Pink Sarees and Bamboo Sticks by Malini Lakshmi Bai

Written by Malini Lakshmi Bai

Pink Sarees and Bamboo Sticks by Malini Lakshmi Bai

It happened late Friday night. That evening, nobody in the village suspected anything. My sister and I went to the temple with our mom; my father went to the local tea stall to meet his friend, Laal Babu.

I was unpacking the prasad that we brought back from the temple.

“I can hear someone screaming in pain,” whispered my sister to me. “Gangadhar must have been drunk again and torturing his poor wife, Sonam.”

My family lived in a small village in the Banda district of Uttar Pradesh. A loud and painful cry could be heard: the woman seemed to be suffering. Apparently, it was not the first time. It was a truly devastating experience. I was wondering when we can put an end to it.

Mom and I ran outside and we saw what happened that night. Gangadhar lost his temper and pulled Sonam’s hair. He dragged her out of his house and left her bleeding on the street.

“You are no longer my wife! Go back to your mother’s house and never come back here!” yelled Gangadhar to Sonam.

He slammed the door and went back inside with his new mistress. Poor Sonam was badly injured and bleeding. The whole village witnessed the incident on that night.

Sonam was rescued by the village women and she was given shelter by Savitri Bai. Savitri Bai was no other than the daughter of the village chief. A wonderful looking youthful lady who often can be seen in a pink saree and was well-known for her courage and confidence.

The next morning, Savitri Bai and a group of women in pink sarees and bamboo sticks in their hands gathered outside of Gangadhar’s house.

“Shameless man! Come out now!” yelled the women in anger.

Gangadhar was shocked to see the ‘Pink Gang’ out of his home. His mistress was anxious and tried to escape through the backdoor but fizzled. She was stopped and caught by a few of the members of the gang.

The ‘Pink Gang’ was a group of ladies from the town who battled different shapes of social injustice like domestic and sexual abuses. The individuals wore pink sarees and armed themselves with bamboo sticks, which they utilised at whatever point they came up against violent resistance.

Later, they successfully caught both of the culprits. They gave the rogue and his mistress a sound whipping. Both Gangadhar and his mistress were dragged on the street and they were chased away from the village.