Letter from a mother to her daughter, adivising her how to live all alone at a new place.

Letter from a mother to her daughter, adivising her how to live all alone at a new place.

137, Shiva Towers

Nariman Point

Mumbai-400021

4th February, 2007

Dear Shiny,

I’m sure that you are aware of your great responsibilities. It is not concealed from you that we are passing through a really difficult time-both in society as well as at the national front. Life is a bed of thorns, more for the girls than for the boys and hence my sincere advice to you to be specially careful and particularly cautious in dealing with strangers. The crime is on the rise in our society. Roaming at late hours and gold attract the greatest criminals. I have no hesitation to warn that those girls, who move about with ornaments, extend an open invitation to way-side chain-snatchers and pickpockets. Therefore, avoid wearing ornaments whether by day, or by night. There are bad elements even in broad day light and the girls, wearing ornaments and jewellery, quite often invite physical assault. Even artificial ornaments can be dangerous, since these notorious guys cannot distinguish between genuine and spurious jewellery.

So, be sure that you never move out in the dark alone. Keep within your doors from dusk to dawn, when drunkards and criminals are out in search of their prey. Even during the day time, you should move carefully and with some escort, if possible.

Even an escort has to be absolutely reliable and dependable because it is not possible to differentiate between good and bad people. Moreover, the selection of friends too has to be made very carefully. It is not possible to guide you on the kind of friends, boys and girls, you should have, but they should rather belong to good, respectable families. On the whole, one simple way to select friends is that those who are devoted to their studies are more reliable than those who are devoted to social entertainment. Those who are more devoted to studies and sports are, usually, good and dependable. In total contrast, those who spend their time in films, television, clubs and hotels make a bad company and should be avoided at all cost.

With warm and deep feelings.

Yours truly,

Mom