Tag Archives: Rant

The politics of raising my voice on social networks

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There seems to be politics when you raise your voice on social networks. A word of warning : Do not ask me to shut the fuck up. It never works

It seems that in today’s India raising your voice in outrage brings about a few reactions that are very interesting.

1. Oh come on, lets talk about cheerful things

2. Stop talking and do something about it.

3. Yeah, this was bad but there are far worse cases

4. So and so social strata has it worse

5. Don’t you have anything better to do?

And yes, I am talking about the recent rape case.

I’d love to talk about cheerful things, but somehow this news item has freaked me out. I do not have a daughter but deeply fear for girls and women on the roads. Yes it has affected me.

What has disgusted me is this insidious competitive spirit that has crept into expressions of outrage. Certain women have taken to social network with enthusiasm in the spirit of “Uski sari meri sari se safed kaise?”

One status was :

oh plz jst stop updating ur status against ds DELHI RAPE KAND.if u really care dn side ur expnsive laptop n cozy blankets….come out n protest.v 9 v cant change it by protestng bt atlst v can slap ds govt in public..

I completely empathize with the sentiment but would like to put certain things on record

a) This is not a competition. People who can not travel (since they have jobs to do, dinner to cook, children’s homework and needs to attend to) are not doing any less. They are raising their voices.

b) As citizens of this country their voices are valuable too. Remember it is one vote per person, so their voices count.

This case came into lime light coz’ the girl is brutalized and is struggling for her life in the national capital. Everyday numerous gang rapes take place in tribal belt, who talks about them? Soni Sori is beaten and then a staff is shoved up her genitals did you even hear about her? There are many Sonis out there. She hails from middle class thus showing middle classes how vulnerable they are as women and families of women. No body cares what happens to tribals and dalits, middle class speaks only when it is about them.

I humbly beg to submit that I care, but since the media did not cover it and since I am an ordinary middle class person who is not a social activist, there was no way I could have known or raised my voice about it.

And does my not raising voice against what happened to Soni Sori make my raising my voice on this case any less effective? Is this a *&^%$* competition?

And dear readers, is my raising my voice in protest not important? How in this crazy skewed climate that I find on social network have I deserved to be termed as

arm chair debaters who want a change without actually doing anything about the change it self.

A girl is struggling for her life and if one feels outraged others try to act superior and shut our voices!

Weird!

Dear God ji, I want to be born a woman again

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The belief in reincarnation is implicit in our faith.  We seem to have this blind faith that we will not get it right the first time, or even many times, and are doomed to take birth again… and again … and again

Talk about failing so many times in the same class.  At least the gizmos, the technology and stuff changes – or one so hopes.

But do we get to be born as the same sex or even human again?  I kind of hope so.  Hence the prayer :

Dear God ji I want to be born a woman again.

Here I am not being original, we even have a  soap called “Agley Janam Mujhe Bitiya hi Keejo”

I don’t have anything against men.  I am as heterosexual as they come, and I appreciate my sons, who are very masculine, uff they are men, what to do.  In fact if they think I am going out of limits or DIL is, they don’t hesitate to air their views, in no uncertain terms.

It is just that in my world view women hold the centre stage.  Helen of Troy caused a huge war.  Cleopatra was one kickass queen.  Draupadi is far more interesting than the rest of the characters.  Mayhem, blood anarchy … it is just what my soul craves for.  No – not to be in the thick of the fight, but to be the cause of it, perhaps.

I find Ma Kali the most fascinating of all the gods in the pantheon. I am her huge fan, all my prayers are addressed to this epitome of female strength.

Women power … The Good, The Bad, The Ugly.

The patriarchy and the Khaaps fear us, and rightly so.  We are the power that moves them, we are the sex that gives birth to the next generation and we are what they desire.  Yayyy to womanhood.

Having said that, recently I have had issues with someone I call the Mother-in-law from Hell.  Of course this person pretends to be

1. Not a Mother in Law

2. Not a woman (at times)

3. A crusader

I take objection.  I love being a woman, am proud to be one

I have a very high opinion of women, they are ferocious when messed with. Darling Crusader, admit it – you are female.  And your little toy/puppet/son has left you for his wife.  And its got your goat.  Your ferocity is proof enough.  So are the six comments in my spam queue.

Sorry dear, I did not read the six of them, I just skimmed through.  My Papa always told me not to read rubbish.  It pollutes the mind.

I admire your tenaciousness, your ferocity.  In my eyes your pain makes you great, an epic figure.  Kind of like a Greek tragedy where a person immolates himself or herself for a lost cause.

The young will leave the old and build their own nest. It is the universal law.  Will you, like a besotted fool scream in the face of universal laws?

I hope not.  Faaltu ka drama.

You have within you power – female power.  Rise above this and do something great.  Dying of heart-break is not great – it is for silly fools.

Everyone has adversities in life , and everyone has had heart breaks, self included.  So what did we do? We just picked ourselves up and re-invented ourselves.  Women can do that so easily.  We can be girls, mothers, sexy sirens, office workers and so many other things.  Cooks, news reporters … oh the possibility is endless.  The actress in us can be satisfied with the drama of all these roles.

Did I say I love being a woman?  Well I say that once again.  To be a woman in these times is the very best!  Educated, independent and self driven.

Do I sound patronizing?  What to do?  Your big tragedy of sons leaving their parents for wives and their own kids does not sound worth the hullabaloo you create.  It sounds like the mentality of an obsessed stalker.  Do you do that?  Missed calls, anonymous letters, stalking the son and his wife on various social sites, even visiting the son’s office?  Ooops have I given you ideas, dear?

Yes women are bitches too – self included. I love that trait in me.

And I am independent, busy and do not like being spammed by comments like yours.  I do not like being called names, especially by rank strangers who are pathetic losers and do not have the guts to write under their own names.  Pathetic cowards.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION :

1. I am single, I have not met any man who can convince me to sacrifice my precious independence.  Son Snatcher I am not!  I decided my ex hubby was not worth fighting for.  He could continue to be his darling mother’s infant.  Good riddance to bad rubbish.

2. I built my own home, with my own money, and gave my sons a loving home.  I can not be called a home breaker.

3. The third letter called me EVIL WOMAN.  Hmmmm I kind of like that.  It has a certain zing to it, power even.  Good is insipid and does not have the same fire does it?  So thank you.

Furthermore, I am a proud woman, and I will report any malicious mails that slander me and my family henceforth to the cyber crime cell.  Consider yourself warned.  I don’t make empty threats.  I am tenacious and definitely more in touch with my power than you and do not lack courage.

I blog under my name, I do not hide behind identities and send stupid mails to people. I stand by my word.

I am a woman and love being one.

I AM STRONG.

Dear God ji!  This navratri, I pray for the feminine strength of Ma Kali.  I have found my rakshasa (demon) to slay.  And yes, agley janam mujhe bitiya hi keejo.

Yours truly

The One and Only Ritu Lalit