My Life Story

Life is meant to be a test --a test, befitting our ability to face the challenge. Although in our desi societies it is the women that tend to suffer the wrath of a bent out of shape patriarchal system, the buck does not stop at men. Every corner that one turns to, one finds a relationship gone sour, individual rights being abused, and people taking advantage of one another. Just like the wheelbarrow that has one wheel, but has two handles, the handles keep the wheelbarrow balanced and moving forward, women in our societies have a role to play. Yes we do have a messed up patriarchal system ran by men fallen from grace. Women in our culture might be suppressed as daughters! They might be abused as wives! But as mothers they do get their way in many ways. It is the mother that shapes and nurtures the children – especially the boys of our khandans. Ms. Fariha where are those mothers?

Fariha, this is the story of a countless number of girls in our male-dominated society that persistently stereotyes women as objects of desire and refuses to acknowledge their worth as intelligent, capable human beings.

Many men, though not all, continue to exact a toll for their own insecurities from women they have control over. One can only stand up to abuse when one is confident of one's worth as a person.

Thank you for sharing this story. It holds a profound lesson for many women just embarking on the journey. We can only hope they will be wiser than the central character of this story and reject inhuman treatment outright. When all else is lost, the future still remains.

Excellent introspective piece.