By Drishti Raj* Women have been taught very early on in their lives to base their identity on everything else other than herself. Patriarchy teaches women to be a daughter, sister, wife and then a mother, and devoid her of become an individual with a sense of identity. Slowly and steadily, throughout her life, a woman learns that she is everyone else’s but herself. This belief is further reinforced by marriage which marks the transition of a woman from one social unit to another and she gives up her family name – a vital part of her identity till date- to take on her husband’s name. In India, this cultural belief that a woman is either a goddess to be worshiped or a precious family’s dhan to be controlled and protected is reinforced by films, rituals, music and other form of arts & tradition.