FREEDOM

Today I got a very interesting phone call from an old school friend. He actually wanted to weigh my emotions against a happy news regarding one of my former love interests. I was actually happy for him and told my friend to give him my best wishes. Maybe he wasn’t actually expecting the reaction he received. Which brings me to the question-‘Why do people have to prey on your emotions regarding a bad past?’ He actually inspired me to write this article today. Moving on from that subject he started introspecting my life. He asked me when am I getting married? I said not anytime soon. Then he said ‘Why don’t you want to get married?’ Girls get married at your age. Well apologies to everyone out there if I did not know that there was an expiration date for marriage. I told him that I want to achieve my goals before I take the plunge. Listening to my list he said that by the time you achieve those you will be ‘old’. In a split second when he should have lauded my dreams he stamped it as getting old. I never knew wishing to succeed on your own terms could sound so condescending. Anyway that’s his opinion and he’ll live with it.

This kind of rudimentary thinking is deep rooted in the minds of Indians. Sigh! Is the sole purpose of a woman’s life to get married and have children? It’s definitely a truth of nature and we should not go against it but why are we treated like cattle? Within a year of marriage you have to procreate otherwise either spouse will be labeled as not capable of potency. Another drawback of such thought process,rubbing your nose where it doesn’t belong. Society says that we have evolved.Yes we have in case of commerce and industries but why didn’t we evolve from this thought that even a woman has dreams for her own future and she has every right to pursue them regardless the ‘barriers’ of ageing and childbirth? I would be happy to marry a man whom I dated for years provided I have carved a niche for myself.Age is just a number in the end. We are remembered by our deeds and its upto us how we make ourselves legendary.