Rebecca Thomas (Final year student pursuing the 3 Year LLB Program from Jindal Global Law School)
Like clay in the hands of a potter,
She is moulded for her suitor,
Tamed, suppressed, and dependent,
Concealing her dreams, desires, and aspirations,
She is as fickle as a dandelion,
Swaying from side to side,
While her family chooses to preserve (devour) her under the façade of a family name
“Don’t do this, don’t do that”,
They tell her.
While watching her every move like a hawk
Making possibilities within her reach an impossibility.
Hidden behind this facade,
Lies a woman of substance,
Unaware of her worth and value.
Education is a new-gen illusion,
A tool in the hands of Indian Families,
To portray themselves as forward contemporary thinkers,
While propagating traditional thought,
In the most subtle forms.
She is reduced to nothing but a flower in a vase on display.
At the end of the day,
She is caged in this place called Home.
P.S - This poem is not targeted at all Indian families. A lot of families genuinely support their woman and give them a platform! But the struggle is real, and several women still do not have the freedom of choice and the resources to move out and live their lives despite being educated.