“Jab Nazdeek Jaha ke aani,
Highway, 2014
Jugni maili si ho jani”
The above lines are from a much loved song named ‘Patakha Guddi’ from the Bollywood movie Highway. This song was featured on the recent Met Gala favorite, Alia Bhatt. The lines simply mean that civilization stifles the free will of women.
Be a good girl, we are told, time and again. Don’t speak loudly, listen to your elders.
And we follow, because we want to be liked and more wantingly, loved.
For me, freedom means to be free of societal norms, expected behavior, learned patterns.
Not feel guilt when I defy the gender roles of being the primary caregiver, the resident chef and the upholder of modesty.
Why is shame often seen as a feminine experience rather than a human one? Why are women’s bodies politicized and used as tools to win elections?
Why was Eve blamed for the trespasses of Adam, Draupadi the victim of sexual assault following the defeat of the Pandavas in a gambling match?
I yearn to break free from these societal constraints and to live a life free from bondage. I want to reclaim my autonomy and agency, to be truly free in every sense of the word.
I want to be free in that sense.
Fingers in symphony 