Rosewater Women

July 25, 2019

 

 

The Hindi word Dalit can be translated as
divided, split, broken, scattered…
like a handful of rose petals flung into
sugared water to flavour gulab jamun
soft, delectable, melt in the mouth
dumplings…
but there is nothing soft or sweet
about the furious jangle of a
thousand bare feet pounding the
earth as a rose pink army
advances – undivided –
ready to break and split
and scatter –
brandishing lathis like swords,
seeking retribution with bamboo
sticks – shaming the cruel husband,
the rapist, the murderer, the thief,
the wife beater, the bully –
(unafraid to thrash a culprit black
and blue)
bringing the gulabi fragrance
(of whole and perfect roses)
into unsugared lives…

 

 

The Gulabi (Pink) Gang is a group of Indian women activists who wear bright pink saris and wield sticks. They’re…unified by one aim: the struggle against discrimination and violence.
The group first appeared in Banda district, Uttar Pradesh, as a response to widespread domestic abuse and other violence against women. This district has an abundant Dalit (Untouchable) population. Dalit women are at the bottom of both caste and gender hierarchies. (Wikipedia)

 

 

 

Anita Patel

Anita Patel is a Canberra writer. Her two collections of poetry are: Petals Fall (Recent Work Press, 2022) and A Common Garment (Recent Work Press, 2019). Her work also appears in publications such as: Cha: An Asian Literary Journal, Mascara Literary Review, Cordite Poetry Review, Plumwood Mountain Journal and Australian Poetry Anthology Vol. 8. Her poetry was published in Australian Book Review’s States of Poetry ACT, 2018.

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