The woman

I am at the lab. There has been a constant nagging in the corner of my mind for this blog for more than 4 months now. But I don't know how to frame it or put it across in a way that would feel the way I'd intend it to be.This is the first of a many part series. Be forewarned.

As a woman, this blog is very personal. And I tend to be biased.
But. Still. Here goes nothing.

I have always felt that God made women stronger than man. By giving her the power (and the sensitivities that go behind it) to cry.
Not just that alone but also many more.

When I had gone back to India, each morning at 8:30, there used to be this mother daughter duo who coming selling spinach. "Keeraiiiiiiiiiiii... Maa.. Keerrai..." Addressed only to the women of the neighborhood, it was a clarion call. Patti used to rush to buy fresh lovely smelling "organic greens". It turns out that the patti "mother" is around 70. But still she battles on. I see hundreds of such self made entrepreneurs among women.Aged 70-80, I am left wondering,"will they never give up?"

There is an old patti who delivers milk for us at home. She charges 1 rupee per day for 1 litre packet and 0.50rs for 1/2 litre. This way she puts behind her around 1000 Rs a month. This time, back breaking load, sun scorching down, I was the only person awake in the house and she asked me for some buttermilk. After attending to her, I sat down at the entrance and asked," patti, innum ethukku ethellam? athan peran(Grand son) vela pakkaran la? veetla eruka vendiyathu thane?" She replied," You know what? He is asking to be married. He is not even 22. He works with Onyx(the garbage collection unit) as a small time worker(not cleaner. better than that). I am suffering. He has two sisters. One who has been chased periodically out by her husband, has a small kid and younger than him, also sick. The other the local rowdy :), tall tomboy, not even come to her age. And he askes to be married immediately. What do I do?"

(And, he was married by the time I left India. His wife and he are set up in a separate lodging. Patti happy that she has only 4 mouths to feed(not 6:)))

I was shocked. There are not one, not two but three nitty gritty women in the family. One old, ripe, wizened and not yet ready to let go. One who has nothing in life to be happy about, tortured by her husband, sick and a small kid. One who is repeatedly taunted and is undaunted by it.

The exploration shall continue.