Woman's Day Poem by Asit Kumar Sanyal

It was 8th of March
International woman's day
I was waiting outside the main gate
of Zakir Hussain College
for my daughter
A young college girl came at the gate
on a cycle rickswa
in black burkha
Got down, uncovered her face
And the fair, sweet girl
entered inside
talking to someone on a mobile phone.
Just after few minutes
A young boy in jeans and tee-shirt
arrived on a bike, stopped
Just near to me
And started waiting anxiously.
After a while
same sweet smiling girl came back
but not in black burkha …
in ultra-modern dress
faded foreign jeans
milk-white sleeveless top
high heel chappal
and short dishevelled hair
she straightway sat on the bike
behind him, in boys style
took him between her hands
and moved to their destination.
After a couple of minutes
My daughter came
I told her what I saw
She smiled … said, it's open secret papa
everyone in the college knows it
A Muslim girl comes from home
in up-to-date dress
But covered by a black burkha
in college she removes it
Keeps in locker
attends classes, enjoys inside college
goes out with boy friends
and while returns home
puts on her burkha again
I don't know the current status
of social, economic, cultural
and political achievements of women
in Indian sub-continent
but standing on the college gate
I witnessed the freedom of women
though it's achieved stealthily.