Experiment on Life

I still remember when my friend Animesh bought a cute, small pomerian dog, we named her Anny. We were quite young then. I think we were in 5th standard. I remember it because that was our board year, as M.P. Board used to take board exams for 5th class way back in 1992-93. We used to play with Anny a lot. I and Animesh used to go school by cycle. I remember Anny used to run behind us for quite some distance and then return back to home. Happiest moment for Anny was the time when we come back from school. In the evening when we play cricket, Anny was our fielder. She used to fetch the ball for us whenever any of us hit the ball for long. We never felt a need of third friend. The only sad time for her, rather for all three of us, was when we had to study.
Time passed and we began to realize that Anny is just a pet. We started getting bore, playing with her all time. At that time we tried a cruel experiment on her. Though, we really didn't ever realize that the experiment was 'cruel', actually we never realized this was an experiment. We were making our pet follow a 'routine', which we thought is a process of making it more 'disciplined'. We made a strict routine for her. We make her wake up early, taught her to clean the place where she slept (we called her den) with a cloth, get ready for a walk in the morning, collect all our tennis-balls we used to play cricket with and that too before we come from school. Above all we tied her with a rope and make sure that we only open it whenever we want. Though the rope was long enough so that Anny can move around freely only in the garden it is tied. We used to free her very few times, mainly on weekends.
Time passed, we grew old and Anny too. By the time we passed our schooling we made sure that she followed the routine we set few years ago. I and Animesh completed our engineering together. We stopped giving any attention to the poor pet. Then luckily we both got into a good college for Management in US of A. So we had to leave our country for at least 2 years. We were happy that we friends are still together.
After a long time we came to India for a fortnight. I went to Animesh's place, which is now at a distance from us as we have moved to a new home in the suburb. I was so excited to meet Anny this time. When I reached his place, I was so sad to see that Anny has grown old and weak. Animesh's parents have untied her after we left, so she was free to move around. We observed it for quite some time. Anny grew so old to even recognize us. We were so surprised that she still religiously follows the routine we have set for her years ago. She still moves inside the territory we have set for her, though now she is free to move inside the house, garden, and porch. She still cleans as we taught her to clean our place and still looks around for tennis-balls that Animesh's small brother sometimes throws.
I was in deep pain to see this. I now realized how cruel experiment we did on the poor life. We were cruel on Anny to take her independence, her freedom, her life. And now even when she is gifted her freedom, she is afraid of it. We tried our best to bring Anny inside the house, to take her out but she got so scared. She was happy in her own place, as if prepared for the last day. But deep inside, we were ashamed of ourselves. Ourselves for what we did to the poor being…
Isn't it a part of our society or so called modern society? The whole story can be compared to part of contemporary India. In many part of the country, married women are forced to follow a routine. Even now, as we talk of women liberalization, there are woman in our society oppressed by their man. This was prominent in generation above us. Now when these ladies see the modern world of our times they are afraid to gain their freedom. Some have tried and succeeded; others still clean their den, accept their legs tied to the rope, and follow the routine and religiously waiting for the experiment on their life to get over some day! I only want to raise this question: Women are not an animal, why can't they raise voice against the atrocities, injustice. I just hope whatever women of last generation has suffered, may not be experienced by women today.