“Being reared in an orthodox setting, back in my time women were largely discouraged from undertaking education and going to jobs. However despite all of the struggles, I managed to clear the bank exams and went ahead to work in a bank.
However it was a short lived fantasy of mine. I was married off soon after and upon the arrival of my kid, I had no choice but to let go of my job since there was no help for me in the house. After resigning is however when my work actually started.
The mounting amount of chores was humongous and it seemed like I couldn’t rest at all. Being a house maker and a mother is a full time job, and one that hardly gets recognised or given it’s due credit. I was working full time, all the time and yet when someone asked I would say ‘I wasn’t working’.
The irony of this was and is still not lost on me. As the years rolled by, my life came to revolve around the house and it’s inmates. During one such time, when the drama was too much to take inside the house, my daughter suggested that I open an Instagram account to document my singing.
I had condemned her multiple times for being so open in an outsider platform but stepping into this world, opened gates I didn’t know existed. The world received me warmly and slowly, bit by bit, I started documenting my struggles as a home maker. Being honest and vulnerable in an open space was scary at first but slowly, people started writing to me saying how they could relate to whatever I was going through.
This helped me connect with multiple people from different parts of the world who were all victims of a system mandated oppression. Together, we took solace in each other’s journey knowing that we were not alone.
To every woman reading this story, I just want to let you all know that, our role in the society cannot be replaced. A women dons on multiple hats and yet, taking space and reclaiming recognition is something we all lack at. My honest urge is for everyone to step up and reclaim their lives in small and meaningful ways. It would make a world of difference to our own selves for if not for us, who else will come to rewrite our narrative? We owe it to ourselves as well as the upcoming generation to do this part”