Blog : Don’t Judge a person by the Books He/She Reads
I was traveling on the local train this Friday when something quite startling happened to me. I had to travel approximately 30 minutes to my destination. Since the train was not crowded, I took a book from my bag and started reading. About ten minutes later, an elderly woman sitting next to me leaned over and asked me to close the book out of concern. When she made this request, I looked up from my book and noticed a few people glancing at me and judging me based on what I was reading.
The book I was reading is a tamil book named, "Sivappu Vilakku Erikkirathu", translates to "The Red Light Is On" in English. The cover of the book only had text and no images. Despite this, people around me began to judge me for the genre of the book.
This book explores the life of a prostitute, detailing how they are trafficked, and tortured, and the challenges they face. It describes the reactions of the police when they attempt to escape, the punishments they endure, and the immense suffering they experience. The book provides a vivid account of the deep pain they go through.
But without knowing anything about the book or the context, the people around me—especially the men—began to look at me with disdain.
The most painful part was hearing a man, who looked to be around 50 years old, mutter, "Women read these kinds of books and then we think they’re enticing men, suggesting they’re available for s*x. That’s why rapes happen."
When I started to question him, no one supported me except the old lady. She said it was the misfortune of every woman and that we can't do much except to move away and stay aware.
A similar incident happened four years ago when I was reading the book "Daughters of the Brothel" by Deepak Yadav. The cover featured a faded, blurry image of trafficked minor girls in cages. On seeing me reading that book one of my cousin brother, who visited my home, told my dad in an extremely sarcastic tone, "Look at what your daughter is reading."
It shook me to the core.
When I reached home, I explained everything to my dad. He was very disturbed by what had happened and suggested that I should cover the book with a plain book sleeve in the future and try not to travel alone when possible.
Why are you judging my read? Who are you to do that? Who gave you the right?
These questions are for the people who are extremely poor in their minds.
How terrible it is that people are pushing women back to the Stone Age. It’s disheartening to see that even in 2024 and 2025, some people are reactionary, hindering India’s progress under the guise of tradition and outdated mindsets.
Such a painful day that was.
(If you want a full-length review of those books, please comment below).
#BlogchatterHalfMarathon 2024
This post is a part of Blogchatter Half Marathon 2024
Hey! Loved your choice of books and this post. I would love to read these two books and review them. Of course, Sivappu vellakku...if it is in Tamil, I would take ages to finish it. The other one, I am planning to get a copy.
ReplyDeleteYes, women, especially are judged on what books they read, similar to how they dress etc. I am bringing up my daughter to question norms, be fearless and be honest. Let's hope for a new era. Happy reading!
Yes, I the way people stare still haunts me. It is not vanishing over a week.
Deletethank you for sharing this experience preetha. women need to come forward and share these experiences more often to make the society look in the mirror. I hope you write the post in tamil as well as it will have a different connotations for Tamil speaking & reading people.
ReplyDeleteIt's heartbreaking to read about the judgment and stigma you faced for simply choosing a book to read. Women are often unfairly policed for their choices, and the societal pressure to conform to outdated norms is overwhelming. Keep reading, questioning, and challenging those narrow perspectives.
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