I am a woman first!

I was flummoxed, not at her questions but at my answers. She was pursuing some course in the field of Defense and International Relations. I was a quintessential Indian who spends most of her life talking about Constitutional Rights and blaming the politicians for all the problems ranging from corruption to the traffic jams.

I couldn’t gulp the roti anymore. The vehicles on the road were making it even tougher for me to comprehend the questions she posed me. She rode her bike as effortlessly as ever. Though I was the pillion rider I felt as if I was in the driver's seat. I stuffed the roti back in the paper wrap and decided to decipher the answers.

Now what were the questions like..She had asked me if I was to prioritize my identity what order would it be like.. Am I a Hindu first or a woman? Like a bolt of lightning the answer jolted me. I am a woman first! My mind screamed.

I am a woman even before being an Indian or a Hindu. I still remember those glowering eyes. Mumbai was abused by two sects. I was one of the many Mumbaikars who never pondered over their identity like these people running around with swords..some bearded, others with a saffron scarf protecting their necks.

But they had one thing in common. They were moving in mobs, those glowering eyes peering at me. Those eyes, I am sure were not interested in unraveling my religious identity.

The city was fractured and immobile. It was my longest journey from work to home in Mumbai. End of the day when I reached home safely I realized I was a woman first..