Education for Indian Women isn’t Enough: Courage to Give Society the Middle Finger is Necessary

 

💪 Women Should Earn — Not Just for Currency, But for Confidence

There’s nothing that gives us more security than the money we earn — no matter how little.

• Father’s money? ❌
• Husband’s money? ❌
• Son’s money? ❌
• Own money? ✅

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👰 Ridhanya’s Story — A Reflection of Many

Ridhanya was married off to a rich man because her parents believed she would “live well.” But did she even survive?

When she went back to her parents after suffering abuse, they sent her right back — telling her to adjust and endure.

Helpless. Abandoned. Despondent.
Indian society was poised to judge her if she walked out.

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🎓 Education Isn’t the Problem — Lack of Courage Is

Here’s the truth:
Ridhanya was educated.
She could’ve found a job and rebuilt her life.

But the problem here isn’t education or lack of opportunities for Indian women.
The real problem?
The absence of courage — even with education and opportunities.

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⚠️ Society’s Dangerous Standards for Women

Indian society still glorifies timid, meek, and docile women—the ones who are afraid to defy outdated, patriarchal rules set by people long gone:

• “Husband is everything.”
• “Live as one woman for one man.”
• “Divorce is a sin.”
• “Whether your husband is good or bad—life and death should be with him.”

It’s no surprise—Ridhanya took her life.
Not because she feared living alone.
She feared society

.

Culture is peer pressure from the grave.

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🧠 Education Alone Isn’t Enough—Courage Is Crucial

Yes—there was abuse by her husband and in-laws for dowry.
Yes—her parents said, “That’s your home now. Bear it. Preserve family honor.”

But remember this:
Marriage failure and unsupportive parents are not the end of the road.

Many women who died because of dowry abuse were educated—yet lacked courage. They were trapped by toxic femininity.

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🚫 Break the Chains of ‘Achcham’

The first pillar of womanhood in Tamil literally means:
“Fear, skittishness, and holding back” — Achcham.

Strong, defiant women are often disliked. But hear this clearly:

👉 Choose life over being liked.
👉 Learn to like being disliked.

Yes—people will dislike you when you challenge their control.

But your life matters.
YOU matter.

If others dislike how you live, that’s their problem. Their pettiness. Their need to feel superior through narrow, suffocating mindsets.

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🔥 Final Words: Break the Rules That Kill

Education for women is pointless without courage.

Break the rules of “womanliness” that literally kill women.

Break free—from abuse, from control, from toxic expectations.

It won’t be easy. But ask yourself:

• Is enduring abuse easier?
• Is losing self-respect tolerable?
• Is satisfying society worth your life?

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Your life matters more than society’s approval. Always.

 

Written by Hema Krishnan