Raise!

Prompt 4 

May 1, 2020. 7 in the morning.

Neha just woke up. She is following her morning routine. She drank half a liter of water. Later on, she is doing Surya namaskar. It's been more than a month of lockdown due to the pandemic. She is one of the people who is working also in a pandemic. Neha is a young aspiring journalist. Before getting to work, she skims through newspapers and also checks good websites. Many newspapers get to home. She started to read it. She picked up a newspaper. On the front page, there is news. '19-year-old girl gang-raped by seven including three minors during lockdown'. For a moment she is depressed. It took back her to one of the moments of her life which inspired and made her to this position. She will always cherish it.

It was on the last week of March 2017. She was a journalism student back then. Neha's mother is preparing breakfast for her. Neha is having her breakfast and checking some important preparations for that day. She is in a very tense and hurry manner. It is all because she is one of the students who achieved the entry for the greatest women meet called 'Raise' leading by one of India's most inspiring women Ms.Adhira Madhuri. Neha made it all by her talent and hard work. 

Neha reached the place of the program which is a very big stadium. Raise is a program to inspire all the women across different fields and of different ages. There are little children, teenage girls, various graduating students, old aged women, housewives, and working women from vegetable vendors to lawyers. After looking at thousands of women, she felt proud and brings in all the strength. A teenage girl came to Neha and asked 'Excuse me. Who is this Adhira Madhuri and Why are we here?'. Neha replied that she is the first woman D.G.P (Director general of police) of the state and she was the part of many solved rape cases and became the justice face of India. The government of India also awarded her with Padma Shri for her services and contributions to the country. That girl smiled and thanked Neha and started to tell the same to her fellow students and friends.

As Neha is a journalism student, she is observing the surroundings. There are many media channels. Many cameras. Mikes. Huge stage setup. Police security etc. She took out a pen and writing down everything that's happening there. There is our flag in the middle of the ground. Some people are standing around the flag includes young and old, rich and poor, literates and illiterates. How beautiful is that frame! Women in one place irrespective of the status under the shadow of our flag. It seems like the whole India defined in one picture. 

The noise among the audience has stopped all of a sudden. A charming personality is walking towards the stage and felt some aura around her. It is Ms.Madhuri. She went on to the stage and simply greeted with a Namaskar. She immediately started her speech as follows.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. A very good morning one and all. The very first sentence that came out of my mouth is the main gist of the program today. We generally loudly address it as 'gentlemen'. But how many of men really are? Sounds like a stupid feminist? I believe there is no meaning or purpose or even such a word exists. There are many cases that I've come across as an IPS officer and now as DGP of the state. Are you expecting the brutal rape cases that I'm going to present now? If you are nodding your heads, sorry, it's not. There are many and many discriminations in our society that are considered to be small but are not. I'm going to speak about the cases which are of different ages that help to completely address the issue.

In a small town, there was a 6-year-old little girl. Her father died when she was 3 years old. Her mother paralyzed from then. That little girl is very weak both physically and mentally. Malnutrition. In this stage, no family members of her came forward to take care of her. It is considerable if they had other reasons like financial weakness etc. But the only reason is that she is a girl. Now you may think that it's not a big issue. But there are no reasons which made her leave like an orphan. The coming rubbish traditions and consequences like dowry, her security, etc which made her rejected. What's her way now? What can make her 'Raise'? EDUCATION! Education(can be any) is the only powerful weapon for her now. She somehow managed to get into the nearest Zilla Parishad government school and letting her life in such a small age.

Now there was another 12-year-old girl. She is in her school that day. It was the 3rd class in the afternoon. A male teacher is distributing the evaluated exam papers. She is feeling so tired. She is feeling so drowsy. She is feeling the severe pain at her lower abdomen and her back. She realized that she is bleeding. Menstruated. She felt so scared and terrified. Now the teacher called her name to come and collect her paper. She stood up and walking towards the teacher. The whole class started whispering, laughing, and shouting by looking at the stains on her dress. These reactions are common among small students. Because they don't have awareness. Abusing someone or being abused by someone, 16-17 years old is the last age to counsel them, to explain them, to change them, and to protect the precious youth of India. But it is the teacher's and parent's responsibility to teach them about it. Instead, that teacher sent her out and said that no one should touch the girl. That's enough. That teacher already made up 50 students implying 'Menstruation is a Sin'. That teacher didn't stop there. He started abusing her. Touching her at inappropriate places. Can you guess the effect on that girl? Not explainable. She is crying every night telling no one about it. The pillow that she sleeps on gets a flood every night. What's her way now? What can make her 'Raise'? CONDEMN! This time she brings up small power inside her and shouted and refused whenever she felt unseemly.

Also, abuse and harassment in public places have been increasing day by day. Groping in the buses are experiencing by many women. All you need to do is to raise your voice against it. Don't forget that the face and form of power are women.

Now a story of a married woman. She was married so early as soon as she turned 18. Married to a person that she doesn't even know his name properly. She has no choices to take. She just saw him once before the marriage. And she did not like him. You can ask me how can she just don't like by looking at him once. When he came to her house for bridal gaze. He examined her like an object. He asked her to stand. He is looking at her body from top to bottom. Then he asked her to turn back. Is she physical toy. Disgust! Is this how he marry a person? But she was compromised assuming that things may change after marriage. But it got even worse. After a couple of days of marriage, he started to force her to have sex. He is almost a stranger to her. She is not comfortable yet talking to him. It is Marital rape. His family wanted a boy as soon as they were married. Unfortunately, she is not pregnant for a year. That torture is continuing even after a year. She is crying every second. Suicidal thoughts. What's her way now? What can make her 'Raise'? EMERGE! She decided not to compromise from now. She courageously filed a case and applied for divorce and came out of it. Do you think it's ended? No. Sooner she came out of it, she came to know that she is pregnant. Her hate towards him made her have thoughts like abortion. She went to a hospital. She was like I'm Ready to abort his child. But whenever she got a thought that's her child too. She ran out of the hospital. Motherhood is never known for hate. Anyhow she will raise that child whatever the situations.

Women are like nature. Both are beautiful and wonderful if you let them live their own way. Once they are disturbed, disasters are the only consequences."

Most of the audience is filled with a mixture of emotions. One of the housewives in the audience stood up and loudly asked Ms.Madhuri that we wanted to know your struggles in life as a woman.

Ms.Madhuri replied that "I've never mentioned the names of the women that involved in the stories. Because all of the stories were just one woman's struggle. And her name is Ms.Adhira Madhuri".

The total stadium was in shock. Some of them are feeling proud. Some of them are horrified. Some of them are feeling sad. But after some time, everyone is feeling inspired.

Neha is still in shock and couldn't take it. She started to cry. She is crying very loudly. No one can console her. Do you want to know why? Who can be so calm after knowing that her mother had been through this many struggles! Do you remember the woman who was making breakfast for Neha? She is none other than Ms.Madhuri. Neha is the same baby whom Madhuri wanted to abort and later realized her motherhood. Yes! Neha is the daughter of Ms.Madhuri.