The mark of vermilion in hair is a symbol of married Hindu women. Also the system of dowry still very much exists even though legally it is not allowed in our country. The groom’s parents demand anything as per their whims…house, furniture, gold, car, cash and threaten to cancel the wedding if their demands are not met. The social stigma of a canceled marriage is so nerve wrecking for those unfortunate brides and their parents that they tend to bend backwards to not alienate the grooms’ side. Though slowly the women are standing up against such injustices and people have changing their mindset, but it still a long way to go..
Related articles
Ha..fastest poem I ever wrote and I think it meets the “ottava rima for eighth” by NaPoWriMo. However I think I will stick to writing the spontaneous poems that come to my mind and the issues that effect my thinking instead of these prompts because they are more satisfying and close to my heart. I hope I will survive the 30 days…
Related articles
The NaPoWriMo challenge for day 7 was to write a poem with all lines as a complete statement but the last one must be a question…. I hope I have correctly attempted this challenge.
A lot of women have been in some or the other way suppressed by men in their life. Many Indian girls have been stopped from receiving higher education, follow their dreams, speak out their mind. Instead they have been always reminded of small freedoms and told to be thankful for the same. They are still considered less than the male siblings even if they are more brainy. This poem shows the plight of such women.
My husband turned forty today and between all the baking and cooking for his birthday celebration , I managed to write this poem as today’s entry.
I wrote this poem a month back and it was not in a presentable shape but I have tried to put it in readable form today for this NaPoWriMo challenge. Indians are in the habit of literally worshiping the film actors. The media splashes the minutest detail of their day to day life in print which the public greedily laps up. If the news is favorable people go gaga but smallest of odd behavior doesn’t stop people to spread slander. At times I pity these celebrities whose each action is under the scrutiny of the public eye. This is my version of their sweet-sad success!
With all due respect to the social workers and good Samaritans who really work day and night for betterment of poor and needy, but there are some people who are out there only for publicity and fame. They do talk about helping destitute people but they shun the real work. Empathy, compassion, charity are mere words for them. With this poem I tried to unmask their reality..
The farmers in the state of Maharashtra (India) have been hit with drought many times and a lot many farmers committed suicide out of depression and lack of means to repay loans and debts. I know a city person like me can not fully understand their plight nor can be of much help to them, not because I do not want to but because I am fighting my own little wars of day-to-day living… however I do hope and pray, that they sail over their miseries. May God smile upon them with good fortune!!
Shoma Abhyankar 