The unfamous sister of Krishna

Many among us are aware of the dear friend of Krishna : Draupadi.
Fate played in all ways with her , she never had the pleasure of childhood nor did she know what a father's love is. She was the dear princess of Panchala but yet was bereft of all happinesses that even a girl from a family of middle class deserves.

To alleviate someone she had to forsake her own respect, she had to pierce her heart into five pieces and share it with five brothers yet she was the faultless empress of India. Men from then added what they liked into her story of perseverance and got the desired result,they told she laughed at Duryodhan , she humiliated him in the palace of illusions but they hardly have an evidence for this. But,continues the tale of this lady of five brothers. Perhaps , no history of any country but India accounts the story of a woman who was publicly stripped for no good reasons. This scenario represented the collective deceit of that time , it unfolded to the coming generations the  ill-fate of women of a once-upon-a-time-India.

Lets remember what happened with her that day , she was resting in the backyards of the palace when she was in her menses not before her spouse's brother had raged to drag her to the assembly by her hair. Every wall of the palace wept helplessly at her unelated outcry. She desperately tried hiding her body-parts from the lords of the assembly. There were still some eyes hungry of her faultless body. She was dragged and knelt by the irreligious Duhshasan. She was flabbergasted by the silence of the great men of the Kuru house. Everyone was bound to the orders of Duryodhan for some futile reasons. They had to be a mute audience to the injustice staged by Duryodhan and his evil company. Draupadi questioned the famed magnanimity of the Kurus  but she barely received a reply of justification from the elders of the house. The Kurus themselves started calling her names , the one whom we deem as an epitome of Dharma :Mr. Karna had pronounced her to be a courtesan ! He furthered added , "No difference shines if such a slut is beautified or stripped" , this received an applause from the crowd of the evil-Kurus.

Duhshasan at the orders of his brother set up to uncover Draupadi with her menses-clad clothes. No one still questioned , not even her brave husbands or the old Bhishma.
Vidura, a small beacon of justice which tried to set ablaze the injustice of this royal household too was put out. No question arose. Bhishma,Drona,Kripa,Vidura,Dhritarashtra were mute to this uncivilized act.
Not just Draupadi was disrobed , the Dharma sported by this land with pride was pinned down , culture was reduced to just a word , feminity was outcasted from the books of religion. When Duhshasan touched the loose-end of her robes , Dharma had no room in the heart of this land. It was deserted by piety , no norms of society wafted in that palace that presented to us this land.

Long ago when saints and hermits walked on this land too , women were ill-treated. How would we then,contextualise the safety of women today ? Untill man becomes characterless , women will not become characterless. When shall we put a full-stop to these atrocities ? Are we still to remain cynic to these injustices heaped on women by sentencing women to be safe from their side ? Should we advise them to not walk on streets midnight and give away culprits the chance to exploit them as and when found ? Isn't it a time to be shameful ?

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