1994: Bandit Queen

So I became the flood.

I learned that a woman’s body is a country with no borders. Any man can march across it. Any man can raise his flag. bandit queen 1994

Now they write my name in the same breath as “bandit.” But ask the parched earth: when the rain comes, is it criminal? Ask the fire: when it cleanses the rotten field, is it evil? So I became the flood

The first time I held a rifle, it was heavier than any husband. The second time, it sang. The third time, I knew: a gun does not ask your caste. It does not check your hemline. It only asks if you have the courage to pull the trigger. Any man can raise his flag

And when they caught me, when they stripped me and made me walk through the prison yard on my knees, I did not die. That is the part they always forget. You can break a woman’s bones. You cannot break her witness.