Page 30 - index
P. 30
I am 62 years old and am a post-graduate in Sociology. I married a lawyer in 1971. He used to beat me
mercilessly for six years. One day, I stood up to the abuse, started working and took care of my son alone
as a single parent. My son is well-settled now and I am happy.
-Simantini
--
My mother was regularly harassed by her in-laws and husband. When she realised what my father and
his family were capable of, she packed up her bags and walked out with me and my two-year-old
brother. She was penniless and it was a very brave thing to do. Today, my brother and I are doing well
and we are very proud of our mother for not staying on and getting victimised.
-Rega
--
My jobless husband beats me like hell. He hits our three-year-old daughter too. I don’t have any family
members around. I used to stay with an NGO and then as a paying guest before I got married.
-Ami
--
I have been a victim of domestic violence for almost eight years. I tried my best to save my marriage and
finally, one day, when my son became the target, I walked out and never looked back. I initiated the
divorce. Time has healed my pain and I am positive about my life now.
-Vidya
--
The guy I got married to lived in US and worked for a multinational company. He made lots of promises
but eventually fell short. Trying to make the relationship work, I got my company transfer me from
India to US. A year into our wedding, I realised that he had married for the sake of society and he didn’t
want to connect with me or my family.
He gave me threats and once, he physically assaulted me as well. I was numb and disturbed but didn’t
tell my family for a long time. He didn’t let me make any friends as well. I felt very controlled. One year
later, his family visited and the typical girl-does-all-the-chores and my-kid-is-like-a-prince attitude was
shown to me. This was hard to deal with, especially since I was working twice as hard as my then
husband and finished all home duties as well. And yet, I was told that I was falling short in their
expectations.
I was physically weak, monetarily weak and mentally drained. In this situation, my then husband asked
me to move out of the house. I moved out packing one bag and hoping I would return some day. My ex-
husband filed for a divorce a month later and after a lot of thinking, I didn’t protest to it as I knew I was
not happy.
During my divorce, I gained my parents’ support. They visited me and took care of me during my dark
hours. Luckily, my work kept me very busy and I just wanted to tire myself to sleep. Two years later, I
pushed myself to start dating again. During this time, I met my current husband. He and I share a
special friendship and I love and respect him a lot.
-Ash
27
mercilessly for six years. One day, I stood up to the abuse, started working and took care of my son alone
as a single parent. My son is well-settled now and I am happy.
-Simantini
--
My mother was regularly harassed by her in-laws and husband. When she realised what my father and
his family were capable of, she packed up her bags and walked out with me and my two-year-old
brother. She was penniless and it was a very brave thing to do. Today, my brother and I are doing well
and we are very proud of our mother for not staying on and getting victimised.
-Rega
--
My jobless husband beats me like hell. He hits our three-year-old daughter too. I don’t have any family
members around. I used to stay with an NGO and then as a paying guest before I got married.
-Ami
--
I have been a victim of domestic violence for almost eight years. I tried my best to save my marriage and
finally, one day, when my son became the target, I walked out and never looked back. I initiated the
divorce. Time has healed my pain and I am positive about my life now.
-Vidya
--
The guy I got married to lived in US and worked for a multinational company. He made lots of promises
but eventually fell short. Trying to make the relationship work, I got my company transfer me from
India to US. A year into our wedding, I realised that he had married for the sake of society and he didn’t
want to connect with me or my family.
He gave me threats and once, he physically assaulted me as well. I was numb and disturbed but didn’t
tell my family for a long time. He didn’t let me make any friends as well. I felt very controlled. One year
later, his family visited and the typical girl-does-all-the-chores and my-kid-is-like-a-prince attitude was
shown to me. This was hard to deal with, especially since I was working twice as hard as my then
husband and finished all home duties as well. And yet, I was told that I was falling short in their
expectations.
I was physically weak, monetarily weak and mentally drained. In this situation, my then husband asked
me to move out of the house. I moved out packing one bag and hoping I would return some day. My ex-
husband filed for a divorce a month later and after a lot of thinking, I didn’t protest to it as I knew I was
not happy.
During my divorce, I gained my parents’ support. They visited me and took care of me during my dark
hours. Luckily, my work kept me very busy and I just wanted to tire myself to sleep. Two years later, I
pushed myself to start dating again. During this time, I met my current husband. He and I share a
special friendship and I love and respect him a lot.
-Ash
27
