काटेरी कुंपण :The Thorny Fence

काटेरी कुंपण

In March I was assigned to speak on occasion of women’s month about my views from the perspective of a woman of present times. One of the topics that came up during the talk was the issue of violence against women. I had been thinking separately about another issue on the sides. Why do modern day women who consider themselves independent or liberated appear unapproachable? Why do strong minded women seem intimidating to many? Or often brusque, anti-social or dangerous? 

I think I found the answer tied into the issue of gender directed violence, where, more often than not, women are the victims rather than assailants. Predatory behavior is not new to any period of time. It appears to be a natural process of evolution then that women adapted to the unchanging environment of such predatory elements around them. Whether the social injustice led to fight for the right to education and employment, and that in turn shaped defiance and ability for self reliance and self sustenance, and further this expressed itself in the way women were seen to distance themselves from intimacy and overt display of courtesy is hard to say. 

These lingering thoughts were the substrate from which emerged the following poem in Marathi. I never say I wrote a poem because it genuinely feels I am a medium for the thoughts to express themselves.  Sharing here what spilled out of the mind yesterday. 

काय सीता अन् काय द्रौपदी 

नराधमा निव्वळ ती मादी

फायदा काय तिज असोनी पती

संसारी ती तरी एकटी

जग मोजे मापे चालणे बोलणे

पुरूषांच्या तराजूतून तोलणे

सशक्त देह पण सौम्य वर्तणे

विद्वत्ता लपवत आज्ञेत रहाणे

हा डाव जुना जरी काळ बदलला

दु:शासन वेशी रावण अवतरला

वेश रामानेही बदलले

भय सीतेचे का त्याने सरले?

लक्ष्मणे भलेही रेख आखिली

धूर्ताच्या घडीला सीता एकली 

त्रेता उलटून द्वापार उजाडे 

भाग्य तिचे तरी कसे न पलटे

मूर्ख तर ती कधीच नव्हती

केवळ सत्त्वाला जपून होती

मात्र कधीतरी तिला उमगले

व्यर्थ की पुरूषावरी विसंबले

कलीकाळी ती जाणती होती 

औपचारिक सौम्यता त्यजून होती 

सुखमय घर निरामय अंगण

तया भोवती काटेरी कुंपण 

काटा टोचला, दोष कुणाचा

टोचे ज्याला त्याने वेध घ्यायचा

सीतेस न लगे राम की लक्ष्मण 

रावणा पुरून उरे काटेरी कुंपण !

I will attempt to roughly translate the words to English for those who don’t understand Marathi.

Whether Sita or Draupadi

For an evil man she is just a female 

What difference it makes if she has a husband?

Despite marriage, she is alone.

The world weighs her walk and talk on a scale created by men

She may be physically strong but she must speak in a mild tone.

She may be a scholar but must hide her brilliance and remain submissive 

Time kept moving on but this game remained unchanged 

The devil changed the garb from Ravan to Dushasan.

Why just the devil, even her God, her protector, Ram changed garbs with changing times.

Yet, did that make Sita’s fears go away? Did she feel any safer?

Laxman may have tried to warn her to stay within limits so she is safer.

Yet time tricked her and when the sly moment arrived, there was nobody to watch over her. 

The periods changed

From Treta to Dvapar

But why not her destiny?

Stupid she never was

Just committed to preserving goodness 

Yet one day the realization dawned 

It was her folly to rely on any man.

By the time Kaliyug arrived 

She knew better 

She had set aside formalities and any attempt to appear docile.

She built for herself a home

Where the insides were filled with comfort and joy

The outside was spotless and tranquil

And around it was a fence of thorny, prickly shrubs.

Whose fault would it be if the thorns pricked someone? 

The onus to seek the answer would be on the one who got pricked (trying to cross the boundaries ). 

Sita no longer needed Ram or Laxman to keep her safe. 

The thorny fence was more than enough to keep Ravan at bay.