Mahotu

Mahotu is a title story of National Award Winning story collection written by Raam Mori . Web film is directed by Vijaygiri Bava.  

Mahotu  is the reflection of women's life. The story has two different perspective on same situation.  It depends on us how to deal with it. Being women it  is not compulsory to suffer throughout the life.  Women must understand the hegemony and break their silence for their welfare.  No matter what is the age of women, she has to suffer until she can't raise voice against violence and unjust.  

Till death the condition of women remain same under the male dominant  society. All women are victim of patriarchal system of society. Here, we have the story of Bhavu who also the victim of domestic violence. Her father doesn't save her from the scared situation then where she goes ?  Mother can't do anything. She can't resist the things which is going on surrounding her. She doesn't want let her go anywhere but she is immobilized under the rule of patriarchal society. Bhavu's father says to her "ત્યાં મરી જજે પણ પછી ન આવતી!"

Other women  gives the suggestion to Bhavu to be strong and bear all suffering without confrontation. They said to Bhavu that...

"સ્ત્રીનો અવતાર છે બેન. આપણને દુઃખ ન પડે તો કોને પડે ? કાલ સવારે જણા આવશે ને તો  ઘી ના ઠામમાં ઘી પડી જશે? ભાવુડી તારે તો હારું સે. અમાર સજનબા જેવું તો નથ. એના જેવું હોત તો સીધી કુવે પડત તુ ! સહન કરતા શીખ ભાવુ. ગમે એમ તોય એ આપણો માણા0 સે. એ નો મારે તો હુ પાડોશી મારવા આવે?" 

How terrible mindset is ! From above sentences, it seems like  being a women itself the cruse to live life. Who gives the right to men to manipulate women ? How far women have to bear ? How far such sentences appeal to live life ? Is only women object ? What about the dreams and free will of her own life? Why women are so conditioning to believe such ordeal during their life time ? Why women are so habituated to bear all these pain and suffering from childhood? Why they never think about their free life or life without man ? 

In our culture, from the childhood girls are brought up with various social, cultural and moral values which all are decided by men for women. In patriarchal society men gives the identity to women so women have to follow the rules and regulation.  If anybody do not follow the rules and regulation, she will be considered as bad or Asanskari. But What about her life, her happiness, her desire and the most significantly  her emotions and feelings ? Father cancelled his younger daughter's education. Bhavu doesn't want to go back then even her father forcefully sent her to the  in law's house instead of saving her or support her from such horrified condition.  

Many women lost their life under the same suffering as Bhavu's mother describes the symbolic representation of her Mother in-law's condition. Why she become silent ? Why she constantly speaking when phone is ringing. Until when she is speaking ?

 The answer is 'જીવે ત્યાં લગણ.' The answer is more awful and also affect the mental state. Her Mother-in-law also doesn't able to save Vsant - her daughter's life. Now, grandmother has remorse that she can't understand the condition of her daughter and her daughter is burnt alive or killed. Same suffering and Pain remain from the side of Harsha's mother saying that ...she is more horrified such phone calls.  There is nobody who can understand the situation. Whole life of women spend under the threat. 

There is another female character who is vendor  and considered as "Mahotu" or shit. She becomes the friend. It is the moment  when she looks like happy when vendor comes and remove the loneliness from her heart. 

At the surface level it seems that the crisis about the upper class and  lower class or shit people. It is not so vital point where women belong because the condition of women remain same no matter what where she belongs ? The Vendor belongs the other community so she is comparatively free than other women. But in actual sense she has power to raise her voice  against the unjust and dominant society.  She has courage to live life her own self being independent where as Harsha's mother and Bhavu both are not able to even think such thought that there is a life without. Vendor saves her daughter's life and gives  the path to her live life happily. She has great mindset to think out of cultural identity and so called moral values. She defends her daughter saying...

"આનો વર ભમરાળો આખો દિ આને મર્યા કરતો દારૂડિયો. વાંધા ને કઈ વાના માતર હોય ! કામ ધંધો કઈ કરવો નહતો પી ને પડ્યા રેહવું તુ. હરાયા ઢોરની જેમ!"

Vendor says there is a life without men also. No need to follow the so called rules and adore him like God. Vendor can say like this because she is economically independent where as others are not so their suffering remain perpetual.  It is necessary to be economically free first. Then she says......

"આ આદમી વગર કઈ તાવડી ટેકો લઇ જાયશ? જીવતર તો એના વિનાય ધોડયું જાઈશ. મારું ગ્યું ઈમ! વરો નચાવે એમ નાચીએ એ વાત ખોટી."

Governing power structure generates the fear in mind so it is important to be free from governing power structure and dominant mindset first. It is the most important to maintain self respect and accept the self as human being first. Women must be educated and take their own decision without any fear. 

  

Title has great depth and significantly represent the whole life of women. Women has great power to face any situation  then why she is considered themselves weak ?  When she knows her inner strength and actual being of herself she is unstoppable. Until she cannot accept the self with respect nothing will be change. If she wants the change, she has to be change otherwise nothing will be changed. Educate the self first and give equal opportunity. One must raise the voice and stood against  them crossing the limits of so called values.  

Lyrics by Milind Gadhavi 

જી ને જીવતર જાણીને અમે પેહ્ર્યું રે લોલ

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