Actress Kalki Koechlin, has recently penned down an essay as part of a collection, which includes some exceptional and eminent public figures like Nobel Laureates, best selling authors, musicians, actors and activists etc, who have reflected on the relevance of Shakespeare in the present scenario.
The collection is part of a year long programme marking the 400th death anniversary of the literary genius that Shakespeare was. In her essay, 'A Document in Madness: Do Indian Women Mirror Ophelia?', Kalki makes an attempt to analyse the condition and place of women in India int he present times. In the process of doing so, she finds a news perspective on gender imbalance through one of the most remembered heroines of Shakespeare, Ophelia from the play Hamlet.
Kalki begins the essay with a personal anecdote, thus writing:
"When I decided to leave my husband three years ago, the biggest question was not whether I was doing the right thing or how I would cope emotionally, but where was I going to live? For a divorced, single, female actor, finding a place to rent in Mumbai is not easy. Chatura Rao summed it up when she wrote in her blog The Ladies Finger:
‘In Mumbai, your religion and marital status are scrutinised by the pillars of authority in housing society committees, and it’s a test that takes sweet talk, begging and sometimes a white lie or two, to pass.’1
And so I quickly learnt how to expertly answer, with my head turned down, and my eyes to the ground. Who is the head of the family? My father, but he’s busy on business. Who was I going to live with? My mother, but my brother would visit regularly. You will not have boys over, or parties. No sir.
My story is a small example of the confusing pressure Indian women face in today’s patriarchal surroundings. On the one hand she must appear pure and pious, while on the other she finds ways to be independent and liberate herself from her patriarchal cage..." (Read the full essay here)
Kalki took to her Facebook page and shared a link of her essay alongwith a teaser:
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