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moved to Jind so my wife can be closer to her parents. I am also pursuing a degree in law, after which I will fight my wife’s case myself as I cannot afford any more legal fees, and neither do I trust other lawyers.
We are fortunate that my parents have given their blessings to what we know will be a long and hard battle for justice. It is not possible, in these parts, to do such a thing without your parents’ permission. Their support has also helped us in the eyes of the villagers, most of whom have been on good terms with my parents for years. In fact, before the wedding, the entire panchayat came out in support of my decision to take up my wife’s fight for justice.
At my suggestion, my wife is now also studying law. I have made plans to move our family soon to Chandigarh, where we will practice law together and provide women from rural India access to the legal machinery. We also have a twoyear-old son, who we will enrol in a private school in Chandigarh, away from Haryana’s vicious patriarchy and rape culture, which continues to destroy the lives of women. But we have hope that one day, soon, there will be a huge shift in the situation. Like urban India has got its #Metoo movement, we hope that things will start changing for women in the villages too. My wife and I are doing our best. We hope we can bring change.