If There Is A Rebirth, Give Me An Animal’s Body

Our society has been patriarchal. Law gives every woman these rights in equal footage with a man but there is an abundance of people with conservative mindset who cannot digest of a woman standing in similar line as a man. And these are the people who would never allow a woman to enjoy her rights. Instead, what does a woman get back from this society? Only words of discouragement and setbacks.

Even before a girl is born, her struggles start. When in the mother’s womb till old age, she lives a fearful life throughout. When I was to enter this beautiful world, then my very own people had a wish for son and so they did sex determination. As soon as they knew that a daughter would be born, my own people agreed to terminate me before seeing this world. Even my mother and grandmother, who themselves are someone’s daughter, were in consensus. Somehow my fate was not to die and I entered this world happily, thinking “what a wonderful life lies ahead of me”. But this did not happen. I was not even able to stand well that devils started demolishing me in lieu of sweets and chocolates. Mother restrained my movement out of house since childhood, but later realized that I should get some education to ensure my marriage. Though the family allowed me to move out of home to school but mother reminded, “better be safe, you are entering into a dangerous world”. These words would pierce through my ears like a sharp knife, each time I would step out of my home. Somehow I completed high school and my parents thought that the education is now over, “she is not a boy that we should pursue her education, neither would she earn..so why to waste resources for her education”. So next was my marriage which could relieve them from me though I was not even in the shape of getting married. I wanted to study, I wanted to be self dependent but no one cared for what my thoughts were. And why would have they asked me anything, after all I was a daughter only and I didn’t have the freedom to decide on my future. My life has always been on the verge of decisions by other people, this resulted into shattering of my yet another dream. I was married as a child, I cried a lot and my mother remained a mute spectator. I will not blame her, rather would blame the entire society which just objectifies women, women to be used and thrown.

Post marriage, at my husband’s place, I thought that life here would be safe and I can study now. But the condition here was worse and I was humiliated every day for dowry. They attempted to burn and kill me and the first person to try was my husband, who had taken a oath in front of everyone to be with me during my times of happiness and sorrows. And when I survived of this, I again went under agony of giving birth to a girl child, so much so that I now start thinking to end my life along with my daughter. But still, my prayers for my husband continue.

A woman’s patience is considered as the biggest weakness by this society and hence everybody plays with her life insanely. When a woman survives all the agonies of childhood and adult age of hers, she now thinks in the old age that she is now safe, nobody can harm her physically or mentally. She is so wrong even at this time. The son whom she might have thought would take care of her in the old age is now mature and has learnt all the skills from this society. He now turn out to be brutal and starts harassing her, beating her up whenever she raises the demands for her old age.

My only prayer to God, if I there is rebirth, give me an animal’s body but never mould me into a woman’s body. For if I go through this life cycle in an animal’s body, it would be fine as animal’s do not know what is good or bad. But living an animal’s life in a human body gives pain and shatters dreams. To hell with this society which has created boundaries for women.  I only pray to you God, please do not shape me as a daughter in my next birth".