She was as curious as the rest to meet me as the new-bahu, but I guess the irony of meeting a newly-wed really hit her hard. She burst into tears on my shoulder. I was shell-shocked but then I took her to her room and sat with her for an hr helping to sort out myriad unspoken thoughts and fears.

She wanted to work, she wanted to be independent, but she wasnt educated. She missed her husband, who even purchased her undergarments. She was penniless, except for the 1000 rs a month stipend that her in-laws gave her. I was petrified – to think of her dependency on the people who didnt really know what to do with her now.

I fell speechless when I heard the family’s off-hand remark, “Well, her parents must think what they want to do about her! They should find a groom!” I was flabbergasted – once the girl entered her husband’s house she was expected to forget the home of her childhood. But now without her husband, she was suddenly expected to go back to her parents ,and her parents were suddenly expected to plan for her future.

The conservative environment of her in-laws family also didnt want her to go out of the house and pursue further education or seek work. Wouldnt it allow society to raise fingers on them – that they cant feed and clothe a young widow and have allowed her to fend for herself.

I really wonder what lies in store for this woman! I wish her all the best!

I think the reason why women are ending up doing jobs like this is inflation. It is indeed good seeing women doing jobs traditionally done by men.

However I only saw the women doing the light carrying work, none of them were playing the instruments.

Yes it gives me pleasure too to see women doing jobs which are traditionally meant for men…even if its a job that requires greater physical strength, if a woman can do it and does it voluntarily then why not..

And i think this problem of woman being dependant on her husband and not being able to walk out of a drunkard husband is more amongst middle class, upper middle class because of the stigma attached to divorce… amongest lower class the working women are quite independent from what I have seen.

True at times their husband beat them up but then they also do a lot of things on their own terms..its strange.. but i personlly feel the lower class in the cities are still better off than the so called educated middle class women.