From the time of birth, an impression that is drilled in the minds of most girls is that their ultimate success lies in a happy household. Even when that is not the case, women are often conditioned to choose convention over true desire: A successful career but a ‘respectable’ one. This is anything but a free choice.
This constant struggle is explained beautifully by Simar Singh in this poem.
The founder and curator of UnErase Poetry, Singh’s ‘Super Woman‘, is a true reflection of how women in India are not given a chance to pursue their passions and they go on to sacrifice their dreams just because the society expects them to do this.
He starts by talking about his mother who wanted to be a psychologist but had to choose between her career and the man she loved.
Simar also talks about when her mother decided to pursue acting, she was faced with another set of problems.
We might say that girls are given enough opportunities, but the truth is something else.
All of this begins in our own homes, and we just sit back and watch.
And if by any chance a woman decides to speak up, this happens.
In the end, he wonders how many more ‘could-have-been psychologists’ will have to choose and sacrifice just because the society expects them to.
You can listen to the entire poem here.