I was told to listen to my parents, find a husband and ignore my own needs. But I decided to take my own path
As a young girl growing up in a very traditional Mumbai family, I knew I was expected to grow up to be a certain sort of woman.
Here’s what I was taught. A good Indian woman is obedient and lives the life her parents and society tell her to live. A good Indian woman gets “married off” early and becomes a mother quickly because that is her primary purpose. A good Indian woman doesn’t reveal any part of her body or her sexual desires. A good Indian woman ignores her own needs and lives her life serving others. My mother, my grandmother and many women before them had lived exactly this life.
Sangeeta Pillai is a south Asian feminist activist and the creator of Masala Podcast
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