i s h t a r r i a........

While avidly engaged in maintaining their commanding manly posture in the social, cultural and domestic arenas, our society’s stronger sex usually tended to submerge the feelings of the heart, and behaved with reserve rather than with open intimacy towards their other halves. Demonstrations of love and the public display of emotions were disagreeable to the older generations. Affection and tenderness were believed to soften the heart and weaken the whip hand, undermining thereby the social standing of men and imperilling their pre-eminence in the household as well as inviting scorn from their own gender for being less manly. Though conventionally married, my parents turned out, however, to be great lovers. Two lovebirds, whom I hardly ever saw fighting or even upset or angry at each other throughout a whole life together. Mum was an adolescent of only sixteen when she was given in marriage. This was not unusual at the time. Marriage suitors, in fact, were never keen about females beyon...