Independence

by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

[There are many] stories which are not written on paper, but are written on the bodies and minds of women. —Amrita Pritam

Humankind would be better off, she thinks, if there were no religions.

You have done well, O Pitiless One, In scorching my heart. Until incense is burned, it does not pour out its fragrance, Until a lamp is lit on fire, it does not give out its light.