Jobless and aint lookin for one...

Just wanted to share this with all the pro-choice neutral wing, liberal, peaceful and pragmatic souls out there.

This is an excerpt from a fine novel by Shashi Tharoor called 'Riot'...

Priscilla Hart's scrapbook

...seems that he(Lord Rama) brought his wife Sita back from Lanka and became the King,the gossips in the kingdom were whispering that after so many months in Ravana's captivity,she couldnt be possibly chaste anymore.So to stop the tongues wagging,he subjected her to an agnipariksha,a public ordeal by fire to prove her innocence.She walked through unscathed.
That stopped the gossips for a while,but before long the old rumours surfaced again.

...so he spoke to her about it.What could she do?She willed the Earth to open up,literally and swallow her...


What the hell does this say about India?Appearances are more important than truths.Gossip is more potent than facts.Loyalty is all one way,from the woman to the man.And when the society stacks up all the odds against a woman,she'd better not count on the man's suppport....


Priscilla Hart in the book is an American idealist working in India with an NGO.These words are from an American but i'm sure some of us Indians can understand and empathise perhaps.

The book was published in 2001.But the content is very 2009.2010.2015.Maybe 2050 also.The Ramayana couldnt change it.So we might as well live with it,some would say.But i hope my fellow pro-choice neutral wing,liberal,peaceful and pragmatic souls differ.