Shalu Nigam

  Dowry involves a triad of oppression “Dahej naari jaati ka apmaan hai” "Dowry is an insult to females.” (A slogan raised against the immoral practice of dowry in post-independent India) Cameron (2014) categorised the financially abusive partners into three categories: controllers, exploiters, and schemers. According to this study, the controllers use a peculiar combination of abusive behaviour to exert control, the exploiters use various forms of abuse to exploit partners for their own financial needs, and the schemers systematically strategize to steal the women’s money. The despicable goal of the schemers is to shamelessly exploit the relationship and to wrongfully take women’s assets. Using this critical approach to analyse the cases relating to dowry abuse depicts that those who demand dowry are schemers who systematically and brazenly strategize to control not only the women’s assets but also the money that belongs to her natal family. As a controller, the abuser threatens

  The Curses of Patriarchy https://countercurrents.org/2022/11/the-curses-of-patriarchy/ 08/11/2022 Patriarchy cursed me, I laughed and move on They said you are a female, your birth is a burden I survived and thrived, flourished and bloomed Confronted their stereotypes and challenged their misleading notions I vowed that I will not accept their false binaries or phony divisions I will keep demanding equal rights and opportunities to be a human That is my firm declaration I laughed and move on   Patriarchy cursed me, I laughed and move on They said your education is a drain, It has made you in-vain You will empty your family’s purse and then You will move away when you get married to someone I questioned their negative stereotypes and adverse presumptions I opposed their entrenched superstitions and challenged their harmful assumptions I went to college to gain education, I got all degrees, medals, and accolades And walked out with distinction Aiming towards the path of progression I l

  MeeLord! I am seeking justice as a citizen! 20/11/2021 She hesitated and fumbled, vacillated and dithered, When the Magistrate announced, “go for ADR, counseling and mediation”, MeeLord, he promised he will not beat me when my parents intervened, she squeaked, Though I may be naïve and inept to speak, yet I must tell you, He assured he will not hit me when the neighbors intruded, but the violence never stopped, Even when I approached the religious congregations, When I called the police, he undertook not to harm, And then the severe scars of beatings I got, enhanced stress and tensions, He tried murdering me for dowry, broke my bones, denied me food and hits me for no reason, And now you again say that I should go for conciliation, Trust him and forget all humiliation? That I should go back to his violent home without the promise of safety or conditions, MeeLord! I am seeking justice as a citizen.   Can he be pardoned for all of his brutal actions? What about his accountability for a

  Every little girl has a dream, a dream that will not die…. https://countercurrents.org/2021/09/every-little-girl-has-a-dream-a-dream-that-will-not-die/ 27/09/2021 Every little girl has a dream A dream to study, a dream to play, A dream to dance, a dream to fly, A dream to be free from all adversities, A dream that imagines equality, a dream that eliminates hierarchy, A dream that shatters glass ceiling, a dream that challenges patriarchy, A dream against oppression, a dream against subjugation, A dream of possibilities, passions and aspirations, A dream of liberation and a dream of emancipation, A dream that will not die…   You may build walls, fences or boundaries, You may create barriers of caste, class, religion or any other hierarchy, You may close schools, defund colleges, smother universities or lock libraries, But you cannot lock nurturing imaginations, You may use arsenals or weapons, bombs, military or prisons, For these dreams have been cultivated, and passed on through gen