Being An Indian Daughter

What its like being an Indian daughter

With my words I must slaughter

Slaughter the societal truths

With the utmost ruth

The ruth that comes from within

And some will call it a sin

A sin to values and culture

So go ahead call me a vulture

For all I need those wings

To fly away from the reality that stings

We say the world has progressed

so why don’t I feel blessed?

For all I know I am captured

The reality you know is tampered

We are still an inferiority

And the male preference a priority

Its like everything is allowed to men

And somehow ghar ki issat is embedded in my hymen

Your skirt is too short and your shirt too revealing

Why is this taboo still prevailing?

gandi nazar is their excuse

so, my freedom they refuse

come back at 7 it is a house rule

because Indian khandan aur unke usool

don’t offend you grandfather and dad

but I am allowed to feel bad

why cant I fight back

what privilege do I lack

we make them feel entitled

like they are meant to be idled

At home we do whatever they say

To the outside world the feminism card we play

why are we that scared to rebel?

Or barely avoiding that bombshell

as my grandma would say

don’t go out in the midday

the cafés and malls are empty

grandma they are packed with your generation’s productivity

oh no we say this because we care

please don’t you dare

dare make these excuses

and leave me with the bruises

don’t hide behind “I love you”

show me what you say is true

worse are the Indian relatives

who put forward unasked perspectives?

she isn’t fair, her belly is too thick

oh, ho how will she find a suitable dick

this isn’t the limit of their audacity

here is an example of their mentality

they blame having a daughter on women

because apparently, they possess that y chromosome not men

why must I take all the blame

was I the only one born with shame

but oh yeah sons carry out their legacy

so, they must be shown some courtesy

is your brother coming home at eight?

why is he the one allowed to stay out late

At night its mostly guys in the crowd

That’s because girls aren’t allowed

Tu abhi bachi hai kuch nhi bolegi

Kya Ab baron ke samne zuban kolegi?

We are married to the boys who are older

Because otherwise we’ll be the one who is bolder

They will celebrate sex at your barat

And call that night your suhagrat

Her son is following me everywhere I go

But nhi apni beti ko sambhal lo

This is our society's propaganda

And to fight this my new agenda.

Growing up, I went through a lot of emotions when people my age were able to do things that I couldn’t. I come from a family of a lot of men, and being the first daughter of the family has been very overwhelming. Dealing with being the first daughter of both my parents and grandparents for the first time, I have always been an experimental child. I have seen them struggle with having a daughter, but that too, a highly Gen Z daughter.

I wrote this when I probably felt at my lowest, being this Indian daughter.