Reading Silence! The Court is in Session by Vijay Tendulkar made me realize how deeply hostile a patriarchal society can be. Although the play was written decades ago, the narrow and inhumane gaze of society toward women still feels painfully relevant.

What struck me the most is the irony of our times.

Many people are die-hard fans of Friends, a series that, back in 1994, openly discussed and normalized different forms of motherhood. It portrayed adoption, surrogacy, motherhood outside marriage, and co-parenting with empathy and acceptance. For its time, that was remarkably progressive.

Yet I have seen some of those very same fans mock women who choose different paths to motherhood in real life. Women who adopt, women who become single mothers, women who have children outside marriage, or women who simply choose autonomy over conformity are still judged.

Why?

Is it because of Indian society? Or is it because patriarchal thinking survives despite changing times?

The world has changed. Laws have changed. Conversations have changed. Yet many minds remain locked behind old doors. Society still struggles to appreciate women who exercise their autonomy and make choices for themselves.

The greatest irony, however, is that women often become participants in this judgment.

Mrs. Kashikar in Tendulkar’s play reminded me of the friend in the film Aaja Nachle, who betrays Madhuri Dixit’s character simply to please her husband and gain his approval. It made me wonder: is this jealousy? Is it insecurity? Or have some women been conditioned to believe that pleasing patriarchy is the safest way to survive within it?

That question has stayed with me.

So I wonder—does this happen only in Indian society, where social honour and family reputation often carry enormous weight? Or is this simply the face of patriarchy across the world, taking different forms in different cultures?

Perhaps the setting changes. The language changes. The customs change.

But the courtroom remains the same.

And too often, women are still the ones standing trial.