Freedom Arrives In Jail

Hi Guys how was your weekend? Hope it was good. Well guess what, the 71st bday party went very well. Pics will come in the next post or so, cos I really want to share the following true story with you first.

I watched this FANTASTIC (chilling!) movie PROVOKED (click on link to find out more) on Friday night. It's a very sad yet totally gripping true story of a Punjabi woman named Kiranjit Ahluwalia from London. It is an English movie (very little Hindi with subs) starring Aishwarya Rai, doing a fantastic job with her role as Kiranjit, and Navin Andrews acting as Kiranjit's husband Deepak Ahluwalia. A brief intro to the movie: Kiranjit is a simple, traditional girl from Punjab who is married off to an NRI Deepak Ahluwalia. Post-marriage she moves to London with her husband, and sadly she becomes a victim of domestic violence from Deepak. She becomes a mother of 2 young boys, her husband continues to treat her as if she's nothing, beats her black and blue over the 10yrs they were together, drinks heavily, carries on affairs with other women, comes home and abuses, beats and rapes Kiranjit. Yes the movie had some scenes that had tears of extreme shock and compassion rolling down my face. Which sane woman would go through that kind of treatement from her own husband and that too in the 1980s? For someone like Kiranijit, reputation mattered more than her freedom, so she hid all her problems with Deepak in her 'cultural' attic and pretended nothing was wrong. But one fateful night in May 1989, Kiran is pushed beyond her limits and gets 'provoked' to an extent that Deepak ends up paying the heaviest price ever...she sets him on fire while he was sleeping, and yes he loses his life as a result of severe burns. The rest of Kiran's life of which 3yrs was spent in jail is ironically where she found TRUE FREEDOM. Freedom from a man who wrecked her life and tortured her self worth every single day. The trust she placed on this man when she got married was just a faraway dream...the matrimonial pledges he uttered was a mere mockery. So one day Kiranjit just snapped out of all the lies she was living in and acted upon an emotion that got pushed beyond it's limits...and that emotion was her self-worth. The courtroom scenes are a must-watch with good concentration as this was the case that redefined the legal definition of 'provocation' in the British law. Provoked is the kind of movie that keeps you intrigued and makes you watch it to the end. It's a story of a real woman, a real wife, a real mother and real HOPE. Get and watch it if you can (pics above are scenes from the movie).

This is a pic of real-life Kiranjit and her late husband Deepak Ahluwalia. Those smiles were hiding alot of guilt, pain and suffering. What I'm trying to say is, if you are not being treated as you should be, by anyone out there (be it your husband, wife, partner, friend, colleague, parent etc), please don't try to protect a 'reputation' that'll probably swallow your 'freedom' altogether. Reputation is great yes, but not at the cost of your self-respect, freedom and life. If your conscience is telling you that something is not right, then something is indeed wrong. Status, shame, culture, duties...nothing should limit you as a person and strip your Right to be who you are. Wake up before it's too late. Kiranjit took an extreme step but it doesn't have to end that tragically. Both Kiran and Deepak could have gotten help but perhaps it was not meant to be that way. Sadly her power was limited to take necessary and proper action before it got too drastic. But it doesn't have to be this way for every physically, emotionally or sexually battered woman(/man). If you take necessary actions as it happens and before it goes too far, you can avoid dire consequences and deep regrets. Getting professional help is not a shame...protecting a violent person at the cost of your self-worth is the real shame. If you want to, please read my previous post on Domestic Violence, at Dial Confide Survive. I helped 2 real people after that post and they are doing very well now. Live life the way you want, not the way others or your culture wants you to. Cos others or your culture isnt going to save you when things go totally out of hand. So take prompt and proper action if you or someone else is in an abusive relationship. Don't wait til it's too late to fix anything, like how it was for both Kiranjit and Deepak. (this last pic is of Kiranjit with actress Aishwarya Rai at this movie's premiere in April 2007).

Questions for you:

1. If you were in Kiranjit's shoes (whether you're a man or a woman) what would you have done at the hands of a violent spouse like Deepak?
2. In your own opinion (keeping in mind the torture Kiranjit went through and the kind of innocent woman she was), did Kiranjit do the right/wrong thing and why?

And the Flying Kissee of the day is.....

The very beautiful, ever-elegant, sweet and smart babe Cinderella! She's one girl I can't get out of my head...no I'm not turning les :), but this girl is such a brainiac-n-beauty all in one. Every smart Indian woman reminds me of her...every beautiful Hindi song reminds me of her...every gorgeous shalwar reminds me her...every sparkling Jimki earring reminds me of her...every heart-warming smile reminds me of her aura...everyday I think of her beauty and wisdom. She's a strong presence in my life, and although we've never really met, I can feel her strong character, love and genuine friendship across the miles. She's one in a zillion I tell ya...she's hot, she's a darling, she's full of wisdom and tons of oomph, she's just IT. I chose this pic of her's cos I really love her smile and attire in it. It's just so natural and straight from the heart. MWACKKKZ my dear friend, you have just been smooched by Keshi! Dija feel it? ;-). I did this flying kiss photo of mine just yesterday...we were going to the Hindu temple and I thought, wow this is a good outfit to give a flying kiss to my beautiful Indian friend, so I did it hehe. You like it? Well it's especially for ya! I chose this song especially for you too...since you love old Hindi songs and this is also one of my fav fav fav Hindi oldies (and lastly it goes well with this post too)...I hope you like it sweetz. btw I knew this song for a very long time but didn't see the movie until very recently and I watched it on a flight on my way to Sydney from Auckland. And I was crying, much to the cabin crew's amusement :). Enjoy it hun it's your day!

International Women's Day (IWD) is marked on March 8 every year, so HAPPY WOMEN'S DAY to all the ladies here from around the globe!

Current Music: Ay Mere Humsafar from the Hindi movie Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak