The Slap That Spoke: Amaya’s Bold Stand Against Silence

For a small child, life becomes incredibly difficult when it's filled with many challenges, especially since they don't yet understand what those challenges truly mean. How can a 12-year-old girl be expected to handle such things?

This time, Amaya experienced just how harsh society can be when you go against it. In her case, "society" was represented by the boys and girls of her Class 7.

The day began normally, with Amaya and her friend Biji attending the morning assembly. Suddenly, a girl intentionally shoved Biji. Biji, Anaya's good friend, had a dark complexion, curly hair, and wore spectacles. She was from South India and was studying in a North Indian school due to her father’s transfer from the South to North India.

The push in the assembly was done intentionally by Meenu, the fairest and most popular girl in their class. Biji ignored the push and Meenu's behavior, knowing that reacting might escalate into a bigger fight. However, the situation worsened in the afternoon when Meenu called Biji over and threw her spectacles, resulting in a broken lens.

Unexpectedly, Amaya, usually a less confident girl, found the courage and gave Meenu a tight slap. This move was not anticipated by any of their classmates.
This incident sparked a great deal of gossip among all the students, and eventually, the entire class stopped talking to both Amaya and Biji.

It raised many questions:

How did Amaya, who was known for being quiet, find the strength to take such a stand?

Was that slap fueled by the frustration she had been silently carrying?

Why did society — their classmates — not support the right thing when they knew Meenu’s act was wrong?

Why was Meenu considered right, and Amaya wrong?

Why did their friends suddenly become their enemies?

This chapter of Amaya’s life only added more confusion to her growing mind.

Why wasn’t she appreciated for standing up against something so obviously wrong?