Posted:
Well
I would still say that
Innocence of child should be untouched
Yes I agree it is believed that children of broken homes mature early
And same goes for Ruhi
But still I think cvs are stretching the envelope
And on top of that
She is supposed to be under Raman and ishita
So should be well behaved
While adi is under influence of airhead
Vyas,I respect your opinion and realise that I must have come across as a soap box type of heroine,preaching to the gallery.Perhaps the reason I felt so strongly and championed Ruhi's responses was deeply personal.My father passed away from a sudden major cardiac arrest when I was 23.I spent my formative years outside India,so you can imagine my culture shock when my mother became a social pariah overnight,because she was a widow.Her own sister told her that she was thinking of patching up with their estranged brother because she would need manpower for my cousin's wedding,now that my mother could not perform any shubh kaam(auspicious duties).This was just days after my father's demise.
This silent discrimination continued,all the more appalling because we belonged to an educated family.I rebelled,first by not allowing archaic chauvinistic rules to be imposed on my mother such aswearing white or eating only vegetarian food(we are Bengali).Then I began to speak up.I asked my elders why my mother,who had followed every social rule to the T,by getting married to a person of her parent's choice,and being a faithful companion to my father for 24 years,was being treated like a leper.Hell,there were even incidences where she was asked to sit separately for meals,at the 'widow's' table at weddings.Apparently she was not even good enough to sit with me.
When I spoke up,I got the same response that Ruhi did today,tameez and not questioning elders or the way they did things.I watched my mother die a little every time she was slighted for no fault of her own.For me,my mother was Ishita.I gained the reputation for being a troublemaker simply because I asked people to consider the impact of their words and actions.
Then I learned to let go,as I was fighting a losing battle.I realised that Indian culture emphasises the unity of family,politeness,cohesiveness,but only if you fit the bill.So if you're a woman,infertile,physically handicapped,a widow or dark-skinned,tough luck.That's just the way we've always done it.
I became one of the adults who learned to look away in embarrassment.
Over time,Ruhi will too.And the sad thing is,we will applaud her for being polite.For leaving it to the elders,waiting for them to speak up.
The trouble is,they never do.
