Breaking Stereotypes

I was at the National Library, devouring books for lunch, when I saw her. She calmly walked to my table and sat across from me. She was dressed in a demure sari and looked like she wasn’t from a very well-to-do household.

She was drawing bewildering glances from almost everyone present in the vicinity-not to mention even I was one of them.

And her sheepish demeanor was enough for me to understand that she was quite aware of those gazes. She kept looking at her feet and I kept on looking at her. That is when the girl, who was accompanying her, brought a few books for the lady.

The book list comprised of English literature, world history and all such books that are strictly related to intellectuals-people who are immaculately dressed; people who look well-read and well bred.

Sadly, our lady looked too naïve to be labeled an intellectual. Her sari that was demurely draped around her wasn’t doing much toward helping her making the cut either.

She looked like those women, who are expected to be nothing more than homily goddesses. They are expected to watch mind-numbing soap operas and know nothing of ‘The cultural revolution’, ‘The Great Depression’ or ‘Che Guevara.’

So that day when this plain, drearily dressed woman tip-toed into the reading room, she threatened to uproot all our stereotypes, I was smiling .Smiling at the thought of this women’s feat. How easily she taught us to think twice before we jumped to any conclusion on the basis of her outer appearance.

Such harsh and demeaning rendition of a character, isn’t it?

Sadly, this is what we do the second we see someone.

We consciously or subconsciously, make every living entity in sight, fall into stereotypes.

Stereotypes that are made while judging a person on the basis of what he/she is wearing, how he /she looks, what his/her complexion is. We surely know how to judge a book by its cover.

It is said that one’s first impression is, more often than not, one’s last impression. But why do we always judge others? Why don’t we mind our own business?

So what? I can be a foodie and still be a martial arts enthusiast; I can be a mediocre singer and still sing out loud. I can be fat and still love to wear whatever I feel looks good on me; I can be a writer and still know a lot about Architecture. I can pronounce a word wrong and don’t expect to be looked down upon.

What matters is the kind of person I am inside. Because appearance matters only a while, your soul is what decides your life.