Who is to blamed?

"In laws are also my parents!!", she said. "Haha! We also used to think the same. You're a kid right now. I will ask you after you complete a year of your marriage", mockingly the other woman said to her. She kept thinking what was so funny or wrong in the statement that she made. She got back to work as usual, forgetting about the conversation.

Her friend's words echoed in her mind and she couldn't help change her mind on what she earlier said. She wanted to leave that home and run away. She wanted to go to a place where people didnt judge her all the time and didnt blame her for all that goes wrong in their lives.

She had feelings that what if she was not a 'female'. She wanted to die and be born as a male so that she also gets the priviliges that come along with a penis and two balls. She wanted to enjoy the freedom of lying down on bed at weekends and doing nothing, getting the food hot and fresh at the time of a meal, the freedom to choose whatever she wants to do in her free time, the freedom to be silly, the freedom to have tantrums, the freedom to make mistakes and be regarded as a kid.

All her life she has been 'serving' her family, making sure that there are no complaints and trying to do whatever best she can, but all she got was complaints- that this went wrong, this was to be done in a particular way, you cant take responsibilty of your husband, you dont understand your duties, we should be freed from the responsibility of your husband as we got you married, if he has not done it the right way, you should understand he is a boy and wont know the right thing to be done, why cant you mend it for him and what not!

Wryly she used to take everything and say nothing. "My husband has stayed and accustomed to this life, I should also!", "Maybe I am becoming too laxed on the effort I put, I should try and make it work.", she used to say this to herself all the time. One day she became like an old leaf and started to make noise on slightest of touch. Poor her, she didnt realise it was too late and was crushed to pieces in no time.

What was really wrong in the words she said? Why did her friend mock at her? Are we still looking at males and females differently? Are parents being biased towards their male childs still? I am sure you would think that atleast in metropolitan cities, males and females are equal, and we dont know about how tier 2 and other smaller towns operate. Right!

My dear friend, this is a story of a metropolitan family, a real family living in a posh home and in a famous locality. A family where qualified individuals live. I dont call such a family educated though! There is no trace of education. Females are still expected to be slaves of their husband and his family. They are still considered responsible for everything that happens in their homes. They are still expected do as per her husband's wishes and for his and his family's welfare. She is still not allowed to have a mind of her own and take a few moments out for herself. And I reiterate I am talking about the qualified families.

I dont wish to write further as it boils my blood and makes me anxious. I am sorry for the abrupt ending.