Man invented marriage
For order and stability
Divisions based on labour
That scripted roles not status.
Rank crept into the equation
As war and greed evolved
Protection of mother and child
Turned father into a keeper.
A modern Indian woman
Her progress constantly curbed
By ancient notions countless
Of purity and of pollution.
Models flaunted in plenty
Of moral traditional roles
Raised to a pedestal
To control as they preach.
Haunted by Sati she
Imbibed blind devotion
Her man was supreme
And his word divine
Abuse and humiliation
Just part of the game
Tied by the sacred knot
Her destiny was sealed.
Savitri with great tenacity
Confronted Lord Yama
Stree sakthi celebrated? Oh, NO!
Celebrated was a bond
That demanded conformity
Imprinted in pliable minds
To remain docile and minor
In his fame and his success.
Roles change with time
And woman no longer in chains
Liberty and opportunity
Hers to rightly proclaim.
Equipped and motivated
Shoulder squared she stands
With patience and endurance
Two weapons to help her win.
Sati-Savitri’s of the ancient!
Salute this modern Indian woman!
She triumphs as a single woman
In marriage now quite equal
In widowhood no longer cursed
Her progress once curbed
By ancient notions countless
Of purity and of pollution.
(20th October 2006, Nellore)
© Nalini Hebbar/openmind/2009 - all rights reserved
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