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3 Short Stories About Women And Their Tales Of Assault Will Leave You Furious For Change!

bySusri Sahu
23rd January 2017
3 minute read
short

India, they say, is a developing country. Fighting social evils and dogmas, it is on the climb trying to lose the ‘land of the snake charmers’ title. But all the work and development put together have not been able to liberate India to its fullest potential. And I think we all know why?

In the wake of events like Bengaluru’s night of shame and all those unreported, unfortunate events of the kind, I think we, as a society, are to be blamed. The same society that doesn’t treat its girls and women equally. The same society that resides in double standards and the same civilisation that casually couches, ‘men will be men!’

But it’s high time we acknowledge our flaws. And Lavina Narwani has authored three short but gut-wrenching stories to help us do just that. Not only does it reflect the irony of times we live in, but it will also evoke feelings, you didn’t know existed.

Because we live in a country where “Boys will be boys” is a valid undertone, and ‘raping wife’ is not even a reasonable concept!

Short
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 Laxmi was sweating. She was doing the dishes and finishing her daily chores. Today marked the payday. Generally, people are ecstatic about this day, but not Laxmi. She was getting flashbacks of the same time last month. She was well aware of the drill. She would finish work and go home. After a tiring day, she wouldn’t have the luxury of even sitting down for a cup of chai, but will directly get to cooking for her hungry 2, 4, 7, and 10-year olds – all of this while avoiding the eyes of Ramu, her husband sitting with a bottle yelling abuses. She doesn’t want the day to get over, her husband to hit her, to snatch the money, and to give double the pain after the children have slept than all of it put together in the day, for him to sleep with a smug face. While no one is out there to listen to the cacophony in her heart.

 

Because we live in a country where “Boys will be boys” is a valid undertone, and holding a drink is an invitation.

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 It was about 10 pm. Little black dress, tall black drink. It was just supposed to be a super-chill evening at a high-society club – a treat to herself at the end of a hectic successful week. She was in the middle of the dance floor, matching her movement with the music. It was then that she felt a grip. She was disgusted. She tried to free herself, but the hands were too firm for her tipsy brain. She tried to resist, to shout, to struggle. No! Don’t! Leave me alone! But to no avail. It’s only when she woke up she wailed. It was a cold parking lot, with her clothes torn, her hair awry, her heart yowling in pain, in disgust, in weakness.

 

Because we live in a country where “Boys will be boys” is a valid undertone, and being a GIRL is living a life that of an object!

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 Hanging her school bag, she was waiting for the rickshaw to come. For her, the day is darker than the night. Every morning is a struggle, to accept something that disgusts her as a norm. Every day she is touched by the driver in the ways she doesn’t even hold her dolls. She doesn’t like it, she doesn’t understand what is happening, and she knows it is very painful, but she doesn’t know a way out. After all, she had tried telling her Mum about it when her uncle visited. But her Mum shushed her and told her to not tell anyone! The sooner you accept, the better it will be for you. Playing with her dog she always wondered how wonderful her life would have been had she been able to switch it to that of the dogs’.

 

Such is the power of the written words! But I couldn’t help but wonder will we ever see the end of this?

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These stories are submitted by Lavina Narwani and all the content has been used with due permission from the author. 

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