A woman who has run out of patience Bashny.Net

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via borisakunin
Ten or so years ago, I wrote a novel for which I needed a young villain - so, that could outdo any man, but to commit murder with graceful ease of a cat catching a fly. Just at this time, as if to order, international news flashed Indian name "Queen of bandits," and I thought: here is my source of inspiration. Dozens of corpses, some fifty criminal cases - no joke?
But when delved into the subject, I realized: no, that's another story. And it is about something else.
Not cold-blooded about the artist's death, but about the woman who once ran out of patience. I remember, reading the biography of Phoolan Devi, the first time I experienced a sort of sympathy for militant, extremist feminism.
However, I do not think that she considered herself a feminist and generally known as tricky word. This woman does not even know how to read.
She was born in 1963 in a poor village of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, where people live in one and a half times more than in the whole of Russia. The family belonged to one of the lower castes - mallahov (fishermen). With women in this environment has been accessed about the same as a domestic cattle.
A girl from an early age differed independent-minded, which in itself is a rarity. Relatives rid of the Stubborn One, having given her eleven-year, married a distant village. Exchanged for a cow and a bicycle.
Not only that Phulan was a child, and her husband - first youth. He also proved to be a rare swine: and beat us ... She never grew up, there was an increase meter forty-something centimeters.
When Phulan ran, relatives brought her back to the violence. This went on for three years. Unbelievable, but she still managed to have his own: in the end my husband spat and threw it away.
So she went from one disaster to another. Expelled wife was considered disgraced in his native community, almost untouchable. No one to intercede for Phulan when her cousin stole. She complained to the police - and she put behind bars. For three days she was beaten and we ... I think from that point it became a man-hater.





But that was not the worst of misfortunes that had prepared her fate. At sixteen, a gang of bandits kidnapped girl Babu Gudzhara. At first, everything was predictable: a few days the leader mocked prisoner. Then a miracle happened. One of the robbers, unable to stand, and shot the bastard - another miracle - not in order that he borrowed the most, and compassion.
Obviously Phulan for the first time realized that not all men are - fiends. She fell in love with this man (his name Vikram Mallah), and since no other craft except banditry her lover did not know Phulan also became naletchitsa. Courage she was not to occupy, own a gun, she learned quickly, and then the girl started a completely different life.
The gang robbed a train, attacked the village, whose inhabitants belonged to a privileged caste, took hostage wealthy landowners. It is amazing that all this cowboy-Makhnovist epic takes place in modern India.
He does not fail to visit Phulan and his precious hubby. He was dragged out of the house, stabbed - but not to death. Killing it will be later, after the new shocks.
Love robber idyll did not last long. Two members of the gang was killed Vikram and his wife were taken to the village Behman. Seventeen-year Phulat kept locked up. Village men tormented her day after day and still could not get enough. She drove through the streets naked, showered with insults. It lasted three weeks. Then the girl managed to escape.
After going through all of this, losing a loved one, it is like a different person. He formed a new gang and she topped it (striking phenomenon for India). He declared himself the servant of Durga, the goddess of destruction and death.



February 14, 1981 the gang dressed in police uniform, stormed the village Behman - the same. Missing all men. One of them was among Phulan offenders who do not. "Queen of bandits" (as the press dubbed her) to give orders through a megaphone. 22 people were shot.
From this massacre shook the whole of India. The police arranged several large raids, but was not able to catch the gang.
Yet for two years Phoolan Devi terrorized the rich countryside, without touching people from the lower castes, because of what has earned the reputation of Indian "Robin Hood." Eventually she Indira Gandhi - woman, managed to prove their superiority over men very different way - robber offered to surrender in exchange for leniency.
Phulan bargained members of his gang of small time and at a public ceremony in the presence of tens of thousands of spectators, folded her arms in front of a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi.

"Queen of bandits" and its people give up (why two people on a newspaper photograph smeared face, do not know)



The investigation of her case (or rather, 48 cases) lasted eleven years. All this time Phulan was in prison. There are representatives of the stronger sex to mock her body once more: during gynecological surgery, the surgeon purposely removed her ovaries, stating that "there is nothing to produce new Phoolan Devi».
Meanwhile, the "Queen of bandits" has become an international star. She wrote about her books, even went a feature film, which had success.



Eventually pardoned her - in spite of all the crimes, public opinion was on the side of Phoolan Devi.
After the liberation of the former robber (she was barely thirty) ceased to worship the goddess of death and embraced Buddhism. Create a party that protects the lower castes. Became a member of parliament, was married.



But the happy ending at this even Hollywood and Bollywood story did not work.
July 21, 2001, just as I suffered in search of a female assassin on Phoolan Devi near her home was attacked by three masked men. We drove five bullets, shot and killed a bodyguard.
I think it was revenge for the shooting in the village Behman.

No, I take the villain is a woman I do not agree. It is, of course, received terrible when caught and shot all the men from the village Behman, without distinction, who is right and who is wrong. Although in general, they are all to blame. Because three weeks were watching - and no one stood up.
I know that I'm wrong. But in place of the government I would have this woman also eventually pardoned.
And you?



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