Case of Kathputlis

(Reference- Kathputlis: Indian handmade puppets)

They say you must dance and make them all laugh,

They say not to look when they can look on your behalf.

 

They say you must smile and parade your clothes with colour,

They say, be quiet, sit still, for the world is not yours to discover.

 

You are a Kathputli and must act like one for every stranger’s eyes,

You are a craft and after every act, you mustn’t forget your goodbyes. 

 

One day she came and adorned me with her own doll’s clothes. 

She didn’t have to but still treated me like a sister… I suppose. 

 

She was filled with charm and in her dreams, I saw ecstasy.

Every day, she ranted of her school friends and silly woes breathlessly.

 

After her father used me to earn his family's weekly wage,

I became her regimen and she became the window of my cage. 

 

Some days, I would dance for her with my own choreography,

I had her and for a singular magical moment, she had me. 

 

Then, she was adorned with real jewels and gold of some sort.

When she asked why her father looked away with a snort.

 

The next day I didn’t see her but earnestly waited for her voice. 

I asked myself - Did she leave me? Was this her choice?

 

After my strings being pulled for anyone with a dollar,

The daily audience slowly started getting smaller.

 

Years went by and my wood was now worn out,

My home became the attic where there was a complete blackout. 

 

When I had lost my sight and strings, I heard the crack of a door,

She was here, finally here, when she gently lifted me off the floor.

 

I saw a skeleton of dreams and black around her face, 

For the first time, I was a puppet as she pulled me in for an embrace.

 

As I saw her broken smile, I quietly fell on her briefcase, 

And wondered if this was the Kathputli who had taken my place. 

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Did you know?

India has the highest number of child brides in the world with approximately 1.5 million girls being married before the age of 18 every year.

https://www.unicef.org/india/what-we-do/end-child-marriage

NGOs you can support:

https://16days.thepixelproject.net/16-organisations-working-to-stop-child-marriage/