The above statement is an uncouth quote by neither of the esteemed personalities the times have seen (as it would have been politically incorrect for such a stark and belligerent remark). I am quoting the house help of my mother who doesn’t have to worry about her image, so she can speak her mind unlike most of us..But that is not the issue here.
I am quoting her to introduce her and her ilk and to elaborate the nuances of Indian society. The story..let me correct my self right away..I am not telling you any story because they can be biased towards the protagonist, but instead I will just unveil a situation before you and leave the judgment upon your pragmatism. Nita, another house help (another euphemism for a servant who mops floors and does laundry for money in households) is getting the second of her five daughters married next month, she (the daughter) is 17, as told by Nita, but by the looks she doesn’t look any older than 14 or may be about 15 and not by any means near the legitimate age of marriage (18 for girls).
Now why is she lying, might be to save herself and her family from the wrath of policemen, who might get her incarcerated for such a heinous crime (I am being sarcastic, as the policemen seldom imprison the opulent perpetrators of the most serious felonies..but again that isn’t the issue here). And why in hell is she getting her married at such a young age..when she knows that she’ll have to pay a hefty dowry for a decent groom, and already burdened by the loans she took for marriage of her eldest daughter, why is she further accentuating her scourge…?
Now most of you might as well blame her for procreating so many children, but she must have been helpless in front of her drunkard husband who might raped her many times over. Then again why didn’t she report the case of domestic violence against her husband..? May be because even if she did that with or without paying the bribe to the cops, she will be left alone at mercy of the canines (I am referring to the deceitful, prying and lewd men) living in and around her slum, and conventionally speaking husband, no matter however inebriated he might be, is the only sentinel to her family. Adding to it she might as well be declared a witch who got her own husband locked up, and once she looses her face in the society, who will marry her daughters..?
Ok so she can not help that situation..but why then get her daughter married at such a young age..? May be she is afraid that she might fall pray to her husband one day in his inebriated state, a crime most disgusting of all, but in the shoddy slums where she lives, such cases are a regularity, and even if that is not a possibility, there are still many out side with carnal desires, and plus she might also be getting her married just to get over with the obligation, because after all whenever her daughter gets married, Nita will still have to pay dowry, take loans and also the sooner she gets married the sooner her burden of supporting her expenses will end. What ever may be the case..?
Now the sensitive ones amongst the readers might feel for her abject circumstances and the odd ones amongst them might even want to help her, but the question is how..? By getting her husband locked up..? By getting every suspected person from her slum arrested..? Or by helping her daughter getting married..? Or will you provide an untrained, illiterate daughter of Nita an employment, and mind you that too, trusting the intentions of her prospective employers…?
And while most of you will blind your eyes towards her poverty and lead their normal lives, Neena, the house help, chose to sum it all up by her satire… “If god doesn’t bother, why should we..?”.
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