Do women need to navigate spaces? Often the personifying adjectives used for the traditional women in India and Pakistan are 'adjusting and accommodating.' Through centuries, by means of traditions, legends, myths, superstitions proverbs, folk lore, role models and advice given by mothers to daughters, the pressure on women to conform has been strong and consistent, insidious and deadly in its motivational indoctrination. These are the stories of eighteen strong women who daily fight the suffocation of conformity. These are the stories of winners. These are not winners in the conventional sense of the word, in the sense they don't instigate a revolution or make a difference to the social milieu. But these are fighters of their circumstances, brave in their refusal to accept conventional limitations, determined in their decision to carve their futures, and courageous in their acceptance of the consequences. For them every day is a challenge; for everyday relationships and expectations conspire to erode their dignity and identity. Every day the space in their homes, hearts, souls and bodies is being encroached upon. Yet rooted in their cultural milieu, they make their choices, fight for it and succeed, all within the social framework. That perhaps is their greatest strength. They don't destroy existing frameworks because their identities don't fit within it. Within those constraining frameworks they, for a moment or for lifetime, take control of their lives Within the given parameters they strategise to make space for themselves. That speaks volumes for their courage.
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