How deeply rooted misogyny is in this world.

1 min read

Just now

Recently, I went on a family trip to Ujjain, a beautiful small town in Madhya Pradesh. Being a major religious center, the area around the Mahakaleshwar Temple is filled with beggars and people in need. I don’t generally support begging as a practice, but many of them were very elderly and simply asking for food something that felt fair to help with.

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To make it easier, I kept some money ready in my hand usually fifty rupees or so-so that if someone asked for food, I could quietly buy them something to eat or hand it over. I’m quite shy and introverted, which is why I never offered money myself; I waited for them to approach me.

What struck me, though, was this: whenever I was standing with my brother or father, no beggar ever approached me. They always went straight to the men beside me. I’m not taking personal offence I understand the practical reasons behind it but it made me pause and think about how even in moments of desperation, societal assumptions about who holds the money, who has the power to give, run so deep.

It’s a small observation from a short trip, yet it felt like a quiet reminder of the misogyny that’s woven into everyday interactions, often without anyone even realizing it.