Book Review #134 : Dented & Painted

The anthology “Dented & Painted” comprises of 23 remarkable short stories. The cover of the collection is beautiful and attractive. The collection is penned down by author Tirupathi Khemka. This book is a must read for all humans due to the depleting mentality of our society. Harsh reality is portrayed that shows you the mirror unto society. 

Dented & Painted is appalling in its tone and subject. The stories begin with the opening lines in italics which store in them the essence of the whole story and ends with question marks that leave your mind ticking. These life changing stories shake the insides of your soul. It deals with some of the highly sensitive issues prevailing in our society at large. Each story is instilled with sheer pain, misery & struggle. The complexities of women’s life, how they are tortured, subdued, and tormented, and how they fight back are narrated by the author. The language is bold and comprehensive. On the whole, the collection is nicely compiled and stories are engrossing and have a power that grips you from within. As you continue reading these stories, you develop a strong sense of connection with the theme of feminism. The author has poured his heart into these stories. 

‘Male chauvinist pigs’ are well-exposed. The mind-blowing stories are an eye-opener and make you question so many things. The narrative is quite strong and details are well written. Sometimes the pace gets fast, though the emotions are well maintained. True reality is pictured which pinches you somewhere, depicting the cruelty of patriarchal society in which we continue to live. The stories expose a wide horizon of themes from prostitution to rapes, women as victims to women as fighters, the sufferings of women to struggles of women, women as creators to the women as destructors, the divine to the not so divine women, and many more. I can't get a few stories out of my mind; they were very impactful. I felt proud of a few ladies, yet felt sad for some. 

Dented & Painted is a complete page turner. It leaves your eyes moist with tears and you feel how crippled you have become by letting others dominate you and decide things for you. The author has made very interesting and keen observations before penning down each one of these wonderful pieces of writing. Kudos to him for his brilliant attempt! He proved the power of pen and the wonders that it can do. 

Ratings: 4.5/5

Book Review #84 : The Secret Wishlist

Publisher : Westland 

Genre : Fiction 

ISBN : 978-9382-618-188 

Price : 175 

Pages : 256 

The Secret Wishlist revolves around Diksha, Ankit, Tanu, Sandeep and Abhay. It starts off in Chennai, where, as a sixteen-year-old, Diksha is like any other typical teenager. She and her best friend Tanu spend hours and hours of time studying, discussing the latest crushes and gossiping. Enter Ankit, Diksha’s elder brother’s friend. Both Ankit and Diksha start liking each other and spending quite a bit of time together without the knowledge of either the parents or her elder brother. 

Cut to the present. In Bangalore, Diksha is married to Sandeep and they have a son Abhay. Diksha’s entire day, rather, existence revolves around both of them. Right from making the morning tea, to breakfast, lunch and dinner to catering to every whim and fancy of Sandeep and Abhay, Diksha seems to not have an individual life at all. She does not seem to mind her daily mundane life either. 

Initially, when the book begins, the way she keeps on shuffling between both the periods of story is too interesting. The school life of Diksha isn't kept too cheesy like other authors. Then her equation with Sandeep, her husband is described perfectly. I was able to imagine each and every sequence as it seems to be real and not a single part seems to be filmy and exaggerated. 

However, a sudden event in her cousin’s life seems to jolt her out of her existence. At the behest of the cousin, she decides to try and take some control over her life and makes a wishlist – a list of things which she truly wants to do. 

By a fortuitous turn of events, Tanu (who has been working at Gurgaon and recently re-located to Bangalore) re-enters her life and tells her that Ankit has been wanting to get in touch with her since a long time. With this conversation, Diksha’s heart and mind are forced to confront whether she would really want to meet him; if yes, what would the future course of action be, etc. How the issue is sorted out forms the climax of the story. 

The best part about Preeti’s writings is the time and effort spent in etching out each and every character and the interactions between them. Diksha as a bubbly teenager; Diksha as a housewife; Diksha as a housewife wanting to live out her wishlist; Diksha as a housewife imagining what it would be to go back to Ankit – all the various stages have been carved out beautifully. Sandeep’s character has been shown to be a typical, male chauvinist who only cares for his well-being without giving a thought to what his wife wants. The draggy narration of how the protagonist's husband uses as housemaid and sex toy as if is not painful enough, it is repeated in every tenth page making sure the readers still continue to hate him. 

Few bits I liked are the Salsa and the details, the mother in law who seemed extremely understanding and sweet. Such characters again are rare species in real life. I mean there are mothers who support even rapist sons so I don't think a mother in-law will support a daughter in-law immediately if she wants to walk out of a marriage. I liked the concept of writing down a secret wish list and I loved the cover page which lead to my great expectations. 

Every woman and for that matter every man should read this book. The women cause we at times let people take us for granted and also there needs to be some self searching to be done. Some women get so engrossed in their mundane house-office work they forget what it is to actually live. And all the men so that before they start considering their wife to be just a "housewife" realize that she too is a human who has her own dreams and life. 

Preeti Shenoy managed to pick one of the most ignored topic in Indian society, the suppression an indian housewife goes through, which although is quite appreciated, is also a story that is already known to everyone. A warm, heart-touching tale of a woman who tries to break free from her abusive husband and find her own calling. 

Shenoy is able to create moments of laughter, surprise and above all empathy through her words, which stream effortlessly across the pages. One yearns for the love and contentment she describes, and hopes to find such friendship and unconditional acceptance in their partner. 

Verdict - One time read. 

Rating – 3/5

Nano Fiction 9 : Marital Rape

"Is a wife merely body parts?" I ask.

What compels a wife to continue living with her husband who is a sex-maniac? What kind of man commits such atrocious acts on his wife, almost daily? How does he get away with this brutality? Is it because marital rape is not a criminal offence, compared to one committed on an outsider? Is marriage for such depraved men a license to rape because of the 'implied consent' which comes with wedlock?

Wonder on basic tenets of common sense, how does a cruel, inhuman marriage remain sacred? What is sacrosanct about it?

In cases of sexual violence in marriage, the woman is a victim. She is degraded, humiliated and made to feel unwanted.

If a marriage is still continuing, it is because she is submitting to it, she is weak, poor, and afraid, has children, is dependent, roofless, and reconciled to fate. She is also often ignorant of the legal help available. 

It's time we empower our women, to fight against anything that harms and humiliates them - even if that comes under a sacrosanct relation called 'marriage'. A woman does not have to submit to whatever has been thrown at her. She and only she, can save herself.

Apno Ko Apne Dum Pe Jeena Sikhao!

Rape is a traumatic experience. It shatters you and breaks your confidence. I was no longer the old confident me. Emotionally and physically hurt, it was horrible for me to trust anyone. My family too was emotionally paralysed. They knew I needed love and support to become self-reliant again.

I was down with self blame. Why was I out so late that night? Had I been home, this would have never happened. And so on and so forth...

My mom has been my rock solid support system since then. She has stood by me in this tough time. Her unconditional love has helped me overcome my fears and recover.

She was the one who kept telling me that I wasn't responsible for what happened. It was a crime of violence by a sex starved man - a rapist. It is his crime for which he is behind bars today and moreover he will be punished by Him severely someday.

She heard when I needed someone to cry, she gave me honest answers for my doubts. Never once she avoided the topic, she was upfront about it, so that it finishes off in my mind once and for all!

Every time I decided to talk to her, it was beneficial. Every conversation with her helped me build myself again. She helped me come to terms with what happened. She never treated me harshly.

She said, 'Vaani, not even for a moment allow the thoughts of blame to cross your mind. Don't judge yourself, beta. Face things head on!' At the same time, she never tried to hound me with her possessiveness, she knew when she should leave me alone and when to be with me.

Without being over sensitive, she helped me to be strong and regain normalcy. She didn't isolate me from any of my friends, she helped me approach the police.

She told me, 'Vaani, you have two options - give up or fight it.' My mother has helped me take informed decisions by having one-to-one conversations with me.

With the trauma of rape, I was bewildered with frustration and guilt.

I liked isolation. Sunk in depression, I felt humiliated with angst in me. Hatred for that man.

My mother allowed me to rebuild my life at my own pace. She helped me rebuild emotions like safety, trust and self-worth.

One day I confided in her, 'I feel shameful and dirty, Ma.'

Depression can be disastrous. She said calmly, 'Rape is not about you. It is the power that man has misused. It has nothing to do with you staying out late, but the mindset of men. Babies get raped, elderly women too. They leave no one. So, Vaani, don't feel guilty. You love writing, don't you? I suggest you get back to it. Pray, my dear Vaani, it will help you connect to God. He will ease your stress and you will soon be my old chirpy Vaani. Don't punish yourself. Do good to yourself! Sar utha ke jiyo, beta!'

That's how she pushed me and encouraged me. Today is the launch of my first book. My emotional strength is here with me as I climb the dias. And I dedicate this book to Ma for being my strength and role model.

Thanks to Ma, I'm high on self esteem today. A better person than yesterday and yes, I'm self-reliant. Ma made me so. I feel empowered as I embark a brand new beginning of my life!

P.S: This fictional post is for Happy Hours powered by IndiBlogger.

{Write a blog post about how a family member has guided and encouraged you to grow into a better, more self-reliant person. }

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So What Leads To A Rape?!

Attraction leads to romance. When Shah Rukh Khan is attracted to his heroine he sings songs, doesn’t rape her!

So what leads to rape? DESPERATION leads to rape.

Every girl has a right to dress up as she wishes.  So don't place it on the length of her clothes. Even if you leave a scantily dressed lady minister at night on the road, nothing will happen to her. Because the consequences of such acts done to a minister are known. But when it comes to normal girls, the rapists know, they can get away with it easily. So it is not lack of clothes on a girl’s body, but lack of consequences. The laws of this country are not so apt and stringent.

The length of clothes on her body is not a measure of her character. And the height of audacity?! The questions are fired on the girl herself after rape.

Why was she alone?  Why was she do scantily dressed? Why was she drunk? 

However she is, that doesn't give anyone a license to rape her. 

The police say she wanted something to happen, so she was out so late! So, tell me, why were the men forcing her, if she herself wanted things to happen? Was it like the girl meant 'Hey boy, do you want to come up on me?’  And the guy said 'Run!'? 

We often blame it on the western culture?  Which western culture? The same that has given us IVF, birth control techniques, or electricity and bulbs? Because of which we can leave our homes even when it is dark outside?

Being biased to a particular culture is plain hypocrisy, according to me. What leads to rape is the dirty mindset of a few desperate men, and nothing else.

If at all it was limited to only girls wearing short clothes or being drunk, but then what about these nasty men not refraining from raping even 4 year olds???

Dearest Nirbhaya...

/A tribute to Nirbhaya.. 
A small change may bring a big difference! Soch badlo duniya badlegi!/

One fine day when the news mentioned you,
I was surrounded with a feeling so blue,
And then girl, as your story unfold,
My heart went numb & I was all cold.
Hearing all what you had to bear,
I couldn't do anything but shed some tear,
Only listening the incident I was so lost,
Wondering...

What mistake was it that made you pay this cost?
They did not treat you like a human, this made me annoy,
Even a toy is not beaten with an alloy,
Not to forget the hero - your friend,
Who tried to save you till the very end,
And you were really strong to say "BURN THEM ALIVE"

Trust me it was YOU till last who strive,
They were so cruel to you still they could blame,
To hide their flaws utter words all lame,
Forgetting they considered that ride a fair.
Shameless even pointed your personal affair,
Like hot dish blames were plated,
Brutality would have been less had you cooperated.

But dear we all know you weren't wrong,
Time and luck pushed you on that prong,
I don't know why God chose you,
Maybe no one on earth was as strong as you,
A severe punishment is asked by all who condemn,
They should be dressed as girls & left among them,
We will fight your battle half fought,
The vigilance while going, to us you brought,
Surely they will be hanged, smile girl you so brave,
But we wish you were here to spit on their grave.

What Has Gone Wrong With The City I Love?

Mumbai has enjoyed the title of ‘Maximum City’ for decades now. It has always been a city that lets women be. In fact, it is one of the things that make it such a great place, particularly for working women. Despite anything, it was always safe for women. Women lived their lives freely, traveled at odd times, and still felt safe. But not anymore. That reputation is beginning to fray. Recently, cases of rape have increased on a disgusting note. The frequency of such sexual crimes against women have shocked the conscience of Mumbai. 

There are still shameless maniacs in our society, and they are only getting bolder. Their actions are completely unacceptable and unforgivable. Did they forget about the national outrage over the Delhi gang rape that happened just a few months ago? If all the noise and stringent laws were passed at that time, it would have deterred this new incident. This crime has become a disease, with the criminal being a carrier. Although politicians and law enforcers mouth insipid platitudes, citizens are in a state of introspection of their security. Even if the survivor recovers from physical wounds, what about the emotional trauma it brings?

How does one justify why this is happening? Huge migrant population? Growing gap between haves and have not’s? Role of mass media and internet? The feudal mindset of men who consider women a property? Or our law system, where there is no certainty of punishment or its severity?? Such people should be dealt with sternest possible measure. No one should ever dare to repeat such atrocity.

Women continue to be assaulted in trains, raped when on work. How can this change? Am I safe in the city I love? What is responsible for such decay in society? Drugs? Alcoholism? Unemployment? I hate our disgusting hypocrisy, where on one side we worship women and the next moment this behavior. Only hope that remains is judiciary.

The power of the harasser, the abuser, the rapist depends all on the silence of women. Simply a law cannot change the society. It is a battle. Neither is the fast tracked decision assuring in our country, as one third of the judges' posts are vacant across our country's high courts.

While we express our outrage, it is extremely important to empower women and exert pressure on the law enforcers to do their duty and the guilty be booked for exemplary punishment for their heinous deed. And maybe punished publicly or even chemical castration! Safety is not a favor! Yes, Mumbai is still better than Delhi. But that is not enough. It is time we restore the trust that women once had in the city. More police personnel, better street lighting and public transportation are the required elements for discouraging such crimes against women.