Thread by @thebetterindia

#SoulStories #Respect
1/ “In August 2014, I got married through a matrimonial website to an advocate in Indore. Things were going well apart from a few small arguments which I didn’t really think of as something that would greatly affect our relationship... (contd.👇)

2/ In October 2015, my mom and I were travelling at night from Jaipur to Jodhpur in a bus when we met with a terrible accident. I lost my mother on the spot and I fractured seven-eight of my ribs. My husband came over for 10 days before returning to Indore...." 👇

3/ I was staying at my cousin’s place and remember repeatedly asked my husband to come and take me home. I was not able to walk on my own, eat on my own or even sit on my own, I just wanted to go home, I needed my husband.....👇

4/ On November 7, out of the blue, he blocked me from all his social media handles. It shattered by mental health. I had already lost my dad in 2009, and now with the sudden loss of my mother, I had nobody by my side. I had counted on my husband being there for me.....

5/ So the fact that he suddenly decided to disappear from my life, it left me broken.

I tried communicating with him through multiple means but there was no reply. I failed to understand what was happening and reached out to my mother-in-law but she kept giving me false hope.

6/ All this while after the accident, I had nothing with me, neither clothes nor money. My husband left me in a T-shirt, a pyjama and a pair of slippers. I was all on my own.

Three months later, I received a speed post from him, saying he is giving ‘instant triple talaq’ to me.

7/ I remember feeling empty and completely broken. It was that simple for him to give me a divorce. I was wondering how a piece of paper can dissolve a relationship as meaningful as marriage.

8/ I had nothing left to lose so I started reading about Triple Talaq and came across instances where Triple Talaq happened over Facebook Messengers or WhatsApp. Outraged, I filed a petition in March 2016 to ban Triple Talaq in India.

9/ I barely had any money on me so I gave my lawyer only Rs. 10,000 and fought with all I had.

In August 2017, when the Supreme Court issued the revolutionary judgement banning Triple Talaq in India, I finally felt that all my struggle had been worth it.

10/ The journey has been very painful, especially because I lost my family - my only brother also passed away in 2016. My friends were there by my side and my cousin supported me during my media journey but overall, I was on my own.

11/ When people ask me how did you make it through so much, I just tell them that strong times make you stronger and it comes from within. We tend to become dependent on others during tough times but in the end, all you have is yourself.

12/ One thing that is very important is hope. When I filed the petition, even though I was on my own, I carried with me a sense of hope that my efforts will yield results.

13/ Just like this, I became the 2nd woman in India to file a petition against Triple Talaq after Shah Bano, who was the first in 1985. I was followed by 3 other women & all our struggles have resulted in a change due to our faith in ourselves as well as the judiciary of India.

14/ To all the women who are struggling and staying silent just because of the fear of ‘log kya kahenge’, don't be afraid to raise your voice . Life always gives you strength to fight against all that pulls you down."

- Aafreen Rehman