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P. 21
The episode on domestic violence couldn’t have been on a better day. It was my mother’s 11th death
anniversary. Years of physical and mental abuse finally weighed so much on a very talented and spirited
woman that she took a very cowardly step of killing herself. She was self-employed and was the
breadwinner of the family. She was known as an achiever and a courageous woman and yet, at home,
she was at the receiving end of endless abuse.
She went through 35 years of abuse from her spouse for the sake of her kids. She could have walked out
of the abusive relationship but our society doesn’t let a single woman live in peace. I had been a witness
to this endless assault for years and like Shanno who was on your show, my mother once hit back to
make my father realise how much it hurts her physically.
I wanted to put my father behind bars for what he did to my mother but was talked out of it by my
friends and my husband. They thought it would add more shame to our family. The sad part is that the
man who forced her to take her life has no remorse for what he did. For him, that’s the way you treat a
woman, a wife. The police case was settled within a few days by my dad and I am ashamed to write that I
had signed a few papers which helped him get a clean chit from the law. I sincerly hoped that the
incident will change that man for good but that’s not the case.
-Tishani
--
I was brought up very adorably by my parents but there was domestic violence at home which made me
feel like getting away from home. Time passed and I got my engineering degree as per my parents’ and
elder brother’s wish. I started liking one of my seniors in college and after a lot of struggle for my
parents’ acceptance, they gave a go-ahead for our wedding.
My in-laws were never against the wedding but my mother-in-law began controlling me in every way. I
tried my level best to please her but she would interfere in what I should wear, when I should sleep, how
I should eat, etc.
I delivered a baby girl in 2010. For 40 days, I was kept alone in a closed room with the baby. I was
hardly allowed to speak to my baby as my mother-in-law believed that if she didn’t do this, the baby
would get habituated to talking all the time. Some of the remedies that she came up with to treat the
baby’s cold or illnesses were so odd and seemed like bullshit. Once, my mother asked me to go away
since I was questioning her decisions.
On the evening of 11th June, 2012, when I was talking my heart out to my husband, he suddenly became
furious and warned me that it’s his mom and he can’t listen to anything against her. He asked me to
leave the house if I didn’t like her interference. My father is paralysed since the last two years and my
mom takes care of him alone. So, at this point of time, I don’t have anywhere to go.
One day, I decided just to jump off the balcony. But my husband rescued me only to hit me on my face in
front of my young daughter. Though he apologised the day after to me, I am afraid that nothing will ever
get normal between us ever again. All my frustration and anger comes out on my little baby. I don’t
know what to do...
-Nirvi
--
I am 26 and work as a marketing officer. In 2011, I got married to a chef working in a five-star hotel.
Just after one month of my wedding, I had a horrendous experience. I faced all kinds of violence. I was
unable to say anything to my parents because my father was not well at that time. He had suffered a
serious heart attack. When my father came to know about my situation, he was the most supportive
person in my life. I left my marital home and filed a case against my husband.
-Tulsi
18
anniversary. Years of physical and mental abuse finally weighed so much on a very talented and spirited
woman that she took a very cowardly step of killing herself. She was self-employed and was the
breadwinner of the family. She was known as an achiever and a courageous woman and yet, at home,
she was at the receiving end of endless abuse.
She went through 35 years of abuse from her spouse for the sake of her kids. She could have walked out
of the abusive relationship but our society doesn’t let a single woman live in peace. I had been a witness
to this endless assault for years and like Shanno who was on your show, my mother once hit back to
make my father realise how much it hurts her physically.
I wanted to put my father behind bars for what he did to my mother but was talked out of it by my
friends and my husband. They thought it would add more shame to our family. The sad part is that the
man who forced her to take her life has no remorse for what he did. For him, that’s the way you treat a
woman, a wife. The police case was settled within a few days by my dad and I am ashamed to write that I
had signed a few papers which helped him get a clean chit from the law. I sincerly hoped that the
incident will change that man for good but that’s not the case.
-Tishani
--
I was brought up very adorably by my parents but there was domestic violence at home which made me
feel like getting away from home. Time passed and I got my engineering degree as per my parents’ and
elder brother’s wish. I started liking one of my seniors in college and after a lot of struggle for my
parents’ acceptance, they gave a go-ahead for our wedding.
My in-laws were never against the wedding but my mother-in-law began controlling me in every way. I
tried my level best to please her but she would interfere in what I should wear, when I should sleep, how
I should eat, etc.
I delivered a baby girl in 2010. For 40 days, I was kept alone in a closed room with the baby. I was
hardly allowed to speak to my baby as my mother-in-law believed that if she didn’t do this, the baby
would get habituated to talking all the time. Some of the remedies that she came up with to treat the
baby’s cold or illnesses were so odd and seemed like bullshit. Once, my mother asked me to go away
since I was questioning her decisions.
On the evening of 11th June, 2012, when I was talking my heart out to my husband, he suddenly became
furious and warned me that it’s his mom and he can’t listen to anything against her. He asked me to
leave the house if I didn’t like her interference. My father is paralysed since the last two years and my
mom takes care of him alone. So, at this point of time, I don’t have anywhere to go.
One day, I decided just to jump off the balcony. But my husband rescued me only to hit me on my face in
front of my young daughter. Though he apologised the day after to me, I am afraid that nothing will ever
get normal between us ever again. All my frustration and anger comes out on my little baby. I don’t
know what to do...
-Nirvi
--
I am 26 and work as a marketing officer. In 2011, I got married to a chef working in a five-star hotel.
Just after one month of my wedding, I had a horrendous experience. I faced all kinds of violence. I was
unable to say anything to my parents because my father was not well at that time. He had suffered a
serious heart attack. When my father came to know about my situation, he was the most supportive
person in my life. I left my marital home and filed a case against my husband.
-Tulsi
18
