Good Old Days

Sunday afternoon my grandmother decided to take me down with her to the memory lane. She seemed excited like a child traveling first time on an aeroplane. "Those were the days, when everything was fresh and pure, these artificial appetizers I can no longer endure." My grandmother is seventy three, talking about her childhood filled her with glee. Then she told me they were five siblings, the elders decided to not send the girls to school because what they will do by learning the table of two. "This was the norm my dear," she tried to explain, I disapproved and showed my disdain. I know how much she loved studying . If only she had got a chance. Her happy memories made me go into a state of trance. She spoke about her aunt who lost her husband when she was sixteen, she was forced to wear white and if there was an auspicious event in the house she was never to be seen. She spoke about all of this without any emotions, while her talks ignited inside me an explosion. How could I think those days were good, when women were dependent on men for basic needs like food. God forbid if your husband died, you were a liability who always complied. My grandmother told me about this one woman, whose husband left her and her three kids to fend for themselves. It was god's decision my grandmother told, my thoughts I could no longer hold. Grandma, "It was never god's decision for those kids to have such a miserable life or that woman to strive hard to survive. It was the decision of the society as a whole, to cripple every women and break their soul. No education,no hobbies only bearing kids was their duty, if your husband is nice good luck or the biggest curse of your life will be your own beauty." "God never told that widows were supposed to stay inside, or to shave their head and to never walk outside at night." She smiled at me and told me I was right, she was glad that today girls are given opportunities and that my future looks bright. Her talks made me rethink, were the good old days really so good? The time when women were denied basic rights, women who waited and waited but were never rescued by the proverbial knight. Date:19/10/21 Contest: Difference in Opinion poetry contest Sponsor : Shreya LN