Image courtesy- cartoonmovement.com Today being an off day I woke up bit late. After moving on with the daily chores, I logged in to the mailbox and sneaked into the social media arena. Thereon, I was awestruck to see the news feeds. Everywhere it was flooded with posts, write ups, posters calling to respect women. Every single person preached about women empowerment, dignity and veneration for the women folk.
I wondered what drastic change the country has undergone overnight. How this patriarchal society suddenly became advocates of feminism and called for the elevation of women’s stature. Why are the people who everyday shares news about lamenting and horrendous crimes like rape, molestation, acid attack, eve teasing, dowry killing, etc., today all of a sudden started blathering about entitling women with all her rights. Then I realized its International Women’s Day.
Speaking particular about India, along with the numerous new trends that have started, celebrating women’s day is yet another one. All throughout the day my cell phone beeped to innumerable messages inviting for various programs and campaigns initiated on the occasion of women’s day.
However, two of the million dollar questions that pop up are. India, a country where woman is given the utmost importance. A country which in itself termed as Bharat mata. A country where women is personified as Goddesses and worshipped. As citizens of such a country, do we really need any such special day to show our solidarity and respect for women?
The second aspect is a question that we need to ask ourselves and introspect. Are we really entitled to say, ‘happy women’s day’??
How can we say happy women’s day, when a young girl named Irom Sharmila, walked all through her life for a cause? And, is on her death bed today fasting for 12 long years demanding repeal of AFSPA. Yet, her voice still remains unheard.
We live in a country where women are burnt alive in the name of dowry and domestic violence. However, despite the law calling for stringent punishment, nobody to care for. A country where girls are safe, neither inside their mother’s womb, nor in the exterior world. It’s a country where even under the canopy of the forth estate and the most powerful, ‘the media’, a girl has to be a victim of abhorrent crimes like sexual violence at work place. So, are women really happy?
How to forget one of the heinous and horrendous Nirbhaya incident that shattered every conscious Indian. And also to mention about tons of other rape cases and that of sexual violence, where even our so called protector ‘the police’ is adamant to act. Things doesn’t end here, but they get more petrifying when educated people, indeed girls come up with absurd and ridiculous suggestions, like laying down a time frame for the girls to be out of their abode in order to avoid rape and other crimes.
It’s is a country where in the name of religion young talented girls are issued fatwa just for performing and forming rock bands. It’s a country where top notch bollywood celebrities when raise their voice against rape and sexual assault through television shows, they start getting threat calls!!
This again brings us to the question, are we really accredited to say, ‘happy women’s day’?
Nevertheless, in the midst of hopelessness, the country has also given us winners and conquerors like M C Marry Kom, Kiran Bedi, Kalpana Chawla, Medha Patkar also Irom Sharmila and the likes of all who have strived and succeeded in flying our tri-color high.
It would perhaps be wrong to judge any individual as good or bad. There’s nobody to fix the blame on. The problem lies in the society of which we are all a part. It's the problem of a society, which is reflected by an individual. Society forms by collective efforts. So, for deeds of an individual, somewhere somehow we too are also responsible. We need to strive towards creating a country where we do not need any special day for women to be happy; rather each day should be ‘happy women’s day’
No unauthorized publication or use of any content allowed without prior permission | All rights reserved by the author | Feel free to Share via buttons displayed on the left side
I wondered what drastic change the country has undergone overnight. How this patriarchal society suddenly became advocates of feminism and called for the elevation of women’s stature. Why are the people who everyday shares news about lamenting and horrendous crimes like rape, molestation, acid attack, eve teasing, dowry killing, etc., today all of a sudden started blathering about entitling women with all her rights. Then I realized its International Women’s Day.
Speaking particular about India, along with the numerous new trends that have started, celebrating women’s day is yet another one. All throughout the day my cell phone beeped to innumerable messages inviting for various programs and campaigns initiated on the occasion of women’s day.
However, two of the million dollar questions that pop up are. India, a country where woman is given the utmost importance. A country which in itself termed as Bharat mata. A country where women is personified as Goddesses and worshipped. As citizens of such a country, do we really need any such special day to show our solidarity and respect for women?
The second aspect is a question that we need to ask ourselves and introspect. Are we really entitled to say, ‘happy women’s day’??
How can we say happy women’s day, when a young girl named Irom Sharmila, walked all through her life for a cause? And, is on her death bed today fasting for 12 long years demanding repeal of AFSPA. Yet, her voice still remains unheard.
We live in a country where women are burnt alive in the name of dowry and domestic violence. However, despite the law calling for stringent punishment, nobody to care for. A country where girls are safe, neither inside their mother’s womb, nor in the exterior world. It’s a country where even under the canopy of the forth estate and the most powerful, ‘the media’, a girl has to be a victim of abhorrent crimes like sexual violence at work place. So, are women really happy?
How to forget one of the heinous and horrendous Nirbhaya incident that shattered every conscious Indian. And also to mention about tons of other rape cases and that of sexual violence, where even our so called protector ‘the police’ is adamant to act. Things doesn’t end here, but they get more petrifying when educated people, indeed girls come up with absurd and ridiculous suggestions, like laying down a time frame for the girls to be out of their abode in order to avoid rape and other crimes.
It’s is a country where in the name of religion young talented girls are issued fatwa just for performing and forming rock bands. It’s a country where top notch bollywood celebrities when raise their voice against rape and sexual assault through television shows, they start getting threat calls!!
This again brings us to the question, are we really accredited to say, ‘happy women’s day’?
Nevertheless, in the midst of hopelessness, the country has also given us winners and conquerors like M C Marry Kom, Kiran Bedi, Kalpana Chawla, Medha Patkar also Irom Sharmila and the likes of all who have strived and succeeded in flying our tri-color high.
It would perhaps be wrong to judge any individual as good or bad. There’s nobody to fix the blame on. The problem lies in the society of which we are all a part. It's the problem of a society, which is reflected by an individual. Society forms by collective efforts. So, for deeds of an individual, somewhere somehow we too are also responsible. We need to strive towards creating a country where we do not need any special day for women to be happy; rather each day should be ‘happy women’s day’
No unauthorized publication or use of any content allowed without prior permission | All rights reserved by the author | Feel free to Share via buttons displayed on the left side
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