I feel sad and broken as one side the nation is cheering the Indian women at Rio and are extremely happy that PV Sindhu and Sakshi Malik are coming home with medals, at the same time Indian men doesn’t want their women to go out of their houses and leave kitchens. What kind of hypocrisy is this? I want to show the hypocrite negative side of Indian men, who cheers other women and congratulates them for their achieved dream but want their wives to get restricted as homemakers only. This is my story and I want the women to take the right decision.

Sonia Sharma (name changed) belongs to a upper class Punjabi business family and is a pharmacy graduate, who is also up to the mark when it comes to taking care of the family along with keeping her ambitions on hand.

At the age of enjoying the worldly pleasures of new relationships, Sonia has experienced haunting phases of life.

Just like every other parents, they too found their daughter’s Mr. Right.. Everyone was happy in an arranged marriage which went unsuccessful for all bad reasons. The wedding was called off on the venue itself for the groom side demanded a whopping amount as a dowry before stepping into the mandap. This may sound insane but is still practiced in some parts of Indian subcontinent and also in our city.

But that doesn’t cease the life we live in right? Within 6 months of this incident, her family chooses another guy from their hometown. This time the family was clear about the dowry thing, they had finally chosen an educated man with good family background. Happy, that life was giving her a second chance, for her, life was just getting started. In the presence of family, society the marriage took place embracing every Indian traditions, rituals and blessings.

A new life innings had just commenced for the couple, everything was beautiful for the first 2-3 months. Sonial was all settled with the post wedding settings and rituals and now came the time to decide her career. She tried to speak with her husband about her interest to pursue her job in the field she had mastered in but he paid no heed. After several ignores, this brave daughter-in-law of the family called a family meeting, which included her in-laws, sister-in-law and husband.

“I wanted to tell everyone that it’s time for me to not sit at home and pursue my goals. I have always wanted to be a pharmacist and which I am but just took a few months halt, which I wouldn’t want to continue.”
“I want to go for a job.”

Nobody uttered a word except her husband, “When I didn’t reply to any of your questions, you decided to talk to others for this silly thing? I thought you were smart enough to understand why I was ignoring your questions and demands. You will not stay out of the house for hours!”

“But, what’s wrong in it? You said that you would support all my dreams… Mummy, Pappa.. Please tell him.”

Her mother-in-law just looked away when she requested, as if she had done some crime and her father-in-law instead said, “Ghar ke kitne kaam hote hai, baai nahi hai ghar me… Pahle vo karo aur phir bhi time mile to sochenge.”

Everyone left her while she was still shell-shocked in the drawing room. For a week she did not utter a thing about her job but one day she received an offer letter from a reputed company. She thought her family would be the most happiest as she manages the family very well and now will do both the things. She thought of giving her husband a surprise.

After dinner when everyone were watching TV, she came and handed over the paper to her husband. “Ye kya natak hai? Tum job karne wali ho? Humne mana kaha tha phir bhi?” he shouted with all his energy in.

“Are per dekhiye company acchi hai, salary and post bhi.. Aur pata hai sirf 8 ghante….” before she concludes her husband tore the piece of paper into pieces.

“8 ghante…?? what do you think? My mother is here as a maid? She has done her part all the life, now it’s your time. Women just need to take care of the family and take further the progeny.”

“Enough…!! I haven’t pursued a master’s degree in Pharmacy to be a caretaker, I will work, I don’t care what you think!”

Well, she did pursue! But not while living in the same family. Later that night, after a huge fight her husband kicked her out of the house and said come back when you let go the job. She decided not to return.. He decided not to accept a wife who works for 10 hours, and she decided to pursue her career. Though her family wanted her to go and live a normal domestic life but she didn’t give up.

It’s been more than 1.5 years, she is working with a leading pharmaceutical company at a higher designation and looks after her family and her depressed mother who couldn’t bear the life tragedies that her daughter had to suffer.

Whom shall Sonia blame? Stars, destiny, luck is all of less importance, how you handle and live these incidents is important. Situation in life teach us lessons but cannot force us to succumb to it’s temporary and non-futuristic goals and thus be independent to decide what you want to pursue and then just be on it, other things will come along.

Featured Image Source: cxotoday.com