The theme of
this entry: Women’s Rights. Last semester I took Religions of India wit Dr.
Taneja (wonderful class- you should take it!) I learned a lot about the caste
system and culture of India. We watched Water by Deepa Mentha, which I also
highly recommend. It absolutely broke my heart. For the most part, women are
not valued and I got to see this first hand.
In a snake colony (their
ancestors caught and worshipped snakes), we met a Hindu family in their
roofless home to see how we could help them. While we spoke with the husband
and the son, the wife stood silently in the corner. She only spoke when we specifically and
persistently addressed her and then she shared her story. She was once a
Christian, but was given in an arranged marriage by her father. Her husband did
not respect her religion and did not allow her to go to church or be part of
her old community. Every aspect of her life was controlled by the men in her
life.
On another day we crowded into a
very hot van and traveled to a gypsy village. Now this is nothing like what I
imagined a gypsy village to be. It looked just as run down and filthy as all
the other villages- imagine a pathway of human waste between two huge piles of
reeking trash. No one wears shoes and this was the first village that we saw a
dog roasting over a fire. Along the path were huts and shacks topped with leafy
roofs. In one corner of the street we saw two men gambling- which struck me as odd because this village was so devastated. Why weren’t they working? I asked one
of the pastors who said, “They sold their daughters into prostitution and now
they don’t have to work.” I was angry, heartbroken and very overwhelmed. Can
this be real?
Now amongst all this junk, there
is still so much good and it is crucial to remember that ever little bit of
good helps. I saw some husbands (especially the pastors) truly honor their
wives and cherish their daughters. I also know God is working in mighty ways in
India. If you’d like to hear more about this, please ask me. J
These people literally live in
trash. There was always this terrible stench that I can’t even describe. But there is so also so much love! I
definitely did not fall in love with India, or the tiny bit that I saw, but I
did fall in love with the Indian people and their incredible faith. It seemed
hopeless at times, but there are people who are sacrificing their lives to
serve the oppressed.
Seeing women so mistreated was
painful, but I also saw freedom as people began to tell them their worth. The
pastors, their wives and families are rescuing women and giving them a new
identity and are clothing them in dignity. Seeing this injustice in real life
made a huge impact on me and I now feel much more pressed to help end sex
trafficking and inequality.
I can’t
remember this woman’s name and there was a huge language barrier, but I
remember a little of our conversation. The main thing I wanted to tell her is
“You are so beautiful, you are so precious.”
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