She is the creator of manhood, she is the creator of kindness, and if we put it this way, she is simply the creator of man (hood) + kind (ness) = MANKIND. Yes, she is no one else, she is a woman. But, do we really consider it as a fact or just a thought? If we consider it just as a thought, do we ponder upon it and if we consider it as a fact, do we really believe in it?
Feminism, Women Empowerment and Women Safety are about ensuring dignity, health and happiness of women and to assert their equality and human rights. From the epic sagas time till now, woman have always been objectified. From Draupadi, being a wife for five husbands, pledged like a chattel at a game of dice, disrobed and harassed in front of her husbands, to this day woman, every female is still objectified and harassed, either physically or mentally. I had always wondered why almost every Hindu god had two wives. What was the example that our religion values or the epic stories teach us? Sita was so loyal to Rama, went to the forest with him, remained calm when harassed by Ravana, and still she was asked to walk on fire to prove her chastity. Is this the kind of precedence that we or our future needs to grow up with?
The crimes against women are many. Eve-teasing is almost considered as a right by most men in India. Dowry deaths still take place. Minor girls are being yoked into matrimony at the cost of their health, happiness and dreams. And now, crimes like brutal rape, acid attacks and honour-killings seem to be becoming almost a fashion! And the easy excuse for this is that our culture is getting spoiled. And the culture is getting spoiled because women today wear short clothes, use mobile phones, go out at nights, and go to pubs. Nobody stops to think that our clothes and manners are ‘result’ of cultural change, not the ‘cause’ of it. How ironical it is that in a country that worships girls as goddesses, female foeticide is still a norm in many regions. And even when girls are allowed to take birth, they are denied the right to live with dignity and pride and to choose their own way of life.
Where are we heading to? People think that women are denied that freedom only in backward rural regions. But that is not true. Even in urban areas and in educated families, girls and women are told at every step what they should or should not do. Wear this, don’t wear this. Go there, don’t go there. Talk like this, don’t talk like this. Do this, learn this. Don’t fall in love. Get married in 20s, have a baby. Even if a girl has studied hard to establish a good career, she’s supposed to give it all up if her in-laws or husband don’t like her working or her baby is needed to be taken care of. And if the girls don’t follow the established rules, they are indecent, immoral, selfish and so on. She is being criticized for everything. Many girls are denied even that basic right of education. And lack of education shackles them forever to the dependence upon their family and male relatives. If she does not have a career or is so dependent, she can easily be treated as inferior and not deserving of the respect and dignity that men readily consider as their prerogative.
The magnanimity of the issue faced by women was seen in the #metoo campaign. Former Congress MP Renuka Chowdhary said that the casting couch is a reality that exists across sectors and even Parliament is not ‘immune’ to it. With increase in the number of rapes and domestic abuse at all fronts, what is more needed for a woman? Many feel that sex education must be a part of the curriculum. Teach your sons to respect a women and teach your daughter to be self-confident, independent. Teach her a martial art so that she can protect herself. Stand against movies that show a hero stalking, abusing women, or passing derogatory remarks or jokes. Talk to your daughters and make them understand that they should not feel embarrassed to talk about any harassment or untoward incidents which happened to them. More than all of this, the mindset of the people has to change. Yes, I accept that there has been many changes and women are treated with respect in many places. Still, we have miles to cross before we can pat on our backs. Right to choose is what empowerment and safety means to me. Freedom to be able to choose, knowledge to be able to choose well, power to follow and explore my choices and decisions, a safe environment where I can walk on without fear and an opportunity to be respected for who I am and what I achieve, not for who I belong to.
Everyone needs to understand the fact that, changing women’s life style will not bring a change, but changing the opinions about women will do. If a woman earns more than her husband, a man should feel proud in it, not insulted. In this 21st century, women are not only running a household, but running big-big businesses. They are playing vital roles to run our nation and our world. They are no less than a man and gradually but surely, men are also recognizing this truth. Our lives can only improve when we all move forward hand in hand. The mantra to success lies in giving women the wings to fly and explore, to run and fall and to stand again.
