On one hand we have muslim community fighting to abolish the age old triple talaq system and on the other hand we have the Hindu law that says that a man can give divorce to his wife if she tries to alienate him from his parents.

Our country is inherently patriarchal and hence it’s cultures and customs. I have seen most of the elders having  a gender-biased outlook but my spirits blossom whenever I see the youth asking for rational reasons behind the same. I had always been assured that the constitution of my country guarantees the right to equality to each and every citizen of India, irrespective of gender. But today I was pained deep down when I read the myopic view of the senior judges in India at the apex body of law in the country which stated that wife’s desire to leave her in-laws’ home was inspired by “western thought” and violated traditional values of Indian Hindus. I was pained to find that at the prime time of news hour, no journalist questioned the SC and the judgement. To my surprise, the nation didn’t want to know the theory behind such a judgement.

What pains me even more is the fact that women have gone gaga over the social media and every second article is emotionally seeking the mercy of this society(men in specific), to be fair to the parents of girls, to those who are not blessed with a son and those who have raised their daughters to take some of the highest positions in the government or industry.

I believe that a woman is never dependent on a man, not even a home maker. It is a man who depends on her for much more, be it taking care of him, his house or his aging parents. A woman can independently sail through her life, if the society and its cruel norms allow her to.

I don’t believe that a woman needs to live at the mercy of men. She doesn’t need endorsements of the society for her sacrifices. She doesn’t need testimony of her in-laws to take care of her parents. Nobody can stop her from becoming even the first lady of the country, if she is determined to.

Women need to stand against the stigma of a divorcee or widow. It is better to lead a single life happily than somehow managing to hold the scattered strings of a troubled marriage. We, the women should have faith in ourselves. We should have the courage to stand against the evil. We should believe in ourselves and our inner strength. Only then this society would be forced to think twice before tearing her soul apart.