अब मेरी बेटी का मामला है मेरी कोख में जन्म लेने वाली मैत्रेयी का। मैं इसको उस खड्ड में नहीं गिरने दूंगी, जिसमें गिरकर औरत जीवन-भर निकलने को छटपटाती रहती है और एक दिन खत्म हो जाती है।

Now it is a matter of my daughter, of Maitreyi born from my womb. I won’t let her fall into that pit into which women fall and spend the rest of their lives yearning to escape and then one day they are no more. [X]

Kasturi Kundal Base* is an autobiographical novel by Maitreyi Pushpa that appears to deal a bit with her mother’s life and her early life in Bundelkhand. The still is from the TV series of the same name.

Autobiographies by women in Hindi are thin on the ground. Exceptions include Maitreyi Pushpa’s work (her other autobio is गुडि़या भीतर गुडि़या (Russian Doll)). One of her works, Alma Kabutari, has been translated into English.

The costume here with a plam leaf woven crown is likely Bundelkhand but I haven’t been able to corroborate this (though the palm leaf crown is cited in marriage customs in Central India).

*Title from a Kabir doha.