Smile Pinki - Grade: A PDF

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Navneet Kaur Section 219 Ia m Pu n j a bi .Pu n j a bi smo s t l yr e s i d ei nNo r t hI nd i a ,whi c hi sno tt o of a ra wa y f r o m wh e r e‘ Smi l ePi n ki ’wa sfil me d . Th ep e op l ei nt hefil ma r eHi n du , h o we v e rPu n j a b i s a n dHi nd u ss h a r ema n yoft h es a meb e l i e f s . Wa t c h i n g‘ Smi l ePi n ki ’wa sd i ffic u l tt owa t c h d u et ot h ep o orf a mi l i e sc i r c u ms t a n c e sa n di n n oc e n tc hi l d r e ng o i n gt hr o u ght he s ed i ffic ul t p r o b l e ms , bu tt he r ewe r ema n yi n c i de n t st h a to c c u r r e dt h r o u g ho u tt h efil mt ha tIc o ul d r e l a t et o .Ev e r y on ei nmyc u l t u r ei sdi ffe r e nt . Myf a mi l ya ndIdo n ’ tne c e s s a r i l ybe l i e v e wha tmyc u l t u r eb e l i e v e st o wa r dde f o r mi t i e sa nddi s a bi l i t i e s . Ho we v e r ,I ’ v eno t i c e df ort h e mo s tpa r tt h a tmyc ul t u r e ’ sv a l u e sa n db e l i e f sa s s o c i a t ede f o r mi t i e s / di s a bi l i t i e sd i ffe r e nt l y d e p e nd i n go ng e n d e r . Th es ol ep ur p o s eo fagi r li ns ma l lv i l l a g e si nI nd i ai sf orh e rt o l e a r nh o wt oc oo k , c l e a n, t a k ec a r eoft h eho u s e :e v e nt ua l l yg e t t i n gma r r i e da n dt e n di n gt o h e rhu s b a n da n dh e rn e wf a mi l y . Ag i r lwi t hade f o r mi t yo rdi s a bi l i t yi sd e mo ns t r a t e da s a nun d e s i r a b l efitf orma r r i a g e . Noo newi l lwa n tt oma r r yh e r , t hu sb e c omi n gabu r d e n u p onh e rp a r e nt sb e c a u s et heu l t i ma t ef u t ur eg o a lo fag i r l i nI n d i ai st og e th e rma r r i e d o ffi nt oa n o t h e rf a mi l y . Fo re x a mp l e , Pi nki ’ smot h e rs a i d , “ I twi l ll i f tabu r d e no ffmy h e a d , ”i n d i c a t i n gt h a tt h es u r g e r ywi l lfixPi n ki ’ sc l e f tl i pa n ds h ewi l lg e tp o t e n t i a ls u i t o r s a ss h eg e t so l d e r . Th a tb e i n gs a i d , s o c i e t yma ya l s ob l a met h emo t he rf o rt he d e f o r mi t y / di s a bi l i t yo fhe rc h i l d .Th e r ewa sas c e n ewh e r eamo t he rs t a t e dt ha th e r h u s ba n d ’ sf a mi l yha sno ty e ts e e nt he i rc l e f tl i pc h i l d , b l a mi n ga n dq ue s t i o ni n gh e rh o w s h eg a v eb i r t ht oac h i l dwi t had e f o r mi t y .Ma l e s ,o nt h eo t h e rha n d , a r evi e we ddi ffe r e n t . Th e yd on ’ th ol dt hi s“ b ur d e n ”u po nt h e i rpa r e nt s , r a t h e rt h e y ’ r emo r ea c c e p t e dwi t ht he i r d i s a bi l i t y . I th a sal o tt od owi t hs o c i a lc l a s s . Mi dd l ea n du p pe rc l a s sf a mi l i e swi l lb ea b l e t ot r e a tt he i rc hi l d r e n , wh e r e a sl o we rc l a s sf a mi l i e sf a c et h edi ffic u l t yo fe v e np r o v i d i n g f o o d . The r ewe r ema n yi nc i d e nt st ha tIp e r s o n a l l yr e l a t e dt oa sIwa t c he dt hefil m. Ah u g e p r o b l e mi nI n di ai sp o v e r t y . Ih a v ewi t ne s s e dma n yo ft hep oo rc o n di t i on sa ss e e ni nt he fil m-c l o t h sh e l du pwi t hs t i c ks , c h i l d r e nf o r c e dt owa l kb a r e f o o td u et ot hel a c ko fmo ne y f o rs h o e sa sIdr o v eb ydi ffe r e ntv i l l a g e s . It hi n kwh a tGSMe mo r i a lPl a s t i cSu r g e r y Hos p i t a li sdo i n gi sab e a u t i f ulb l e s s i n gt ot ho s ei nn e e d . Theo pe r a t i on sa n ds u r g e r i e sa r e o n l yp o s s i b l ed u et ot h ed on a t i o nsg i v e nt ot h eh os pi t a l . Gi vi n gmo ne yt oc h a r i t i e s , a nd p r o vi d i n gas e r v i c ef o ro t he r s , wi t ht hee xp e c t a t i ono fno t hi n gi nr e t u r n , i sac o r eb e l i e ff o r Pu n j a bi s . I tma demeha p p yt h a ts oma n yp e o pl ed on a t e dt ot h i sh os p i t a lf o rt h i sc a u s e b e c a us et he yp r o vi d ef r e es e r v i c ea l ly e a rr o u ndt ot h o us a n dso fc h i l d r e n. Onamo r e p e r s o na ln o t e , myc ou s i nha sDo wns y n dr o me . Sh ei sa bo ut3 03 5y e a r so l dn o w, a nd r e c e nt l yg o tma r r i e di nMa r c h2 0 15 . Sh ed o e sn o ts p e a k, h o we v e r , un d e r s t a n dse v e r y t hi n g y o ut e l lh e r .He rs i s t e rwa sg e t t i n gma r r i e da n dmyc o us i nf e l tu ps e ta ndh ur tt h a ts h ewa s n e v e ra bl et og e tma r r i e d . Mya u nta n du n c l ef ou n dama ni nt h en e i gh b or i n gv i l l a g et h a t wo ul db epr o v i de dt h eop p or t u ni t yt oc omet oAme r i c ai fh ema r r i e dmyc o us i n . Ev e n t h ou ght hema r r i a g ei sno tl o v e b a s e d, myc o u s i nwa se c s t a t i cf ormo n t hsa f t e rt h a ts h e wa sfin a l l yma r r i e d . Yo uc a ns e et heha p pi n e s si nh e rf a c e , e v e nt ot h i sd a y . Wh e nIwa s11& b r a c ef a c e d, Is p e ntmys umme ri nI n d i a . Ev e r y on ewa sv e r y s u r p r i s e da n dd u mb f ou n de db ymyb r a c e s !No tma n ype o pl eh a dt h e m, s e e nt h e m ore v e n h e a r do ft h e m. Ih a v eah u g ef a mi l y ,a l ls c a t t e r e da r o un dPu n j a b , s owh e nIs mi l e da n d

s p ok et oa l lmyr e l a t i v e s , t h e ya l lt o o kas e c o n dg l a n c ea tmea n dn e v e rf a i l e dt oq ue s t i o n wha twa st h i s“ t a a r a ”( whi c ht r a n s l a t e st owi r e )o nmyt e e t h. Ih e a r dt hes a meq u e s t i o n s : Wh ya r ey o uwe a r i n gt he m?Doe si th u r t ?Ho wd oy o ue a t ! ?Whe nIr e c e n t l yt o l dt h e mI h a v ebe e na c c e p t e di n t ot h ede n t a lh y gi e n epr o g r a m,t he ya s k e dmet oc o meop e nmyo wn p r a c t i c ei nI nd i a . The ys t a t e d, “ You ’ l lh a v es omu c hbu s i n e s sb e c a us en oo n eg e t st h e i r t e e t hc l e a n e dh e r eb yapr o f e s s i o n a l ! ”Ia s k e dmya u nth o wwe l ld e nt i s t sd oc a r e e r wi s e , a n ds hes a i db u s i ne s swa sv e r yb a dbe c a us en oon ee v e rr e a l l yv i s i t st h ede n t i s tu nl e s s t h e yha v eu nb e a r a b l ep a i n . Myc u l t u r e sv a l ue sa ndb e l i e f swi t hor a lhe a l t ha n dde n t i s t r y c a nb ed e fine da st hel a s tt h i n gont he i rl i s t .Ofc o ur s e , t h e yb r u s ht h e i rt e e t ha n dk e e p t h e mc l e a na f t e rme a l s , bu tt he yd e fini t e l yne v e rvi s i tt h ed e n t i s te v e r y6mo n t hs . My g r a nd p ah a sb e e ns u r v i v i n go nt h r e et e e t hf ort h el a s t1 0y e a r s . Myg r a nd mar e c e n t l y v i s i t e dNe wYo r ka ndg o tde n t u r e s , bu tt ha twa so n l yb e c a u s es h ewa si na na r e awi t h p r o p e rd e n t a lc a r e . Facial deformities are never something to put someone down for. I believe doing so makes you a thoughtless individual with no manners and lack of care and respect for others feelings. Growing up, I had many facial problems that I got bullied for on a daily basis, even by my own cousins. My brother told me about his friend who was bullied for being overweight. He wore a prosthetic leg and was unable to be as active as everyone else. These examples from my childhood made me grow up with the mentality that no one should ever be bullied or put down because of how they look. It made me appreciate people’s beauty for what it is. You never know the difficulties and struggles people have gone through, and how far they’ve come. People with deformities and disabilities deserve to be treated with the same love and respect as any other individual. I feel like treating them any differently, for example, to the point where they know you’re being extra nice just because of their appearance, is not okay because being extra nice defeats the purpose of treating them like normal individuals. In the film, Ghutaru was unable to speak properly and the other kids made fun of him because of it. This hindered with his education. No one should ever feel different due to his or her appearance. As cliché as these may sound, never judge a book by it’s cover, because it’s truly what’s on the inside that matters....