"C"URTAIN CURTAILS!!

A wooden stage with green curtains reminds me of my school and college days. When I used to be a part of the performance, I would either sit in the Wings to wait for my chance to appear on the stage or move steadily behind the curtains back-stage to crossover to the other Wing. I used to eagerly wait for the curtains to open, enact my piece and appreciate the applause from other students and my teachers. If I were a part of the audience, I would try to identify my friends moving hurriedly behind the curtains to appear timely for their act. It used to end with a final bow or a walk down to be precise.

As the blinds unwrapped from the live life stage, the associations to ‘Curtain’ augmented for me.

“Oh! I was always put behind a curtain and wasn’t allowed to go to the school”, complained my octogenarian granny.

“Before coming of age, I was married and put behind a new curtain: the veil”, she muttered.

“I was put behind a curtain when I menstruated for the first time”, she sounded sheepish.

“Moreover, I don’t know what’s behind the purdah that clouds the outer free world from me. I only know the household chores and am forced to blanket my thoughts to myself”, she whimpered.

On listening to her, I felt that the modern women are still trying to tear apart the curtain of glass ceiling at home and work. But the ladder steps are still to be climbed midst the hissing snakes.

During such conversations with my grandmother, my grandfather would always be engrossed in newspaper appearing indifferent. However, I believe it was just a way to shield his emotions from reaching us per-se the unsaid rule of manliness.

Courtesy : Google Images

As I grew older, I was taught and constantly reminded to drape my moments of weakness in the facade of tough stance too.

I feel due to this blind faith in the religion of pushing things under the wraps, people are directionless and in need of guidance. For instance, the riots take place frequently in which innumerable people participate with weapons and many die. I feel sorry since most of them are clueless when asked about the rationale behind their voluntary participation in barbarity. The perpetrators and the strategists are concealed behind the safe curtains of their luxurious apartments while the gullible common man burns to ashes.

To add, when the Government and the Central Bank were busy keeping the new policies under the wraps and my mum was busy saving her hard-earned money under the covers, the ultra-rich were busy siphoning off the black money of so many out of the country.

Before, I rest my itchy fingers, I would like to raise the curtain on my final thoughts. Everything under the covers is fascinating. But chances can’t be ruled out of it being fishy or horrendous. I think it is up to us whether to pull the curtains into oblivion or unshroud them to breath in transparency.

This is my 3rd post in series for #AtoZChallenge.