The Two Indias Within Us

One India builds space missions, celebrates women scientists, Army officers, CEOs. Yet in another, quieter India, a daughter-in-law is barred from the puja room during her period. A girl who tops her exams still serves tea to guests, her ambitions folded behind polite smiles.

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You probably saw the videos—young women officers from the National Defence Academy marching shoulder to shoulder with men. Pride swelled, didn't it? WhatsApp lit up: "Betiyaan kisi se kam nahin", tricolour emojis, applause everywhere.

But between forwarding that clip and settling in for the evening, another feeling crept in—one harder to name. Maybe your daughter mentioned her friend is in a live-in relationship. Maybe the neighbour whispered about the unmarried girl next door being pregnant. Suddenly, all that pride about breaking boundaries felt distant, replaced by something heavier—a quiet worry, a discomfort that tradition might be slipping away.

This isn't someone else's dilemma—it's ours. It lives within us.

Our sages spoke of this inner war long before we called it 'progress versus tradition.' In the Kathopanishad, young Nachiketa stands before Yama, Lord of Death, who offers the boy two paths—Shreya and Preya. One is the harder, higher truth. The other feels safe, but keeps the soul small.

Every generation walks this fork. And today, it is at our doorstep.