Puppets on a String

Said Shakespeare many long years ago

“That all world’s a stage 

An all people are actors”

I am not sure if I got that right

But I am sure by now you’ve got the gist

But what if we weren’t actors

And instead of actors we were just puppets 

With our strings in the those who wield 

The powers to be

Making us look left when we should right

Closing our eyes when could with them being open

Shutting our hears and our mind

Making us literally the monkeys of Gandhiji

Giving a new mean meaning to 

See no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil, think evil

Taking advantage of our senses blocked

They got us clapping hands, banging plates, lighting candles 

For those who stood at frontline combatting an unseen enemy 

But of data of those warriors who lost their lives

They had none

They got us to believe they wanted justice a dead soul 

But they didn’t care about the living ones

Or that numbers were rapidly increasing

They made you feel that mental illness doesn’t exist

And is a taboo especially for a healthy man to have it

They made us believe that laws they made were for those who benefitted 

But when then ones who benefited 

Weren’t the ones who it was directly meant for 

And the one that it was directly meant for

Stood against it cause they felt they would face more harm than benefitting from it

So they called them anti national, tukde-tukde, khalistanis

And then when it got leaked that top secret information got leaked

For a lowly television rating

They tried to divert attention to a television series

That they felt hurt religious sentiments 

And showed of a state in bad light

When the state has already been stained

With a blood of an innocent

Who raped and cremated 

But still no justice given, no lesson learned

A stain for ever to remain

And then you have a faux feminist 

Who puts herself on the top of a list

While the rest are B-list and anti national

And she’s the reigning queen

Of an industry filled of druggies

If that’s not all

They make you  feel that a place of worship

Built on the blood of thousands

Is what will bring unity

And therefore ask for donation in the name of the one for whom it’s built

When I am sure he would want to reside ins such a unholy place

But still they put up posters ans ask for donations

Of people who have lost their job, loved one

The reason for living.

And could go on and list more

How that great puppeteer moves the strings

To get his puppets to the things

That benefit and please him

But for now, I’ll say no more

Cause you think of me a silly bore

So for now all o can say

“All the world is a stage

And we just puppets, puppets on a string!”

Till it happens to you: MeToo no more

The MeToo movement has been around for over a year now, but only recently it has found its way to Indian shores. Suddenly you have women (as of now) who have found their voice to speak up and talk about the harassment they face, they had faced, they continue to face. It may have occurred today, or yesterday, or ages ago, but they have suddenly found a voice, courage to speak their truth, to stand up and no longer remain silent.

But with every movement, there will be brickbats with the bouquets, the naysayers, the doubters, along with the supporters, the critics along with the advocates. We all have a right to our opinions, the way we perceive things and situation, but let not that perception come in the way of your humanity. And yes you will also have those who would want to make the most from this situation.

It may sound corny, and can be taken as just another hashtag, but make no mistake MeToo is a movement. The jokes, the memes were always going to be there, but some are downright distasteful and mean and demeaning.

There have been write ups and forwards and open-Ed’s dismissing these as sob stories, fame seekers, questioning why the victim took so long to tell it, why were they weak not to retaliate or complain? Well these are sob stories, maybe they are not. There are few who maybe attention seekers, but only a few of them are. While one may question why they took so long, we’ve would not know what went through their mind. 

We may argue that they should have complained to someone or told someone about it, this is not the way a strong woman or man should behave. But then the fear, the shock, the moment of shame, the fear of not being believed, the fear of name calling, all are the root cause of silencing them. There are instances of both men and and women who suffered abuse at the hands of close relatives, family friends, neighbours, people they trusted, who choose to remain silent about their abuse, let it eat them from within, change the course of their lives, shatter them, but always afraid to speak their truth. 

You may say strong women would have stood up to their oppressors, given back, slapped them, but is there really a decorum on how one should behave in such situations, isn’t it a kin to telling your son that boys don’t cry? Even the strongest of people have their weak moments, even the strong of people may feel stunned, numbed, May choose to bury it in the recesses of their mind, hoping it all may just be a nightmare which can wake of from. 

They may not retaliate, but that doesn’t mean their not strong. It takes just one push, one person to stand up, to start a domino effect, to have a ripple effect, to give them strength to stand up. So don’t put them down, don’t mock them (like some leaders of the free wold have), don’t be trumpian in your behaviour. They aren’t asking you for your sympathy or your tear, they just want to speak their truth and let it set them free from the vicious pain that envelops them. 

You have your right to your doubt, you have your right to your opinion, you have the right to come to your conclusion, but let that conclusion not be drawn from a mob mentality, from a narrow perception, from a witch hunt. Try make an informed unbiased conclusion. Remember, you’ll never know how it feels, till it happens to you, you’ll never know how you will react, till you find yourself in the same situation. Right now you can only say they way you think you’ll behave, but the words and actions are two different things. 

So don’t dismiss these stories, they may not be seeking your support, or your attention, they just want to be heard, just want the truth to set them free. They just want to live in a world where no person, man, woman or child, would need to stand up and say, MeToo.