निर्भया

In a culture described as ‘punctuated by question marks’, what is the role of women? Is she a meal ticket? A punching bag? A caretaker for old parents, offspring etc.? A business deal maker? The working partner ? The third wheel? Or a person in her own right-holding on to her space, her identity while countering intimidation? Kusum Choppra’s hitherto untold stories, tongue-in-cheek or serious, offer insights into the functioning of women’s minds: Of different approaches to life after a divorce; Of the greedy exploitation of the widows of Kargil’s martyrs; Of a sister fighting for inheritance to protect her mother from her brother; Of a burnt bride fighting her way back-to life and emotional freedom; Of a simple village woman protecting her aged in-laws from the greed of her husband and his new wife; Of widows grasping at their slices of life. And why not? Of a challenge to Pati Parmeshwar’s right to select surrogates! The stories are of women surviving their ordeals to move on in life.