The Acid Attack -On Women’s day

THE PAST:

Happy Women’s Day!

Sounds like ‘save the tiger’ to me! Kya hua?  Sounds harsh that I compare myself to an animal or am I overestimating myself by putting myself in the same league as The King of The Jungle. The backstabbing has not yet stopped. I don’t think it will stop anytime soon. After all, I have picked up the pieces and tried to re-build my life so soon after the latest disaster. The whole society which drilled ‘Forgive him and move on’ is now agitated. Angry as I have tried to take a firm step towards a new beginning. Stunned that a broken woman like me has found the courage in my heart to trust again, love again, be whole again.

I think of all the acid attack victims now and think of the subtle acid attacks I have encountered in my life. The chemical thrown at someone is one thing and the power of the vicious tongue is one, yet they are the same for me. The reasons for the attack are weird to say the least. A small piece of news I read a while back still haunts me:

‘Kash maine us din jeans na pehni hoti.’

Here an acid attack victim recalled the day she wore a jeans and the culprit had seen her wearing it. What appals me is she holds herself responsible for the unimaginable ordeal she was subjected to. Frankly, I think of the times I wore a western dress and I am scared now. For I never kept a record of how many people saw me wearing the same. I don’t know how many of them will approach me with their vile intentions and decide I deserve a harsh lesson for being indifferent to them. Or worse still, protest.

THE PRESENT:

Be Brave…That is the message I get when I see the acid attack victims walking the ramp in a fashion show, qualifying exams or starting business ventures. Instead of indulging in self-pity, they picked up the pieces of their lives and built a beautiful life once again. They have taught us a lesson in perseverance and overcoming obstacles. The time has come when acid attack victims will not be forced to spend their lives in oblivion. Instead they will outshine and mesmerise the world with their talent.

Happy Women’s Day Indeed.

Disclaimer: The story I share with you all today; may or may not be true. For as a writer I am certainly influenced by what I see around me. At the same time, I retain what I call and known as artistic liberty.