SNIGDHA AGRAWAL

 

 

Unapologetically Me

 

I am not the woman…

you wrote into your scripts,

the one who bends

under the weight of duty,

Whose worth is measured

in serving curated, warm meals

I simmer with spices of my own choosing.

 

Mother, they say…

must be soft, selfless, saintly,

but I dream of more than raising kids,

I nurture ideas that refuse to sit still,

I purge out my thoughts with my quill

and do not apologise for being me

outspoken when need be

 

Grandmother, they whisper

must bless, not rebel

But I bless through laughter

that breaks the silence,

I hand down courage, humour,

instead of recipes,

 

‘Saas’, they warn…

must guard tradition’s gate,

but I open it wide for fresh air to enter,

for love to breathe, without conditions,

for the old and new to seamlessly blend

 

‘Bahu’, they judge…

must bow, must blend, must please,

but I bow only to wisdom,

blend only with integrity,

and please myself without guilt.

They call it defiance

I call it living.

 

Of course, I follow traditions,

but trimmed to my fit.

I light diyas and debate politics,

wrap sarees and step out in denims,

dance to old bhajans and bold jazz

I am not a contradiction,

I am continuum.

 

Let them call me too loud, too free,

too much to deal with

I am the echo of all silenced women,

the storm their silence birthed,

Unapologetically, Gloriously,

me.

 

**Saas –mother-in-law

**Bahu-daughter-in-law

©Snigdha Agrawal.

 

She Has Arrived

 

And if you thought

She was merely a vessel

a production line to keep the dynasty alive

it’s time to unlearn that thought.

She has arrived,

in her new avatar

no longer confined

by custom or command.

Now, she decides.

Of her body, her choices, her time.

When to birth,

whether to birth,

or to choose altogether another path.

Unshaken by whispers,

unmoved by demands of kith or kin,

She stands firm

unapologetic, unafraid,

the author of her own life.

©Snigdha Agrawal

 

SNIGDHA AGRAWAL

 

SNIGDHA AGRAWAL (née Banerjee) brings over two decades of corporate experience to her multifaceted writing career. A versatile author, she writes across genres, including poetry, short stories, prose, and travelogues. Raised in a cosmopolitan environment and educated in a convent school and college run by Irish nuns, she blends Eastern depth with Western sensibility in her work. She is the author of five published books, spanning poetry and short fiction. Her most recent release, Fragments of Time, a deeply personal memoir, is available worldwide on Amazon. Her writings have appeared in numerous domestic and international anthologies and literary journals. In recognition of her poetic craft, she was recently nominated for the 2024 Pushcart Prize. Now in her seventies, Snigdha’s passion for writing and travel remains as vibrant as ever.