September 16. “Button, I was interviewing a young man for the home this morning when he said something that shook me.”

“What exactly did he say?”

“When I asked him why he lost his previous job, he told me that he was dismissed because he took more leave than applied for.”

“And how many days did he overshoot by?”

“A good 45 days.”

“That couldn’t have shaken you up!”

“What followed after that was shocking. He said that he took those extra days as he had to get married so his wife could take care of his mother who was arthritic!”

“So what?”

“Imagine a young girl getting married to a man solely because she has to take care of his mother! Besides that, she will be expected to cook, clean, work in the fields. Doesn’t she have a life of her own? Doesn’t she have her own desires, wishes and expectations? The life she will be living for the rest of her life is that of a glorified slave.”

“It’s a tough life for most women, especially in India.”

“Do you know that rural women slog, cook, clean, work in the fields and, very often, go to bed hungry? It’s because after cooking and feeding her family, there is very little or no food left for her to eat. And they suffer silently. They’re not in a position to complain or protest.”

“That’s sad and utterly shameful.”

“Her parents, to save face, knowingly get her married to just about anybody so they are rid of her and it’s for all to see that the girl was fit to get married, not diseased or unfit to get married. She’s actually like a commodity to be sold, very often for a price!”

“In other words, in your society, a girl is a burden to her parents and must be disposed off anyhow to save face in society.”

“You’re right.”