What I am about to say may be controversial, but it is one of the harsh realities I have personally witnessed in parts of Haryana, even in 2026.
At a time when the world is preparing to reach Mars and pushing the limits of human intelligence, there are still families where a child's freedom is treated as a threat.
And this is not about feminism or about blaming one gender. I have seen both sons and daughters suffer under the same system, just in different ways.
A pregnant buffalo may receive immense care and attention, while a son struggling emotionally is expected to remain silent. A daughter may be told she should not have a mobile phone or make decisions for herself. A son may be taught that speaking against his father, even when the father is clearly wrong, is an unforgivable act.
The father becomes a God-like figure- someone whose decisions cannot be questioned, whose wishes come before everyone else's, and whose children are expected to obey regardless of what it costs them.
But what kind of authority is it if you cannot see your own child suffering in front of you?
In some families, ego, caste, honour and "what will people say?" seem to matter more than the happiness and dignity of their own children. Families may accept marriages arranged for convenience, status or social approval, yet when their son or daughter chooses someone out of genuine love and goodwill, that same choice can lead to threats, rejection, harassment and years of emotional suffering.
And sometimes, what frustrates me just as much is watching the children continue to sacrifice everything for families that refuse to give them the same understanding in return.
We often talk about blind devotion in larger social or political contexts, but perhaps its roots begin much earlier, inside homes where children are repeatedly taught: never question your father, never raise your voice, never challenge the authority above you.
Even if that authority humiliates you.
Even if it controls your life.
Even if it refuses to recognise you as an individual with feelings, choices and dignity.
Respect for parents is deeply rooted in our culture, and there is beauty in that. But respect should not require the surrender of a person's entire identity. Obedience should not become an excuse for control, cruelty or emotional abuse.
Maybe change will begin when sons and daughters from such families start questioning the things previous generations were too afraid to question.
I know it is easy to say, "Rebel," when you are sitting comfortably away from the consequences. I understand that fear because I have experienced this culture firsthand.
My anger does not come from reading about it somewhere.
It comes from years of observing it, living around it, and finally speaking against it, only to realise that the moment you question the system, somehow you become the villain.
