Womaniya

                                                     
                                                         

"Time has witnessed that the Indian women is an epitome of great will power, emotional strength, courage and sacrifice. The qualities coupled in high grade education and exposure in the society is a perfect blend for an Indian woman to lead the country with not only analytical and practical approach but also compassion in the right direction. Women are capable of leading the society in the right direction and they have proved it over the years, be it Mrs. Indira Gandhi our first woman prime minister or The Indian Airforce women pilots who have rescued thousands of lives in the flood ridden regions of Uttarakhand. 

    The age old concept of defining a woman has to be changed. Some might argue that this has already been put into action but I am of the thought that the percentage of women who make it up there are very minimal. They have been giving the men a tough competition and redefined herself as the world maker. Women have been proving their capabilities in each and every field. Even when they have overcome so much, single handedly slashing and cutting across all the prejudices prevailing in the society, with their heads held high with the true spirit of warriors and they have achieved so much over the years.

 But what does the so called patriarchal society give in return to all this? Women till date are subjected to abuse of all kinds, violence and age old concepts like child marriage and female foeticide. Isn't it our job to empower them and encourage them rather than turning these world makers into victims of illiteracy and harassment. Laws are being passed every day, debates are being held for the sake of women empowerment. But just countering and arguing doesn't change anything.

 The need of the hour would be effective implementation of harsh punishments to those who subject women to harassment. Provide the women with some extra support and confidence to achieve their fullest potential and cut off all their restrictions. 

Time has come for us to rise and empower the Indian women. Think about it fellow Indians She is your mother, daughter, sister or wife. Your lifeline. The winner behind your success story! How can you hurt such a beautiful piece of art that has gone through so much pain?"

This is a part of my first debate.( I edited it a bit) It was about whether Indian Women are capable of leading the society in the right direction.Well, I was in 6th grade back then and the Jury was delighted to see so much conviction and passion in a little girls eyes. To my surprise I won the debate. Since that day I have strongly felt the need to voice my opinion. As far as this country goes, If you have sensible things to say people will listen to you but if you are rich and powerful then that's a different scenario. 

 The ideology of a Modern Indian Nari, however has evolved over time; she is daring, free spirited, independent, smart and beautiful. But at the same time she embraces the strong Indian values and lives up to the various roles she has to play. She knows how to respect her independence at the same time clinging on to her family values. She has turned into this wonderful mixture of what the pop culture calls a ‘womaniya’.

 Coming from a society like India’s, this modern outlook that we see in the contemporary women would not have been possible without their willpower. Even though she has transformed herself with the due course of time, we still haven’t transformed our mindsets. In a country like India, even today if a woman walks by wearing a pair of jeans or forget a pair of jeans, even if she is dressed modestly in a sari, “people” are bound to throw her that evil look and cook up stories. This is just a mere example that I have stated, there are much more cruel things that prevail which are far deeply embedded into our mindsets. 

Born in a nation where people worship Goddesses but  treat their wife's like dirt on the road. A nation where rapes and harassment cases are dragged from several decades in court but the SC doesn't flinch for a moment before criminalizing gay sex. If something is unnatural then it certainly are rapes and paedophilia not homosexuality. A nation where everybody talks and talks but acts very little. Oh well and our favourite past time is the blame-game. It has been a year since the brutal rape of Nirbhaya left the nation shaken and thinking. Something of that intensity had to happen to awaken this nation from their yearly kumbakaran sleep. 

It continued with long seen feminist articles, women empowerment programmes and justice for nirbhaya. None of which has been effective. What's sad is that after Nirbhaya the media and newspapers are flooded with rape cases every other day. It has completely blown up on our faces. If anything at all Nirbhaya's case should have empowered the girls and strengthened the rape laws. Instead it has instilled fear in the hearts of young girls, portrayed them as vulnerable section of the society. It has been a year now and all that a mighty nation known for its rich culture and religious background can't respect and protect its women. 

It has been a year and my worst fear has become prevalent. Everybody seems to have forgotten about those times.We are all busy shopping and merry making this holiday season while some girl in some corner of this nation is being subjected to rape and no one even knows about it. Well that's the truth and it's time we face it.

What about the promises that brothers make to their little sisters on Raksha Bandhan and Bhai Dooj that they'll protect them forever. What about the dreams that a father sees for his daughter to grow into beautiful woman. Promises are broken and Dreams are shattered. Is that all we can do?

The other day I was watching BBC and this show came up where the journalist said " A nation where rapes take place every other minute of the day" almost exact were his words and I was taken aback by this because  now even the global community also thinks that India is a land of rapes and harassment. Is that what we want our Identity to be?

This might be just another feminist article stating the plight of the poor, sufferings of the Indian women, blaming the media and our netas and a satirical take on the working of our great nation. Or you can see it as the voice of a young girl who is  deeply against all the atrocities committed  against women and demands respect for women. Because I have seen my great grandmother, grandmother, mother and aunt undergo the "agni pariksha" of the patriarchal society and I know what it is like to be treated that way. Simply for the reason that I don't wish to see my daughter and grand daughter under any such circumstances.

But the question that I want to leave you with is, are we ready to change, let alone willing to let go of our age old mindsets against women? Are we as a nation with patriarchal history going to support, respect and empower our women? Well I can’t wait to witness the time in India where not only the laws and reservations give women equal rights but the people from their mind and heart. 

May there come a time where the mind is without fear and the head is held high of every single women in this country.