It was one of the
most wonderful and energetic moments of my life to see women from every strata of
society gathering at Cubbon Park to rise with the 1 Billion Rising on 14th
Feb. They were truly fearless as they danced, basking in in their own freedom.
They were smiling and laughing, unafraid of the world and its judgements or the skeptical gaze of some of the men. Women, children and men gathered to break
free and stand up against violence, injustice and abuse against women.
It was so heartening to dance under the warm sun, to shake
our hips and shoulders, throwing our hands up in the air without worrying about
what people will think or say. For once, taking what rightly belongs to us, our
free will! A two month old pregnant lady boogied for hours, her face was
glowing and her eyes shined like twinkling stars. A fifty plus woman took over
the dance floor in full gusto, she was in her element. Young girls felt
encouraged to see women of every age expressing their feelings and talking
about their hardships. They laughed and shouted, so bold and beautiful, stood
next to each other in solidarity, we cried and applauded the courage of those
who stood up and faced the world and fought for their rights and the rights of
other women.
The violence against women and children everywhere in the
world is dreadful and shocking. From rape and torture to sabotaging their
growth and labeling them as property or sex objects.
At the event, few men from the crowed were still checking
out women, catcalling and hooting, unaware of the cause. They thought we had
come to have fun, ignorant of what it meant for the abused and tortured women
to come forward and speak up.
Looking at these wonderful women filled me with pride and
strength; somehow, my problems seemed trivial and manageable. I looked back at
my life and felt grateful to have such a wonderful and forward thinking family.
They raised me with love and respect, protected me and encouraged me to follow
my path. I have gone through some bad times, a 15 year old phase, which left me
broken and lost. It filled my heart with bitterness and doubt; the violence and
apathy I see around makes me question everything. But something inside me is
rising, pushing me forward, to prepare for a flight of my life. As we lighted candles I felt a warm, it signified hope for a better change. It was a tribute to the brave women who fought for justice, the glow of peace filled us from within. All is not
lost, we have so much to do and see, so many to help and so much to learn. We
are rising, that’s what matters… Fearless and strong!
Photo - Courtesy Pallavi Parijat
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