Bonded Freedom..

Today I walk down the street. It is 7.30 pm. The street is crowded as usual. But there are eyes preying on me. I feel unwanted. I feel like an outsider.
Everybody who was busy in their own routine 2 minutes back, now have their eyes and attention glued on me.

Is there anything unusual about me? Maybe Yes!

Yes! I am walking on the street. Today Naked! Not an inch of cover on my body. Why should it be covered anyway? I was born this way. I am going to die this way. Then why the hassle of covering me up between the period of Life and Death? Ever seen a person cladded with all his clothes and jewelry while burying him?

You think I must be crazy. No, this is not another candlelight march for any justice. No, I am not protesting against anything. In fact, I am rejoicing today. I feel free today. No bondages, no hideouts. I walk free from the materialistic world. I walk free from the judgment of all people.

Cheers to all the people who turned their faces down in sadness when they heard from the enthusiastic nurse, “It is a girl!”

Cheers to all the relatives who thought buying new toys for a girl would be a waste and instead handed me over the leftover items to play with.
Cheers to all the aunties and uncles who taught us to ‘adjust’ because we are born a female. They think that females can adjust because we have the ‘enduring nature’.
Though they say Men are born tough, I wonder how the adjusting part always comes in our kitty.

The cold wind brushes through my hair and touches my skin. I get the chills penetrating through my naked skin giving me goosebumps. My body hair stands straight.  Yes, you heard it right. Body hair. Yes, I did not wax or shave my body. Yes, even females have hair on their bodies. Yes, even my pubic hair is in front of all. Because this is how science works.

Cheers to all the guys who mock at girls with hair showing on their bodies. Be it arms, legs or face. Some people say,’ Girls do a lot of makeup. Why can’t they be natural?’ Well, we listened to you. We are natural. We won’t shave off our natural hair just as you don’t. Cheers to the people at the medical shop who would stare in disgust if we call out for a sanitary pad loud. Cheers to the people who would not touch us when we are menstruating. For your information, it is how hormones work inside us which lets out the impurities every month from our body. It is not some disease to be looked down upon.

Cheers to the uncles and neighbors who would stare at us as if we were some ‘thing’ put on auction. Cheers to those invisible eyes and hands which would take the liberty to touch us in public as and how they enjoy, smiling back at our cold face as if it is their right to touch us.

Cheers to the people who would give us cold stares and give us signals to take our tee shirt a bit down as our waist is seen while riding or sitting in a garden. Maybe, it is offending to others. Then why don’t people stand up for the same thing when guys are roaming around in their underwear on the beaches and disturbing the aura around too? Won’t that cause discomfort for the elders, kids, and other human beings? One strap seen half an inch outside the tee shirt and the guys’ imagination go wild for us. Is it our fault? What is so shameful about that?

Cheers to the people who would throw cheap remarks on the girls passing by. And by chance, if the girls protest, the others have an acid bottle ready to ruin her face and self-esteem. A girl’s ‘No’ doesn’t count at all. Be it while telling her parents no for a marriage that she is not ready or to her husband for forcing her to have sex.

You may think I am being just another feminist blabbering the same old things. But don’t we think that is time we stop the feminism, male chauvinism etc. and start practicing Humanism? Not only do the girls with skimpy clothes or girls with burkhas are being harassed but also the newborn babies. What would you say after hearing a rape of a 5-month-old baby? Isn’t that inhuman? I say inhuman because animals are much better than our race when it comes to compassion towards others.

Why does anybody have to live according to the rules just because some people don’t have control over themselves? Why should only one gender suffer all the time? My question is WHY? If the girls can’t go outside, who said they are safe inside? In the name of uncles and cousins, there are those species waiting to lurk on few unfortunate girls too inside their ‘safe’ zone.

Cheers to the rules which demarcate a Line of Control for us where we have to think a thousand times to step out of the house. Where we can’t file a complaint because my own identity would be crushed. Who said our identity existed before it too?

Today It is not me who steps out naked from my house. It is my soul stepping out of my body. It pleads to let it live freely. It wants to experience each moment without any fear of any other soul.

I see many eyes lurking over my naked body, waiting to pounce on it. But I should warn you! You will only get the flesh from my body, not my soul. My soul stills stays away from this cruel world. My soul still prays to see a better world someday..!