While I was allowed the luxury of getting an education, what I should read came with a prewritten manual. The manual’s instructions circled around the kind of hobbies I should develop while growing up and the fact that I need to choose a stream which is rewarding but less time consuming so that I am well in time for marriage.
While I was allowed the luxury of shopping with my mother, what I could wear came prewritten in a manual. It circled around the length of clothes I should develop a liking for, colours that are decent and the fact that I need to choose something that is flattering enough to make me look presentable.
While I was allowed the luxury of choosing friends, who I can speak to came with a prewritten manual. It circled around the gender, educational background, family history and the fact that I should choose people who are not rebels; so that I am groomed to become the ideal female everyone desires.
While I was allowed the luxury of voicing my opinions, the filter that I needed to use came with a prewritten manual. It circled around the gender dynamics, the family I belonged to and the fact that no matter what I say even if it’s heard it will never be processed or put into action.
While I was allowed the luxury of stepping out of the house, the places I could visit and the timelines came with a prewritten manual. It circled around cities that do not influence my conservative thoughts, timings that are well within the boundaries of sunset and the fact that my steps will be monitored as and when I step out even for a cup of coffee.
While I was allowed the luxury to choose my career, what I could take up came with a prewritten manual. It circled around the options that would keep me close to my perspective groom, something that involves no travel, something that’s less time consuming and the fact that it should also come with the convenience of giving up.
While I was allowed to fall in love, but who I could fall in love came with a prewritten manual. It circled around the gender, caste, income, family, height, weight and the fact that I can only fall in love once. While I am allowed the luxury to live, it happens to come with a manual.