I am a girl. A girl who has always lived in a
metropolis environment, who has had the free reign to gain an education I
aspired to have. A girl who has had the fortune to be a born into a fairly accepting
and open minded family, where I had certain rules to follow but was allowed to
be the person I wanted to be. A girl who has not seen the women of her family
clad from head to toe but instead dressed as one felt comfortable, who has kept
traditional wear as something associated with functions and festivals. A girl
who has grown up in an environment where moderation is key but having a drink
isn’t a crime, where the occasional glass of wine or bottle of beer has been
favored by most.
I am a girl. A girl who has been allowed to have
friends who are boys, who I have grown up playing sports with, who I have
extensively used public transport with. A girl who was told very early on that
a driver and car isn’t at her disposable and to learn how to use the local
train as a daily mode of transport, to use the rickshaws and taxi’s whenever it
was needed. A girl who is allowed to stay out late at night just as long as the
parents know where I am headed and have given a time I will be back, who is
allowed to travel by herself without a person maneuvering her every move.
I am a girl. A girl who has had the opportunity to
live in a foreign land all by herself, who has taken care of rent, utilities,
groceries and everything else in between. A girl who has grown up knowing that
while bad people exist out there, the world is primarily made up of people like
you and me. A girl who has always thought that if I keep to myself and be my
own person it is my right and another has no business in it. A girl who has
been allowed the same privileges her brother has, who has been given the same
upbringing and who is allowed to choose a career that she deemed fit for
herself.
I am a girl. A girl who is suddenly realizing that
all her life she lived in a myth, was lied to and nothing is really as it
seems. A girl who is now told that if she wears a sleeveless top or a short
skirt she is propositioning herself, asking to be raped or molested or looked
at by a random eye. A girl who is learning that just because I go out to the bar,
or hold a drink, I am giving permission to all the men present there to have a
roving eye because they apparently are unable to hold their testosterone or
alcohol. A girl who is now aware that having guys as friends or being in a
relationship with someone means that she is an open invitation to all the boys
she hangs out with because if you are for one, apparently you are for all.
I am a girl. A girl who now fears opening the
newspaper for being told another woman was stabbed to death because someone else’s
husband thought his wife was cheating on him. A girl who is getting aware of
the reality that if she breaks up with someone the guy might come by and throw
acid on her face. A girl who is scared to walk the streets at night for she
doesn’t know from where a group of guys may pounce on her and treat her as
their treasured prey. A girl who worries writing her thoughts on a social
networking site for she doesn’t know who is monitoring it anymore. A girl whose
parents now worry when she leaves home and are worried till she is back in her
room at night.
I am girl. And apparently that gives you the right to
pass lewd remarks, to be crude, to stare, and to maybe even molest me or rape
me if you think I am sending such a signal to you.
I am girl and I don’t know what that means anymore…
Maybe you do?
