I come from a land where a girl is first a prayer
And then a burden,
Where she is dressed like a goddess during festivals
And buried like a mistake before she learns her
name.
A land that chants Shakti with folded hands
And teaches its daughters to walk faster once the sky
darkens.
Seven in the evening is not a time here-
It is a warning.
I come from a land where we bow before stone idols
of women
While real women clutch their keys between their
fingers like weapons.
Where safety is not a right but a rumor.
Where parents raise sons to conquer the world
And daughters to survive it.
I come from a land where merit is romanticized in
speeches
And murdered in practice.
Where talent waits in queues
While surnames walk through back doors.
Where your caste is inherited more carefully than
your values,
Where centuries-old filth still decides who deserves
to sit in the front row
And who must remain grateful for crumbs.
Equality is written in ink,
But discrimination is carved into bone.
I come from a land where religion was once poetry
And is now a weapon sharpened by politicians.
Where faith no longer saves souls
But collects votes.
Where gods are dragged into debates
And humanity is thrown out of the room.
Where one man worships the cow with tears in his
eyes
And another slits its throat in silence,
And both believe they are righteous.
Hypocrisy here does not hide,
It marches proudly.