Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “nerve.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!
On the 18th we were happy to read in the newspaper that a Delhi court acquitted journalist Priya Ramani in a defamation complaint filed by former Union minister, M J Akbar. Priya Ramani had levelled sexual harassment charges against him during the MeToo campaign. The court rejected M J Akbar’s contentions that the allegations were made decades later to tarnish his reputation. The court said a woman has the right put her grievance at any platform of her choice and even after decades. After the court verdict, Priya Ramani felt vindicated and her lawyer said truth was her defence. She had been the victim and was accused for speaking up.
One needs nerves of steel to stand up against those who have power and wealth. Many a time truth does not help. Women have been killed for raising their voices against the powerful. Their families have been destroyed too. Countless women keep quiet because society believes that in such cases the victim is at fault. It is a sad state of affairs and an unfortunate truth.
I remember this life-story narrated a few years ago by a lady in her sixties. It was about her grandmother. Her grandmother had been very young when her husband passed away. She was a beautiful lady. A few days after her husband died, she was told by her father-in-law that she should come to him whenever he wanted her to. She was told the same by her brother-in-law. She did not despair. The same night she and her two small children along with a faithful couple left the house. They went far away, she did not tell her parents where she was living. She was scared that her father-in-law and others would hurt them. With the help of the loyal couple, she made a living for herself and her children. After many, many years she contacted her parents. She was a lady of great courage and strength. So many helpless women would have gone on living a miserable life.
To end on a lighter note, my husband feels one needs very strong nerves to enjoy roller coaster rides and giant wheels and all such thrilling attractions in amusement parks. 😊 Last January we were in Amritsar and there was a giant wheel at an exhibition ground. With reluctance my husband agreed to sit with us. It was fun, we were sitting in one after decades.
Your husband is right. You do need nerves of steel and I don’t understand how people can go on these huge machines where they are thrown around like being in a cocktail shaker.
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What a brave lady ! Sometimes “family” are not good for us. Then all we can do is leave them behind – if possible !
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Your husband has stronger nerves than I do
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So good that that lady was able to leave. It must be so hard to just head off into the unknown like that. But I suppose also, if the “known” situation looks terrible enough the unknown can look like hope. I hope she did well in the end. I’m hopeful that the more openly we’re able to talk about things like this, speaking out against it, the less frequently it will happen. I didn’t know about the Priya Ramani case but having heard about it I am glad it turned out the way it did.
On the other subject, I quite like roller coasters. In fact, whether it’s getting on a roller coaster, running in the woods at night or cycling across Rajasthan I enjoy the thrill of doing something that seems on the surface to be really dangerous but is mostly safe.
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The lady’s granddaughter told us about it. She led a good life , her children and grandchildren and their families are doing well.
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I’m really glad to know that it was a happy ending.
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