Vanya Did Everything To Make Their Marriage Work But Communicating With Aditya Was Like Walking On Eggshells!

We do talk a lot about patriarchy and male dominance. Every other story or article one reads about feminism points towards inequality created by the other gender.

We have used hashtags #womensupportingwomen #girlpower, posted black and white photos on social media supporting a drive towards supporting women. When I see, hear, observe the surrounding, the reality seems very different. Isn’t it true that the injustice women deal with as a daughter-in-law is more often created by either mother-in-law or the grandmother-in-law.

In the beginning, Vanya did everything to make their marriage work but communicating with Aditya was the same as walking on eggshells!

Vanya, the only child of her parents is married into an affluent family as she turns 24. She’s got everything to flaunt about, a handsome husband who was the most illegible bachelor once, in-laws who mark a stand in the society, a big house, pets and so many helping hands at every step. Her husband Aditya was well-read, well-travelled, had 4 elder sisters and understood ‘what women want’. Days passed by and in no time, she realised the reality was so different from what it looked like from the outside. 

Each conversation about a change wouldn’t go down well with him. He had never been argued with, he had never been corrected if he did wrong. His whole family did whatever he wanted and that became his whole way of living. He didn’t know the other way. He didn’t know to listen, to understand.

Obviously for Vanya, at first, this whole attitude of her husband was strange but like any other girl in newfound love, she was ready to address challenges, wanting to make this marriage beautiful for the both of them.

She looked within, corrected her ‘mistakes’, practised effective communication, therapy, counselling, reiki. Even after months of effort she still found communicating with Aditya the same as walking on eggshells.

Her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law saw Vanya’s vulnerability as an opportunity to have her under control!

Their family was very well aware of Vanya’s plight. Her mother-in-law saw it as an opportunity to have her under control. Her sisters-in-law never had empathy towards her. They would tell her to cook, clean, keep herself groomed, dressed to her best 24/7 to win his heart. She did everything just to spend one normal day as a ‘normal’ couple. Some days were lucky but some days that weren’t used to make her coming weeks worse. Thousands of apologies also couldn’t make it right and ‘normal’ again.

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She started losing confidence, she had no self-esteem left. She did not feel beautiful. She felt a big deal to even get out of her bed every morning, but of course, if she didn’t then that would have caused more damage. The ignorance and arrogance she received from the ‘women’ of the house shattered her soul completely.  In such situations, do women really support women?

Having given up on love, now she finds solace in expressing herself through writing!

Her parents on seeing her felt how the girl they raised to be a loving, empathic and positive person was no longer the same. Surviving each day is a challenge, facing arrogance, backlash, blame games etc.

She lived with the majority of women in the house but all they did was support Aditya’s actions and doings. When on one hand the Indian joint family system is preached about so much stating the support and care it comes with, Vanya received none of it. Aditya on getting applause and support over his anger and bad words never changed his attitude towards her.

Vanya, having given up on love, marriage and relationships that come with it, is on a journey to find her inner peace through her writing. Expressing herself on a blank paper which doesn’t judge or misunderstand her. For when she writes it’s only herself, her true emotions, her desires and her beliefs that are unbiasedly accepted.

Image source: Still from English Vinglish

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