyunki Bitiya ‘Yeh Shringaar toh Aurat ka gehna hai’.”

I wonder why do you want me only to

Q7. Consider his parents, siblings, friends mine; while he has the choice of not even meeting mine.

And all I hear from you is “Kyunki Bitiya ‘Shaadi ke baad ladki ka naya janam hota hai’.”

I wonder why do you want me only to

Q8.Change my prefix from Miss to Mrs while he is so respectfully a Mr always.

And all I hear from you is “Kyunki Bitiya ‘Daamaad hai who humare, unki izzat hoti hai; sar aakhon pe hai woh'.”

I wonder why do you want me only to

Q9. Change my eating, sleeping habits; truly so adapt my entire lifestyle of 30 long years to his and theirs; while they don’t budge a little bit.

And all I hear from you is “Kyunki ‘Humare Yaha Toh Aise Hi Hota Hai’.”

I wonder why do you want me only to

Q10. Choose between my career or my family; why can’t I choose the life I wish to live; and he is privileged to stay with his family and continue his career.

And all I hear from you is “Ladkiyan toh ‘Kitchen mein hi achi lagti hai’.”

I wonder why do you want me only to...

I have too many questions that you got to answer, but I shall not burden you or your patriarchy; but you aren’t as strong as you show!

“ARE YOU READY TO DIE & BE REBORN?”

And know, your daughters will start from YOU first & travel around the world; she will kill you ruthlessly, she will be ballistically put your patriarchy down with her guns & rifles; which she wasn’t allowed to play with, when she was young. But now she is independent and she will use it against you to kill the archetypical archaic YOU, dear Society & build the New Gender Equal You!

“ARE YOU READY TO DIE & BE REBORN?”

From,

The United Daughters of the World

Roshni Khanna is the Founder & CEO - O Womania. The views expressed are the author's own.